51 [I hwsflmfl 25:92:32?! m- -- -- '“ —--'*i‘~-—‘~ Q~~——‘-rfiy—s*ffi\s—'J~y—~'7'—~re—-N- g-“r—r taliott. that would not. alter to one little their by the governor. and legislaturesbl‘ those “in" 0‘ Mr. Polk rebelletf‘pelmil, a mac. hide-133313...“Til?'tif???siiffti‘i.if.°n3i'.°.3°i3t°l Sm".- -""°“".'°°“‘ ‘° “W him-'l‘“ ~°'~’ ""3 °' ”F" 9°")?ch 1“" "°"’r " “W" . til it. They would prepare themselves. with ap~ co” hfm' lo we” towns. A. DEE'P'h the 390-911". mfl“ “hie "“1 amine"! speech. ' prohanston indeed. but without 'tlismayé— with ro- gotcrnOr. “Built“?! cit] authortttes. and 3“” h” Vilma" “RPM! “3 the nomina grct, but with firmness-l‘or onc ofthe-s desperate people came 00" to welcome ,_llim home. lion. and declarcdvhls readiness to enter , ~ struggles which have sometimes accosted In the ... children welcome the return of a long the contest to securéils success. In pur t:t.n;=~3’r:tt;;{;fl:; P 33352313? fivjw ‘csttso’iltog absent father. On the Bth of January he nuance oflthis. he accepted the invitation cébptumm weaknm' and magma [-lryonitmk was addressed by a committee of. the De of the Nashville committee. and was pre , down it... who of pawn-u . mocrattc State Conventionof Indiana. up sent at the great Nashvdle convention in The success of this scheme. so long on politicalquesttons ;_to whtch horcpltetl “Ugh." Hts arrival w“ announced by chmghflt. and so long projected on the at length. declaring litmselfagatnsta na- the firing of cannon. and he was received part of England turned 0 on the ratifica- tlnnsl bank, _opposed to the distribution of wttlrevery demonstration of popular en ”M 0' Fro-lace. - With it time could hope the proceeds_of the public lands. opposed thustasm. Of thts speech there. a leading ' to establish this neW'ptlnci la in maritime toa tariff for protection. "that the reven- paper says: l‘ wti d Wilh‘ h _l) (l rlin ob- ue .ghould be kept to the lowest potnt com- "We did not attempt osltotclt of tha‘oloqttent 'B' ' n .. ' “banal" h" a g attble with lhé priormancc of its consti- and powerful speech that was modo by (son Loss; 1?“ 0f maritime supremacy. But the 0!" Plf- p” d l for we folt that nothing short oftts publication on~ position of thl .fiuch comm'erctal nations &5 3”“0'” uttcttons, an opposed lo a ter' tire. word for word, and sentence for sontonoo. as the United States and France to this in mg the constttutton by abolishing the E" be utteredit to admiring thousands. would do ltim t‘erpolation would in", rendered hopeless {€oth WHO; that he should not be a can- a run measure ofjustice. ll was the master snort - h r efforts dtdate for the presidency unless nomina- ofa grout statesman; and the popular thunders of "WWW" r°°°3""'°"' "9“” e mt at the Baltimore Convention - and that apntuu-o wuh which n m moved by the any to accomplish this measure; “1d ”v for h ld ‘lh - f.lh l acres of freeman in attendance rung through the mom than ha” ll century. she lmdlnot fati- listing: 50m,” e nominee 0 It (200- valleys. and rovorbarated from ii!“ is Il)ttl{l. oxcaod ' ' b'ecl l'her 0 ICV. 9" ' ing on thing that we had over our core." ;giii: iiiiii iiiizfristo fvereoequallypunifetl in Q” the 4th 0’ 17””: 1843: (3‘9”- Cfl“ Geii. Cass spent some time with' Gen. this. Herjournals. therefore, were filled delivered a" 0mm") at F 0" Wayne. ln Jackson at the Hermitage. When they ‘ with the subject. It occupied the alien dtana‘. f’" ”‘9 COMP'EW" 0! ”'0 Wabash parted, the scene was most impressive anti mm of her government. her people, and and lane canal. lo~thts oration. while con- flouting An pyemime" remarks. “The her press; and her diplomatic agents trasttng ”if: cundtl'l’fl “id PFOSP‘I’“: 9' (fills tears of the veterans were mingled togeth’; through Europe were active and pcrselvc 8:12;? wrth the nations of the 0 d \or . also they bade cachfitll'tfr a hull litqewcll.l t'n . While the subset was under tls ‘ it com lance m e popu art emant, citfiion in the FrenchJ Chamber of Depu "l have stood upon 'th Plain 0’ Muralhon- the Gen. Cassptook the tour. of the States of tie" the eye! Of Eutopc wefc directed to hullio “Old 0r ilhfl'l]. if "r stlcnl and (idllzi'l'l-l9.—d Ohio. Indiana. and Mieh'gan' l-Ile emery. Paris anxiously watchingthc result. That “9”“? 