The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-06-20
MIR. BUCHANAN,s TEXAS SPEECH.

W.T. TOiks anu our uctHocTHtic CoteWPot"'eS
hive been trying to make out case in point
by parading what they call Mr.. Fillmore's
"Erie letter." until the honest and respecta.
BILE portion Of their renders are, no doubt,
heartily sick of it, By way Of varying the
monotony of their columns, few chapters
from the ample record Of the Cincinnati nomi
nee would be in taste. The Congressional
Globe, part II, vol. 10, of the Appendix, COLI
tains a speech Of Mr.. Buchanan, on the nd.
mission of Texas, delivered in secret session
June 8, 1914, which rs m item of history is
not without interest at this time. IT is right
and proper that the political record of Mr..
Buchanan should be examined, and the facts
spread before the country. The only portion
of the speech which is at present of interest,
is that which relates to the question Of sla-
very. This subject is first mentioned in the
following extracts
an arriving at the conclusion to support
this treaty, had TO encounter but one serious
obstacle, AND THAT WAS THE QUESTION OF
SLAVERY. Whilst | ever have maintained,
and ever shall maintain, in their full force and
vigor, the constitutional rights Of the South.
ern Suites over their slave property, / yet feel
s'rong repugnance by any dct Of mine 10
ertend the limits of The Union orer ne,c
slareholding territory After mature rehec.
ton, however, | overcame these scruples, and
now believe that the acquisition Of Texas will
he the means of LIMITING, not ENLARG.
ING the dominion of SLAVERY.
SIN the government of the world, Provi.
dence generally produces great changes by
gradual means. There is nothing rash in the
counsels Of tharAlmighty. May not, then, the
acquisition of Texas be the means of gradu.
ally drawing the slaves far to the South to a
climate more coDgenial TO their mature; and
may they not finally pass off into Mexico, and
THERE MTSGLE WITH A RACE WHERE no PRE-.
JUDGE 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
SliNt oGteS iHtD Tree OlHIpS, ems
terrain not doubt.
"Bm should Terds be ANNEXED TO The Union
causes aciK be brought into operation which
must inevitably remove slavery. from piai ma,
be called he 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 agricul.
ture, in the pointed and expressive language
Of Mr.. Randolph, If the slave does not run
away from his master, the master must rur
away from the slave. The slave will natural
y be removed from such country, where his
labor is scarcely adequate to his own support
to region where he can not only maintain
himself, but yield large profits to his master
Texns will open an outlet; and slavery itsel
thus finally pass the Del Nortc, and be lost in
Mexico. One thing is certain: the present
number Of slaves cannot BE- increased by the
annexation Of Texas.
81 have never npprehended the preronder
ance of the slave States in the councils of the
nation. Such fear has always appeared tc
me visionary. But those who entertain sucl
npprehensions need not be alarmed BY thu
acquisition of Texas. More than one half O.
its territory is wholly unfit for the slave labor
and, therefore, in the nature Of things, mus
be free. Mr.. Clay, in his letter of the It'll
of April last on the subject of annexation
states that, according to his information
! "The territory Of Texas is susceptible Of
division into five States of n convenient siz
and form. Of these, two only would b,
adapted to those peculiar institutions (savery
to which | have referred; and the other three
lying west and north of San Antonio, bein!
| only adapted tn fnrminU md urnzinu purnosas
from the nature of their soil, climate, and pro
ductions would not admit of these insiitu
tons. In the end therefore, there would b
two slave and three flee States probably nd
ded to the Union"
Sand here, permit me 20 observe, that ther
is one defect in the treaty which ought to b
amended, ii we all did not know that it |
destined to be rejected. The treaty itsel
ought to determine how many free and no,
many slave States should be made out of thi
territory."-Pages 62l, 1879.
Poor PIERcE.-Frank Pierce is certainl