REMARKS HON. DANIEL WEBSTER, A OF MASSACHUSETTS, ON THE THREE MILLION BILL it i , llN SENATE on we Umfren Sums, Jiferclz 1,1847. »« E The Serriate linviug; under consideration the Three Million Bill, endvtlie question lmving'been ‘put on the engrossment of the bill for its third reading--~ - i ‘ S Mr. VVEBSTER said: i i If my health had been better, and more time had remained to us, it was , rnyvrpurpose to address the Senate on the bill before it, and also on several topics with which it is connected. This purpose, unde1'ieXisting circurn- sta1ices,l nuust necesseril y iforegoc. it Theltrue origin erihe War with Mexico , end the motivres and purposes for which it was originally commenced, how- ever ably discussed already, are subject.s not yet. exhausted. I heverbeen particularly desirous of exzimining them. I axon greatly deceived Mr. Presi-l dent, if weshe,1l“n0tiere longtsee facts coming to the light , and circurnstau—~ ces found coinciding and coricuridng, which shell on the Executive Gov- ernment o. more definite and distinct purpose, intendedto be efl"ected with the co—operation of others, in b1'inging on hostilities with Mexico, than has as yet been clearly developed orfully understood. , V , , ttil'.A’t“pt'eSent, I should hardly have riseh butto lay before the Senatethe resolutions of the House of Representatives ofMassachusetts,adopted on r Thiursdayr last. We have at great ideal of commentary and criticism on State resolutiotns brought here. Those of Michigan , particularly, have been very slinrplyiraudi narrowly loolteclinto," tosee whether they really, mean what they seem to mean. " ’lr‘hesei resolutions of Massachusetts I hope are ..r.‘““sTe. s. Gideon, premiere. ” 2 suflicientlytdistinctl and decided. They admit; of neither doubt nor cavil, even if doubt or cavil were permissible in such a case. What the Legisla- ture of Massachusetts thinks, it has said , and said plainly and directly. Mr. President, I have not, before any tribunal, tried my ingenuity at whatthe . lawyers call a special demurrer for many ‘years; and I never trieclit here in the Senate. In the business of legislation, and especially in considering State resolutions and the proceedings of public assemblies, it is our duty of course to tlunderstand every thing acco1'ditig to the common meaning of the wlords used. Of all occasions, these are the last in which one should sticlc in the bark, or seek for loop-holes, or means of escape; or, in the latigttage - of an eminentjudge of former times, “hitch and hang on pins and particles.” ‘W e must take the substance fairly ,and as it is, and not hesitate about forms and phrases. When public bodies address us, whether we comply with their wislies 01‘ not, we are atleast bound: to understand them ,as they tnean to be understood; to seek for no subterfnges, and to rely on no far-~fetchecl and subtle rlifiictilties or exceptions. All such attempts will be justly re» garded only as so many contrivances, resorted to to get rid of the responsi- . bility of ineeting the public Voice, directly and rnanfully, and loolting our constituents boldly in the face. Sir, we are in the midst of a war, not wagecl at home in defence of our soil, but waged a thousand miles off, and in the heart of the territories of another Governmen‘:. OF that War no one yet sees the end, and noone counts the cost. It isnot denied that this War is now prosecuted forthe acquisition of territory; at least if any deny it, others admit it, and all lcnovy i it tovbe true. - y i Underithese circumstances ,and plainly seeingthis purpose; to.eitist, seven or eight of the free States, coi'1'ipt'ising some of the largest, have1'ernonstt'at- ed against theprosecution of the war for such a purpose, in latngttage suited to expre.==stl1eit' meaning. .These remonstrances come here with the distinct l and.precis_e object of dissuading us from the further prosecution of theygwary, for thletacquisition of territory by conquest Before territory isactually ob- , tained , and its future clia1'acptetflfii;:ed, they beseech us to give up an object so full of danger. One and all, they protest against;tlie,e:»;tei1si_on of slave territory; one and all, they regardit as tlietlsolemnt duty of the representa- V tivesof the free States to take security ,in aclvance, thayt no more slave States shall be added to the Union. i ’I‘hey demand of us this pledge, this assur- yance, before the purcliase money is paid, or the ul)r’.'l.1‘g€tlt’l concluded. ‘‘ And ; yet,l'lMr. President, ingenuity has been taxedt to its utmost ; tcrpiticistn;s.botlIr~ deep and shallow, and hypercriticisins quite incomprehensible, liave all been t 3 resorted to, in the hope of sliowingtlnat we do not understand the people; i that their resolutions are not What they seem to be; that they do not require any immediate movement or present opposition; that they only loolt to some distant future, some emergencies yet to arise; that they only referto a dis- , position in 1'egarcl toterritory, after it shall have been acquired anclsettled; and in one instance, I tl'1inl.