Washington sentinel., 1856-07-17
From the Charleston Mercury.
Buchanan On slavery.

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 antslayery elements
at the North. Mr.. Buchanan took an early
and prominent part in behalf of the annexa-
tion Of Texas; and, in 1874, when the ques.
tion 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 Of
remonstrances 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's s
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
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 seryle war would be lighted up,
endangering the existence Of the southern
States" To protect the South from such a
contingency was conclusive argument with
Mr.. Buchanan in favor of annexation.
But that portion of Mr.. Buchanan's speech,
upon which the most invidious comments have
been made, and to which we call special atten-
ton, was as follows:
"In arriving at the conclusion to support this
treaty, 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 new saveholding 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
counses 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 race where no prejudice
exists against their color. The Mexican nation
is composed of Spaniards, Indians, and negroes,
|
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 are 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 country, where his labor is scarce
| ly adequate to his own support, TO region
where he can not only maintain himself but
yield large profits to his master Texas will be
an outlet, and slavery itself thus finally pass the
Del Norte, and be lost in Mexico. One thing is
certain, the present number Of slaves cannot be
increased by the annexation of Texas.
Il have never apprehended the preponder-
ance of the slave States in the councils of the
nation Such fear has always appeared to
me visionary But those who entertain such
| apprehensions need not be alarmed by the ac-
QUESTION Of Texas. More than onehalf of its
territory is wholly unfit for the slave labor, and
therefore, in the nature Of things, must be free.
Mr.. Clay, in his letter Of the 18th Of April last,
on the subject Of annexation, states that ac-
cording to his information
"'The territory Of Texas is susceptible of a
division into FIVE States of a convenient size
and form. OF these, two only would be adapt
ed to those peculiar institutions (slavery) to
which | have referred and the other three,
lying west and north of San Antonio, being
only adapted to farming and grazing purposes,
from the nature of their soil, climate and pro.
ductions, would not admit Of these institutions.
In the end, therefore, there would be two slave
and three free States probably added to the
Union
"And here, permit me to observe, that there
is one defect in the treaty which ought to
be amended, if we all did not know that il is
destined to be rejected. The treaty itself ought
to determine how many free and how many
slave States should be made out of this terri.
tory Or it, in express terms, leaves the ques-
tion Of slavery to be decided by those States,
in their constitutions, as they severally apply
for admission into the Union"
Now what was the position Of Mr.. Buchanan,
according to this language? Why, simply
that, as northern man. he had prejudices
against the extension Of slavery but which
prejudices, nevertheless, we're not to be graft.
fed at the expense of the South or Of her in.
stitutions. That, as a northern man. he de-
sired emancipation; but that, as a legislator
and a senator, he was bound to forego that
feeling in the duty laid upon the Government
by the Constitution, Of protecting and up.
holding" the rights Of the South. That, as a
northern man, in perfect consistency with these
principles, and without any violation Of the
rights Of the South, he could vote for the an
nexation of Texas, on the ground that, while
protecting slavery from foreign interference,
it would open to it an outlet in the southwest
by its own voluntary immigration. Such is
the whole scope, bearing and intention of Mr..
Buchanan's remarks, above quoted.
The South has never demanded Of any
Northern man that he should surrender his
prejudices, and approve the institution of
slavery. She had demanded only her constitu-
- -. l. IL