Speech of Mr. Barrow, of Louisiana, on the resolutions from the House of Representatives, for the admission of Texas as a new state into the Union. Delivered in the Senate of the United States, February 19, 1845. Page: 1 of 16
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SPEECH OF MR. BARROW, OF LOU7ISIA4N,
ON THE RESOLUTIONS FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE
ADMISSION OF TEXAS AS A NEW STATE INTO THE UNION.
Delivered in the Senate of the United States, Wednesday, Fbru ry 19, 1845.
I
Mr. BARROW said that, to those who knew him, it would be useless to say that it
was with painful reluctance he participated in the present debate. This feeling was
caused, in part, by the fact, that the subject had already been, and would yet be, dis-
cussed by gentlemen of much more ability, experience, and wisdom, than himself; and
partly because he distrusted his capacity to express himself with that force, and clear-
ness, and method, which were necessary to command the attention of that body..
But the crisis which now marked our public affairs was too pregnant with danger to
permit any scruples whatever to prevail over the duty imposed upon every Senator to
contribute his efforts, however humble they might be, to save the Constitution of his
country from what he believed to be a palpable violation of its provisions. But in this
affair he could not claim to be a volunteer; on the contrary, he considered himself
draughted into the service, and no alternative was left him but to speak, or to skulk like
a coward from the honest discharge of his duty as a Senator.
Mr. B. would not here pause to look back to the time when this grand scheme had
its origin. Whatever might have been the motives of the hybrid Administration with
which it originated, it was too late now to waste time in attempting to analyze them,
nor was there any necessity of commenting on what was now gone to the past records
of history. Before, however, proceeding to discuss the constitutional question, he con-
sidered it proper to notice one or two of the motives which had been suggested by the
Senator from Pennsylvania, (Mr. BUCHANAN,) and the Senator from New Hampshire,
(Mr. WOODBURY,) why Congress should act on this question now.
They had been told (and it was not the first time that he had heard the argument
urged) that Congress was bound to act now, because the people at the last election had
so decreed. Mr. B. took this occasion to protest against the advancing of such an argu-
ment as that in a grave and dignified body like the Senate, or even in one of minor im-
portance. He denied, in general terms, this most mischievous doctrine. No statesman,
and especially no Senator, should advance it as an argument why the Senate should act
in this or in that manner, that the people had decided the question. Did he say this be-
cause he did not respect the people ?-because he did not know that, in a Government
like ours, all sovereignty was with the people ? No ; but because he knew that it was
a doctrine which, if carried out, must overthrow all law, order, and Government; for
the people never had any question of administration put to them for their suffrages, and
no Senator had a right to say that, when the people voted for a particular individual as
President, they were to be considered as thereby endorsing all the opinions of that indi-
vidual. Besides, Mr. B. joined issue with both these Senators as to the matter of fact.
He said that the people, in casting their suffrages for Mr. Polk, did not decide for an-
nexation, because he knew that, in certain sections of the Union, large numbers voted for-
Mr. Polk, at the same time openly avowing that they were opposed to annexati :n. He,
would ask the Senators from New York whether Mr. Polk had not received the vote of
that State in spite of his being for annexation ? He did not think they would deny it,
for it was a matter of notoriety that the distinguished gentleman, now Governor of that
State, when in the Senate, had voted against the treaty, and was opposed to annexation
at the very moment he was elected Governor, (unless, indeed, some marvellous change
of opinion had been wrought upon his mind during the brief interval between his leav-
ing the Senate and his election to the gubernatorial chair.) Mr. B. said that the people,
in electing Mr. Polk, had decided only one thing-that they preferred Mr. Polk, and
the ascendancy of his political party in the country, to the election of Mr. Clay. In the
late struggle they had gone for victory in general, without regard to any particular prin-
ciples.
The people in New York had not intended to say that they were for immediate an-
J, & G , S t G ideon, printers-
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Barrow, Alexander, 1801-1846. Speech of Mr. Barrow, of Louisiana, on the resolutions from the House of Representatives, for the admission of Texas as a new state into the Union. Delivered in the Senate of the United States, February 19, 1845., pamphlet, 1845; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth498767/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Schreiner University.