03“" "°' Pmm" ".'hm ‘° 5"” '°°." where met with the most enthusiastic re ' . , . animation to tho scene. it is bounded by stertla . result was soon manifested. l‘he public hi”, on om, “do_ and I,"th by ”,0 mm“, “mo, ceptton from the people. He was hailed opinion of France spoke too loudly to be 0r”... Egann acts on the other, lit” Greek and as the father of the West. ' But a great resisted. The governmentgave way,and Persian'woro Oncotltcro, and that decayed spot change had been effected since first he refused to ratify a treaty, negotiator! un- W“ 0"” “I'l'm’ho't'lo’flém'93- (“”10 goughkllh'; came among tltem. lhe lolty rforests der ifsown directions. and signed by its %;::::-§3h;r“n‘l"hl’::c:‘t‘;;d ’33:: (;:‘;mi'“°oyr°zl°o:' which-he then traversed were now .ruttlul own minister. The part whtch General the my 0, Jommm [he “an” Dram "Naomi... fields, the lone y cabins which he protec- C‘" hole in ibis lfllnSßClion l 3 well un- sufl'orings attd crucrfictton and ascension. But the (ed from ”“3 fireb’and of if“? anage were derstood and appreciated by his country- acoptrohusdopartcd from Judnlt.nedtts glory‘from transformed tnto populous ctttes; the In men; 'and, if any doubt existed on the the Cllottot‘ofSolomon. The Auyrlnnt t’ho .::“: dtar. war-path was converted tnto the rail subject, it would have been removedby ;:‘:1':: 2:33:31” mamgnmzfixg; ‘l'h‘z' (iiiof road ; th: fmftiw" upon to: lakes and [fiv "l! abuse help“! upon mm m the English place of lsraol. and have rofl it of its power and ers Whit 1e '3‘ “Nye-i 9 ' were HOW to journals. and by the declaration of Lord beauty. In those regions ofthe East whore swim "a” of commerce and 0!_ wealtit f and [he Palmet'flbn, in the House of Commons. ty passed its inlnncy. it seems to have reached de- fiCllllEfed population Whlc'l ht‘. governed. that‘hisrefforts' conlribuled in a great de emphatic. It the associations which tho‘memory Were now a great people. lhe crowds flee to the rejection of the measure. _ ;Zt'fiéitfli" 51:2,”°::;‘°:v?l’:nll:‘l’“;:';“ikcgll'lzlr;7;: which attended his progress through‘ those An American writing from Europe. lit the prom“. and without hope {OHM [mum B". States seemed rather the triumphs pro . Nile’s Register. March. 1842, says: he". m, m, in we hum", of yomh' and can cesston of a conqueror, than the peaceful “can. Cass has hastily prepared a pamphlet ’9‘. look forward with rational confidence to ages of Eilendflnlfl 0’? Prl'nl'e ctttzen. _ ting'for'th the true dangers and import ofthis trea progress in all that gives power and prtdo to man. The followmg incidents at the public |’, n willibe [and by everyltuuamnn in EUPOPO,‘ and dignity to human nature. ll ll ballot l 0 look meeting at Nor‘vnlk. Oh”). on [he 17”] 0’ .Ifls‘ddOdJDlhß Genoral's personal influence hero, forward [0 PTO'POY‘U’r lhnn bHCk ‘0 glorY‘” September. lic taken from the Democrat. ;flhfgzgfly';:msifftimiilbigitgli‘ Efi'finftiecfl‘,’ In the summer of 1843. Geo. Cass to to newspaper published at that place: ' Influence with mt. gonmmemgv ceived the following letter from Gen. Jacl . “ White a _number of revolutionary sol ,” L- d T' [J ‘5 1842 ,0“ ; dters were beingtntroduced to Gen. Cass. -_° on "n ”D“? o snuary ' ' one of our citizens approached the Gener "" ‘ st. and asked if he remembered him. Up on replying that he did not. he gave the following account of their first meeting: “In the spring of 1818, F 0?! Meigs was tlesieged by the British and Indians. and the militia of Ohio were called out to march to the relief of the fo'rt. General Cass was appointed to the command. Six thousand assembled at Upper Sindusky. of whom two thousand were selected to. proceed on to the fort. The marshes and; woods were filled with water. making the/ rosds almost impassable. 