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ol 70 1ddSe tief .uhueN tpe lAIuence aud Con-
Itroi of, Great Brittfn. That, from the. Geogra.
phisI position of Texas, would exnesa the weak.


est aRd Most vulnerable portion Of our frontier to


inroads. andtblace in the poAyerNof Great frhaif
the most efficient means Of efecting ia the neigh
boring Statesof this Onion what She ayows to be


her desire 10 do inal countries where slavery en-


ists.. Ise hazard Consequences (which would be


50 dangerous 70 the prosperity and safety Of 1hfs:
1 Unisn, Without resoEting to. the most .ef1sctGe


MEASURES to preEeRl them, would be oa.lhe part af


The federal governE9ent, aR a5andonmene ofEhe,


most solemn obligation imposed BY the g1arfntee'
which the States, in adopting the Constituiop,
feneEed into. to, project each other aaainst what
everemight endanger their safety, whcther' from


without or within. Acting in obedience TO this


obligation, on which our fedetal system of Gov


erntAelt fesls, the President directs me1to infoun


ye!hthat aereaty has been concluded beiwcentte.
uafed ~States gnd Texas, for the annekdtioH ot


ths raar tome 1ds 4 pSFt Of Is fsSnary.


which will be subpitted Wuhont tlefay 10 the


Senate for its approval. This step has been taken
as the mosS efectuai, if not the only means of


guarding against the threatened danger, and Be-
tcuring their permanent peace and welfare.


ii 1t is well known that Texas has long desired


to be annexed to- this Union- that her p ape, at


the time of the adoption Of her Constitution, ex.


pressed, by an almost. unanimous vote, her desire


to that, effect; and that she has never ceased%e


desire iras ttTe most certain rneans of promoting
her safety and prosperity. The United Stans
thave heretofore declined 10 meet her wishes, Gut


the time. has now arrived hen they cen long


er refuse consistently with their own stcurisy' and


peace, and the sacred obligation imposed BY their
IconsGtutional compact for mptuaf defence and
pretettfen. Nor are they sahs% way responsible
for. the circumstances which ~hHTe imposed this
obligation on them: -SThry had no agency idI
6fingfng aboutIhe state Of thiogs which has ter


minhed in the separation of Texas fsoln Mexico,
III was the Spanish Government and MEXICO her-
self which invited and offered high hndnceuehts
to our citizens to colonize Texas, That, from
The diversity If scharaeteR habitI religion, aRd


political opinions. necessarily led tothe separa-
ton, without the Interference Of the United States
jn. any manner whate7er. II iStsn1f, the United
States, at an early period, recognised the indie


paadeHce of Texas; but, IN doing so, IL is we'll


Hsown they hut acted in comiarmhY With an es-
taRiished principle TO recognise the GoverRrnentl
de1acto. They had previously acted on 1he. same
principle in reference to Mexico herself, and lhe|
other Governments which have risen on the for
uer dotniniens Of Spain on this continent !


They are. equally without responsibility for
that state Of things, already adEerted to as the inn


mediate cause of imposing on them, in self de-
fence the obligation of adopting the measure
they have. They remained passive: ohng esi
the policy on the part Of Great Britain, which
has led te its adoption, had no immediate bearing
-on their peace and safety; While they conceded
TO Great Britain The right Of adopting whatever
policy, she might deem best in reference TO- the
AFRICAN race, within her own possessions. they
on their part claim the Same right for themselves.
The policy she has adopted in referencsto the
portion Of that race in her domiHions may be
humane aqf wise tbnt it does not follow, If il
prove So &i,h her, that it would be 50 in reference
to the r teilod States and other countries, whose
situation differs from hers. But whether it would
be OF not it belongs to each to Judge and deter
d,rided, not by the Federal Government, hlt by
each membcr Of this Unioh for ITSELF according
to its own views of its domestic policy, and wIth


ont any right on the. part the FEDERAL Govern
ment to interfere in any manner whatever lsEights
and duties are LINKED to protecting, under the
guarahtees of the Constitution, each member Of
this Union: in whatever policy it may adopt in
reference to the portion within It's respective limits
A. large number Of the States has decided, that il
is neither wise nor humane TO change the relation
WHICH Has existed, from their first settlement, be-
tween The two races. wirile others where the
African is less numerous, have adopted the op-
posite policy.


1t belongs not to the Government to question
whether the former have DECIDED wisely or NOT
and if it did, the undersigned woad not -regard
this the proper occasion to discuss the subject.
Fde does not, however, deem IL irrelevant 10 state
that, If the expert: nee of more than half century
is to decide, il would be neither humane nor wise


rr them to change their policy. The census and
other authentic documents show that, in all ia
stances in which the States have changed the for


ner relation between the two races, the condition
OF the African, instead of being improved, has
become worse. They have been invariably sunk !
into vice and pauperism. accompanied by the
bodily and mental infections incident thereto-
deafness, blindness, insanity, and idiocy, de- I
gree without example; while, in all other States
which have retained the ancient relation between
them. they have improved greatly in every respect


in number, comfort intelligence, and dsmoFals-l
as the following. facls, taken from such sources,
Will serve to illustrate: |


The number of deaf and dumb. blind, idiots,
and Insane, Of the negroes in the STATES that have
changed the ancient relation between the races, is
one ogi of every ninety six while In the Statee
adhering to IT, it is enc out of every six hundred
and d,seventy.tvo--that is, seven to in favor Of
the latter, as comPared with the former.


The number Of whites. deaf and dum6, blind, |
idiots and insane, in the States that have changed
the relation, is in every FIVE bundled anAsixly-
onej being nearly. six To one against the free T
blacks in the sameStates.


The number of negroes who are deaf and dumb |
blind, idiots, and insane, faupers, and ilsprison
in the States that have Changed, iE one out of
every Elk; and tbe States that have not enc oul
of every one hundred and ffty-fosr; OF ty@entg- /
two to oae against the former, a. compared. with