Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-07-24
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.

never more so than 10 making Inc aoose So
mcpt, In order 10 ag2taYate the ACT OF s",os
away Texas, which he charges me with, ne mas
made assertions entirely inconsistent WIN Tue
grounds he took and the course ne pursued
While The question of the annexation oil le1as
vas before The Selale. He now asserts that Inc
boundary of Texas, as part OF LOUISIANA, eA,
tended 10 The Rio Grande, when The Treaty OF
FLORIDA was made, in The very teeth Of The as
SERMONS he made when The question OF annex
,ion was before the Senate. 10 The speech ne
made in May. 1911, on The treaty for anneKins
Tsras he asserted. that aThe Texas which we
acquired by the Treaty OF 1902. that OF Lonlsi.
ana never approached the Rio Grande except.
iDg near is mouth" To show that b. "nraf lis
month"; he did not mean that. il touched the
river, he said, speaking OF Tamaulpas, one oil
The States OF Mexico, that 1T covered both sides
., The river. from its mouth tor some hundred
miles up." Hs asserted, ia The same speech,
that all New Mexico, Chihuahua, Coahuila and
Tamauipas, made no part OF the Texas which
we ACQUIRED by The Treaty. OF Louisiana. tie
estimates The part belonging 10 Mexico, lying on
the East side OF The Rio Gfande, 10 De 200O
miles long [ihe whole length OF The rvefJ and
some hundred miles broad, and concluded oy
saving, "he washed his hands OF all attempts 10
dsmember the Republic Of Mexico, by seizing
her dcniniOnS IN NEW htxlCO, CHIuudhuat
CoahuIla and Tamaulipas"
These were his assertions so.emnly mace,
and as he states, alter The fullest examination,
when his object was 10 defeat the treaty which
nesola ed wub the commissioners Of Texas Tor
its annexation For Ina! purpose he attempted
10 show that the treaty covered large part Of
Mexico, which never belonged 10 Tvxis, al
though the treaty spectral no boundary and leit
the boundary open on The side OF Mexico, inten
iionally, in order 10 settle il by treaty with her.
Blu, now when his object is 10 show that gave
away Texas by III TfcaIy OF Flofidafhs holds
very different language. He Goes not, indeed,
say, in so mary words, that Texas covered me
whole region from the Sabine &c The Rio Gfande
for that would have been 100 openy and plainly
a direct contradiction 10 what ne commended Tor
when his object waste defeat annexation; but he
does The ame thing, IN mure Covered ae1 CO.
jecionabe way, by using language ina! could
not ia 10 make ha impression on all who heard
him. or who may read MS speech.
He goes lpf!her. 10 order 10 ag.ravale tho
charge against me lie teccmes apparently
warm advocate oil slavery extension, as he eaiis
il, and uses strong language 10 show The value
OF Texas 10 The South Ia that respect. tie says,
il was all slave territory; that Il was looked 10
as The natural outlet ut the S0u'hcrn States with
their increasing slave population, and il was
! large enough 10 make six large States, or len
common ones. Such is his language, when his
| jecl is to prove that gave away Texas. You
wuu suppose from ibis language, .iIct Re was
| slavery cItensonst, as ne calls all thOse who
| defended YOnr rssh:si and mat ne placed high
value on Texas, "a an outlet Tor your slave pop
Clalion, ard 10 preserve your just Influence and
weight in lie Union. One would conclude, that
wlIh these feelings and views, he would have
hopc q
rejected by The Senate, which proposed 10 annex
| Texas without any restriction whatever 10 rca-
tion to slavery, So as 10 leave il, TO use his own
language, a. Tie outlet 10 your increasing slave
| population. Instead OF that, he made The most
strenuous effort 10 defeat il, and contributed not
| ltie towards il. He went further. Alter lis
defeat, he moved string OF resolutions, con-
tanning provisions Tor lis admission and among
Others one which proposed 10 divide Texas INTO
! Two parts, as nearly equal as possible by line
| running North and South, and 10 allCl The East
ern 10 you, and lie Western 10 the abolticni-rs,
| to The entire exclusion Of your "lncreas
| that he forgot all this in delivering his
speech; but, il not, what matches eituntery
/; and inconsistency 10 make Inc charge ne does
against met There wou.d Iced seem 10 be no
limits 10 his audRcily AMI inconsistency, and he
appears 10 have selected Texes as proper field
| 10 make The greatest display OF them. As il 10
| cap the climax, alter having so deliberately as
| serted, and &C s,renrous!y maintained, that The
| western boundary Of 1r2aS d;i not extend TO the
| Rio Grande, he placed, short lime ateTvart,
his voc on record that il did voting Tor The
| bill declaring war against Mexico. The bill
| assumed it did, in asserting that the blood
| shed on The eastern bank was blood shed on
| the American soil, which could not be, unless
| Texas extended 10 the Rio Gtande. II il did
NOT, The war stands without Justification. II ii
/ did not the march OF our army 10 The Rio Grande
! vas an Invasion OF a nei2hhoring country unau-
| Ihor;Zed by Constitution or Law; and YET Col.