'l he command ing general had not yet arrived, but was daily expected. On the second day of the match. a young soldier. from exposure to the weather, was taken sick. Unable to march in the ranks. he followed along in the rear. When at a distance behind. at tempting with difliculty to keep pace with his comrades, two officers rode along, one a stranger, and the other the colonel of his regiment. On passing him. the colonel remarked, 'Ganeral. that poor fellow there is sick ; he is a good fellow though, for he refuses to go back ; but I fear that the ln dians will scalp him. or the crows pick him; before we get to Fort Meigs.” The officer halted. and dismounted from ,‘his horse. When the young soldier came up, he addressed him: "My brave boy, you are sick and tired. I am well and strong} mount my horse and ride.” The sotdter‘ hesitated. “Do not wait.” said the offi-f car; and, lifting him Upon his horse. with: direction to ride at night to the General's tent. he proceeded on foot tojoin the ar-/ my. At night, the young soldier rode to the tent, “here he was met by the Gener al Will) a cheerful welcome. which he re paid with tears of gratitude. That offi-i car was General Cass. and the young sol-; dier was the person addressing him, our worthy fellow-citizen. JohntLaylin. The General, remembering the circumstance, immediately recognized him. Mr. Lay lin remarked. "General. that act was not done for the tooth] to look upon , it was done iii the woods, with. but three to wit ness-it.” F " Another: Our old friend Maj. Parks, on being introduced to General Cass, ex claimed with much animation, General, I thank God that latn able to see you! I fought by the side of your father, John than Cass, and your uncle. Daniel Case, at the battle of Bunker’s Hill. Your la ther was sergeant of the company, and l was a corporal. We were brothers to gether during the war. God bless you, General. for his sake. The General was deeply affected in meeting the friend and companion of his father; while the old vet eran, with eyes sparkling. recounted'the scenes through which they passed togeth er in the days of danger and strife—the times that "tried men’s souls.” Another anecdote of Gen. Cass. while on his tour through Ohio. Was related with much spirit by the late gallant and lamen-‘ ted Gen. Homer. - The carria 0 contain ing Gen. Cass was one day sipped by a who. addressing the General. d: "I can’t lelyou pass without speaking to you. You don’t know me, General.” Gen. C. replied that he dtd-not. “Well. sir, (said he) [was the first man in your regiment to jump out of the boat on the Canadian sh’ore‘.” "No. you were not. (said Gen. Color) I was, the first man myself on 8'30"?” ”True. (said the other -,) l'jump edro‘ut first ioto‘the river to uget-aliead of you; but'you held me back. and got on shore ahead of me. ?’ - v ‘ i~ Klél "The five powera. which rigned the late treaty for the auppreerion of the slave trade, will not nl~ low themaetvea to be thwarted in the execution or; thin arrangement by the capricioua‘ resistance of} the cabinet at Washington." ‘ it it not a little curious, in reading over the papera relating to this transaction, to ten how some at the party journals 0! the day in the United States censured the minister for his interference in foreign concerns; and foretold, very confidently, that he would be rebuked by the French government. And the London Times. of May 16. 1842, states, wuh apparent ex oltation. that the venerable patriot, who has just been called from among us, (Mr. Adams.) aaid in, Congress that he regret ted Gen. Cass “Should have an completely forgotten the whole aotne mice of the founder: of his country aa to in\ terfore. without tnatructtona Irom his government, in a delicate negotiation between the great pow~ era of Europe." Thia "delicate negotiation'f directly. in‘ volved one of the most precious right'a ol the .United Staten—that ol sailing the ocean undisturbed and in peace. ’l‘o pre vent the consummation ot such a project we: not to iterfcre with other nations. but to prevent other nations from interferingl with us. . as to the French government,/ it took no such view of the matter. The‘ anawer of M. Goizot to Gen. Caas we: in a very good spirit, and exhibited the beat feeling to the United States. He Itated that the treaty had not been ratified. and (ii-avowed all designa of doing anything whatever unfriendly to the United States. ‘. On théilfith 0! September tollouinz this transaction. the neWa of the ratification ol the Afbburton treaty reached Paris. and General Caaa immediately reaigned. His reasons for an 'dotng we gather Irom the follom’ng extracts of lettera to Mr. Web Iter: . "It in unnecessary to push them consideration! further; and in carrying them thus far.l have found the teat! an} unpleasant one. Nothing but juatice’to myself could have induced me to do it [could not clearly explain my petition here, with out "Capitulation, My proteat of 13th of Februa ry, diatinctly enerted that the United States would reeipt the pretenaion of England to aearch our vea. sale. tevowed, at the anme time. that this was but my peraonal declaration, liable to be confirmed or dtnv‘owed‘b‘y my government. I now finda treaty has been concluded between Great Britain and the United State-,.which provider for the co operation at the lat rin from to abolish the alave trade. butuwhich/cttsnTtfine. no renunciation by the former ofthe e3trudrdinary_pretension. reaulltng. an lhe said, from the exigencloe of these very ef forts; and which pretension. Holt it to be my du. ly to denounce to the French government. In all thia,l pro-ume to oli'br no further judgment thon' aa'l am personally afflicted by the courae of tho proceedinga, and I feel they have placed me in a “1" Petition, whence I can eacape but by return illl home with the least possible delay. i trust. therefore. that the President will have felt when "‘"9" in Efflnling me the permtaaion which I ask edt‘or." _ ' '0 December, 1842. Geo. Cats return ed ‘0 the U 05!“ Statea. He was receiv ed by the citizens of Boston and New .Yg'rkmihgt’vfly demonstration of respect. Hts bold stand on the quintuple treaty hid excited - the feelings of the peoplein hia‘td‘v'or. and he was. everywhere hailed as the champion bf rhe freedom of the seas, "add the rights ol'Americnn citizens. ‘At .NW York he was addressed upon politi cal subjects, to which he furnished a brief "pit. Itatlng his unaltalten‘ attachment to thelmlnciplea of the democratic party, and fio‘t‘tthty to a national bank; ‘ On his. route 1.0 .918, .'.".clt. heflwaa received-M Hurtin burg. Pennsylvania, and Columbus, Ohio, llnnm'r/toz, July. 1843. MY DEAR em : l have the pleasure to acknowledge your very friendly letter 0! the 25th of May lelt. lt reached me in due course of mail; but such were my de bility and afflictions. that l have been pre vented Irom replying to it until now; and even now it ie with great difficulty that I write. In return for your kind expressions with regard to myself. I have to remark. that l aha” ever recollect. my dear Gener 3!. with great satisfaction. the telattone. both private and oflicial, which eubsisted between us during the greater part of my administration. Having full confidence in your abilitiel and republican principles, I invited you to my cabinet; and I can nev er forget with what discretion and talent. you met those delicate questions which were brought belore you whilst you pres] ded over the Department of War. which entitled you to my thanks. and will be ev~ er remembered With the most lively {eel ingj offriendship by me, But what has endeared you to every true American, was the noble stand ulti:h you took, as our minister at Parie, against the quintupie treaty; and which, by your tel ente. energy. and fearless responsibility. defeated ite‘ ratificalion by France—a trea ty intended by Great Britain to change our internalional laws, make her mistress of the seas, and destroy the national indepen denco not only of our country. but 0! all Europe, and enable her to bar .'come the ty~ rant on every ocean. Had Great Britain obtained the sanction of France to this trea-‘ ty—wit/t the late disgraceful treaty qf Wacltington, so disreputable to our nation al character. and injurious to our nttliouel safety—then, indeed. we might have hungl our harps upon the willows, and resigned our national independence to Great Britain. But. I repeat, to your talents. enerav. and; fearless responsibility. we are indebted for the shield thrown over us from the impen ding danger which the ratification of the quintuple treaty by France would have brought upon us. For tltis act, the thanks of every true American. and the applause of every true repugljcen, are yours; and for this noble act, I tender you my thanks. I admired the course of Dr. Lion in the Senate, in urging hte Oregon biil ; and I hope his energy will carry it into