Freeman's champion., 1858-09-09
From the New Orleans Crescent
Anti-Slavery Sentiments in West
ern Texas.

ropean emlgrants almost exclusively
were settling Western Texas, and
that strong anti-slavery feeling pre-
vailed among them, our intention
vas not to signify the propriety Of
any special political hostility against
them, nor against any other class of
well-behaved foreigners = we Jat
aimed to ShOw the great danger that q
free State sOilI at no distant day be duilt
up on oar South Western frontier,
thus placing our institution of slave
ry in a position to be asSailed in front
and rear, and that the so-called Ma
tional Democratic party aids and abets
the movement and shuts its eyes to
the danger, induced thereto solely by
the temporary advantage of obtain
ing the large foreign vote ofthe State.
AS we have already stated, the inten-
Sity of the Kanzas excitement for a
long time past has caused this more
important question to be overlooked
by the mass Of the Southern people,
but we trust it may not be overlook
ed until too late to avert the impend-
ing misfortune.
If, as a cotemporary would have us
believe, our information regarding
the character of the population OF
Western Texas is incorrect, we
should be highly gratifed to be con-
vinced that we were in error. We
based our opinion in the matter part
ly upon the numerous arrivals Of ves-
sells, loaded with immigrants, at the
different ports OF Texas for several
years past, which we bave seen an
nounced in the Galveston and India
nola papers. Not unfrequently the
influx has reached two or three thou
sand in single month, and we dis
tinctly remember seeing not long
since, the announcement Of the arri-
val at lndianola Of seven hundred
Poles in one shipment, nearly all oil
whom settled together on the San
Antonio river, in Bexar county
We have no reason to believe, nor
can it be shown, that emigration to
Texas from the other States of the
Union, slave or free, can in any man
ner equal this.
We are assured by reliable per-
sons, familiar with the affairs and
history of the Lone Star State for
years back, that the increase of for
eign over native population, by i'm
migration, is more than three or four
to one; and looking at the results Of
recent elections there, and at abun-
dant other evidence, we consider this
estimate under rather than above the
mark. And from the same source
we learn that there is scarcely a coun-
try in Western Texas in which the
foreign vote is not very formidable
element, while in the counties of Co.
NAL, Medina, and Gillepie, the Ger
man vote largely dependencies. In
the county Of Bexar, which gives the
largest vote Of any in the State, the
Germans and Mexicans constitute
about two-thirds Of tho voting popu-
lation. In the counties Of Cameron,
Hidalgo, Star, Webb, Kinney, and
El Paso, which lie along the Rio
Grande, the Mexican vote is greatly
in the majority, and, we may add, is
often suddenly and miraculously in
creased on election days by fresh inn
portations from the other side Of that
famous river OF course no one will
for an instant stop to question what
party polls this enormous foreign vote,
nine-tenths Of which is just as illegal
as If those who cast it had never sci
foot upon American soil. El Pasc
county, almost wholly Mexican, cast
800 votes in the recent gubernatorial
election, of which Runnels,ss ,ssthe Dem
ocratic candidate, received 1856, and
Houston 15. oI
These facts show that European
and Mexican emigrants comprise 3
very large portion Of the voting pop
ulation of Western Texas, and it il
preposterous to deny this, that the for
eign population is rapidly increasing
Now, If Ii can be shown that thi'
population is reliable on the slavery
question, that it is true to the South
and will not, 80 soon as it becomes
sufficiently strong, move for tho di
vision Of Texas, and the construction
ota Free State out Of tho Wosterr
portion, we shall 10 perfectly conton
and will have nothing moro to say
upon the subject Or, ii will satisfy
us to know that the emigration 0
other Southern States to Western
Texas is sufficiently great to keep il
check this rapidly increasing anti
slavery sentiment, and "tako goo'
care Of the futue interests Of that for
| tile and beautiful reyion.n But w,