~;:, it was said that it did, not appear that any ithirig was required of us for fifty years to come. i l “ i i ‘ Mr. President, ll understand all these things very difl"erently. ‘Such is not the voice of the free States ,*and of other States, as I 1'ecelve it.~ Their trutnpetigives forth no uncertain sound. ‘Its tones are clear and clistioiet; understand that aloud and imperative call is made upon us to act now; “totalre securities now; to males it certain, now, that no more slave States shall ever be atlclecl to this Union. i ” Ll. will read, sir, the l‘/llnssaol1tt‘settsl resolutions to “ Rtzssoloezl z.trtmtlntou. if I understood him rightly, said he wanted no new territory; all he desired was equality, and no exclusion; he wished the South to be saved from any thing derogatory; and yet he does not vote against the acquisition of territory. Nor do other Senators from southern States. ~ Theyare, therefore, in general, in favor of new territory and new States, being slave*States. This is the policy of the Southern Democracy. ‘ Both parties agree,ltl‘1e,1'.efo1'e, to carry on the warjforterritory , though it be not rlecidednow whether the cl"iaracter of new acquired territory shall be that of freedom or of slavery. . This point they are willing to leave foritfutrure agitation and future controversy. Gentlemen who are in favor of the 'Wilmot. proviso are ready, nevertheless, to vote for this bill ,Tthougih*thati proviso be strucktout. The gentleman from N ew York is ready for that, and his northern and eastern friends, who sit round him here in the Senate, r ” are as ready as he is- They all demand acquisition, and maintain thewar fortliat purpose. On the other ‘ hand, the other branch of thecpatty votes eag;er‘lry.ta.ii;d unitedl y for territory, the ilrnot proviso being rejectecl , because " these gentlemen take it for granted that that proviso fbeing rejected, Stratest ‘ ‘forinecl nt1ttof.Mes:.ico.wi.ll necessarily be slave States, arid added to this Uniiiatr1‘las,;ttsuch.,gs , I r S t C.0l1lvitil'tt3(l~.il1 the amendment ‘whiclr wasrsubmittetdlrsorne cdays;ago~ by my i\’owf,.sit-Vj, ithjashappeared to me from the begirini.ng:,rthatrthe proposition a it 5 friend, the honorable memberfrom Georcria wasthetrue and the onl true 2 y to J’ 2 policy for us to pursue. That resolution was in these worclszt ‘ i l“Provtdecl, always, And it is hereby declared to be the true intent and rmeaningof Congress in making this appropriation, that the war with Mexico ought not to be prosecuted by this Gov- , ernrnent with any view to the dismemberment of that Republic, or to the acquisition by con- quest of any portion of her territory ; that this Government ever desires to maintain and pre- serve peaceful and friendly relations with all nations; and,particularly with i the neighboring a Republic of Mexico, will always “be readyyto enter into negotiations, with a View to terminate -the present unhappy conflict on terms Whichshall secure the just rights and preserve inviolate the national honor of the United States and of Mexico ; that it is especially desirable, in order to maintain and preserve those amicable relations which ottglrt always toexist between neigh- boring Republics, that the boundary of‘ the Statehof Texas should be definitively settled, and ‘,iLl1£llr}.'J1'0VlSiOI1 be made by. the Republic of‘ Mexico for the prompt and equitable settlement of the just claims offlour ,citizens on that Republic.” i , it y _u V This amenclrnent rejects all desire for the dismetnberment of , Mexico; it rejects acquisition of territory by concpuest; it signifies a wish for the restor- ation of peace, and a readiness on our part to enter into negotiations, and to treat, not only for peace, but also for boundaries and indetnnities. , This atnendment has been rejectecl, and now I come to the point: Who, has re- jected it? By whose "voteshas this amendment, this very evening, been lost? Sir, it has been lost by the votes of the honorable member from New York and his northern and eastern friends._ i It has been voted down by the “Northern Democracy.” If this “Northern Democracy” had supported this amendment, it would have prevailed, and we should then have had, no new territory at all, andof course no new slave territory; no new States at all ,and of courseno new slave States. Thisjis certain*;,and indisputable. If