The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-10-03
100
IcoNrrNuEp FROM FIRST PAeE.l

universally read and universally approved and
Il had its effective did elect an overwhelming
majority of Whigs-thirty-two out of thirty
four Of the Representatives Of that great State
are Wings, elected TO vindcate Wing princi-
pies. and first and foremost amongst those princi-
pies, the glorious Ordinance Of 1897 now known
in our vernscular as the Wilmot Provison
And on this subject hope we shall ever present an
unbroken front and trust that neither principal
ties nor powers nor things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea-
ture, can induce US, or any one Of u.s. to be other
wise than true to his party true to his country and
true to himself What amazement will seize his ad-
miring Wing friends when they are told, that the
author Of that address wore q mask-that while
protesting to believe in the necessity of active
legislation against extending slavery, he be-
lieved that all such legislation was idle, useless
nay, vicious and impious, and that the cherished
principle Of great party was a mere useless
mischievous abstraction" | can only say that |
was sincere-that | profess, believe, and maintain
now, the selfsame doctrines that did then-and
first and foremost amongst them this, that he area
Of slaUTy must not he eTtcndsd.
Having thus yindicaffd myselffrom aspersion
rehearse 10 the gentleman his own incantation and
-, - g - - .- = Z -, .>ics Whig
principle which he is preparing to abjure sthc
principle of protective tariff safe How soon is
that doomed to become an obsolete idea--a useless,
mischievous abstraction.
THAT the area of slavery must not be extend
ed was a national Wing principle from the ear
Hest dawn of the Revolution. 1t has been recog-
missed in the resolutions and instructions Of almost
every Legislature in the free States, and indeed
in almost every State and County Convention.
As a fair sample of those resolutions, | quote
from those of the State of Massachusetts, adopted
on the last day Of pril in the year of Grace $50
ResolUed, That the people Of Massachusetts earnestly
insist upon the application by Congress ofe Ordinance Of
HS7 with all possible sanctions and sOemniies of law, 20
thu territorial possessions Of the ia all parts Of the
continent and for all coming time.
"RsSOired, That the people Of Massachusetts, in the
maintenance Of these their welkn9wn and nvucbe prin
cipss erpei that all her representatives. ~ Gders 10 them
at all hReS, all CREATIONS, and ur all circumstances"
We shall see, in the progress of these bills
and kindred measures now under discussion,
whether il would not have been more suitable
for that Legislature to have adopted those EN-
phatic resolutions on the first day of pril rather
than on the last We shall see whether they are
= SSeUDsi2e-ra ~ ~>atS>s ee~ti~~Nt Of.tks glA~
rious old Bay State or only as a good joke, and
worthy Of all-fools'-day
Let us inquire, as becomes the Representatives
of free and thinking people, what are the ter
ritories Of the Cnuet St&tesf aRd eVinoe our
faitbfulness by applying to them the Ordinance
of 1857, Nth all possible sanctions amt SoiemHa'es
Of laW'
The whole title of Texas to any territory west
of the Nueces, north Of the Red river, consists
in her own sayags, and the sayings of the Presi-
dent Mr. Polk Before can admit the valid
ity of that title, it will be necessary to establish
the principle thaf one atone can NUKE bargain and
that he President has pOwsr 10 gire array The teTTuory
Of the UHed States By rOrd Of mouth
There are three ways in which a nation can ac-
quire territory: by prior occupation, by purchase
and by conquest. Texas il will not be pretended
acquired title to any part Of New Mexico in any
of these ways. She never occupied, never bought
never conquered, never even squatted there. Texas
has however, passed a law by which she declared
the Rio Grande was her western boundary, from
its mouth TO latitude 42o north Paper is passive
and receives just such impressions as we please
10 make. 1t was just as easy for Texas-nay, just
as lawful-to fix her boundary on the Pacific as
on the Rio Grande for Mexico was in as full
and undisturbed possession of all the territory be-
tween the Rio Grande and the Nueces, and all the
territory Of New Mexico east of the Rio Grande
as she was of the Pacific coast. She had towns,
villages, and a city there. Spain, and Mexico
after Spain. have claimed and occupied this terri
tory more than two hundred years; have exer-
cised undisputed and undisturbed legislative judi
cial, and executive power there. All this is to be
overcome by piece of paper, with a few words
not rise to the dignity of a squat-it is only
constructive squat
Texas seems never TO have learned that ii takes
two to make bargain In the same spirit of
wantonness, Taxas passed law extending her
boundaries to the Pacific; it is lucky that the
Governor of that Self-denyiHg Saten was 30 af-
flicted with superabundance Of modesty that he
did not approve that law. If he had, the states
men and lawgivers around us would no doubt now
4 A. II
MIA, and all the remainder of Mexico mhen, mder
our manifest destiny, we shall acquire that country
What are nom the rightful boundaries of Texas
Exactly those which she had March l, lSA5, the
date of the resolution of annexation What ter
ritOry iraS then properly mclnded Tuhm and right
Gulv belOnged 10 TsrdS 2" These are the words of
the resolution. All that territory which Texas
occupied and exercised sovereignty and dominion
over no more Hers was a right by conquest
only--it was not right by treaty or priority Of
occupation.
Her boundaries were the Gulf on the south the
Sabine on the east, the Red river on the north TO
the one hundredth degree Of west longitude from
London, thence about southeast by south TO a
branch of the Nueces, thence down that river to
the Gulf; and contained about one hundred and
twenty five thousand square miles. This is Ste
phen +. Austns boundary, as designated on his
own map in 1888. These are the boundaries of
Texas as written down by Mrs. Mary Austin
Holly, his relative, in her history of Texas The
whole province lay between $50 30 and 900 30'
west longitude and between 80 and 800 3O'
north latitude Ii may not be amiss 10 say that
Austin was one of the fathers of the Republic of
Texas, and that his countrymen have erected n
monument to his memory. These boundaries have
never been enlarged by any of those acts which
constitute title. They remained the same up TO
the time of annexation The battle of San Ja-
cinto did not enlarge it only secured these boun-
dares The treaty with Santa Anna, extend
ing those boundaries, was the merest nulli,v
Santa Anna, as President, and free at home in the
capital of the Aztecs, had no power to cede the
territory of the Republic Of Mexico still less
could he make any treaty while a prisoner of war