The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-07-22

containing the principle Of the Wmo Proviso and that
he and General Houston were the only two southern
members who voted for IL that, without their votes, il
would not have been defeated; followed by the express
sion OF an opinion that for doing, they deserved the
reprobaton OF the whole South. Neither of them has
ever denied the truth Of my statement nor ever can.
Every word Is true as the journals OF the Senate show.
The statement itself is in plain language and free from
distortion or exaggeraon The fact stated related Of
fetal acts which il was important my constituents should
peaching motives All was done within The rules Of de-
corum and those that govern parliamentary proceedings
Wherein, then, consists the ofence' am at loss to
perceive except the principle be adopted that the greater
the truth the greater the libel Ii may be that il was re-
gaded as an offence because il calculated 10 embar
rass him, and thwart what he then mediaied. andbas
snGe carried into execunon-an open deseron 10 the
pass now to his next charges He asserts that gave
away Iexas and to make out, he asserts that Texas
belonged TO the United States when the treaty with Spain
was made by which she coded Florida to us. He claims
that Texas was part Of louisiana, and that its bound
airy extended TO the Rio Grande; that all slave
oy and looked to the natural outlet for their great
increasing slave population; and finally, that
rendered BY the rea4of Florida. made in 1919, during
OF the members On this statement he rests his charge
that gave away Texas
Il is difficult for who lacks sincerity, and is actu
tency and contradiction in defending himself assang
others in making long speech. Col Benton furnishes
strong illustration OF the truth of this position, and
never more so than in making The above statement In
order to aggravaie the act of giving away Texas which
he charges WITH lie has made assertions entirely in.
pursued while the question Of the annexation If Texas
was before the Senate He asserts that the bound
airy OF Texas as part OF Louisiana extended to the Rio
IGrande when the treaty OF Florida made, in the
very teeth OF the assertions he made when the ques
/ ton OF annexation was before the Senate. In the
speech h. made in May 1874 on the treaty for an
acquired by the, treaty of 1903 Chat OF Lousiana)
never approached the Rio Grande excepting near its
mouth. To show that by "near its mouth" he did moi
mean thai IL touched the he oofT To
maulipas Of the States Of Mexico. that sit covered
both sides Of the river from its mouth for hundred
miles up" He asserted in the same speech that all New
Mexico, chihuahua, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas made no
part OF the Texas whchwe acquired by the treaty oil Louis
lana He estimates the part belonging to Mexico lying
the east side OF the Rio Grande TO be 900 miles long,
he whole length of the rver) and hundred miles
broad and concluded by saying. she washed his hands
Of all attempts 70 dsmemSer the REPUBLIC Of Mexico by
hula, and Tamaulipas."
u These his assertions soemnly made and as he
TO defeat the treaty which negotiated with the commits
sioners OF Texas for its annexation For that purpose he
attempted to show that the treaty covered large part Of
Mexico which never belonged TO Texas, although the
treaty specified boundary and left the boundary open
on the side OF Mexico intentionally, in order settle il
with her, But now, when his object is to show
very different language. He does moi. indeed say in
many words that Texas covered the whole region from
the Sabine to the Rio Grande Tor that would have been
openly and plainly direct contradiction to what he
tended for when his object to defeat annexation but
he does the same thing, in covered and objection
able way, by using language that could not fail 10 make
that impression ON all who heard him. who may read
his speech -
He goes further In order to aggravate the charge
against me he becomes apparently warm advocate OF
slavery extenson as he calls IT, and strong language
show the value of Texas TO the South in that respect
The natural outlet Of he ssabe Ssss Won
increasing slave population and II was large enough to
make six large States, or ten common ones. Such is
his language, when his object is TO prove that gave
away Texas. You would suppose from this language
that he was slavery extensonst he calls all those
who defend your rights, and that he placed high value
preserve your just influence and weight in the Union
One would conclude that. with these feelings and views.
would have been strong advocate OF the treaty that
was rejected by the Senate, which proposed TO annex
Texas without any restriction whatever IN relation to
slavery, as TO leave it, TO his own language,
Of that. he made The most strenuous effort 10 defeat
il, and contributed not little towards it. He went
further. After its defeat he moved string of resolu-
tons containing provisions for its admission and among
others one which proposed TO divide Texas into two
parts nearly equal as possible, by line running north
and south, andto alot the eastern 10 you and the west
ern TO the abotonss, TO the entire exclusion OF your
INCREASING ddve population" Il hardly be thai he
fogo, all this in delivering his speech but. II not what
matchless eronery and Inconsistency TO make the charge
he does against me There would indeed seem TO be no
limits TO his audaciiy and Inconsistency and he appears
to have selected Texas as proper field 10 make the
greatest display oil them. As ito cap the climax. after
having so deliberately asserted and srennously main
taned that the western boundary oil Texas did not extend
to the Rio Grande, he placed short time afterwards
his vote record that il did. by voting for the bill
declaring war against Mexico The bill assumed did
in asserting that the blood shed the eastern bank
blood shed American soil, which could not be unless
Texas extended 10 the Rio Grande II il did not. the
war stands without justification. II did not, the march
OF our army TO the Rio Grasde an invasion OF
Z neghborng country unauthorized by constitution OF
law; and yet Colonel Benton, who had but shor time
before declared soemnly after full investigation that al
the east bank Of the rve for some hundred miles wide
. belonged TO the Mexican republic, and empbaiically
declared he "washed his hands Of all attempts to dis
member the Mexican republic by sezing her domnions
voted for the bill He went further He reported II a
the chairman OF the Committee Military Affairs 10
total disregard o. his motion made the day before
much OF the message of the President as related
to declaring TO lis appropriate committee, that or
Foreign Relations Comment is unnecessary.
But am not yet done with Texas. with the eflront
cry and absurdy OF the charges he made against me 10
reference 10 IT, He says gave i away-gave il ava,
BY the Florida treaty How could give away by tina
any other treaty The power TO make treaties belong
to the President, and never was vested in was
the time vested in Mr. Monroe President OF the Uni
ted States Nor did negotiate IT, was only one mem
Der Of the cabinet and the youngest OF the whole How
coud then give away Texas To prove the charge h
resorts TO his old patent reasoning but all power
ful-so much to make the President and all tn
Il members of his cabinet ciphers He would have
that they were but tools in my hands, and alone wa
responsible for all that done. Well II he will hav
so, meet the charge directly IL s not true that tn
n Florida treaty gave away Texas | did not believe
when the treaty made, that Louisiana extended,
did extend TO the Rio Gande, TO the Nuece'
and that II uncertain whether extended beyond IN
,i Sabine knew il was claimed to extend far beyond
We even TO the Rio Grande; Just AZ claimed the whole