The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1851-08-13


fact. Many, however. wilhou, giving TO the
subject thorough examination, have been
made TO believe that the boundary of Texas
had been established at ,he time Of her an.
nexalon, and that her right TO the whole ter.
riiory east Of The Rio Grande, from It's moul b
To lis source, was unquestinned. Nothing
can be more erroneous. When Mr. Calhoun,
as Secretary Of State, negoii.ied a treaty
with the Texas Commissioners, he openly
declared tha, he considered her true Western
boundary to be a line to be dawn through
what was known as the desert, lying between
the Nuesces and Rio Grandc. That treaty
was rejected by the Senate. AT a subse.
qneDt session, the resolutions which passed
authorizing the admission Of Texas, expressly
reserved The right Of this governmer, to fix,
by negotiation with Mexico, her western
boundafy-no,hing vas said about the Rio
Grande and .hus TeSas came into the Uni.
on; her western boundary unsettled. The
effort to settle It by negotiation having failed,
Gen. Taylor was directed TO take position ON
the East bank OF the rlyer--he removed from
Point Isabel and eacemped opposite Maia.
moras. The battles OF Palo Alto and Ressca
de la Palma followed What VAS then said
by Mr. Calhoun, the bold, fearless aud un.
compromising advocate and defender Of
SouIhefn rights and Southern interests I He
denounced, IN the mos, indignant terms, the
administration Of Col. Polk for having in.
voived the country in an unjust aud unneces.
sary war, by the invasion of Mexican terrific.
~. Texas then a State Of the Union, had
not, 10 the opinion Of that distinguished man,
any well founded claim to any territory Dor.
dering on the RIO Grande, and IN that opia.
Iou he was sustained by many who now de.
nounce, as failhe.s lo the South, all Hose
Who aided in securing TO Texas the undlspu
ted possession OF territory large enough for
Two States. ,hs RICH, TO which they had
strongly denied to her. No territory has
been surrendered to free soil, unless the peo.
pie of Utah aud New Mexico, when they
form constitution, and appiy for admission
as States, think proper Ia prohibit slaysfy-
and for the unrestricted exercise Of this right
We OF The South have always con,ended. Go.
yernments were established for these terrific.
ries IN strict accordance with all the terrific.
rial acts heretofore passed with the excep.
iion Of that for Oregon. There is no restric.
ton as TO slavery and the abesi statesmen,
and most distinguished juris,s Of the South.
entertained no doubt that The owners of slaves
may with perfect security take them 10 eith.
er Of these territories, regardless Of the Mex.
ican law.
Had the Southern Senators and Represen.
talives entertained any doubt on his subject,
H.. Eh anI
have voted for The bill known as The Clayton
bill which left The question as 20 the validity
Of the Mexican law TO he decided by the Su
pre- me court satisfied as We all were, that
decision could not fail to sustain tho rights Of
the Soulhl Yet then, az now, odyocstes fof
resistance contendsd that The law Of Mexico
excluded slavery. Tha, they did not them
selves believe what they so roundly asserted,
10 apparent from the fact iha, they voted
gainsl the amendments TO the appropriation
bill Of the same session, which authorized
the President TO establish territorial govern.
menls, saying nothing on the subject of slave.
~ and so urgent we're they for positive
restriction, that they came near defeating the
passage Of the civil and diplomatic appropri
alton bill, 10 which, after The rejection Of the
Clayton bill, We had attached the provision.
My only reason for voting in favor OF the
proposition TO repeal the Mexican law, when
msds sl the last session, was, that knew pro.
perry 10 be sensitive, and feared that many
persons might DO deferred from removing
with their slaves to those territories, even
should tho discovery OF valuable mines reader
their labor profitable, after the opinions Of
such men as Clay and Webster were given
n favor Of The validity Of the Mexican law
aboli.hing slavery. For that reason, and that
uione, | woaid ogatn rOte for The repeal.
You say iha, am claimed by the Union.
submission party of your county. II the claim
set up rests upon the suppostion that am an
advocate for The formation Of third party,
either state or federal, it is mos, erroneous.
When attempted at Washington, during the
last session, think may safely say that no
one contributed more TO defeat the movement
than | did. | have always considered the
good old Democratic party as the true Union
party and tha, nothing more IS required to
put down sectional divisions, and preserve
pence and harmony, than 10 have the govern
ment administered 10 strict conformity with
democratic principles. have ever been a
States Rights man Of the Jefferson school
and can fearIessly appeal to my whole public
life in proof Of the assertion. | am not, how.
ever, prepared To admit that the States pos
cess either the constitutional or the reserved
right 10 secede from the Union. ! consider
Tito be a paramount right inherent in every
people, to free themselves from oppression
when tho action Of the government violated
their essential rights. and becomes too griev
Gus TO be borne and that, from the nature o
our federativs system, il would be the mos
! effsctual mode to accomplish that object.
| have heretofore given publicity TO m!
views ms 10 the position which conceive lh'
slavoholdiog State should occupy in reference
to the action Of the last Congress and vii