Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-03-15

, Resolved, de-, That byla Joint resolution, an
proved March LIST, l845, for annexing Texas /
the United States it being ordained that the ter
lrtory properly included within and rightfully be
longing to the Republic Of Texas, may be erecte
into new State &C., ii is the opinion uHd judg
msnt of Congress, that the, admission of Texa
into the Union, with the boundaries described b,
the laws thereof, not objected to by the Unitel
States, at the time of such annexation, is conclu
sive, as against the United States Of the right
Texas to the territory included within such 6oun
daries. - .s3eid l.sut 10 iaJE nd1 T
The recognition proposed by this resolution
would give to Texas all land east of the Rit
IGrande, and line drawn from its source to the
forty-second parallel, and west of the line between
the United States and the Spanish possessions al.
ready described.
4 Now, sir, of the territory within this claim Of
| Texas, that part between the 80 Q and SO ? lo
north latitude, andwest of lO3 , Of longitude, was
incorporated into the Territory Of New Mexico
That part between the 35tli parallel and the AR
kansas river, stretching north toward the 42dpar
allel in long narrow strip and that other part
included within 100 Q and l03 . OF longitude, and
36o 80 min north latitude, and the Arkansas riv-
| er, were not Incorporated into New Mexico, nor
relinquished to Texas, but beculne a part Of the
territory of the United States. Hereeare these
two tracts. of country which the Senator says
were cut off from Texas and incorporated into New
Mexico. If the claim OF Texas was valid, they
were cut off from her territory, but they were not
incorporated into New Mexico The Senator is
totally mistaken to that; and it is not trihing
mistake. The tract west of New Mexico, be-
tween 36 Q 80 min. and tlAe Arkansas river, con-
tans over twenty thousand square miles. 1t is
not easy to estimate the contents of the other
tract. The first is as large MS Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire put
together. The two tracts probably are nearly
equal in extent to the whole OF New England,
excluding Maine. There are seven States in the
Union neither of which equals in extentthe larger
of these tracts, nor probably the smaller Not
one foot of this territory was incorporated into
New Mexico, and yet the Senator asserted that it
all was. repeat, sir, that here was great er-
ror. | show the Senator that he was wrong in a
very material statement. But did / accuse him,
therefore, of falsi(ying the public history of the
country! of willul Misrepresentation! OF false
hood. Not at all. The Senator like other men,
is liable to error. Ii he falls into error upon
point material to any controversy which | may
happen to have with him, will correct the error,
but | will not reproach the man. l will not
charge him with violating the truth, or with nten-
tional misrepresentation. i'H eF lsea e
III saidthe other day to othat Senator, when he
proposed to deny me o postponement warranted
by the usages of the Senate, thai thought him
incapable of understanding the obligations Of
courtesy. prefer now to restrict that statement,
and say thatthe Senator, on TINT occasion, under
some excitement, perhaps, and perhaps influenced
also by an over-anxious desire to hasten the vote
upon his bill, disregarded the obligations which
courtesy imposes. make this remark, because
| am unwilling, under any provocation, to do any
injustice to political or personal opponent
While say this, howcyeL, ought, perhaps to
add in reference to a remark which fell from the
Senator on that occasion, that at no time did ever
approach him with a smiling face, or ON angry
face, any face at ALL to obtain from him post
ponement of his BILL in order to gain time for the
circulation of attacks upon it. have condemned
his bill strongly, and have condemned his action
in bringing forward this repeal of the Missouri
prohibition. But have done no injustice to the
Senator. All that | have done at all, have done
openly. have not waged, nor will wage war
ofepithets. ltneither accords with my principles,
nor with my tastes. But whileIwage no such war,
dread none. Neither vituperation, nor denun-
ciation,, will move me, whleI have the approval
of my own judgement and conscience. But
did not intend to recur to this matter, and will
lingly dismiss It.. ''''''.' ''.f #'.e '''
If the Senator is wrong, as have shown he is,
in respect to the incorporation of all the territory
cut off from Texas into New Mexico, then he is
also wrong i'll his declaration that the compromise
act OF 1880 does not preserve and re-aSsert the
principle of the Missouri prohibition .'A.N
The facts are few undsimpe, and the inference
from them Obvious and irresistible. .s,g7 .,.s5
The third article of the joint resolution for the
Of Texas reads thus
"New States, ofcovenient size, not exceeding
four in number, in addition to said State of Texas,
having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the
consent of said State, be formed out Of the terri
tory thereof which shall be entitled to admission
under the provisions of the Federal Constitution.
And such states as may be formed out of that por-
ton of said Territory lying south of SO deg. 30
min. north latitude, commonly known as the Mis-
souri, compromise line, shall be admi ted into the
Union with or without slavery, as the people of
each State asking admission may desire. And
in such State or States as shall be formed out OF
said territory north Of said Missouri compromise
line. slavery OF involuntary serVitude (exccpt for
crime) shall be prohibited" ...., ..r,
Here is an express stipulation that slavery shall
be prohibited in any State forme oct Of the Terri
tory OF Texas north of SO deg. 80 min. This was
a valuable stipulation for Freedom, in case the,
claim of Texas was a valid one to the whole ter
ritory within her boundaries. The Senator from
Virginia regarded that claim as valid; and it'Was
upon his motion that the proviso, which Inow
proceed to quote, was incorPoratedinto the Texas
boundary bull .... at g.. ,s.a.- ,.. ILL.,. ,,.
"ProUided, That nothing herein contained shall
be construed to impair or qualify ANYTHING con
tained in the third article ofthe second section of
the joint resolution, for annexing Texas to the
United States, approved March 4, lS45, either as
regards the number OF States that may hereafter
be formed out Of The State oil Texas or OTHER
WISE" "s,2es ''a3f 7a b'1es@a 80 10 5f6l-3W PA
Here was compact between two States. Sol
far as the parties were competent to enter into it,
it was obligatory and permanent, i, That compact
covered all the territory rightfully within the linn
its of Texas, until rescinded. 1t could make no
difference if portion of that territory should be
rehnqaished to the United StatesA-
That would not disturb the effect Of the compact
But this matter was not left to inference or con
lecture. At the very moment Of REIMBURSEMENT
the United States andlTexas, by agreeing to the
proviso have quoted, save the compact, and con-