Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-06-12

city IN the year 1887, and long before left New
York on that excursion, in the course of which
went to the South and returned here, my friend:
IN New York Were kind enough to offer me ;
pubic dinner as a testimony of their public re.
! gard Tor me. went ont of my way, on that oc
casion, Tor the purpose OF showing what / antic
| iplted IN the attempt to annex Texas az a slave
territory, and said II should be opposed by me t.
! the last extremity. And in Nibfo,s Garden. il
March, 1887, made a speech. Well there wa.
the press all around me. The Wing press anc
| the Democratic press. Some spoke commenda.
| torily enough of my speech but all agreed that
TOOK pans to step out of my way to denounce il
advance the annexation of Texas as slave terrific.
tory, to the United States. said on that occa.
1 sion:
! "Gentlemen, we all see that by whom sove,
! possessed, Texas is likely to be slaveholdins
country, and frankly ayow my entire unwilling.
! ness TO do anything that shall extend the slavery
of the African on this continent, or add othel
slaveholding States to the Union When said
that regarded slavery as great moral and po-
| litical evil, ealy used language that has beer
! adopted by distinguished men. themselves citi-
zens of siaveholding states. shall do nothing
therefore. to extend or encourage its further eX-
tension. We have slavery already amongst u.s.
| The Constitution found it amongst u.s. 1t recor-
! nized it, aud gave it solemn guarantees, To the
full extent of these guarantees are all bound in
honor, in justice and by the Constitution. All
the stpulations contained i'll the Constitution, in
vor OF slaveholdins States which are already in
the Union, ought 10 be fulfilled, and so far as de-
ponds on me- shah be fulfilled in the fulness Of
their spirit, and to the exactncss of their letter.
Slavery, as II exists IN the States. is beyond the
reach OF Congress. 1t is the concern of the
| States themselves. They have never submitted it
to Congress. and Congress has no right or power
over 1t. | shall concur, therefore, in no act. no
measure, no menace, no indication of purpose
which shall interfere, or threaten TO interfere.
tn the exclusive authority of the several States
over the subject OF slavery. as it exists within
their respective limits. All this appears 10 me
/ to be a matter of plain and imperative duty
But when we come to speak OF admitting new
States, the subject assumes new and entirely
d ierent aspect. Our rights and orr duties are
then both different. The free States aud all the
States are then at liberty to accept or REJECT
| When 1t Is proposed to bring new members into
this political partnership, the old members have
right to say on what terms such partners are to
come in, and what they are to bring along with
them. In my opinion, the paepe OF the United
States will not consent TO bring in new. vastly
extensive, and slaveholdiur country, large
enough for half dozen or dozen States. into the
Union. In my opinion, they ought not to con-
sent to it,
! Gentlemen, was mistaken; Congress did con
sent to the bringing IN OF Texas. They did consent
! and was fuse prophet. Your own State con-
sentet and the majority of the representatives of
New York consented. went into Congress be.
! fore the final consummaten of the deed, ans
! there fought, holding mp both nv hands, anC
! proc.aimine with voice stronger thanit now Is
against the whole of il. Bat you viii have il so
and YOU did have il SO. Nay, gentlemen. | vii
tell the truth. whether 1t shames the ID or not
! (Laughter.) Persons who have aspired high a
! lovers OF lber;y--2s eminent lovers OF the VII
mot Proviso-as eminent Free Soil men, and who
Z have mounted ossr orr heads and trotden us
/ down as if we were mere slaves. they are the men
! that brought Texas into this country. That is
| the truth. the whole truth. and nothing but the
truth and declare it before you, and in the pre-
! sence of my God, that it was 50. Look to he
! journals. Without the consent of New Yo-k
| Texas would not have come TITO the Union. ull-
| der either of the original resolutions or after
wards. Bat New York voted fer the meas re
| Tae two Senators from New York voted for il
! and turned the question, and yol may thank
them for the glory, the renowa, and the happi-
ness of having five or six slave States added to
! the Union. (Great sensaton.) Don't blame me
| for II. Let them answer who did the deed. and
who are now procia.ming liberty. and using il for
hnmbng and trading purposes.
! Gentlemen who aided in bringing in Texas
1t was all fairly told to you. You had Moses
and the prophets, Daughter but if one had risen
from the dead, such was your devotion to that
policy, at that time, that Won would not have
heard him, or listened to him for moment
| Well, all that | complain of is, that with the
| blessing of God, will not now. or hereafter, be-
fore the country Or the world, consent to be NUM-
bered among those who introduced new slave
/ power INTO the Union. did all n my power to
prevent it. (Applause.)
Aud again gentlemen, the Mexican war broke
ont. This vast Territory was acquired. and the
! peace was made; and, much as dis!ked the wal
! dislked the peace more. because it brought in
! these territories. That territory was unknown
! did not know what it might be. The plan cane
! from the South. knew that certain Southern
gentlemen wished the acquisition OF California
and New Mexico, aud Utah, as means of ex-
| tending slave authority and slave population.
did not fall into their idea much, but seeing a
quarrel, as | conceived, seeing how much il
would distract the Union, wanted none of her
territory, California, New Mexico, nor Utah.
| They were rather ultra American. They were
far from us, and saw that they might lead to a
political disturbance, and l voted against them
all-against the treaty and against the peace, and
am glad of it. Seeing that it would be an occa-
s.oa of dispute; that by the controversy the whole
Union aid be agtated, Messrs Berrien. Bad ger
and other respectable and distinguished men of
the South, voted against the acquisition, and the
treaty which secured it and if the men Of the
North had voted the same way, we would have
been spared the difficulties that have grown out
of il. (Applause.) Now there is no sort of
doubt, gentlemen, that there were some persons
in the South, who supposed that California, if II
came in at all would come in as slave State
You know the extraordinary events that arose
t there. You know that California received a rush
from the Northern people, and that an African
slave could no more live there than he could on
| the top of Mount Hecla. Of necessity it became
free State, and that no doubt was source OF
much disappointment to the South. And then
there was New Mexico and Utah what was to
to be done with them? Why gentlemen, from
the best investigation have given the subject, and
the reflections have devoted TO it, was Of the
opinion that the mountains of New Mexico and
Utah could no mo e sustain American slavery
than the SHOWS of Canada. saw it was impos-
sible. | thought so then and think so row.
Therefore gentlemen when it was proposed In
Congress to apply the Wilmot proviso TO New
Mexico and L tab, it appeared TO Inc i,st as alb
snrb as to apply If here in Western New York.
I saw that the snow-hills, the eternal mountains
and the climate Of those countries, would never
support slavery. No man could carry slave
there with any expectation Of profit. 1t could
not be done; and as the Soath thought that it was
irritating and disrespectful was not willing to
do II; ard. therefore saw no occasion for apply
ing the Wllmot rrovlso 10 New Mexico or Utah
/ | voted accordingly, and who doubts it now ?
The law admitting those territories passed with
| out any proviso. Is there slave, or is it likely
/ there will be one there ? Why, there is not a
/ man in the United States so stupid as not to see
! at this moment, that such thing was wholly un-
! necessary and that ii was only calculated to ir-
A,a I . No A.