Daily national Republican., 1863-01-01
TEXAS.


his order assuming charge of the depart
meht lately commanded BY Gen. Butler, Gen.
Banks announced that Texas had been added
to the Department. by special direction Of the
President. We may infer from this announce
ment, in connection with the report that Gen.
Banks ls about to send ten thousand soldiers TO
Texas, that the main purpose Of his expedition
remains without change, and as It was orlgi-
nally mRtured. He has, to be sure, landed at
New Orleans, and not at Galveston, but this is
probably to reach the same object in different
manner. By the more complete control of the
lower Mississippi, and especially by the cap
ture Of Vlcksburg, In which Gen. Banks can
assist by establishing his headquarters at New
Orleans, Texas will be so isolated from the reb-
els east of the Mississippi as to he more easily
and thoroughly liberated from the malignant
influences which have prevailed there.
There can be no doubt ut all that the con-
quest Of Texas is both more feasible than the
conquest of Virginia, and Of vastly more inn
portance II II can be accomplished. By con.
quest, we mean something more than that
many-times repeated folly Of marching armies
through rebel regions, and leaving no more
permanent trace behind than " Is left by the pas
sage of boat throughthe waves Of the ocean"
We mean that substantial conquest which can
only be accomplished by reforming and reor-
ganizing that condition Of society, of which
rebellion Is the ever-sprnglng fruit. This is
the sort of conquest real and durable, which,
as we understand II, General Banks ls expected
to achieve in Texas. It Is feasible In itself,
weakened as the rebels of that region have
been by their eNhausting contributions of men
to the Confederate cause, and hampered, as
they are at home, by the genuine Union scnti-
mcnt Of the slavery-hatlng Germans of West
ern Texas.
II We can rout that institution out Of Texas,
we need have no fear of the final establishment
Of any slaveholding empire upon this continent
Politically, It is matter of comparative indif-
ference what becomes Of slavery in the border
States, If we can only eStinguish 1t west of the
Mississippi, or rather, If we extlngulsh It there,
we may be very sure that ii will die out every
where else. The capacity of territorial expan-
sion is essential to il, and with all possibility of
that finally destroyed, Its fate is sealed.
The whole energies Of the country, through
its armies, and through immigration, should he
thrown upon this great work of possessing, oc-
cupylng and llberating Texas. With a white
population Of 42O, sol, according to the census
of 1860, upon an area of 237 ,32l square miles,
the work to be done In Texas is evidently quite
as much that of peopling 1t, as Of conquering it.
With Texas in the hands of hardy, loyal and
freedom-loving population, we shall have an
impregnablo barrier against French intrigues
on the side Of Mexico, and the complete solu-
tion of the cotton question. The agricultural
capacity for a crop of twenty millions of bales
exists in Texas, and only needs the develop
ment Of the labor which will How in there from
the North and from Europe, as soon as the
odiOus monopoly of the Shareholders Is broken
up. The cotton looms Of the world will never
again lack supplies, If free labor gcts posses
sion of this magni llccnt region.