Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-05-21

minister had stood mute and had said
nothing?
Mr.. A. conceived that the power
given to General Gaines by the ex-
ecutive was a most extraordinary
power; that it was in fact to COM
NIT an act Of hostility, and to create
a war. Even if the Mexican minis
ter had s;osd mute, Mr.. A. doubted
whether the power given to General
Gaines could be constitutioAally Civ
en-, except by the authority Of con-
IgreSs.
"a few days ago the Chairman of
lthe Committee Of Ways and Means
had spoken a few mysterious words
the purport Of which was. that we
kwere on the eve of a war with Mex
Iico, and that we should have no diff
Guilty in knowing how to dispose Of
our surplus revenue. If we were TO
have war with Mexico, we need
have no uneasiness as to our Surplus
fund, this bill was the mere forerun
nsr Of vastly larger appropriations.
He did not say that this appropriation
was no, necessary; ne did not say
that he was not prepared to 60 to
war with Mexico, as he would with
any other nation, where the rights,
interests and honor Of the United
States were concerned; more espe-
cialIy was he willing to appropriate
money for the defence of the frontier.
But he saw more than that in the pre-
sent propositisn-he saw authority
given to invade the territory of an
other government, and he wanted
more information. If the frontier
was in danger he would give the ap-
preparation: but he wanted facts.
There was another consideration
which made it necessary to look at
this question before acting on it. If
he was not misiaformed this Texan
war was a war to re-establlsh slave
~ within that border: war to re-
establish slavery which had been a
polished by the United Mexican
States: 1t was resistance against the
abolition of slavery which was the
cause and foundation Of this war: If
this was the case, and the Uz.it1d
States were to be brought into var
first by acknowledging the ilaepen.
dence of Texas, and then following
it up by making it a portion Of the
United States Of America, he must
declare of from any war carried ON
under such auspioss.
He did not think that Congress
ought to legis!ats on the comments
Of a newsPsper published in N. York,
which was stimulating the govern
meat every day to take arms against
the Msxicans. In the very city in
which that paper was published, a
meeting had been recently held, at
which a confidential officer Of the
government presided, the object OF
which was to call on the people to go
and fight for Texas. He hoped that
the U. States would stand indifferent
between the two parties, maintain
ing their own rights and not invading
the rights Of others.
| Mr.. Psyton, Of Ts. said he had
listened to tho remarks Of the gentle
man from Massachusetts,, with no
less astenishment than modification.
His introduction of the question of
slavery was most extraordinary, and
that too at time when the question
whether the property and lives Of our
citizens and the lives Of helpless wo-
men and children should be saved
from the grasp Of a ruthless and saw
age foe. 1t that gentleman, who re-
sided at a far distance from the scene
of danger, could only see the vivid
picture of human suffering which the
men Of the West and South had seen
he would have suppressed his zeal
on the subject Of the abolition of sla-
very at least for the present moment.
He was sorry to see that that gentle
mans patriotism was hernmed in bv
the imaginary line of boundary which
was about to be crossed. He Mr.. p
hoped the bill would be passed before
the House adjourned.
Mr.. Hasner Of Ohio, explained that
it was not contemplated that Gsser-
Games should pass beyond the actu-
al territory. the property 81 which
was as vet matter unsettled bstween
Mexico and the United States.
Mr.. Bell, of Tenn, advocated
strongly the passage of the bill. even
II 1t were only as a precautionary
measure. We had no means on the
frontier to check the progress Of q
victorious army. He thought that
topics had been introduced into the
discussion which c,r,rrh. % ha~> Laa.