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49
friendly to the election of Mr. Clay as President. If they
choose to say the word, that treaty will be declared to be
the law of the land, and tlhe outrage will be consummatedfor
after the various indications of sentiment to rwhich we
have alluded, we have little faith in the resistance of the democratic
part of the body. If, on the other hand, they do not
say the word, the treaty falls back upon its authors and contrivers-a
mere piece of waste paper.
"By those fruits, ye shall know him."
If, as appears to .us most probable, that treaty should be
rejected, still it may be done on the ground, not of the unconstittutional
character of the act itself, but because the people
of the United States have not had any opportunity to express
an opinion, in favor of, or against it. Such igilht, by
possibility, be the reasoning of JAr. Clay himself. We know
nothing of his opinions, and only assume tlese to be hils, because
it is putting the most unfavorable view of them that we
may be called upon to meet. Although we sl hould x more
highly value that opposition to Texas, which should sprinig
fronm convictions as strong as our own of the utter unconstitutionality
of the proposed act of union, we ouglht not to suffer
ourselves to underrate the advantages whiclh may be derived,
even from the ground which is thus presented to us. So
long as the people of the Free States are not bargained away
like cattle; so long as their voice is to be respected by those
in power, in guiding the policy of the government, there is
yet room for hope. The admission of this principle alone,
would be a prognostic of a return to briglhter days. Tlhere
has been none such acted upon, for a great many years, by
those who have been placed in the administration.
But in order to make this concession of any avail, it will
be necessary for those citizens of all parties, who value the
perpetuity of our pacific and fiee syster of government more
than the success of' individuals in rheir pursuit of office, to
direct their attention to the choice of men perfectly true to sound
principles in both branches of the federal Legislature. No
President will have it in his power, hereafter, to do the mischief
which Mr. Tyler has had an opportunity to do, if the
proper precautions be only taken. It w ill be ise to put restraints
on him, in this particular, whoever may be the successful
aspirant. This can be done. The only question is, shall
it be done ? We searcely expect that tt tle ultras of eitler of
the tIree parties will be prepared to abandon their standard for
any useful purpose whatever, that may conflict with tle probability
of their own ascendency. But the great ima:ss of the
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Adams, Charles Francis. Texas and the Massachusetts Resolutions, book, January 1, 1844; Boston, Massachusetts. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2355/m1/49/?rotate=270: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.