The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-03
SPEECH OF HON. HENRY n. JAcksoNl



Mr., Chairman and eilow-citisesssi Responding TO the
rahwth which have been highly honored address
ing an audience so largely composed of the public Of
ueofsa II VIII DC naturally expected that shall direct
my remarks to matters Of public coneern--the public
policy of the country, State federal The controlling
feature OF that policy for the future Ia all probability for
the Immediate and pressing future, viii be III lily udg
men the extension OF national territory The fur
sr proposition dcducble from this equally clear that
the chief hope we'll the chief danger the South
must be sought In the bearing of this principle of terrific
RAJ expansion upon her domestic institutions.
The public opinion of the civilized world has been
rapidly coming to the conclusion OF late that the peculiar
relations existing between us and the Island of Cuba and
more especially the States of Mexico only result in
their annexation The change Of public sentiment upon
.'A suo,eet ,inong our people is worthy of note
Many Of us remember the violent opposition which
made to the annexation of Texas; yet who would
now be willing to the "Lone Star stricken
from national banner At the conclusion of the late
with Mexico, when it proposed to purchase
territory, the idea met with like resistance and yet
who would not exert all the power of the national
grasp TO retain golden State of the Paciiici Nay
did On American army stand, as it stood ten years
ago, In the Mexican capital Who AMONG us would
advocate the policy of sutrendetibg whit might
properly have held under the laws of nations by the right
of conquest? [Cheers What sacrifice there
Upon side indefinitely postponing imperial con
troll the Of the world surrepderng ter
ritoy which would have placed THE Gulf OF Mexico within
embrace, and made 1t our own inland sea- rendering
of solution the problems in reference to the island OF
between the waters Of the Atlantic and those of the Pa
cifc. / that difference of opinion exists
among southern statesmen in reterente to the effect of
such annexation Upon the destiny Of the South. And
but recently distinguished senator of South Carolina in
extraordinary speech did not hesitate to his
unqualified conviction that such annexation would only
result in the introduction of nonsayeholdng States
into the American Union.
Now, fellowcitizens under the genius of cviliza
ton the of thought however potent his intellect
can only hope to control the action of others by
trolling their opinions and can fairly hope to control
their opinions, not by the mere assumption of posi-
TONS however bold broad and striking but by the pre-
sentaton Of sound argument and historic truth The
South Carolina senator contends that slavery cannot
coed in Mexico because sit appears to have failed
there" Failed When Has il ever been tested in
Mexico And if it has been tested in Mexico.
how it have failed there But everything has
failed in Mexico. Mexico herself is failure Sup
pose that slavery had been tested there and had fail
ed is it logical conclusion that because everything
has failed under the Mexican government, which lis
itself failure therefore everything must fail under
the American government, which is not failure. In
all probability said the South Carolina senator slavery
will continue to fail there and he hus this probability
into the face of all the experience of the past for expe
rence teaches that African slavery will succeed where
it be made profitable and that it can be made profit
able in all regions which produce of the
three great staples cotton, rice, and sugar remem
Der that when Mr.. Ponsett another distinguished South
Caronian and especially distinguished for the extent
and accuracy of his statistical research minister at
cultural products of Mexico in which he stated that
of sugar land in Cuba would produce twice much
of Mississippi bottom and that acre of
Mexican sugar land would produce twice much an
in Cuba, and hence four times much of
Mississippi alluvion All of that the cotton
plant grows wild in Mexico,
But inquired the South Carolina senator what are we
to do with the seven eight millions of Indians who
nhabit that territory IL strikes that this is late
day in the history this continent breach such ques
ton and that it can be best answered by propounding
another Where are The millions of Indians that once in
habed the territory possess is it proposed to
nvalidate the title by which hold the better part of
this continents had supposed that held it by right
OF discovery and that this right presupposes that when
aciyized and superior in contact with in
erior and barbarous race, and civze thom the
inferior must be annhilaed and that this is the
dispensaton of God The civilized world has been too
long engaged in attempting to regulate the affairs Of
Heaven
But what, inquired the senator shall we do with the
two or three millions OF Spanards and mongrels whom
shall find therea The is at hand. Let them
be anaiyzed Those that belong to the Indian must go
with the Indian those that belong to the negro go
to the negro those that belong to the Spaniad
casian they brethren; they must como to us
and he is cruelty Unjust who contends that the Spaard
be depraved by bad government be incapable
Of restoration by good In rcutation Of such an idea
point to your legislative rolls the grand jury lists of
your scaboard counties and of the whole of Florida
where you will find recorded the of some of the
most distinguished, respected aud patriotic of
trymen. ts Ea ....
And to whom and upon what principle, have we sur
rendered this Territory? Was il TO Hapsburgh or a
Romanoh upon principle of legitimate and hered
tary right which, however absurd and stupid in itself is
snised by the of mankind? Not at all Do
quer like the gspng Roman, rob to render tributary
to enslaye? We, who could have given order Mexico
restored her to disorder We who could have madesher
people rich, powerful, and happy, abandoned them to
their poverty, their weakness, their misery. We who
could have realized for them the dreams their better
days the spirit of lion hearted CASTLE had altogether
tn fbEir ,,,t,,p IL
could have given them republican government Of Just
and equal laws, WE surrendered them to the genius of
anarchy and chronic revolution. There they dam
ming criticism upon that American craftsmanship which
nom the fear of doing wrong, fails to do right, and
turns from the dictates of conscience and the immu-
table principles of rectitude and philanthropy to
consult the public opinion of n prejudced world
apprehcnd that the history of this country will show
too strong disposition to the appreciation of u
rope-an appreciation which, in the nature of things we
never hope to There are certain laws now
upon national statute book intended to protect gov
ernments too weak protect themselves and
tit To exist These statutes have been energeticay
yoked by other governments and faithfully enforced by
our own TO protect the of Spain in the island
OF Cuba, government which would need such pro-
lection IT, like that of England in Canada il accept
able to the people 1t is manifest then that Iegis-
aon has been invoked to protect Spain in her oppres
sion Of Cuba and upon other conceivable principle
than that because she has been expressing it cent
RES she may fairly claim to Cypress il forever But is
there statute Of limitation to egalize political oppres
sion, OF to conseciate national cime Under the laws
OF nations as against the action Of organized govern
preston themselves and the chivaous and adventurous
of other who he IA hat