Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-07-30

II IS dificn for who lacks sincerity and is ac-
tuated BY violent passions escape the greatest ncon-
slsency and cntradctor in defending himself or assa-
ing others, in making long speech Col.nel Benton
furnishes strong Illustration of The truth of this position
and never more so than in making the above statement
In order to ayate the Of giving wav Texas which
ne charges NE WITH he has made assertions entirely in
consistent with the grounds he took and the cqNrse he
pursued while The question of the annexaon.af Texas
was before the Senate He now asserts that the boun-
dairy OF Texas, part Of Louisiana extended TO the
RIO Grande. when the Treaty of Florida was made in
the teeth OF the assertions he made when the ques Of
annexation was before the Senate. In the speech he
made m Afay, loil on the treaty for annexag Texas
he asserted that The Texas which we acquired by the
reay OF SO3 that of Louisiana never approached the
no OTande excepting its m9uth.'' 10 show that
by near it. mouth he did mean that it touched the
Hver he sald speaking of Tamaupas of the States
OF Mexico. that sit covered both sides Of the river from
IFS mouth for some hundred miles up.' He asserted in
the same speech, that all New Mexico, Chihuahua
CGahulla and 1amanllpas, made part of the Texas
which we acquired by the Treaty of Louisiana. He
estimates the part belonging to New Mexico. lying
on the East side Of the Rio Grande, to be 1900 miles
long. (he whole length of the rive) and some hundred
miles broad, and concluded by saying she washed his
hands of attempts to dsmember the Republic of Mex
leo, by sezlng her domnions in New Mexico, Chihua
hua Coahula nd 1'amauIpas"
These were his assertions, solemnly made, and he
states, after the fullest examination, when his object
commissioners OF Texas for annexation. For that pur
pose he attempted to show that the treaty covered large
part OF Mexico, which belonged to Texas although
The treaty specified no boundary and left the boundary
open on the side Of Mexico intentionally in order to
lie 1t by treaty with her. But when his object is to
show that gave away Texas by the Treaty Of Florida
he holds very different language He does not indeed,
say, in many words, that Texas covered the whole
region from the Sabine to the Rio Grande, for that would
have been too openly and plainly direct contradiction to
Nh1 hn dnIf han ht, Il
nexatlon; but he does the thing, in covered
and Objectionable way, by using language that could not
al to make that impression all who heard him, or who
may read his speech.
He goes further In order to aggravae the charge against
NE he becomes apparently advocate of slavery
extension, as he calls and strong language show
lie value of Texas 10 the South, in that respect He
says 1t was all slave territory; that it looked as
The natural outlet of the Southern States with theirncreaS
ING slave population, and it was large enough make
SIX large States, ten ones. Such is his lam
guagp when his object is to prove that gave away Tex
as. You wGud supp from this language that he was
slavery eXensionls lie calls all those who defended
your nights and that he placed high value Texas,
as an outlet for your slave population and to the Union
One would conclude that with these feelings and views.
he would have been strong advocate of the treaty that
was rejected by the Senate, which proposed to annex
leX1S without any restriction whatever in relation TO Sla
very as to leave it, to his language, the
outlet your increasing slave population. Instead If that,
he made the most strenuous effort odeea and contrib
uted not little towards title further. After lis de-
teat he moved string Of resolutions, containing prov-
sons for lis admission, and among Others one which
proposed to divide Texas into two parts, nearly equal
as possible by line running North and South, and to
alot the Eastern TO you, and the Western to the abo
onss, TO the entire exclusion of your increasing Stare
population" 1t hardly be, that he forgot all this in
delivering his speech bnt, il not what machlesS eon-
terry and inconsistency make the charge he does against
hero pIa Ia ito tn
dacty and Inconsistency and he appears have selected
eXas as proper field to make the greatest display of
them As II to cap the climax, after having delber
alely asserted, and srenuously maintained that he
western boundary of Texas did not extend to the Rio
Orande, he placed, short afierward his vote on
record, that 1t dizzy voting for the bill declaring
agallst Mexico. The bill assumed it did in asserting
that the blood Shed on the bank was blood shed
on the American SOIL which could not be, unless Texas
extended t. the Rio Grande If it did not, the war
stands without Justification. If did not the march of
our army The Rio Grande was an invasion of nech-
boring country unauthorized by Constitution or law and
yet COL Benton, who had but short time before de-
cared soemny, after full investigation that ali the east
bank OF The EVER for some hundred miles WIDE belonged
to the Mexican republic, and emphacaly declared, he
washed his hands of all attempts to dsmember the
Mexican Republic. by seizing her dominions New Mex
co chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas," voted for
ne bill! He went further. He reported it as the
Chairman of the Committee military affairs in total
disregard Of his own motion made the day before to re-
Ter 50 much of the Message Of The President as related
70 declaring war, to IT'S appropriate Committee that on
orelgn Relations. Comment is unnecessary
But am not yet done with Texas nor with the eff
rontey and absudy of the charges he made against me-
IN reference to it. He says gave it away-gave it
away by the Florida treaty. How could give it away
by that or any other treaty The power make treaties
belongs 10 the President, and never was vested in me
was at the time vested in Mr. Monroe President of
the U. States. Nor did negotiate ii. was only one
member of the cabinet and the Youngest of the whole
How could |, then, give away Texas To prove the
was al poweriul-so much to make the President
and all the members Of his cabinet mere cyphers He
would havei that they but tools in my hands
and alone responsible for all that was done. Well
II he Will have Itso, meet the charge directly. 1t is
not true that the Florida treaty gave away Texas. ]
dd not believe, when the treaty made, that Louisi-
ana extended. did extend the Rio Grande or
even to the Nueces and that it was uncertain whether
it extended beyond The Sabine. knew it was claimed
to extend far beyond. the Rio Grande Just as
we claimed the whole of Oregon, and with just about as
little TILE have seen nothing change this opinion
On The contrary, If my informant is cDrrect there are
now documents In the State Department. obtained
within the last few years, which conclusively prove
that LOUISIANA never extended inch beyond the Sa-
bine.
10 reply 70 Colonel Benon's assaults as to the treaty
annex an abstract from speech in answer to him,
when he made the charge in lS47. 1t was an off
hand reply to premedltated attack
The Florida Treaty, forming another subject Of at
tack. figured also that occasion, in connection with
annexation, and what he is but repetition of
what he said then. He then now made me respon-
sble for that treaty, although was but Of six