| Benton, wno had BIZ short time t:iore dcclar-
ed solemhly, after iuii investigation, that eli The
! east bank OF the river Tor some hundred miles
wide, belonged 10 he Mexican republic, and en-
| phaicay declared he "washed his hands OF all
attempts 10 dsmenber the Mexican Republic.
by selzing her dominions, New Mexico, Cnhu-
ahua, C1ahuila and Tamaulipas.' voted for The
bill He went further. He reported il as The
Chairman OF the Committee on military affairs,
/ in total disregard OF his own motion made the
| day before, 10 refer So much OF the Message Of
The President, as related 10 declaring war, 10 is
appropriate Commtlee-lhal on Foreign Rela-
1 lions. Comment is unnecessary.
! But an not yet done with Texas, nor with
tho efrontery aud absurdity OF the charges be
made against me, in reference to- lie says
gave it away-gave it away BY The Florida
treaty How could give il away by that or
any other treaty The power TO make treaties
belongs 10 the President, aud nescf was rested
IN me. II was al the time vested in Mr. Mon
roe, as President of the United States. Nor did
| negotiate il. I was only one member Of tie
cabinet and the youngest Of the whole. How
could |, then, give away Texas TO prove the
charge, he resorts to his old patent reasoning !;
that was all powerful-so much so as to make
the President and all the members of his cabinet
mere cyphers. He would have it that they were
bat tools in my hands; and alone was response.
BILE for all that was done. Well, If he will have
il SO, + meet the charge directly. 1t is not
| true that Tho Florida treaty gave away Texas
| did not believe, when The treaty was mace,
| that Louisiana extended, or ever did extend 10
| the Rio Grande. or even 10 lie Nueces, aod that
| il was uncertain whether il extended eJond lbe
Sabna. knew il was claimed TO extend far
beyond, even TO tho Rio Grande; just as we
claimed the whole Of Oregon. and with just
about as little title. have seen nothing 10
change this opinion. On the contrary, if my
informant is correct, there are nov documents
in the State Department, obtained within the
last few years, which oonclu,iyeIy prove that
Louisiana never extended al inch beyond the
Sabine.
10 reply TO Colonel Ben.on's assaults a, 10 the
Treaty, ! annex en- abstract from speech in
answer 10 him, when he made tie sane charge
IN l647. 1t was an Of hand reply 10 premeti.
ialed attack;
"The Florida Treaty. forming another subject
OF attack. figured also on that occasion, IN con-
ncclon with annexation, ard what be says now
is but a repetition OF what he said then. lie
then, Sc nov, mads me responsible Tor that
treaty, although was but one Of SIX members
OF Mr.. Monroe's CabInel, and HE youngest oil
It's members-responsible, without advancing a
particle OF proof that even gave il my supper.
or APPRECIATION. He rests The charge on some
disclaimer, as j seems, thai, The then Secretary VI
Stale | Mr.. Adamsj has, al sclre iiue made, that
he was not responsible for the treaty. TIE Sc.
major may be right as 10 lha; bl! how can that, BY
any possibility, show that was responsiole7-
But am prepared 70 take my iull share Of re-
sponsibliy, as member OF air. hlonroe's Ca.