s of the war of independence. They have
transmitted that freedom to you; and upon you now devolves the duty
of transmitting it unimpaired to your posterity. Your trial is
approaching. The spirit of freedom and the spirit of slavery are
drawing together for the deadly conflict of arms. The annexation of
Texas to this Union is the blast of a trumpet for a foreign, civil,
servile, and Indian war, of which the government of your country,
fallen into faithless hands, have already twice given the signal:
first by a shameless treaty, rejected by a virtuous Senate; and
again by the glove of defiance hurled by the apostle of
nullification at the avowed policy of the British empire peacefully
to promote the extinction of slavery throughout the world. Young men
of Boston, burnish your armor--prepare for the conflict; and I say
to you, in the language of Galgacus to the ancient Britons, 'Think
of your forefathers! think of your posterity!'"[3]

[3] _Niles' National Register_, Second Series, vol. XVII.,
pp. 105-111.

On the 30th of the same month Mr. Adams delivered to his constituents at
Weymouth an address equally elaborate, comprehensive, and historical, in
a like fervid and characteristic spirit,[4] which thus concludes:

[4] _Niles' National Register_, Second Series, vol. XVII., pp.
154-159.

"Texas and slavery are interwoven in every banner floating on the
Democratic breeze. 'Freedom or death' should be inscribed on ours. A
war for slavery! Can you enlist under such a standard? May the Ruler
of the universe preserve you from such degradation! 'Freedom! Peace!
Union!' be this the watchword of your camp; and if Ate, hot from
hell, will come and cry 'Havoc!' fight--fight and conquer, under the
banner of universal freedom."

In February, 1845, our title to Oregon being the subject of debate in
Congress, Mr. Adams joined in it, displaying his full knowledge of the
subject, and declaring that it was time to give notice to Great Britain
that the affair must be settled. He was desirous as any man to bring
this subject to an issue, but he did not wish to enter upon the
discussion of this matter before the world until we could show that we
had the best of the argument. He wished to have the reasons given to
the world for our taking possession of seven degrees of latitude, and
perhaps more; and whenever we took it, too, he hop