a lawat the next session of Congress. This will speak to England a language which she will underetund~tlmt we will not submit to be negotiated out 0/ our territorial rig/its hereafter. ~ Receive assurances of my friendship and esteem. ANDREW JACKSON [‘o the Hon. Lawn Cass. nt e spring 0'184‘4. Gen. Cass, In re ply to interrogatories upon, that subject, wrote a letter declaring himself in [nor of the annexation of Texas. In ‘rhe month of May following. the Democratic National Convention met at Baltimore, to nominate candidates for President. and Vice President. On the ‘first'balloling Gen. Cass receivud eighty three votes, and continued to rise till, on the seventh. he received one hundred and twenty-three votes. Had another ballot been taken that day. , Gen. Cass would, without douthhave been’nomitnled. Bc+ tore the ossembling ot’ the‘conventlon the tollowing days Mr. Polk.was brought lor. worries e compromise candidete. and, st ter two balloting”, received, the nominsf tion; ~ ' On‘the anyvvtbvgn't lhc' news of the nomiu‘- The result of the contest in 1844' is we“ kamrn.‘ The vote of every western Stste. save one. and thatby a meagre ms, jrmty, was given for Mr. ;Polk. To the efforts of Goa. Cast. and his great person-l 9| popularity exerted in favor of Mr. Polk, much of this is to be attributed. in lhe following winter, Gen. Cass was elected to the Senate of the United States. and took his seat on the 4th of March, 1846. in the formation of the committees of the Senate. ”General Cass was unanimously tendered the post of Chairman of the Com mittee on Foreign Affairs. which however, he declined. On two subsequent ocea sions. the same position has been offered him. but he has uniformly declined it. in December, 1845. Gen. Cass intro duced resolutions in the Senate relative to the national defences, with particular ref ‘erence to the condition of? r affairs with ‘Great Britain, growing cog! the Oregon question. These resolutions he support ed in a speech. of whish the following is an extract, referring to the course which should be pursued in maintaining our rights to the territory in questton: " As to rocediufi?" is neither to be discussed {nor thought of. l refer to it but to denounce it— a denunciation which will find a response in eve~ ry American bosom. Nothing is ever gained by national pnstlianimity. And the country which seeks to purchase temporary security by yielding to unjust pretensions. buys present case at the es pense of permanent honor and safety. It sows the wind to reap the whirlwind. ihave said elso~ where. what i will repeat here, that it is better to fight for the first Inch of national territory than for the last. it is better to dotend the door-sill titan the hearth none—the porch than the altar. Na tional character is a richer treasure titan gold or/ ‘silver. and exercise a moral influence in the hour ufdanger. which. if not power Itself. is Its surest oily. Thus far, ours in unlarnished ; and let us all join, howo ver separated by party or by space, so to preserve ii." In the mouth of March following, Gen. Cass delivered lus celebrated speech on the Oregon question. A: thin speech has been circulated nml read very generally, a mere allusion to it here is all that would appear necearnry ; but the lollomng u trnct expresses so fully the lentimcnt ol every palriotic American. that it is wur- ‘ thy of record .- tpains me. sir. to hear allusions to e destruction ofthis Gmernment. and o the dissolution of this Confederacy.— l't pains me, not because they inspire me with any tear. but because we ought to have one unpronounceable word. as the iJews had at old. and that word is Dino lulion. \Ve should reject the feeling from our hearts and its name tiom our tongues. This cry of “ ”’O. tea, to Jerusalem," grates harshly upon my ears. Our Jeru [salem is neither beleagured nor in danger [lt is yet the city upon a hill, glorious it what it is, still more glorious, by the bles sing of God. in what it is to be—a land marr. inviting the nations ofthe world, struggling upon the stormy ocean of po litical oppression, to lollow us to a haven of safety and olrational liberty. No Eng~ lish Time will enter our temple at lreee‘ dom through a breach in the