Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-05-10
FOOte Oh Benton.

Ol.,
Part ist., Ist session of the 3st Congress. To a
siderable this information is within the inn
mediate reach of the people, and holding it be our
duty to throw such information may possess be-
fore our readers touching the political history of our
public men, have gathered up some interesting and
amusing extracts from Foote'S Benton speech. The
consistency of Senator Foote is of very questionable
character. But that readers may fully gather the
vacillang character of Senator Foote we republish
the bill introduced by Mr.. Benton, and portion of Mr.
Foote'S comments on the Missouri Senator.
iIr. BentOn'S Texas Bill
BILL proposing to the State of Texas the reduction
of her boundres the cession of her exterior terrific
~, and the accomplishment of all her claims upon the
United States, for consideration to be paid her by
the United States.
Be It enacted By tie Senate and House of ReDre-
Sentatires QtHe United States, IN Congress ASSEM-
Jied, That the following propositions shall be, and
the same are hereby offered to the State of Texas
which, when agreed to bv the said State in an act
passed by her General Assembly, shall be binding
and obligatory upon the United States and upon
the State of Texas.
FirSt.-The State of Texas will reduce her boun-
Diary on the west to the one hundred and second
degree of west longitude, from the meridian of
Greenwich and on the north to the Main or Salt
Fork of Red River, between the parallels of one
hundred and one hundred and two degrees of west
longitude.
Second-When the population of said State shall
equal or exceed one hundred thousand souls west
of the line formed by the ninety-cgh degree of
west longitude, and by the Colorado, from its mouth
to its intersection by said parallel, then the State
of Texas will further reduce her western boundary
to that line; and the part of Texas lying west of
that line, reduced by the first article of this a.
grcement, shall be and remain a separate State
entitled to immediate admission into the Federal
Unlon on an equal footing with the original States
Third-Thc State of Texas ccdcs to the Uni
ted States all her territory exterior to the limits to
which She dcduccs herself by the first article of
this agreement.
Fouth.-The State of Texas rcIinuushcs all
claim upon the United States for liability of the
debts of Texas, and for compensation or indcmni-
ty for the surrender to the United States of her
ships, ports arscnas, custom-houscs, custom house
revenue, arms and munitions Of war, and public
buildings with their sites, which became the prop
erty of the United States at the time of the
alton.
Fifh-The United States. in consideration of
said reduction of boundrics, cession of territory
and REIMBURSEMENT of claims will pay to the State
of Texas the of fifteen millions of dollars in
stock bearing five per. cent. interest, and re
deemable at the end of fourteen years. the inter
est payable half yearly at the Treasury of the Uni
ted States.
4SirM-Immediatcy after the President of the
United States shall have been furnished with an
authentic copy of the act of the General Assem-
bly, of Texas, accepting these propositions he shall
cause the stock to be issued III favor of the State
of Texas, provided for in the ftth article ofthis
agreement.
Mr. Foote after venting a little spite for having
been anticipated by Mr.. Benton in bringing forward
proposition to reduce the boundaries of Texas-NIr F.
had prepared bill for similar purpose-he pitches in
to the Missouri Senator in the following delicate and
interesting style.
Senator FOOtG BcntOnZing.
81 certainly did not perceive the wisdom of ex-
Guiding from the limits Of Texas in the manner
proposed by the bill of the honorable Senator from
Missouri Mr. Benton just introduced, all the
territory which he now asks that the United States
shall purchase from the State of Texas every
foot of which, so purchased (unIess some
precautionary guards, appearantly not deemed
necessary or proper by the honorable Senator from
Missouri would be claimed infalIibIy as subject
to the Wmot proviso. l knew, to be sure, sir
that in the Legislature of the State of New York
resolutions had been the other day introduced
limiting Texas to the precise boundries asserted tC
be her true boundaries by the honorable Senator
from Missouri, at the period when the Texas an
nexatIon resolutions were under discussion in this
Chamber. was aware also, certainly that these
New ork resolutions had beef introduced for tn,
purpose of perpetrating most hideous froud up
on the South, by applying the principle of tn,
WIlmot proySo to all the territory asserted to be
long to New Mexico. Yes, sir, all these things
knew, and hope duly appreciate but never dic
it enter my head to conceive that there was in ex
istance human belng-a member of this ilIustri
body, too-representing among us one of tn
slave states of the Confederacy-who would dar
take it upon himself to bring forward bill lik
that which has made its ghastly aparition among
this morning, and which, if it should become
law, without amendment, will completely unsettl
the question of slavery in all the vast domai
which it proposes to purchase from the State
Texas. say ansehe the question of slavery
all the territory referred to and [ say so upo
grounds which cannot be disputed for no one ca
deny that the annexation resolutions already cite
did most efectually and permanently settle th
question IN all that was then recognized as I'll
State OF Texas Yes, sir, the Missouri comprC
mise principle was expressly applied to the territ,
ry annexed, and thus was all contention upon Il
most exciting and perilous question ever agitate
in the republic completely precluded The b
now brought forward, as viii be perceived by tho
who will examine it, NULLIFIEs this Missouri con
promise principle in all the territory proposed to
purchased and every acre of it is placed in Il
same plight and condition precisely as Californ
and our other recently acquired possessions. :.