The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-06-21

Presidency he had rejected proposals.
for the annexation of Texas while Mex
leo refused to acknowledge her indie
pendence and hostilities existed be
tween those two Republics. AS pre-
text for defeating his nomination, (:
letter was thereupon addressed to Mr.
Van Buren, inquiring whether he ia
vOred the present annexation of Tex
as. He replied in manly and states
manlike terms, that although he die
desire the annexation of Texas he
could never consent to the measure n,
the expense of involving ms i'm wal
with our sister Republic of Mexico, be
tween whom and this Government
there existed treaty of peace and
friendship. The publication of thi.
letter produced the desired effect and
amidst great excitement the nomina
ton of Mr.. Van Buren, was defeated,
and James K. Polk became the candi
date of the party. This was an open
and signal triumph of the slave power
and resolutions were passed in favor
of the Immediate annexation of Texas
The discipline. ofthe Democratic par.
ty was at that time rigid and exact,
but now and then brave and honest
man, like my friend from New IIamp.
shire, who sits near me, (Mr. Hale) re.
fused submission to its dictation, and
openly opposed the annexation of Tex.
as. There was danger Of a general
outbreak in the party, and something
must he done to allay their fears. AT
this coniuncture, Mr.. James Buchanan,
then Senator of the United States,
and then, and ever since, the willing
and supple instrument of the slave
power, in speech upon the treaty OF
annexation, which was then pending
in the Senate, deliberately and plausi.
bly, undertook to convince the Democ-
racv of the free States that the annex
alton of Texas, so far from being the
means of perpetuating slavery, or OF
Strengthening its influence, wonld, uil-
der Providence, he the means of re-
lieving the Northern slave States OF
that terrible incubus upon their pros
perity. propose to read some ex-
tracts from that notable speech, which
was delivered on the 4th of June, 1914.
Mr. Buchanan said:
"In arriving at the conclusion to sup
port this treaty, | had To encounter but
one serious obsta, lc, and this was the
question of slavery. Whilst / ever
have maintained, and ever shall main
tain, the constitutional rights OF the
Southern States over their slave prop
erty, / yet feel strong repugnance,
by any act of mine, to extend the pres
ent limits of the Union over a new
slaveholding Territory. After mature
reflection, however, / overcame these
srruples, and now believe the acquisi-
ton of Texas will be the means of linn
iting, not enlarging, the dominion of
slavery. There is nothing rash in the
counsels of the Almighty. May not,
then, the acquisition of Texas be the
means of gradually drawing the slaves
far to the South, to climate more CON
genial to their nature; and may they
not finally pass off into Mexico, and
there mingle with race where no pre-
judice exists against their color? That
the acquisition of Texas wonld, ere
long, convert Maryland, Virginia, Ken
tucky, Missouri, and probably others OF
the more Northern slave-States into
free States, | entertain not a doubt.
From the very best information, it is
no longer profitable to raise wheat, rye
and corn by slave labor. Where these
articles are the only staple of agri.
culture, in the pointed and express
sive language of Mr.. Randolph. I'll
the slave does not run away from his
master, the master must run away from
the slaves"
This was Mr.. Buchanan's declaration.
Mr.. Robert J. Walker, then Senator
from Mississippi, in public letter, ex-
tensively circulated at the North, said
"The question is asked, is slavery
never to disappear from the Union
This is startling and momentous ques
tion, but the answer is easy, and the
proof is clear. 1t soiN certainly disap-
pear, if 7sSas is re-a""eced to The
Union." s,
Mr.. President, it may seem harsh for
me to charge that these statements
were fraudulently made, with the in.
tent to impose upon and deceive the
Northern Democracy. That thousands
upon thousands of them, myself among
the number, were misled and betrayed
by assurances from such high authority
into the support of the measures for
the annexation of Texas, there can be
no doubt; and should like to have
some one explain to me how they could
have been trnthfully and honestly made
when the very treaty for the annexa.
tion of Texas, with all the correspon.
dence, was at that time before the Sen.
ate, and the occasion of the speech OF
Mr.. Buchanan from which / have quo.
ted. The negotiation of the treaty
was placed solely upon the ground that
Great Britain was about to exert hen
influence to procure the abolition ot
slavery in Texas. All the schemes ot
the slave power, in carrying slaves into
Texes against the Mexican law and en-
couraging the revolt against Mexico
were about to be thwarted. Mr.. Bu
chanan and Mr.. Walker and the Sen
ate, knew very well that it was only
because slavery was endangered in
Texas that the treaty " as concluded in
such hot haste. ~
shall take the liberty Of reading
such extracts from the correspondence