The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 25, July 1921 - April, 1922 Page: 23
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Annexation of Texas and the Mississippi Democrats 23
the United States as a sectional question, necessary to the salva-
tion of the South and her peculiar institutions.""0
From communications of individuals as set forth from time to
time in different journals may be gathered the drift of public
opinion so far as the "average citizen" is concerned. One such
correspondent hailing from Warren county argued that the broad
foundation upon which opposition to Texas rested was hostility to
the domestic institutions of the South. He recurs to what had
become almost a shibboleth of party doctrine: "If not annexed
now, Texas will be lost forever. It is idle to preach delay; the
time of action has arrived; if neglected, the opportunity of an-
nexing Texas will probably be lost forever, and British emigrants
controlling her elections will soon rear a power hostile to our gov-
ernment and deeply dangerous to the South.""' Another citizen
expressed the belief that unless Polk was elected, in a few years
the country would be divided in name, as it already was in fact,
into a northern and a southern confederacy. "It is high time the
South should begin to act with a concerted spirit."82 To another
it was perfectly evident that the secret of the opposition to Texas
was because the South believed annexation was necessary to give
security and perpetuity to her slave property. To still another
the great question was, "Shall we erect a bulwark against European
attacks upon our domestic safety, or suffer a foreign power to get
such a foothold as will enable it to break down the established
institutions in which the South is vitally interested ?"63
In conclusion a few comments may be quoted as indicating the
bearing of the election upon the question of annexation from the
point of view of certain spokesmen of the Democratic party. Dur-
ing the course of a speech upon the Oregon bill, January 30, 1845,
in the national house of representatives, Jacob Thompson of Mis-
sissippi spoke as follows: "If, in the late election, the American
people did not clearly and distinctly settle the subjects of Texas
"Toodville Republican, Apr. 6, 1844; Vicksburg Sentinel, Apr. 22,
1844; Holly Springs Guard, Feb. 14. Mch. 27, 1844; Col'anbus Democrat,
Feb. 22, 1845. Cf. Dodd, Jefferson Davis, 72; Reeves, Diplomacy under
Tyler and Polk, 137; Cole, Whig Party in the South, 12. Claiborne, Life
and Correspondence of John A. Quitman, I, 111, refers to Calhoun's un-
popularity in Mississippi at an earlier period.
'"Sentinel and Empositor. June 12, 18, 1844.
6"Free Trader, Sept. 18, 1844.
"Independent Democrat, July 27, 1844.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 25, July 1921 - April, 1922, periodical, 1922; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101082/m1/29/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.