The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-10-03

of the United States il must be by O paper title,
executed in conformity to law. The title of Texas
to all her lands is traced with her own sword.
This position is perfectly equitable, for Texas
knew and understood her own title, and perfectly
understood the power Of the President, and knew
that the pretence Of extending her territory by
an act of legislation hardly arrived at the dig
nifty Of infantile nonsense IL is no answer to
say that the Congress of the United States backed
/ up the President, and voted men and money to
sustain his pretensions The Congress Of the Uni.
| ted States found American troops surrounded
| by hostile Mexicans; those troops must be sue
/ cored they were our countrymen, our friends,
| and brothers we must not leave them to be de-
stroyed. General Taylor and his army were in
| Mexico, in that dangerous position by the CON-
/ mand Of the President. IL was no fault Of Gen.
! eral Taylor; as a soldier, his first, second, and
third duty was to obey. We must not leave the
brave old soldier and his army to be cut to pieces
the arms Of the United States must not be dis
graced "our country, whether right or wrong"
was the patriotic watch word we granted men
and money, for our blood was up; but we quail
fed our doings by branding the words " this I'M
Just and unconstitutional WARP upon the law that
granted the supplies; we did not sanction the
dongs Of the President.
But it is alleged that we "de,ed as the AGENT Of
T.1as u in carrying on the war with Mexico that
her, "as her agent" Is there any obligation in the
article of annexation defining the boundaries OF
( Texas thai the United States should assert those
boundaresl Exactly the contrary. Congress
annexed the territory properly included in and
rightfully belonging to the Republic of Texas,
and subject to the adjustment by the United States
of all questions of boundary with Mexico"
Agency implies principal who has authority
to command, and who is bound. of course, TO pay
n
| AMERICA THE AGENT of Texas! This great Re-
public under the direction and control of less than
fifty thousand inhabitants! When the coach.
wheel becomes agent of the fly that lights on it as
il rolls-when the giant oak becomes agent for one
Of its smallest twigs-this Texas agency may be
| cited as parallel.
| Well if we are your agent, come, principal, ac-
count with your agent; pay your agent; pay us
| for the 5 50 600 900 which we have expended in
| your service; pay for the pensions you have
| entailed upon us pay us for the fifty thousand
lives we have laid down in the war in which
you have involved us. Settle, pay up, and
| then talk of our surrendering the acres We have
won or cease talking Of agency. We hare secured
your boundaries that rightfully belonged to you,
and our duty is done.
But says the gentleman from Alabama. Mr.,
tIILLARD. here is map, brought from Che capt.
tai Of Mexico which shows that the territory
which we propose 10 cede, which lies north of the
Red river, is not included within the boundaries
% r,ew Mexico as laid Gown on that map Neither
is it included within the boundaries of Texas as
laid down on that map, or any other map. Has it
come TO this-that Texas owns all the land that
is within one thousand miles of her, if it is not
taken up and marked as belonging to some partic-
ular province? Does Texas acquire territory as
the children of Eve derived sin-origna sin-by
mputation? Texas il seems, claims as did the
greedy farmer, all her own, and all the land add
joining
Ii is not satisfactory answer TO cay that
the land is valueless First do not believe the
alleged fact and if the land is poor it is rich
for freedom as it is for slavery. IL is in the hill
country the mountain home, that liberty loves to
dwell. The argument that the country is poor,
and therefore it is no matter how it is divided
reminds me of the saying of the boy who, COM
planning of the unfair division of cake by his
step-mother was told that it was poor cake: " |
care nothing for the CAKE but only to see how the
bitch cut itn ! object to the bill because it pro-
poses to give ten millions Of the peoples money
where not one dollar is due. We all know that
one of the strong objections to the admission of
Texas was, that we should be saddled with her
debts This objection was stoutly resisted by some
of those rrho insist that ne equi,ably hound
10 pay. To provide against the possibility of
JDdJ contingency, tHt IOllOWlUR Cldube WAS IN
serted in the article of annexation. and without
that insertion the bill could not have passed:
"Texas shall retain all the vacant and unappropriated
lands lying within Its limits to be applied the
its debts and liabilities and in event said debts md
liabilities to become charge the Government Of the Uni
ted States"
Everybody knows that this article of aunexa-
| ton could not have passed without this clause
| Does it mean something or nothing
l "a A aly;a q fol nd and
| ulent pretence-to induce Congress to vote for
| nexation Was there no more truth in that pre-
tence than in that other pretence that we are now
on the eve ofdisunion and war; Was this clause
inserted to delude Congress and appease the i'll
suppressed wrath of an indignant people Does
not all the world know that Texas could not have
been annexed without this stipulation? Suppose
on the contrary, it had been added to the article Of
annexation, that the United States should become
liable to pay the debts of Texas-that they should
take her and her war, and give SO 100000 be.
| sides; what Representative or Senator would
| have dared to vote for the monstrous PROPOSE
| ton
Has anything occurred to increase our liabili-
| ty? The words still stand on our statute book
that the United States shall not be responsible
for the debt of Texas. The war which Wings
predicted would follow the annexation, did come
it cost us $50 900 000-it cost us fifty thousand
lives. ne Culu Is not BORN VINO SNAIL live 10 see
| the end of the pensions growing out Of that war,
or of the repr0sch it has brought on US. Let
US examine this equitable claim.
Al the time of annexation, the whole population
| Of Texas was less than fifty thousand she had
| neither money credit; she was at war with
| Mexico, and there was the utmost inveteracy OF
| hatred between the two countries Texas exercised
| jurisdiction over about one hundred thousand
square miles, but she was impoverished and feeble,
and there was some doubt whe her she could main
tain her independence. But she had a right to
what she possessed, and the right to acquire more
BY the act of annexation she retained her rightful
boundaries and surrendered the right to extend
,hem. Was that right worth anything to her ?
Certainly, the United States acquired nothing,
for they had the full right before to conquer these
Territories
We have assumed those revenues of Texas
which arise from duties on imported articles, and
those duties, it is said were pledged for the pay
ment of her debts. Well, is there any surplus in
our hands, Have we not paid Texas and do we
not daily pay out more than the duties amount
| to y Is not Texas relieved from ware Are not
her frontiers guarded at our expense Is she not
relieved of the expense Of foreign diplomacy ?
| Are not her Senators and Representatives sup
ported here Has the ability of Texas TO pay
her debts been diminished by annexation On the
contrary, has not her ability been vastly increas-
ed DO we not import, use, and consume her
| productions, to great amount, and are not these
| productions admitted free of duty? Would they
not have been taxed if Texas had remained indie
pendent2 Is not this very great advantage to
Texasl Does it not increase the value of her
lands, and of course her ability to pay her debts
I Have not her lands quadrupled in valued Her
productions, and consequent ability to pay, have
Increased with unexampled rapidity And is not
this the result of the peace and security which
nexation brought The creditors of Texas had
no vested right in these revenues--no claim that
they could enforce it was reliance out of which
they had not received the first dollar and there
was no prospect that they would Their chance