The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-06-25

humi'iate or degrade herself to state OF pros,
titution. Texas is surrounded on the one hand
by sympathy and on the other by menace and
reproach. Honorable gentlemen have threat
ened her with expulsion from herterritory which
she claims, and which none other has ever
claimed Sir, it is said that Texas has asserted
her right to that territory or has preferred
claim to it. She has never preferred claim
to it. In the face of eight millions of people
she has asserted her right. She has no claim to
advance. Her right has been asserted from
the very beginning of the independence OF lex.
as. The Executive of the United States and
the nominal delegate from New Mexico are, l
believe, the most ostensible personages that
have alleged that Texas has set up claim to
this territory. An adverse claim to the right
of Texas has been set up, but Texas has set up
no claim adverse to any other. She has assert
ed no claim which she did not contend for
through years of revolution. If Mexico, at any
period in the Texan revolutionary conflict, had
offered, if Texas would relinquish her title to
the country beyond the Nueces, to recognise
her sovereignty aud independence, Texas would
have spurned it; every man within her borders
that had heart would have bit the dust in de.
fence of that territory. And now it is said that
she has set up claim Trace her history
down to annexation, and that right remains un-
changed and undisputed by Mexico. Her con.
test was for the Sabine boundary and never for
the Nueces; but she subsequently, coded the
right of Texas to all the territory East of the
Rio Grande. The honorable gentleman from
New Jersey, the other day, appeared to think
that the Central Government yes, sir, the Gen.
trail Government, which means. suppose, the
Government at Washington-had power and
right, and Of right ought to expel Texas from
her territory, if she were in peaceable posses
sion of what is called New Mexico. He ap-
peared to think that the troops of the United
States should expel them under the direction of
the Federal, or as he styled it, the Central Gov
ernment. That is an ungracious word to Tex.
as ears.
Mr. Dayton Will the Texan representative
permit nip to remind him that he is entirely mis-
takenl l DO not say that il Texas were right
fully in possession of New Mexico, the Central
Government should expel her from her Terrific.
ry. But | said that, if Texas went there with
view to take possession Of that territory by
force, which hold to be the territory OF the
United States, they would find the United States
in their way and ready to repel them from that
lorcible possesson,i if they attempted to make it.
Mr. Houston. Texas. so far as l am ac-
luainted with her history has never threatened
violence to the officers Of the United States, nor
has she threatened to take the territory by force.
She sent her commissioner, a single individual,
unguarded-not corporars guard with hini-
and the people Of New Mexico have acquiesced
in the authority of Texas, conveyed by that
single individual. But will the honorable gen
tleman say that his language conveyed no Inc.
mace, no vaunting, no threat to Texas! Sir,
we were told that if we attempted to take pos
session of our borders, and to fill what had been
our claim from our inception as a nation, we
should find lion i'll ourpath. But We hayemet
no lion; we have met no adversary hunting
without our borders. Wehave not been war
like people, but we have resistedaggression and
repelled injury, when it was attempted to be
enforced upon us. We have no sword to strike
at our assalants. The Constitution, presume,
has no clause to allow the United States to
strike their swords at a people in the possession
of their rights, Our shield is justice, to repel
aggression, aud we will be carried from our
fields upon that shield before we " i'll surrender
one constitutional right. 1t is our egis, and
we will have it to the inch.
Central Government, indeed The hon.
orable Senator here speaking Of Central Gov
ernment! A Central Government for what9-
To cocrce Texas to submit to aggression. TO
tell Texas that she must surrender her rights
before adjudication TO tell her that she must
surrender rights for which the United States as
her guardian went TO war, after she herself had
merged her powers of resistance to a foreign
Government in the United States! Because
she occupies that territory in peaceable man.
ner, is she to be threatened by the myrmdons
ofpowers tell them that they have lesson
to learn from Texas. She never goes beyond
her borders. She resists no constitutional re.
quiremeut, and Will submit to no aggression
from any power under Heaven. She will have
the rights to which she is entitled, or the wrong
doer must soon hear their requiem.
would say to gentlemen, then, with all de-
ference aud good feeling, that when they wish
to indulge in tropes, and figures, and dashing
metaphors, they will keep "Iions" and ." Cen
trail Governments" out of the path do not
like to encounter them. "a lionw | am no
Samson, Laughter) A "Central Govern
nent" have been accustomed to resistance
to Central Governments, Texas keeps her