The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-29

-proDeriV oDi Of lAs State where ibeP- are bela
Y " Wac eolhfnefoe IA US...auSsSo s.s<s<Si -
| as such by all the States, and not commerce in
| persons, that was designed TO be regulated by
Congress. Commerce in persons, if 1t may be
so called, was not intended 10 be regulated by
Congress, because il was peculiar and local. and
not national"-APpendiE 10 PaeTSS Reports, rel
Is, D. SO.
II shat doctrine be true, it is because slaves are
property by local, and not by general law Thst is
the sentiment Of Vermont Ii is not new Ii is older
than the thunder of Winthrop, or Webster, or
Wilmot The old battery, whence il originated
is still sound, and sends forth it's annual charges
believe it has been found easier to peryert than
to answer it, Ii was declared thirty years since
In that time, FIVE new slave States have been
admitted She has demonstrated against them
all, and most earnestly against the last But they
have been admitted by the constituted authority,
and she has submitted. A whole generation has
come and gone since that was proclaimed. Il
was the utterance Of honest sentiment, and had
no reference to political effect, the Senatorial
sneers of New Hampshire TO the contrary not
| withstanding. REGENTS events lead us to suppose
States DO net accuse Seyyxac.. =
| putting her light under bushel, or smothering
| her sentiments in her archives She does not
! spring QpoD you with new principle, sSierx the
teriftofSS wvfe acquired. You knew beforehand
that if that territory was acquired, Vermont had
a lien upon II for freedom. You took it with that
mortgage She is not prompted by the Aashy
and iippant zeal of new political convert, but
by long -settled and abiding principle, Her choice
most unquestionaby is governments for the ter
rtories with the Proviso that was first presented
! for adoption If that cannot be secured, there IL
as little doubt that she will sustain the plar
| of the President She regards the plan az
originating in patriotic motives; and she es
teens its author as one of the most impartial
and noble minded and national-minded patriots
that has trod the Presidential platform since the
organization of the Government. But she can
consent to no plan, TO no action or non-action and
to no compromise, that does not give positive
and permanent security for freedom in the terri
tories. You cannot change that purpose. You
may as well attempt to unsettle the foundations
of her everlasting mountains.
The third proposition of this bill is to purchase
the claim of Texas to the disputed territory be.
between her and New Mexico 1t was amusing
| TO see the manner in which that matter first
| came before the Senate. A bill was reported
for the admission OF California, and for terrific.
rial governments for Utah and New Mexico
For these the committee were responsible; and
then there came trotting into the camp loose
unbridled colt that no man would claim and M
man would own, proposal to purchase for a bianl
sum the claim Of Texas. The author Of THU
bill, with holder hand, has caught and har
dessed that colt whether it will add strength Il
the team, time alone can determine. He has a
least fixed the price; he proposes to pay tel
millions Of dollars. suppose it is already irrev
ocably ordained that VIC and our children, an
our children's children are to be taxed for Texa
trust that, as free agents, we may have voic
In determining whether that burden shall be II
! creased. Many words have been wasted to sho
who is responsible for the annexation of Texa
: and the evils that have flowed from IT, ID is es
silly settled for the facts are recent, and any in
telligent man can relate them withouta refereuc
to documents. | ask your attention to that poin
and do so with no design of gathering material
for reproaching any man or party. 81 speak wit
the freedom of history, and without offence" Ii
: April, 1914 President Tyler sent TO the Senate
, treaty of annexation, which was rejected by
vote of 10 to 80, but a single Northern Senator
Mr. Woodbury., voting in favor Of it, At tina
time all parts and all parties of the North were
decidedly opposed to It, This is shown by thu
resolutions Of Conventions and Legislatures, anC
the voice of the press. Democratic organ ut
tered the general sentiment, when 1t said, "rathel
than anne xation, let there be an impossible gul
between Texas and the Union" The matter wa,
taken into the Baltimore Convention, was in
serted and announced as part Of the Democratic
creed Then there was q change great and
sudden change A large portion Of the party
wheeled to cover their file leaders We went
into the canvass, the Wings North and South
against annexation, the Democrats North and
South in favor Of IT, In New York there was
small party which held the political balance OF
that State, when New York held the balance OF
the Union IL this is not clear, every one may
see parallel In electing the Speaker Of this
House In both cases the balance was so man
aged, by design or accident, as TO secure the tr-
| umph of the Democrat and the stakeholder We
| came out of that canvass with ffty-eght electoral
votes of the North for Mr.. Clay and one hun
dred and six for MIR Polk This was regarded
AS the popular decision In the next Congress
Texas was annexed, by almost q clear party vote
throughout the Union. II will be SEEN them that
50 far as power is concerned, the gentleman from
Maryland MIR. McLanel is right in his bo'st,
that il was done by Democratic power. But there
is question that lies farther back, who put that
power In motion Ia that particular direction Not
| Northern men, certainly, nor Southern men as n
| body, nor even as majority, but 1t was done by
men from the South, having for their avowed OBJ
| ject the protection, IL not the extension, of
slavery The war and acquisition are the ac-
kpowledged as they were the fcreseen results
This is the history, and IL shows us who are re-
sponsible for the present criss--who have brought
| upon us our present dangers--why II Is that the
waves are now dashing over us, while we are al
most belplessly wallowing in the trough Of the
sea II the tempest shall drive us to the cliffs,
every survivor on every floating fragment Of the
wreck viii curse the plan of annexation, and the
authors who brought IL upon the country. Let
| those who have caused these perils OF the Union
now come forward and remove them let them ex.
oroise the spirit they have raised. They have
the power in both branches Of Congress-if they
will use it for just and honorable settlement OF
this controversy Of their own creation, they will
receive from generous country not only oblivion
of the past, but gratitude for the future.
An important element In the campaign Of 1874
was the impression made at the North, that II
Texas came into the Union at least one-half Of her
territory would be free, because the soil and eli
mate were not fitted to sustain slavery. That
was the burden Of the press and the political ora
tor. Among numerous authorities TO prove IL, no
name was more frequently cited than the name OF
Henry Clay. But when Texas came In, covered
oil over with slavery, the people we're disappont-
Cd because they have been duped. II was this
that caused revulsion of feeling, In large por-
ton, back TO the original point This will solve
for my predecessor, Mr. Savage what appeared
to him great mystery, that there should be such
a vote for Mr.. Polk in the North, with Texas as
o test, and still the men who voted In Con-
gress for annexation should be 20 unpopular
| Those men saw what was coming, and the moment
Of leaving these halls they ned fora city Of refuge
ss II the avenger Of blood was on their track, and
they never bsted till, painting and breaihess they
stood under the same shelter with Dix and Niles
One part Of that territory Was secured TO free.
dom by the terms Of annexation. :" In such State
States as shall be formed out Of said Tertiary
north Of said Missouri Compromise lipe, slavery o.
Involuntary servitude except for crime) shall be
prohibitsdn That declaration II positive, uncon.
! ditionsl dependent neither on the assent Of Ter.
a., nor the people who shall form that State. Is
there spy possible way ofsvciding that contract
The gentleman from Texas Mr. Howard seemed
70 have made this discovery. On the 22d jan
i ha A. III Aacl.