Washington sentinel., 1856-07-19
From the Charleston Mercury.
Buchanan on slavery.
WrsrMoRELAND, July IL, 1856.

From 1887, the date of Mr.. Ca,hnun's "a
1snous slavery resolutions, and for ~h,ch Mr..
Buchanan voted, until the present time, there
has been no pause of Abolition agitation in
Congress. About the same time the Texas
question came up, and it at once excited, to
the highest activity, the anti-slavery elements
at the North. Mr. Buchanan took an early
and prominent part in behalf of the annexa-
ton Of Texas; and, in 1874, when the ques.
ton Of ratification of the Treaty with Texas
was before the Senate, he delivered powerful
and eloquent speech in its support He dis.
cussed and refuted all the objections urged
against the measure, and this in the face oi
remonstrsnces and petitions from the North,
and the people of his own State, against the
admission of "more slave States" His speech
on that occasion has been much commented
on, as affording evidence of Mr.. Buchanan $
freesoil principles. Let us examine it.
Among the many considerations urged in
favor Of the annexation Of Texas, by Mr.. Bu-
chanan, there was one to which he gave special
prominence. He asserted, in the spirit of Mr..
Calhoun's resolutions, that the South had a
right to be protected by the Federal Govern.
ment in her domestic institutions that "Texas
would become dependency OF England, un.
less IT should be annexed to the United States
and that through the agency Of English abo-
litionists, a servile war would be lighted up,
endsngering the existence Of the southern
States" To protect the South from such a
contingency, was a conclusive argument with
Mr.. Buchanan in favor OF annexation.
But that portion Of Mr.. Bucbanan's speech,
upon which the most invidious comments have
been made, and to which we call special atten.
ton, was as follows:
ain arriving at the conclusion to support this
treaty, l had to- encounter but one serious obsta
Gle, and that was the question Of slavery.
Whilst / ever have maintained, and ever shall
maintain, in their full force and vigor, the con-
stitutional rights of the Southern States over
their slave property, yet feel strong repug-
nance by any act of mine to extend the limits
Of the Union over a new slavehoding territory.
After mature reflection, however, overcome
these scruples, and now believe that the acqui.
sition of Texas will be the means of limiting
not enlarging the dominion OF slavery.
"In the government Of the world, Provi-
dence generally produces great changes by
gradual means. There is nothing rash in the
counsels Of the Almighty. May not, then, the
acquisition Of Texas be the means Of gradu-
ally drawing the slaves far to the South, to a
climate more congenial to their nature; and
may they not finally pass off into Mexico, and
there mingle with a race where no prejudice
exists against their color. The Mexican nation
is composed Of Spaniards, Indians, and negroes,
blended together in every variety, who would
receive our slaves on terms of perfect social
equality. To this condition they never can be
admitted in the United States,
"That the acquisition Of Texas would, ere
long, convert Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky,
Missouri, and probably others Of the more
Northern slave States, into free States, / enter.
tain no doubt.
"But should Texas be annexed to the Union,
causes will be brought into operation which
must inevitably remove slavery from what may
be called the farming States. From the best
information, it is no longer profitable to raise
wheat, rye, and corn, by slave labor. Where
these articles the only staples of agriculture,
in the pointed and expressive language of Mr..
Randolph, if the slave does not run away from
his master, the master must run away from the
slave. The slave will naturally be removed
from such q country, where his labor is scarce
" adequate to his own support, to region
where he can not only maintain himself, but
yield large profits to bis master. Texas will be
an outlet, and slavery itself thus finally pass the
Del Norte, and be lost in Mexico One thing il
certain, the present number OF slaves canno. ~
increased by the annexation Of Texas.
Il have never apprehended the preponder