battlementsl ‘to bear thence the ark of our Constitution and the book of our law, to take their sta tions in a triumphal procession in the streets of modern Rome. as trophies at can out and prools ul submission. "(buoy n raven has cranked in my day, but the nugury has tailed, and the repub lic has marched onward. Many a crisis has presented itself to the imagination at ‘our political Cassandras, but we have still increased in political prosperity as we have increased in years. & that. too. with an accelerated progress unknown to the history at the world. We have a class 0! men whose eyes are always upon the to ture, overlooking the blessings around us, and torever apprehensive ot some great political evil. which is to arrest our course somewhere Or other on this side of the millenium. To them we are the image at gold, and silver. and brass. and clay. con trnriety in unity. which the first ruds‘ blow of misfortune is to 'strike from its pedestal. ' " For my own part, I consider this the strongest Government on the face at the earth [or good. and the weakest tor evil. Strong. because supported by the public opinion of a people inlerior to none of the Communities of the earth in all that consti tutes moral worth and useful knowledge. ‘ and who haVe breathed into their politi cal system the breath oflile; & who would destroy it, as they created it,il it were unworthy of them, or failed to fulfil their just expectations. "‘ And weak for evil, from this very consideration, which would make its fol lies and its faults the signal of its over throw. It is the only Government in ex istenre which no revolution can subvert. It may be changed, but it provides tor~its own change, when the public will requires. Plots and Insurrections, and the various struggles, by which an oppressed popula tion manifests its auflertngs and seeks the recovery of its rights. have no place here. We have nothing to fear but ourselves." The part taken by General Case in the subsequent exciting controversy on this question, and his vote in opposition to the treaty. are too well known to require fu ture notice. Having been trained in the school which taught him. in our intercourse with foreign nations, to ask for nothing but what is right. and submit to nothing that is wrong. he had the moral courage to stand up for the right. whatever might be the consequences. _ During this sessiontof Congress. hostil mes commencedbetween‘the U. Ststea & the republic ol Mexico. Gen. .Casa ad vocated the most energetic measures for s .vtgorous prosecution of the war. and for carrying it into the heart at the enemy’s] country; ~i In the winter one”. the “ thmot Proviso” was introduced into the Senate, _X‘u as an amendment to the three million bill, by a federal Senator from New England., ’lhe design 0! the mover was evidently to deleat the passage of the bill to which it‘ was to be attached. and to embarrass the administration in the prosecution ol the war. Gen. Cass voted against the provi. so, {or reasons given in his speech on the occasion. _ It was during the sessions of this Con. grass that the tarifl o! 1846. and the inde. pendent treasury were eetab‘liuhed. ltig not alone to the exclusive champion of free trade, & the ultra advocate o! a hard. ' money currency, that the opponents of protection, and the enemies ola papei" cur. rency; are to look for the defeat of thou measures. Such men are usually in the ‘ ,pureuit 0! some theoretical abstraction, 3which gives them but little influence with practical men. But it is to men 0! enlar. ged and liberal views. whose strength of character and influence carry convicting ‘with their action, that the country ts in." debted lor radical and beneficial reforms. Gen. Cast gave to these great measure. the weight a! his influence, and his zeal. ' our, and unflinching support. At the close of that Congest, General Cass Wee invi. ted. by the Democratic membersntthe legislature 0! New York, to partake oln public dinner at Albany. asa mark of their appreciation ol his brilliant public services. and their estimation olhis char- ’ acter as a man. This honor, however, he declined. In August, following, he delivered an address before the literary societies of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, at the annual commencement of that institu- _ tion. The societies afterwards prepared an elegant gold headed cane, with appro. pnale devices, which was presented to him in Washington, on the 4th of March. 