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Stephens, Alexander : Speech of Mr. Stephens, of Georgia, on the War and Taxation. Delivered in the House of Representatives of the U. S., February 2, 1848

J. & G. S. Gideon, Washington, D.C.

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. No date, circa 1848. 5 3/4" x 9." Sixteen pages, complete. Appendix on back on Pages 15-16 shows past correspondence by Zachary Taylor. Pages are very clean and intact overall except for light age toning, moderate foxing, some chipping and splitting along spine, and a few chips and dampstains limited to margins. A Very Good copy. A speech originally delivered before the United States House of Representatives on February 2, 1848 by Alexander Stephens (1812-1883), an American lawyer and politician. He began his political career as a Southern Whig but became a Democrat during the decline of the Whig Party in the 1850s. Stephens served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia from 1843-1859 and 1873-1882 and the 50th Governor of Georgia from 1882-1883. During the Civil War, he was the Vice President of the Confederate States from 1862-1865 and a member of the Confederate States Provisional Congress from 1861-1862. Stephens was a slave-holder and supported Confederate secession. He also advocated for the annexation of Texas but vehemently opposed the Mexican-American War. In this speech, Stephens states his views on the Mexican-American War and addresses past statements by other Congressmen. Stephens made this speech directly following that of his fellow Georgian colleague, Howell Cobb. Stephens counters several points of Cobb's speech including the parts in which Cobb had tried to justify Polk's ordering of troops to the Rio Grande from Corpus Christi and Polk sending John Slidell to negotiate the terms of the Texas border with Mexico. Cobb had argued that Mexico had rejected John Slidell as a negotiator, but Stephens argues instead that Polk had purposely sent Slidell with the intention of provocation because Slidell was not a commissioner as Mexico had requested. Stephens argues overall that the movement of troops to the Rio Grande was not done in good faith and instead done with the intention to provoke Mexico. He says, "Why, then, was the advance ordered? There is but one answer to this question: it was to provoke resistance, and thereby involve us in a war." He clarifies why it was no wonder that Mexico would retaliate. Stephens elaborates, "... [T]he people there were Mexicans, in the possession of a country where they had been born and reared ... they were loyal to their Government, and attached to their homes, their laws, customs, and institutions ... resistance would be inevitable." He ultimately argues that Polk had neither the right to establish where Texas's southern border would be nor the right to wage war with Mexico and that those powers alone belonged to Congress. In addressing a bill for war funding, Stephens adamantly opposes taxing his constituents for a war he now views to be based on conquest instead of settling disputes. He denounces the offer made by the U.S. to Mexico to buy California and New Mexico, then in the hands of the latter. In one of his last statements of this speech, Stephens says, "I repeat, that the principle of waging war against a neighboring people to compel them to sell their country, is not only dishonorable, but disgraceful and infamous. ... I repeat, I shall vote to tax my constituents for no such purpose.". Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover

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