the Senate had, said what that resolution._proposes, the clangere would have ,becn over. But these gentlemen would notvote for it. i To a man, ‘ ythyycy y_otecl,,againust,it., Every niernber of the Senate be1,ong*ingtos,,tl1e party, in1,lhe,no,rt.l1ern States ljtoywevepr wa;r1nly they Inay 11oVe,~d6C~1flPt6d thernselves against new slave , States, yet, r,efuse,d to «vote iagainst all territorial fifiquiisiticpfn ;-+e—,a, no epasure proposed and runoff‘ cred to a theme a as , a perfect security against, more slave, States. ,, Tihteyrare , for acquiring, territory; they are for more States; and , for the sake of this, they are Willing to 1‘,u;I1,,ll’le_,1‘;l5k,;,0f tl1ese,newStatee «b,ej,ing_,slave,l States , ;and to meet i all the convulsiions which the discussion of that ,,1noinexitous question may hereafter procluce. ~Sir_,(,if therebe wisdom, ~-or rudence‘ or consistenc, sound olic or com rehensiveforesi ht in all i ll , 2 y r 2 r _ yr . u r \ i this, I cannot see it. y ‘ I ,_ up i up The a,men_d:ment,of thehonorable mernberf fro1n,Georgia jtvas supported by, the votes oufgtwenty-t'ot1,r_ members of the Senate, Twenty-nine, r_nem—- hers voted against it. , these‘twenty~nine,; there were six, gentlemen. rep- to its centre? I 8 resenting northern and eastern States,viz.,rone from Maine, one fro1nNeW Hampshire, one from Connecticutfiwo from New York“, and one from Petirrsylvania. If these six" members had voted for the resolution, they ”W0‘t1l(l have turned the majority, and there would, from that momeut,have been no apprehension of new slave territory ornew slave‘ States. Against the resolution, also, we heard the voices of five members from the ifreeStates in thetnrorthfiwest, viz., one from Ohio, two from Indiana, one from Michiw gar".t,r and one from Illinois. I I r I I So it is evident, that if all the Senators from the free States had Voted for this amendment, and against the acquisition of territory, such acquisition» would have been denonnced,in advance, by nearly two—thirds of the Whole Senate, and the question of more slave States settled forever. For, let me say to you , sir, and to the country, that, whenever this question is settled, and settled finally and forever. ~ . I . Mr. President,I arraign no meniand no parties- I take no judgment into my own. hands. I But I present this simple statement of facts and consew quences to the country; and ask: for it, humbly but most earnestly, the seri4 ous consideration of the people. Shall we prosecute this War for the pur-~ pose of bringing on a controversy which is~lil<:ely to shalate the Governtnertt. . it ntusttbe srettleclin the Senate. It might have been settled he,1=e,tl1isnig.l1t,,, I v And now, sir, who are the twenty-four members who-supported the arnendment of the member from Georgia’? They aretthe Whigs of the Senate---I-Whigs from the North and the South, the East and the West. In their judgment it is due to the best interests of the country, to its safety, to peace and harmony,ancl to therwelhbeing of the Constitution, to declare at once, to proclaimnow,that wedesire no new States, nor territory to form new States out of, as the end of conquest. For one ,I enter into this decla~ ration with all my heart. We want no extension of ter1'itory--we wanttno- accession of new States. The country is already large enough. I do not ‘speak of anycession which may be made in the establishment of boun-I diaries, or of the acquisition of a. porter two on the Pacific, for the benefit of «navigation and commerce. But I speak of large territories, obtained by eon"que'st,tto form States to etbeannexedttoc thetU’nion“; ‘ and I say Itamropw posed to “such acquisition altogether} I am iopposed to the prosecutioniof the war for any such purposes. a ' v p I I r * ’M'r.fitPresirdenit,=,I~must be indulged here. in 4a short retrospection. In the “present posttrre» ofthingst and of p’artites,"wetn‘:1ay welltilook "backttrtpon" the paast. Within: year" 01' “me after’ taxes had achievedi its inde’penden’ce~,. W 6 there were those who already spoke of its annexation to the United States.