1848. On the meeting ofthe present Congress, Gen.‘oaaa was elected chaitman 'of the Committee on Military Affairs—a post for which he “as most eminently qualified. and which, as he had been unanimously oelected. he considered It his duty to ac cept. His (curse on chaltman ol that com mittee. and his views upon the war ques tion. have been seen in the daily proceed ing: at the Senate. The lollowing brief reply. to Mr. Mangum. is probably on good a summary 0! his opinions as can be gwen : ' Now. with respect to the progress 0! the war, it ts eaid that Gen. Scott ie gorng on from town to town,‘ and from city to city, conquering all before him. I not re ry glad to hear it. Q] hope that the con:- mending general will conttnue to go on in this way- ll he does so. l have no doubt he will conquer Mexican obstinacy. and thus conquer a peace. I have already ex~ pressed my opinions with regard to the war in Mexico. and have nothing to say on the subjectxnom except to tell the Senator from North Carolina, what I had tlte hon or to say to the Senator from South Caro lina. that the adoption ofany resolutions in this Senate with regard to any danger—if danger there be—in the progress ofthis war. would be but as the idle wind. You might as well island by the cararact of Ni agara, and say to its Waters 'flow not,’ Is to the American people “annex not territo~ ry.’ it they choose to annex it. lt is the refusal of the Mexican people to do usjus tice that prolongs this war. It is that which opeNlefl on the public mind. and leads the .Senator from North Carolina to apprehend a state of things which he fears. but which. for myself. ldo not anticipate. 'Let me ' say. Mr, President. that it takes a great deal to kill this country. We have had an alarming crisis almost every year as long as I can recollect. [came on the public stage as a spectator before Mr. Jefferson was elected. 'l‘ha't,was a crisis. Then came the embargo crisis—the crisis of the non interconrse~or the war-oi the bank —ol' the tariff—of the removal of the de posites~and a score of others. But we have outlived them all. and advanced to all the elements of power and prosperity With ‘ a rapidity heretolt‘ire unknown in the his tory of nations. ii We should swallow Mexico to morrow, I do not believe it would kill us. The Senator from North Carolina and myself may not live to eeeit, but I am by no means satisfied that the day will not come in uhich the whole of the vast country around us will form one ofthe most'magnificent empires that the world has yet seen~glorious in its prosperity. tb * still more glortous in the establishmenland perpetuation of the principles of free gov ernment and the blessings which they bring with them.” In December. 1847. General Cass gave hfs views at length upon .tie 'WilmotPro' visa.” in a letter to Mr. Nicholson; of Tennesfee. in that letter he avowed him selt opposed to the' measure, and to the exercise of any legislation by Congress. over any of the territories of the United States, respecting the domestic relations at their inhabitants. He believed all ques tions ol that nature should be settled by the pell'ple themselves, who ought to be aL lowed “to regulate their internal concerns ‘ in their own way.” and that Congress has no more power to abolish or establish sla- j very in such territories than it has to regu-j late any other 0! the relative duties of so; cial lileé—that of husband and wife, ol'ps ant and child. or of master and servant. He said. in concltfsion: "The ‘thmot Proviso' seeks to talro from its legitimate tribunal a question of domestie policy. having no relation to the Union. as such, and to transfer it to anoth err created lay the people for s speeislpttr- ' pose. and {areign to the subject matter 11l- ‘ volved in the issue. By going back toour true principles. "ago back to the road of peace ,and safety. Leave to the POOP“- who will he affected by. this quelllon, '0 1
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers