Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-01-30

public sasrits, then no&a ri tho iliu.t:iou
u,n msa:i2T,et above, AID nunesons cihe7
tAs. roiz'.s 81 added 10 the liRt could eve
have beaa F4enitted to serre tneis country
Ever B.niEnjn Watkins Lsigh, tho most In
:suss aud loyal Sonthernsr Shst the Souts
e7vr Nur,ucai in her bosom. in the OonVen
ton Of I5Se-'31 expressed tho wish tna
"Prov3ence hsd sHared bis country thus mo-
ri enc: political esiI." n tie Casa oi ths Il
uan:e; Finet9a. II I IL. nat mis'E;oRioed, hs
svcwei il si.o Lesielatn.a Of Virginia at ene
tine op;0ians on tho subjsct Of slavery to the
full ss o5n ,1i3us as tnoss attributed 10 mo in
the Senate e too United s:stes. No formal
rotrsxit of't:loao opinions, so fsr rs have
learned, VET required CT MIN as tke condition
Sof his election to tSe Scnstn IF tHs Ooniede-
| rato Ssstss. Il msy hsve bSsn PRESUMED
that tie opinions formerly expressed by
| him heG =. bssn madiasd by subsequent
events. Why not, then, extend the asme
presumption 10 cthaTa; Af;er tho exhibition
! we have sesn for tbs last twenty years, OF the
ops,stin., Of what is cslled ftcs eo,iety in tho
Northern. States OF america, no muat ns
blind aud unreasctiDg mar, indead, T:to has
| nc: seta brought to que-.'on tho Nrsct!ca-
! bii!i:Y OF .lles::;ntainins Es2pSl-can Govern
SCENT VII i,s.;ye-sil suffreGc, in nGy coIn-
zruuity who7s ttp svssa.n Of domestic secvl-
. tu:te does $50. exist.
The ,h;rd charge b-oughr oggiIst rnn ia
that, while Senator 10 n, Congress ef thu
CG:ssd States, recognize' tNs cZ:pedicuag VI
the acquisition Ok Texas as bjec: e high
| ns;io2al interes,,'sa get wou.d nct'To:e fet
Il regardless Of the mss5a by which It waa 10
T., acquired. The old JesoIit,;sl rasxiE, that
tho end ssnciGa1 the r.csaH, Is then, it ssems,to
be revived rs the proper RUE of modsrn s'atas-
macsh!p. Il ca1 hacdly yet DO forgotten
what extraordinary appliances woro resostsd
to, frZ both party aad personal irte:esta, to
make the acquisition CT Texas en- iGsue in The
Presidential election Of 1914. I; pa1 this
gard of 2Et;on&l character with ~h;ct he Hfi
j+ce was pursued a. tic eccct4 ,c:"rsd 10.
Fhs Gsoidedlr il. fsyor e the o:ject, e.
aosc ss it could ia accomplished hy hcaors-
bio and lsgiiitqste uisans which, be.;eysd,
wltc lit:le dis3yeto2 Ind dalay. cru!d be
scsIy aoGa; and iG Ihe discussion Ok tho lrAs-
" taa; had bssn gotten up, t9ai occasion to
urge views Of tina high national importsnce Of
[ho scqGiaiiion 10 5hs commercial snd ,nanu-
fa:tWin2. Es well - pixntiog States % the
Union, which, Hore.i, would ra3ssm gsvat
cstiIasi obi ct fTcU The exclusive: aec:avust
s1pc.s IN which. '!nlriok!iy, it bad haen pro
seutd By othera. Thee was 5eiioug chiec.
tim to tbs treaty ss IL stond, which carrie:
gao limits OF tho cuaairn ;nt;, tho reaaiGtu2
srd rsaiGputcd tcIuinicns .! Moaico. Il az
der 70 give ;ifar icr =. settlement of bound
cries with Mdxco, which bad special re.son
70 ha.io". could be successfully sc:cmplished
aod thsToSy cut of the source Of futurs rnn-
tToyer;y snd probable wlr, moved SIS. ,he
fu.l s.Iian upon the treaty bs TrstyIosd f'r
six mon:cs. aud that il, the rnssu;Ets. n,va-
sarss ha sasen far s. friendly, conraL,,1ra
adjustment: OF co-torniiou5 limits with leg
io,. The motion ws5 rej.c.ed SO it wo:id
have oterferei with the srsst' aarfy ohiart Of
!.skipg Texas o.; isa"s n tina Prss;dentsi 5tac-
t:oD; and tho question then recurring vD the
ratiticr:iau Of the !ras:y, it was rejecssa hy
nEjiTity of more than tTO t. nne, exhibiting
IL Ghs iiyaioa a!teeea Southern OF esr.l!old-
iEg SeIs.tnss sgsinst %" ratification, .ud
twyiTa IA fbr0- 81 i.
