Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-04-20
Dcuutco to l)ulitits, Nelps, Gitcraturc,
BY D. W.&P.GI JOHNSON.

9
fore The country, as to Son,hern States. haynj
slave population. being represented in the Con
gress Of the United States, upon the ground O
Il happened to me, sir to be callet
on TO address political meeting in New York
| in l837-'33, altcr the recognition Of Texas iu
| dependence. | may stale now, sir, what | hay,
often stated before. thai no man from the frs
has been better wisheT-a more sincere we'll
wIsher-lo the people and government of Tcxa,
than myself looked upon the achievement
Of their Independence at the balIe OF San JacinIC
rs quiIe neutrality-suspicious. a marvellou,
incident in the affairs ofmanknd. was among
the first TO be disposed TO acknowledge her indie
pendence, but from the first down 10 this moment
| have opposed as far as was able the annexa.
ton of new States tu this Union. | stated my
reason on the occasion to which | refer.
have them in short abstract before me, bur i
is hardly worth while that should trouble The
Senate with reading Ihem.
Fora few years held position in the Execu
tive department Of the Government. LEFT the
Department OF State in l843 IN May. Within
month after another most worthy aud respeca.
BILE gentlcman--whO came To very unlimcly
end--had taken my place. | had occasion TO
know, not officially, but from circumstances.
that the annexation of Texas to the United States
was taken up by Mr.. Tyer's Administration as
an administration measure. pushed, pressed, in.
sisted on, and believe that The honorable gentle.
man to whom have referred, and for whose
memory entertain much respect, ( Mr.. Upshur.)
had something like passion for the accomplish
ment ollhis purpose. And aln afraid that the
President Of the United States al that time suffer
ed his ardent feelings not lnIlc to control his
more prudent judgment. At any rate, SAW in
l843 that annexation had becomea purpose
was not in Congress, nor in public life, but see-
ing this state Of things thought il my duty to
admonish, as far as | could, the country of the
existence Of this purpose. There are gentle.
men--many of them al the Norih--Olh rs now
in this capital, who know THAI in the summer of
l843, being fully persuaded that this purpose Of
anncXing Texas had been taken up with zeal
and determination by the Executive Government
OF the United States, | thought it my duty, and
asked their concurrence in an attempt to let this
purpose be known to the country. conferred
with gentlemen of distinction and eminencc;
proposed some means of exciting public auen.
tlon TO the question of annexation before it
should become party question; for had learn.
cd that when maIIer becomes a party matter,
II IS IN vain to argue upon it. But The oplimsts,
the quietlsts then, who said all things are well
and lei all things alone, discouraged, discoun.
repreSSed, any such effort. They said
the North would take care Of ITSELF the country
would take care Of itself; that II would not sus.
tain Tyler's project Of annexation, when the
time came the power of the North, which was
felt in the House of representatives,, would be
sufficient 10 resist the measure. And could
now reIcrl paragraphs and articles in the most
respectable journals at the Norlh, in which the
attempt was made TO produce an impression that
here was no danger that we should have ad
1Ion OF new SlaIes; that we need not alarm our.
selves aboutt was not in Congress when the
'eso luIlon providing for the annexation Of Tex
Is was passed. | only know that up to a very
hort period before The passage Of that resolution
he general impression was, in the country where |
belonged, that no such resolution could pass
3uI have found, sir, in the course of thirty
'earS' experience, that whatever measure the |
1Necuuve Government embraces and pushes in |
utte likely TO succeed. There is giving way
omewhGre. 1.-The Executive Government acts
With uniformity, steadiness, entire unity Of pur-
ose, sooner or later il is quite apt enough, ac-
ordlng TO my construction Of history, TOO apt
0 effect lis purpose.
Just before The commencement Of the present
administration the resolutions for the aLnexa-
ION OF Texas passed Congress. Texas complied !
Nth the provisions Of these resolutions and she .
'as here, or The case was here on the 22l of De.
em6er 1915, for her final admission into The |
jnlOn as one of these States. took occasion I
len 10 state that hoped, / had shown all proper
,gard for Texas; that had been certainly op-
oSed TO annexation; that if should 90 over The
hole matter again sho uId have nothing new TO
dd; that had acted all along under The unani-
lous declaration of all parties, and of the Le-
Slatura OF Massachusetts, that | thought there
lust be some limit to the extent of our terrific.
es; and that wished that this country should .
Shlbit to the world the example Of powerful
'publlc without the greediness and hunger of
npire. And added that, while held with as
uch lulIhluness as any citizen of the country
all the original arrangements and compromises
the constitution under which we live, never
'uId, and never should, bring myself 10 be in
vor Of the admission of any States in the Uni
! us slaveholding States, and might have ad-
d, any States u all. Now, as have said, in
this acted under the resolutions of the Stale
Massachusetts, certainly concurrent with my !
Vn judgment, so often repeated, and reaflirmed
tho unanimous consent of all men Of all par
IS; that could not we'll go through the series
pointing out not only the impoIicy, but the un-
Of such annexation. A case +,
esenod is this: liza Stale proposes to come
to the Union, and to come in as slave StaIe, .
en- there is an augmentation Of the inequality r
the representation of the people which allea d
eXists--On inequality already existing, with Il
hich do not quarrel, and which never will =
tempt to alter, but shall preserve as long as I
I'VE vote to give or any voice in this Govern. St
ent, because it is part of the original compact. o
et it stand. ii
But, then, there is another consideration Of '
inn ,b,p IL