470
.AMElUCAN HISTORIOAL ASSOCIAT!O~
or are the whole cane and cotton growing districts of your delightful country to still remain a wilderness of flowers-a waste of richnessi It is impossible I Men remove from their Homes to better their situa- tions, they submit to deprivations and encounter difficulties for the accumulation of wealth; and they will pursue that course of conduct which they believe will the soonest and the most certainly put them in possession of it- they will raise cane and cotton in preference to wheat and oats, when·they live in a country peculiarly calculated for it, and as they cannot raise these staples without slave labour, they will raise them with it-- there is no country in the world where these articles are grown· unless by the assistance of Slaves, or where the population is so dense or so abject as to always place at the option of the proprietor any force commensurate to his wants-- on this half of the continent thank God! the latter cannot be the case for centuries; therefore we must either abandon the finest portion of Texas to its original uselessness or submit to the acknowledged, but lesser evil of Slavery- In mine of 14th Inst without being made acquainted with your views, I stated as my opinion the expediency of Texas allowing the free admission of Slaves :for five years: this is a short period of time, but of sufficient length to enable a Southern emigration to introduce as many as would supply the ·actual wants of the colony- let the law of permission be then repealed and one substituted, making their introduction under any pretense higlwy pena"lr--- as soon as this is the case an emigration will rapidly com- mence from the South, and their time having expired, the Eastern people ~ill in their turn view Texas as their Home- the very cir- cumstance of it being· measurably settled by Southerners which in their opinions is synonimou~ with wealth will act as a strong induce- ment to their coming in among us- .these men will naturally seek ·the grain-growing districts, while those from the South will as cer- tainly settle where they can raise sugar and cotten---0r suppose a line should be drawn-say the Opelousas road to San Felipe, thence to Bejar- thence, following the Leona Vicario road till it strikes the river Nueces thence following its course to the :Mouth- let the .district of country lying between this Cordon and the gulf be ap- propriated to Slaves, and the other side be exempted from them- all parties would thus be suited, and ·each peculiar soil be brought into requisition- But it is not now necessary to discuss the subject ,at length; it is one of deep and serious interest, and should be viewed with great deliberation, and without prejudice-- were we ex~usively a grain-growing State, I should most strenuously co- opei:ate with you in .support of the non-slave holding principle; as it is-I ~ust see you before I decide-
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