Texas--mexico: Extract From A Debate In The House Of Represe...

Mr Linn, of New York, moved to strike out the appropriation for a minister to Mexico. Mr.Linngave as reaeons for his motion, first, the small commercial importance of Mexico, not demandingthe expense of a minisier; 6ecomlly. tl.at this wilhholding the Bupplies was the only tnethod by which the Representativos could influence tlie diplomatic nrguments and expendilures of the governnient, and,third]v trial it was the debign of this mipsion to protnote and procuré; ir possible, the annexation of Texas to the Union. On this last point, Mr. L. sau' the proofs are rather inferential t'.ian direct, lt is well nnderstood that Texas desired such annexation. Indeed, it is stated in the papers that a resolution to that effect has passed the Lngislature. Resolutions of two olher of our own State Legislatures in favor of annexation have already been presented to Congress, during tlie present session. - The mnnner in which the President spoke of Texas in his opening message, was peculiar. It jb a con.mon remnrk that now is the time to eecure the anncxalion . Now look at the manner in wh Ifcrclaims araiiist Mexico are urpt, showjng a determimtion ls a means of forcing or itaLquitclaini her right in Texas to us. Tl ■Öons "ga'-nst this annexation, Mr. L. said, aJreat, and numerous, andweigbty. An fcmpt of this kind would probably result jn Br with Mexico, and nerhaps in a general wa;Kbr t is hardly possible that Great Britam, band as she is by treaty with Mexico,, shoulc look on this ncquiBition without mterfering. Mr. L. said our clams on Mexico would be Bed by her relinquishraent of Texas, ai Bfat reason he wished the mission suspeni repeated. that he had only given Bart of the outlines of what be had i pto say, and before he adverted to the-o èr considerations. he would wait to hear whoBhe friends of this mission had to eay. Ksented a mere index of his speecbjdeclarin Bit he feit impelled by a sense of dut y to bring the subject before the House and country, but that, for the sake of t the time of the Committee, he would only give hia speech in full tlirough the prees. [Thisis done in the Intelligenccr, and we will nvo in nnr iifxt..1[The result of this rery modest and conceedinw course ougLT to bo a lesson to northern l.cn. LeMhom learn to -tuke their 6h.are of the 'time of tho House, and to sustain one another in it. Instead of receiving any credit from his own party for sparing the time of the House, Mr. Linn was immediately beset with the leaders, Fillmore, Granger, and olheis, for his blundering and bad management. 1 he overseers huwever, soon took the liusiness into Iheir own hands, and such a scène they made of it, that I could compare it to nothing bo well as the treatment of a slave vho has had the impertinence to remonstrate with his overneer for attempling to ill treat his wife. Poor Linn was at first cufled by P., ticd down by eub-overseer C, paddledby granny R.. switciicd by J., and thèn cat-hauled by VV., with a full dressing ofbrine, poisoned with ed pepper and brimstuno. For three mortal hours, he took it, right and left, and if he Has not learned better fhan to intermeddle with the concerns of his betters, the oversêer men will have to give him up as intractable, and allow that he was never made to be a slave under such drivers as Wise, Pickens t.nd Cushing. As soon as Mr. Linn took his oeat, there v.as a ihundering iv-h nmong the t -'aveholders for iha 3oor,each Beeming eager to have the first chance at tne culprit, under the appreheusion, that the firfit dressing would annihilate him, and ab.sorb all the glory of the achievement in cue man.] JVfr. Pickens, of S. C, (slaveholder,) said he should nol have said a word, but for the remarkg of the gentleman from New YorJ;. He said the gentleman from New York, in his narro w and contracted fealings as to the annéxation of Texas, had struck r. vital blow at the inlerests of every portion of the republic. When he looked at the great and delicale question involved in that quartcr, ho feit pity and contempt for the iv„;;row policy that would Btrike out such a mis?ion. As to our sympatby witli Texas, Mr. P. said he gloried in the cause of Tnxas, and hc envied not the feelings or the potnotism of that man who can smother evory honorable emotion in the base fanaticism, which looks with heaitless indiflerence upon the wrongs done to our own race, whilst ulied with tender emotion at the unaginary wrongs done to the black race. He said the commercial and navigating portions of the country fiud a far greater interest in the annaxation of TeXQB thaii even the South, l'liere could be no event which would prove a greater moral and poliiical bleFsing to the whoJc country, North and South, than the annexation'of Texas to this Union on fair and liberal principies, nnd when gentlemen opposed the mission to Mexico becauseit might look to this resuit, he tramplcd on that spirit with t'eelings of scorn and coniempt.Mr. Reynolds, of Illnois, snid his conslituents waníed Texas annexed to thc Union, and he woiild vote to send lwo or three ministers, if it would have that effect. He rambled over the N. E. boundary, the coast of África, England, and