Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-07-25

into Two parts, rs nearly equal az possiblc
by a line running north and south, and TO
allut The eastern 10 you, and the western
to The abolilionis's, TO the entire exclusion
of your " increasing staus population" II
can hardly be, sha, he forgot all this in de.
Iivering his speech; but, if not, what
malcbIess eff and Inconsistency To
make The charge he does against me?
There would indeed seem 10 be no limits
TO bis audacily and Inconsistency. and he
appears 10 have selected Texas as a prope.
field 10 make the greatest display of :hem.
AS if 10 cap the climax after having so de-
liberatcly asserted, and 50 slrcnuously
maintained, that The western boundary OF
Texas. did not extend to the Rio Grande,
he placed, a short time afterwart, bis vote
on record. that it did-by voting for the
bill declaring war against Mexico. The
bill assumed it did in asserting that the
blood shed on the eastern bank was blood
she'd on The American soil. which cnull not
be unless Texas extended to The Rio
Grande. fit cid not the war stands with
out Justification. If it did not the march
of our army 10 the Rio Grande was an in
vasion Of a ~neishborlns Country unaulho"
Tized by the Constitution or law /; and yet
Col. Benton, who had but a short time he
fore declared solemnly, after full invesIiga-
ton, that all the east bank of the river
for some hundred miles wide belonged 10
the Mexican Republic; and emphaticaIly
declared, he washed his hands Of all at
Iem,ts TO dismember the Mexican Repub-
lie, by seizing her dominions, New Mexi.
CO. Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Taumauli-
pas" voled for the bill! lle went further.
He reported it as the Chairman of the Com
miItec on military affairs, in total disre.
gard of his own motion made the day be-
fare TO refer so much Of The Message Of The
President, as relates to declaring war 10 lis
appropriate Committeeman on Foreign
relations. Comment is unnecessary.
But / am not yel done with Texas. nor
with the eifroutery and absurdiiy of the
charges he made against me, in reference
to it. lie says ! gave it away-gave ii
away by tho Florida treaty. How could
l give it away by that, or any other treaty ?
The power TO make treaties belongs TO the
President, and never was invested in me.
II vas al the Time invested in Mr.. Monroe.
as President of the United States. Nor
did / negotiate it. | was only one member
Of the cabinet, and the youngest Of the
whole. How could |, then, give away
Texas? To provo the charge he resorts
to his old patent reasoning that | was all
power(uI-so much so, as to mako the
| ID raei1aof on,l all tho poo,,I,or, ~ hi, ooJt
ne, mere cyphers. lie would haveiI, that
they wore but tools in my hands; and |
alone was responsible for all that was done.
Well-if he will have it 50, | meet the
charge directly. 1t is not true, that The
Florida treaty gave away Texas. | did
not believe, when the treaty was made,
that Louisiana extended, or ever did ex.
tend TO The Rio Grande, or. even to the
| Nueces, and that it was uncertain whether
it extended beyond the Sabine. / knew
t was claimed to extend far beyond, even
to the Rio Grande; JUST as we claimed
the whole of Oregon, and with just about
as lirlle title. l have seen nothing to change
this opinion: On the contrary, If my in.
formaut il
m the State Department, obtained within
the last few years, which conclusively
prove, that Louisiana never extended an
inch beyond the Sabine.
In reply to Col. Benton's assaults as to
the treaty, 1 annex an abstract from a
speech in answer to him, when he made
the same charge, in 1917. Ii was an off.
hand reply to q preneditated attack.
1.-The Florida Treaty, forming another
subject Of attack, figured also on that oc.
c%asiou, is connected with annexation and
what he said now is but a repetition Of
what he said then. He then, as now, made
me responsible for that treaty. although /
was but me of six members of Mr.. Mon.
roe's cabinet, and the youngest Of its mem.
bers-responsiblc. without advancing a
particle of proof that l ever gave it my
support or appreciation. He rests The charge
on some disclaimer, as it seems that The
then Secretary of State (Mr. Ad,ms) has,
al some time made, that he wa, not res
ponsible ror.he treaty. The Senator may
be right as to that; but how can that, by
any possibility, show that | was RESPONSE
BILE? But ! Am prepared 10 uke my full
share Of responsibility, as a member of
Mr.. Monroe's cabinet, wilhouthaving any
particular agency in forming tie treaty, or
influence in inducing The cabiiet 10 adopt
it. | then thought, and still thak it a good
treaty; and so thought the SnaIe Of The
United States; for if my memGy does not
deceive me, it received everyvole Of the
Senate. IA Senator: Eyes very vole."
1t then received the unanimousvo,e of the
Senate, promptly given. o course, if
that treaty was the cause of lie war with
Mexico, as the Senator seemsto suppose,
this body is as much the authG and cause
of the war, as the individual On whom he
is now so anxious 10 Gx it.
/ have said it a goud treag. not with
out due reflection. We acquisd much by
it. II gave US Florida-an ACQUISITION not
only important in itself, but aso in refe-
renee 10 the whole Southwestern frontier.
There was. at that lime, for powerful!
tribes of Indians. two of whom,he Creeks
and the Choctaws, we're contiguous to Flo
rida, and The Two others-lhe shickasaws
and Cherokees were adjoining!T They were
the mos, numerous and powerll tribes in
the United States, and from ,kir position
were exposed to be acted on nd excited
-. ., from Elorid, II 10, ;,,,o,t