The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-03-27
Speech Of MIR. Webster.
OF NAssAcHUskTTss
On tie Conpromise Questions,
Delivered In the senais of the United States,
March 4. 1850.
Coneiuded.
or xAksAcHUsKrTs.

March "a 1880.
Conciud~d.
Mr.. President, sometimes, when 4
man is found 10 new relation TO things
around him and to other men. be says
,he world has changed. and that he has
no, changed. | believe. sir. ttat our
self respect leads us often TO make the
declaration 10 regard 10 ourselves when
il is no, exactly true. An individual is
more apt 20 change. Bat. under the
present circumstances, and under The res
ponsibiIiiy which l know incur by what
| am now stating here, l feel at Liberty 10
recurlo the various expressions and state
menls, made al various limes, Of my own
opinions and resolutions respecting the ad-
mission OF Texas. and all that has & low
ed. Sir. rs early as 1896. or in the earli-
part Of 1887, matter Of conversation
and correspondence between myself and
some private fnencs was this pruject Of
annexing Texas to the United States ;and
IN honorable gentleman with whom
have had long acquaintance, friend
Of mine, now perhaps in this chamber
II mean Gen. Hamilton. Of South Caro-
lina-was knowing TO that correspon-
dence. had voted for the recognition
Of Texan independence, because | believ-
ed il was an existing fact, surprising and
astonishing as il was. and Iwished well TO
the new republic: but manifested from
the first utter opposition to bringing her
with her territory into the Union. had
occasion, sir, in 1897 to meet friends in
New York, on some political occasion,
and then stated my sentiments upon the
subject. II was the first time that ] had
occasion To advert TO il |; and will ask a
friend near me to do me the favor 10
read an extract from the speech, for the
Senate may find il rather tedious TO listen
TO the whole Of u. Ii was delivered in
Niblo's garden in 1897.
Mr.. Greene then read the following
extnc, from the speech of the honora-
bic senator, to which he referred:
.Gentlemen, we all see that, by whom
soeser possessed, Texas is likely to be a
slaveholding country; and frankly a.
vow my entire unwillrgness to do any
thing which shall extend the slavery Of
the African race on this continent, or
add other slavehoIding States to the
Union.
"When l say That regard slavery in
itself as great moral, social, and politl-
cal evil. only use language which has
been adopted by distinguished men,
themselves citizens Of slaveholdung-
States.
al shall do nothing, therefore. to favor
or encourage its further extension. We
have slavery already among us. The
constitution found il among us: it recog-
nized il, and gave il solemn guarantees.
"'ro the full extent ofthese guarantees,
we are all bound in honor. in justice,
and by the constitution. AL the slipu-
lations contained in the constitution in
favor Of the slaveholding States. which
are already in the Union, ought 10 be
fulfilled, and, so far as depends on me,
shall be fulfilled in the fulness Of their
spirit and to the exactness Of their letter.
Slavery as it exists ia the States is be-
yond the reach Of Congress. Il is a
concern oflhe States themselves. They
have never submitted it to Congress.
and il has no rightful power over it.
al shall concur, therefore, in no act,
no measure, no menace, no indication of
purposes which shall interfere or threat
en- 10 interfere with the exclusive au-
thority Of the several States over the
subject Of slavery, as il exists within their
respective limits. All this appears to
me 10 be matter Of plain and imperative
duty.
ssBut when we come to speak OF ad-
miiting new States, the subject assumes
an entirely different aspect. Our rights
and our duties are then both different.
Il see, therefore, no political necessi-
ty for the annexation Of Texas to the
Union-no advantages to be derived from
it; and objections to it Of a strong, and,
in my judgment, Of a decisive charac>
ter"
Mr.. Webster.-I have nothing, s:r, 10
add to nor take back from these senti>
ments. That the senate will perceive,
was in 1887. The purpose Of immedi-t
ately annexing Texas at that time was
abandoned or postponed: and It was not
revived with any vigor for some years.
Inthe meantime it had so happened that
had become member Of the Execu-
tive Administration, and was for a short
period in the Department of State. The
annexation of Texas had become sub
ject of conversation--not conhdeniIal-I
with the President and heads Of Depart
menis, as well as with other public men.
No serious attempt was then made 10
bring itabout. left the Department Of
State in May. 1913. and shortly alter
learned, though no way connected with
official information, that design had
ben taken up Of bringing in Texas, with
her sl,ve territory and population, int
the United States. was here in Wasi.l