,!:.,ss tha i.ses. n9seaIerec-ir, ths ho:-
bsd &C e vics1riona Presidential eisctian, snd
With tae poserful aid OF ietsar from Gen.
J.ck.or. il wss believed chat tbs snnsxation
c:u.d b. carried IN The form ofn Legislative got
By : mare n3joiity roto CT '...s two Houses
OF Congress, though thsre was M prospect of
obtaining Inc two thirds vG.a cfthc Senate re-
Of Treaty. The only Legitimate and conati.
to;ichai NODE Of acquiring foreign territory
- By ;I*asy--was, therefore. laid aside; and
it W:5 determined 90 rash (such vns the
phrase Of the day) thu annexation as logis-
lative measura through both Houses by
o,ere iubjo.ty vota. roulj not look upGp
thi= n any other light than ea slsring v,o-
l.tion Of ths Constitution, ana rs pre:sIent,
recognizing the competency .: rIare ma
jority Of C3ngrofs to DO whatsoever thsy
pleaae5, fatal 20 TIE YishtH ami satety Of the
South, which .sh5 il ho2clsss minority OF
num5e-s.
ssw 10 Il no. only tho gam OF futurs
war With Mexico, which ended by bringing
IN free Stats on the borders Of the Pacific,
that #iolly n1utrnlzed the advantage gained
to the Sou.n By the annexation of Texas, bet
So W In Il yes farther the provocstion and
c9mneacement Of leg sla.ive repris.ls On tho
pa-: Of tho organized majority kold by the
noo rlaveholdtng States il the two Houses Of
OongrAss, which Eould lssd insvitsbly TO d
v;6isEt disruption CT the Union. may be
excused, uDdsT Tho circumstcncsa of the
c.sc. foc citing very brisf extract f'ru the
speech n.dc On the occasion, tho 18Th OF
FsbyuarT, ls45: "-... ....
ain tae sDxiatY of gentlemen .p:r fas aut
"nefas, to gstin Texas, setting sside the pro-
"yisi0ns Of :ke constitution which require the
"assent Of t~n thirds OF Tho States OF the
"Unior to srter rto .rssties ard agreement
r. hay r,,,,lH
d" r;is ls1d . i:ua.7in Of bineT wsters which
" 90 human posn, coald at,unch. Legislative
"feeficsls JTculd be made, and nessures Of
"-stsIi4tion attempted, under which this
&c Uaion could not stand M,. R. did nos say
Of suppc 50 that it would produce IN i'm.
| "mrdiate xud formal dissolu ion Of the Union;
sbut thin b. did ssY, thst if this high landed
amcash-e should DO cnnsummated, It.would
;slaad 10 animositiss, cln.aus;oas, snc Inu.
".tusl aopf;cts which would 10 eDhiter the
| Union as to render 9 violent disruption
" ,.l1sost inevitable" ............ ...
Tbcse predicticns, yorifsd es they have
been to thU latter by the course of ovents,
are yst ia tue visT of soms who claim An
| exc,n .ivs paten: for modern st.tSsmansh'p,
proofs onlT Of imbecility. w.. .
On 'Vhstsos7hf other pon' "i1s anleE s!css
OF fancy or opinion may On INDUCED, there
wss ons lessen taught b. 3 great statesman,
| (rsputsd st least to- 10 ono in for1aer, but,
perhaps, less enlightened times), Edmund
Burke, whicb, had hoped, could not be ig-
nn-ai 10 M , assembly, of Virginia representa-
ti7ss-"so to BE- patriots as not TO forget that
We ara gentlemen" On what principle OF
prcpriety uy family rrlsticos were Brought
| into the Senatorial election, sD 1t lost tt
conjecture. But sinee tta. has heen done
7 csypst but feel ratursl solcituds that tbs
absent members OF nv family should 10;
! suffer iniu:tic from their connection with a
| parent, Sho happens to b. the object OF per-
sonsl or political resratmert at home.
T A large portion of my life has been spent IL
The easrvics ofn7 country abroad. Ny children
have keen with me; and being thus removed
xn0k. aaC ~