The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-04-05
O ""I'' Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana

i What said Hon. Robert j. Walker durin
j. the Presidential contest of that year 1874.
: and may say the influence Of whose gel
r ious arguments, thrown broadcast over th
, country North. was manifest 10 determnin
f the fortunes of the struggle. and served I
secure for him. as . reward for such impoI
!, tant political service. = commanding positio
in the Csbine. of President Polk?
'Nor it be disguised that, By the rs-anne1As;o
as the number OF free blacks augmented in the slave
,sro Tses' tnsy .oaia % a,aasea sSaaaaa
America where Of their present
are already of the eolored and where from the
vast prePonierance in number, they are not degrade
caste, bat upon footing, not merely of legal, 5u
WhAt Is far impo saus Of actual equality with th
rest Of The population. Here then, If Texas is An
nexec, throughout the vast region and sAluorious
delicious climate Of Mexico and of Central and Sonth
ern America large and rapidly increasing portion o
N African race will disappear from the limits of h
Union The process will be gradual and progressive
without shock and without q convulson.
dne annex alton Of Texas is the only safe'y-vavs
.or ne "hoie nion and the only prsetcabIe outle
Tor the African population, through Texas into Mex
co and Central and Southern America.
again then the question is asked, is slavery new
er to disappear from the Union? This is startling
and momentous question. but tn. is easy and
the pioof clear it will certainly disappear if Texas
against and in spite of all its frenzy, slowly aud grad
uay, by diffusion. it has already thus nearly
holding States, and will continue thus rapid
~ to receds by the remuneration of Texas, and
hnally, IN the distant future, without q shock
without abolition, without alsion, disappear
and through Texas into Mexico and Central and Sou
ern America"
Mr.. Walkers was not an isolated instance
in the promulgation Of these views; indeed,
Sir. these opinions upon the subject Of an
nexatlon we're the vitalizing elements OF the
canvass, and were urged by the Democratic
party as noble and imperishable progress in
civilization. by which portion Of the slave
States, II not all were to scape from the bar
barism of the ruder ages, and take their stand
on the pruci pies evolved from our strus
gle for independence and our constitutional
history
Turn to the debates in Congress, and ex-
anime the speeches. in the interest Of Mr.. Polk
and annexation. Of Senator Breese, Of Illinois.
june 3. 1874; Senator Dickinson, of New
York, Feb. 22, 1sl5. (Appendix Congression.
al Globe, 2d session Twenty eighth Con-
gress. page 32l;) Morris, Of New Hamp-
shire. Jan %, 1845; Gen. Ashley, of Ar.
kansas, February 22, 1S45-page 283 Of
Debates; Tibbatts. of Kentucky, May II,
1874. And l will not omit to quote from
the speech Of the honorable gentleran now
at the other end of the avenue, whose pi.
Gus and sanity regard for the interest of
free labor, and the enlargement of the area of
freedom. has been painfully illustrated since
his installment as President of these United
States.
In the Senate, June 8. 1914, Hon James
Buchanan. Of Pennsylvania, said:
"After mature reflection, now believe th.. the &C.
luision of Texas will be the means of limiting not
the dominions of slavery In the govern
nent of the world geaeray produces great
The councils Of the Almighty. May not, then the ac.
luisiton Of Tex be the of drawing the slaves
nature: and may they not finally pass off into Mexico
md there minge with where no prejudice exists
'gains' their color! Texas Will open out
ct, and slavery itself may thus finally pass the Dl
Norte, and be lost in Mexico"
Such were then your declared objects and
put forth to deceive-to OBJ
ain power and betray. 1t now looks as
hough they were the singing of Circe-.'the
voice Of the charmer, charming never So wise
y'--lulling the suspicious of the people of
he North to sleep, and deceiving them in
regard to the stupendousness of the fraud
you were practicing upon their credulity--
Whether so or not, your party were COM
pelled, in consonance with the general sent-
ment that slavery was an evil of the deepest
and darkest dye. and that its extension, un-
der the care and consent Of our Government.
was an intolerable crime, to make this record.
to give these assurances to the people; and l
need not say that they were in accordance
with the conviction Of the civilized world
at least, outside Of the fifteen slave States of
this Union.
The South cannot deny that slavery, I'd to
a recent date In our history, was made to res,
entirely on local usage; it was made so bv
civil and common law. because il was assum-
ed TO be in violation of natural right; and be-
ing such violation, it follows that it is a
moral wrong; and it has been SO regarded by
the mass OF our people from the earliest
times. Ia other words. it was a privileged
aud exceptional institution. doomed, sooner
or later. TO perish. In this view. men have
spoken of the irrepressible conflict between
freedom aud slavery; and it is philosophical
truth, that one or the other. in the fullness of
time must recede; one must triumph and be.
come supreme. Sober men, and men of rea-
son. will not be in doubt as to the result -
no more than they will doubt the ultimate
triumph of right and justice. in all things,
over error and wrong. In this view, speak
ing not of my political duties and obligation
to Government and disclaiming 10 this re-
spect, or any other. the right to interfere
with the domestic institutions of the South
hope the time may come, not distant. when
The sun. in his course across the continent.
will not shine upon a slave; when the inal-
ienable rights which belong to all men. shall
be universally recognized. and become the
conceded right to be enjoyed by all. III
speak with undue warmth of expression, in
the words of Edmund Burke, .somethiuo
mus. be psrdoned to the spirit Of liberty
But to return to the point of depression.
| have been exhibiting the recorded views of
the views Of the South and the North-at An
early period. and also at a later period.
What does the South say now? What il
clai red in its name and behalf, in the meri
dian of this administration, and in the
of your power! You maintain the
perfect rectituhs of slavery; that it is the
highest type of civilization: that it is neither
wrong nor evil; that it is the most econo-
mical form Of labor; that it is adapted to pro-
- n