The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-14


Constitution has been n Southern lead. In 1902,
in pursuit Of the idea Of opening neS cotton re-
zion the United States obtained a 'cession from
Georgia of the whole Of her western territory
now embracing the rich and growing State of Al
ALBANIA. la 1903 Louisiana was purchased from
France out of which the States OF Louisiana,
Arkansas and Missouri, have been framed as
slaveholding States In 1919, the cession of Flor
ida was made, bringing another cessiOn OF slave
holding property and territory Sir, the honora-
bic member from South Carolina thought he saw
in certain operations Of the Government, such as
the manner of collecting the revenue and the ten
dency of those measures TO promote emigration
into the country, what accounts for the more
rapid growth Of the North than the South. He
thinks they were not the operation of time, but Of
the system Of government established under this |
Constitution. That is matter of opinion. To |
a certain extent, it may be so but it does
seem to me that if any operation of the Govern
ment could be shown in any degree to have pro- |
NOTED the population, and growth, and wealth of
the North, it is much more sure that there are
sundry important aud distinct operations of the |
Government, about which doubt, !
tending to promote, and which absolutely have
promoted, the increase Of the slave interest aud
the slave territory Of the South Allow me to say
that it was not time that brought in Louisiana
it the act of men. IL twas not time that brought
in Florida IL was the act OF men. And lastly, !
sir, to complete those acts Of men who have con-
tributed so much to enlarge the area and the
sphere of the institution OF slavery, Texas great
and vast and illimtable Texas, was added to the
Union a slave State in 1915 and that, sir,
pretty much closed the whole chapter and settled
the whole account That closed the whole chap
ter that settled the whole account because the
annexation OF Texas, upon the conditl5ns aud
under the guarantees upon which she was admit
ted, did not leave an acre Of land capable Of being
cultivated by slave labor between this Capitol and
the Rio Grande or the Nueccs, or whatever Is the
proper boundary Of Texas-not an acre, not one
From that moment, the whole country from hereto
the western boundary of Texas was fixed, pledged,
fastened decided to be slave territory forever by
the solemn guarantees ofaw. And now say, sir as
the proposition upon which stand this day, and
upon the truth and irmness of which Intend TO act
until it is Overthrown that there is not at this mo-
ment within the United States or any territory
Of the United States, a single foot OF land the
character of which in regard to its being free soil
territory or slave territory, is not fixed by some
law, and some irrepealable law, beyond the power
of the action of this Government Now ~ it not |
so with respect to Texas? Why, it is most man.
ifestly so. The honorable member from South
Carolina, at the time Of the admission Of Texas,
held an important post in the Executive depart
meut Of the Government be was Secretary OF
State Another eminent person Of treat activity
and adroitness in affairs mean the late Secretary
of the Treasury, (Nr. WaikerJ was rearing
member of this body, and took the lead IN the !
business of annexation and must say that they ,
did their business faithfully; there was no botch :
in If They rounded it off and made as close
homework as ever was put together. Resolutions
of annexation were brought into Congress htly :
ioinsd together-compact, firm efficient, conclusive !
upon the great object which they had in view. .
Allow ne 10 read the resolution. IL Is the third !
clause of the second section of the resolution Of
the st March, Si5, for the admission OF Texas. }
That clause reads ia these words
nNeF States Of convenient size, exceeding four in
number aldi ion to said State Of Texas, and having
snNcent poplation NAV hereafter by the Of said
state be formed the territory thereof which shall
be entitled admission under the provisions CT the Fed
oval Con,utiop And such States as may be formed ont
Of that portion Of sail TERRITORY lying south Of thirty six
degrees thirty minutes north latitude commonly known as
tbs N,s7ur C5rnrriu>c line shall be admitted into
Union with without slavery, the people OF each State
asking admission desire and in such State or States
as shall he formed ont Of said territory north of sail Mis-
souri, Compromise line, slyery or involuntary servude
except for crme) shall be prohibited"
Now, what is here stipulated, enacted, secured 4?
It is that all Texas south of $50 3d. which is
nearly the whole OF it, shall be admitted into the
Union as q slave State--it was slave State, and
therefore came in as n slave State and that new
States shall be made out of it; and that such
States as are formed out Of that portion Of Texas
living south of 800 3W may come in as slave
States to the number of four, in addition to the
State then in existence, and admitted at that
time by these resolutions. | know no mode OF
legislation which can strengthen that know no
mode of recognition that add title of
weight TO it, listened respectfully to the reso-
lutions Of my honorable friend from Tennessee,
[Mr BELL He proposed to recognise that slip
ulation with Texas But any additional recogni-
ton would weaken the force Of it; because 1t
stands here on the ground of contract for
consideration. 1t is a law founded on contract |
with Texas and destined to carry that contract !
into effeet. A recognition founded on any con-
sideratiou and any contract would not be 80
strong it now stands on the face Of the resolu-
ton Now know 70 way, | canddly confess, |
in which this Government, acting in good faith, |
as trust it always will, can relieve itself from
that stipulation and pledge, by any honest course
of legislation whatever. Aud, therefore, ! say
again that so far as Texas il cOncerned-the
whole of Texas south of 800 3O', which sup
pose embraces all the slave terrtory-there is no
land not an acre the character Of which is not
established by law, law which cannot be re-
pealed without the violation of a contract.
/ hope, sir that it is now apparent that my
proposition so far rs Texas is concerned, has
been maintained and the provision in this arti-
ce-and it has been well suggested ny my friend
from Rhode Island that that part Of Texas which
lies north Of thirty four degrees of north latitude
may be formed into three States-is dependent
in like manner upon the consent Of Texas, her
self slave State.
Well, now, sir how came it? How came it
that within these walls, where it is said by the
honorable member from South Carolina that the
free States have a maioriy-this resolution of
annexation such as have described IT, found a
majority in both Houses of Congress? Why
sir, it found that majority by the vast addition OF
Northern votes added TO the entire Southern vote,
or at least nearly the whole Of the Southern
votes IL was made up of Northern we'll as of
Southern votes In the House of Representa-
tiVes it stood, ! think, about eighty Southern
votes for the admission of Texas, and about fifty
Northern votes for the admission of Texas In
the Senate the vote stood for the admission of
Texas twenty-seven, aud twenty-five against it
and of those twenty-seyen votes, constituting a
majority for the admission of Texas in this body
no less than thirteen of them ctme from the free
States-four Of them were from New England.
The whole Of these thirteen Senator's from the
free States-wthin Il fraction, you see, of one
half Of all the votes in this body for the admis-
sion of Texas with its immeasurable extent Of
slave territory-were sent to this body by free
soil votes
Sir, there is not so remarkable chapter in our
history of political events, political parties, and
political men, as is afforded by this measure for
the admission of Texas with this immense terri
tory that bird cannot fly over i'll week
Laughter Sir, New England, with some of
her votes, supported this measure. Three-fourths
of the votes of liberty loving Connecticut went
for it in the other House, and one-half here.
There was one vote for il in Maine, but | am
happy to say not the vote Of the honorable mem
Der who addressed the Senate the day before yes
terday, IMr. HAMLIN, and who was then Rep
resentative from Maine in the other House; but
there was q vote or two from Maine-aye, and
there was one vote for it from Massachusetts,, the
.lo,, o,n1 Twin in