several other regions of'space and imagination, and was repeatedly cal'.ed lo order. Mr. Cushiujr could not lose so íavorable an opportunity of exercisiog his tactics, and proving his fealty to "the John Tyler Administration," as he pledged it last summor. The gentleman from New York had said '.re cghi ::ot to icivo a minister to Mexico because Tt would lead to the annexation of Texas, [Mr. Linn explained - his statement was that tliis present mission was created expressly for the pnrpose of annexinsr Texas to this country, and he had information that the President had eaid he would do all in his powsr to promote the annexationof Texas ] Mr. Cushing 6aid the gentleman professed to believe ihis story, but had he any evidence, any knowledge ofit? [Mr. C. was very carefuï, however, not to deny it!] Suppose the President of the United States is not unwilling", that Texas should be annexed to the Union, what has that to do with this miesion? Ás to the gentleman's supposition, that the question was one of war, not with Mexico, but with Great Britain, it was dishonorable to the House.- Are we to be deterred from promoting our own intersts through the apprehension that Great Britain might frown upon us? it is degrading to the nation to be told that we must not negotiate with a neighbormg country, because, if the result of that negotiation should happen to be an extensión of the United Siates, Lord Aberdeen will shrug his shoulders. Mr. Slade next obtained the floor, and in a very fearless and forciMe manner, expressed his thanks to the ge ntleman from New York for bringing the subject forward. He should not vote for i t he said, because he did nottee how we could dispense wilh a mission to Mexico, but the motion had opened the door for a debate on a subject which was of vast importance to the peopie of this country, and vital to! the preservalion of the Union itself. He wou ld nol give a snap of his finger for this Union after the annexation of Texas. He declared tliat il would bu dissolved, ipso Jacto. He wantod our governmont to repudíale, at once and for ever, any connection whatcver with Texas. He assured gentlemen they migat carry their point on parchment, but they never could effect it in reality. He demanded a strict and perfect neutrality between Mexico and Toxas. Mr. Slude spoke on the impulse of the occasion, and it was a noble impulse, nnd he made a speech worthy of the occasion and of himself. It was listened to with great respect, and produced a good and weighty impression. The development of the plan for annexinor Texas tlirough a tre3ty with Mexico was very clear, and must have made the conspirators feel that they were detected, and all their raachinntions made known to the world. Wise followed in a speech of unparalelled tyickêdness, in favor of the annexation of Texas, and of a war against Mexico, to be carricd on by the plunder of pnests and the robbery of churches. Texoa, he said, is weak in herselfj and in her own resources, for a defensive war on her own soil, but as an invading power she could be resistless. The volunteers would flock in from the valley of ihe Mississippi, armerl and supporied at their own cost, and plant the lone star of Texas on the ramparts of Mexico. Thoy would drive Santa Anna into the ocean. The bounriless wealtli of captured towns, and rifled churches, And the plunder of a lazy and vicious pnesrhood would enable Texas to support her soldiary, pay her debtp, and push lier victories across to the Pacific, and in less than a quarter of a ccntiiry Ihe extensión of sla very would reach the shores of the Pacific. Let this work once begin, and Mr. W. said he did not know as this House would hold him very long. [Several meinbers cried out, agreed, agreed.] It would be a hard mor.ey war, and every golden image which had received the prolanation of a false worahip should be converted into American eagleá. If it should produce a war with England, all the better, that was the war he most desired if he could have his piek. Let war come; with France, the United States, and Texas on our side, and England and Mexico on the other. He believed a vast majorityofthe people of the United States were in favor of the annexation. He tvould not ("sar to trust the question tcith ihe di-mocracy of ihe J'orih. He said we ought to demnnd of Mexico the non-invasion of Texas, and say to her, "if you gffike "Yx,-, ywi strike usi" - Such a stato of things would make the abolition party liide their heads. He would not allow Santa Anna to fuifïl his boast to drive siaverv back to the Snbiue, to raise the standard of slave insurreetioji in Text and rally the Indian tribes p.gainst Texas, and Ihen carry his fire across our line into Arkansas nnd Louisiana. During the speech, of which this is not even a sketch the tone and manner of the orator were in full keeping with his language. I could thinl: of nothing but a fiend jncarnate, howhng with exultation at the prospecis of carnage and desolation on which his eager hopes were already riotmgln anticiptition. - it was amazing that a human bemg in a world of merc7, could by any fanaticieni or power of malignity be bronght into a state of mind capable of' making such a speech in such a