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! under the principles of popular liberty and th


soundest International law in both heIispheres tt
rcede her territory or unite her government TO an
other, without giving just cause of war q any
power.


! What are the comrnon-sense tests on This sub
Iject? If size ofteniory, She IS as big as France
and as large as any four of our own States i
population, she has one ranging by different esti


mates from two to three hundred thousand people
of all kinds. If regular constitution and dfcode
of laws, she has both. If Uniform adninistra


ton of justice.and the rights of conscience secur


ed to all, rather than the protecuon of1the Catho


lie religion, as in Mexico, she enjoys them She


has troops and ships of war. She has her indie
rpendence acknowledged by the United States, by


Great Britain, France, and, indeed, all the great


powers of Christendom not under the sway ofthe


Hofy Alliance; and she has treaties of commerce


and international agents with most Of them.


Scarce hostile foot even from Mexico profaned


her soil, from 1886, when Santa Anna publicly


stipulated with her TO end the war, to 1912 And


the predatory incursions since, in breach of his


solemn compact, and in manner violating the


rules of civilized warfare, have never secured a


lodgment within her boundaries sfor single


month at a time. No towers, castles, or counties,


have there beep held by her old enemy in doubt.


ful or divided empire Her revolution is not in


embryo, but ful-growh-not going on by pre-


paratory steps, but finished stabEe-not distracted


by rival constitutions rival chieans, and rival


mics, such as long desolated many Spanish pro-


vnces. but domestic harmony and peace Ieign
throughout Their prisons are not filled with .po-


ltical victims. Order, and law, and the rights of


property, are respected; and neither taste ed


ucation, nor sympathies of any kind, are linger-
ing round their former government and smooth
ing the way to the remotest thought at reconciia-
ton. Under this condition of things, how pro-
pery have the United States, for some years, urg-
ed on Mexico that the independence of Texas
ought to be recognized by her, and no further
hosilities wagcd2 France and England have
done the same and the latter, since 1910, has
bound herself by treaty of mediation, TO try to
procure an abandonment of the claims of Mexico


What fears, then, ought to be entertained, after
such advice from such nations, of our being in
volved in any justifiable war, by means of the
nexatona But Texas has other qualities and
characteristics of a nation, showing her cornpe-
tent to enter into any contract or arrangement
with other nations, as fully as the oldest power of
Europe Besides having been for several years
admitted, in all respects into the great family of
nations, she is liable for her own wrongs to them,
and is held so, and not Mexico, as appear by
her treaty of indemnity to US in 1888. She
is authorized To- seek redress for injuries to her.
self, and not Mexico for her; and she has, in
Is
limits soil. and jurisdiction, been much wider ac
and longer in the independent gov
ernmrnt Of berself, than had Bonaparte in France,
when he sold Louisiana to US. Such admit,
was the position of her affairs when annexation
was proposed and declined in 1897; but their af-
fairs have been great strides since; and one un-
fortunate mistake with some, in the consideration
Of this topic, appears to be in not rsfecting en-
ough on the changes in her relations and national
maturity and stability, made. by the progress of
lime and events during the past seven years. 1t


is manifest, that if people have. by sound prn-
,iples, a right to sselfgovernment and when
oppressed can, like the United States, properly
revolt from England, or Mexico from Spain, or
Texas from Mexico, and having declared their in
dependence, do maintain it till they give, as in this
,ase, all the usual indications among nations of
power, justice, and order-I
he question Of their de jwre sovereignty thus be-
comes clearly settled in respect to all third per-
'ons as their de taeto sovereignty. The assent or
of their old masters does not
Constitute the right, but merely admits ii; as the \
minors or apprentices, claiming to be adults and
ree and acting as such, derive their rights FROM
he facts of the case, whether acknowledge or
lot by those to whom they were once in suhjec-
ion. The world must otherwise become divided |
nto mere holy alliances, with all their nonopo- |
izing dogmas on the one hand, and on the other,


nly such as they consider mere rebels, pirates,


nd bandilti; breaking up in this way all reform


# progress, and yielding to the claim of the d.


inc right of kings over all the human race, till
rclinqnished. The war of opinion on
his question was settled in favor of the people, af
pr sixty years of desolation and carnage on the


ains of Holland; again at Lexington, Saratoga,
Yorktown; again in Europe, after deluging
France in blood and again and again on both
IF tho Ap1o in
n a basis never again to be shaken in the New
World. The American side Of this question, ra-
her than the British side, or the side of the des


o,isms of the Old World. must be considered as
dopted here foreverx What other conclusions
otlld have influenced Mexico and our govern
nent, in 1926 when applied to her to sell
Texas to US, without asking any assent by Spain.
r getting Encouragement not to make war upon


IS and this, though Mexico had not then main
aihedh independence near SO long as Texas


ow? and though Spain still engaged in ac-
lal hostilities with her, and occupying fortress
the key and Gibraltar of Mexico and
hough Spain never recognized her independence


III eleven years after2 On what principle could
We make, or Mexico receive, the application which
would not justify still stronger the present annexa


ion of Texas2 On what principle but this, could |
We apply again to buy, in 1925 and 1929, with |
ut obtaining the consent or recognition of Spain


rst2 But if some concede that We erred in max /
1g our negotiations in 1925 and 1929, it by no
means follows that we err now. On the contra |
L,fo nad hos boor