Texas and the Massachusetts Resolutions Page: 19 of 54
This book is part of the collection entitled: From Republic to State: Debates and Documents Relating to the Annexation of Texas, 1836-1856 and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
19
These facts are all substantiated even by the partial evidence
(made so it should be observed, through the suppressions
of the administration of Mr. Van Buren) which has been
furnished in answer to a call of the House of Representatives
at Washington. Yet they have never excited the public attention
in a degree at all to correspond to the importance of
the disclosures which they make. Most of the people believe
very sincerely that this alarm about Texas is a most visionary
fear-that no one has ever been in earnest in pressing the
point, and that it is rather to be regarded as a device of violent
abolitionists to injure the character of our public men than
as having any foundation in truth and their own conduct. Little
are they aware that the whole force of the administration
under a most energetic President is proved by papers which
defy contradiction to have been secretly exerted to bring about
a cession of this territory voluntarily by Mexico, at the same
time that it was instigating revolutionary movements on the
part of persons leagued in the conspiracy within the limits of
that territory itself, persons who left the United States for the
purpose, in order to bring about by the use of force, the
same result.
The negotiation with Mexico finally failed. Mr. Butler
could not succeed in effecting as much as he had promised to
do and as a consequence he was obliged to retire from the
scene. But it was not until after he had spent months in the
territory of Texas itself and months more in Washington which
were employed in arranging the details of the last act of treachery
to a friendly nation. A final proposition was made to
the government of Mexico to take all of the territory east of
the Rio del Norte, up to the thirty-seventh parallel of latitude,
and from thence west to the Pacific Ocean. This would have
included a great part of upper California, New Mexico and
Santa Fe-and for this immense territory the sum of six millions
of dollars was offered. And upon the rejection of this
proposal Mr. Butler retired from his mission only for the purpose
of ultimately taking up the thread of operations in Texas
itself, and organizing more effectively by means of secret
societies the other part of the plan which had been agreed
upon.
We have already remarked, that there are many ways in
America to arrive at the same result. If one fails, another
will be tried. The truth of this is visible enough throughoutt
all the proceedings about Texas. General Samuel Houston
the gentleman who had devised this scheme at Washington,
about which President Jackson thought it proper to send
all the way to the Secretary of State of the Territory of
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Adams, Charles Francis. Texas and the Massachusetts Resolutions, book, January 1, 1844; Boston, Massachusetts. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2355/m1/19/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.