- Against that project l felt it to be my duty to take an early and a decided course, Having occasion to address political friends in the cityof New York, in March, 1837, I expressedi my sentiments as fully and as strongly as I could. From these opinions I have never swerved. p From the first l saw nothing, and have seen nothing, but evil and danger to arise to the country from such annexation. The prudence of Mr. Van Buren stifled the project for a:tin1e; but in the latter part of. the administration of Tyler it was revived. Sir, the transactions and occurrences from that time onward, till the measure was finally cdnsuintnated in December, 1845 , are matters of history and record. That history andtlziat record can neither he thlsifitecl, nor erased. There they stand, and must stand forever; and they proclaim to the whole World , and to all ages, that Texas was brought into this Union, slavery and all, only by means of the aid and active co-opera‘~ tion of those who now call themselves the “Northern Democracy” of the United States; in other words, by those who assert their own 1*igl1t to be re« ,-ga1'cletl as nearest and dearest, to the people, mitzong all the public men of ;§tl‘tepcountry. Where was the honorable member from New York, where werehis northern and eastern "friends, when 'l‘e:xas was pressing to get into theUnion, bringing slaves and slavery with her? Where were they,I ask? tWere they standing up like men against slaves and slavery? ‘W as the an- nexation of anew slave State object which “Northern Democracy” op- posed, orfrofrn which it averted its eyes with horror? Sir, the gentleman i ft'C)1Tt New .Yorl«;yandt his 1”riends were counselling and assisting;, aiding and abettting, the Whole proceeding. Some of them were voting here as eagerly as if the salvation of the country depended on bringing in another slave State. Others of us from the North opposed anne2t:at,iot1 as for as we could. We re» monstrated , we protested, We voted 5 but the “Northern Democracy” helped to out-vote us, to defeat us, to overwhelm us. And they accomplished their purpose. Nay, more. Time party in the l.\lorth which calls itself, by way of distinction and eminence, the “Libet'ty Party,’t’ opposed, with all its force, the election of the Whig candidate in 11844;, when it had the power @~o_f assisting in and securing the election of that candidate, and of preventing? ‘ . o u I: ‘ Pollltls Bl6Ct'l0tl; and when it was as clear and visible as the sun at noon» it day, that Mr. Pollefs election would bring sla»veholding' Texas into the Union. No man can deny this. And in the party of this “Northern De- mocracy,” in this “Liberty Party,” too, probably, are those, at this t:mornentl,,who profess themselves ready to meet all the cponseq‘uences, to stand the chanceof all convulsions, to see the fountains of the great deep 8 new hroketn up, rather than that new slave States should be added to the Union; i but who, nevertheless, will not join with us in a declaration against; new Statesiof any character, thereby shutting the door for ever against the fur- ther adrnission of slavery. i i Here, sir, is a chapter of political inconsistency which demands the con- sideration of the country, and is not unlikely to attract the attention of the age. If i it be any thing but party’ attachment, carried, recklessly, to every extent, and party antipathy rnaddened into insanity, I know not how to describe it. ' t , Sir, I fear we are not yet arrived at the beginning of the end. I pretend to see but little of the future, and that little gives no gratification. All I can scan iscontention, strife, and agitation. Before we obtain perfectright to conquered territory, there must be a cession. A cession can only be made ' ,l;ryf,,,.;t1'e=aty. ,ir’o«treat.y can passtl*ie.Senate, till ttlieflottstittntion is overthrown, without the consent of two-«thirds of its nietnbersf V Now , who can shut his eyes to the great probability of asuccessful resistance to any treaty of ices» sion, from one quarter of the Senate or another? » Will the Northtcoinsent to a treaty hringingin territory subject to slavery? VVill the South consent to a treaty bringing in territory from which slavery is texcludecl? Sir, the future is full of difficulties and full of dangers. We are suffering to pass the golden opportunity for securing harmony, and the stability of the Con- stitution. We appear tome to be rushing upon perils headlong, and with our eyes all open. But I put my trust in Providence, and in that good» sense and patriotism of the people, which will yet, I hope, arouse thetn«~ selves before itis too late. a t t Digitization information for the Daniel Webster Pamphlet Project University Libraries University of Missouri——Columbia Local identifier web000 Digitization work performed by the University of Missouri Library Systems Office Capture information Date captured Scanner manufacturer Scanner model Optical resolution Color settings File types Source information Format Content type Derivatives — Access copy Compression Editing software Editing characteristics Resolution Color File types Notes 2004-2005 Minolta PS7000 600 dpi Unknown tiff Pamphlets Text with some images Uncompressed Adobe Photoshop 600 dpi Bitonal; images grayscale tiff Pages cropped and brightened Blank pages removed Property marks removed