The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-06-29

Jacinto, on the 2lst April, 1886 until the comnenc,
mem OF tue present year. and during oil this peu,d
mas main'aihed an independent government, ctrrcd
ON commerce and made treaties With nations in bo,L
hemspheres, and kept aloof all attempts al inysdjng
her territory"
Again Mr. Webster says to Mr.. ThompseD. 81
July, ls43: - -
III ls contemplated by this government to RrMos-
srtAIE IN MORE FORMAL MANNER with Mexico At n
period not Tor distant, unless she shall consent IN
make peace with Texas, or shall show the Jisp,s
forces" F'''"0'
Finally 22J June, 1912, Mr.. Webster to Thorn.
son. says Nothing is more probable than thai H..
'emeIai OF the war between Mexico aud Tero.
would, &c. ''A''
He states "lhe Presidents clear and strong ,,,.
vlcion tina the war is not only USELESS but Lo,,l,
"thou' @fd'naoh object; injurious to both pafte,
ana llkey TO be, IN It's continuance, annoying and
'eaelious to other commercial natonsn
his is quite enough from one Secretary, and he
we senator political friend, TO show the impotent
AM irregular, and censurable character of the hos
',eS9s designed for any reoonquest. Similar were
the Views OF his successor
Mr. upshur to MIR Thompson, eth july Is43
says aho that 'the present hostiliies are moi regu
lar and hardly civilized tend only 10 h,r,s am, M,
suouue Mexico should assert and maintain her SUI
pfemacy or generously abandon the claim"
'6he mas night TO feconquer but her right must
be enforced seasobi or be abandoned for the peace
ana commerce OF The rest of the world"
The views oflhe Texan authorities correspond
WIN TINS Never, since eighteen hundred and thir-
y-sIx has Mexico attempted anything of the charac-
ter OF general invasion of Texa~, or conducted the
war upon any plan calculated test the superiority
of the two nations upon The field of battle and bling
The war to close by the arbtrament of arms ~
Confidential document, 18th and 18th pp)
How Justly, Then, can II be said
her soil, from 1886, wien Santa Anna publicly s,ip
ula'ed with her TO enk the war; to 1912 +"
This, if more was to be expected after hi.
pledges and compacts. The express engagement
made by Santa Anna, May 18Th, 1886, to put an end
to the war, md obtain the recognition of her inde-
pendence by Mexico, Is at length in NIes's Register
4l4 p , for Aug, 1882 Kennedy 1913 SIZE m,
FOR II, in his letter to Houston and converse
ton here Niless Register, 9th, and % Ap 1912
The compliance with 1t since SO far as Regards any
regular or one in any degree competent or designed
for reconques Is the only apology he can have for
not surrendering himself nnd bis troops again Ia
Texas for failure by Mexico fulfil the rest of IT,
Honor and morality forbid his conduct in not return
ing, unless he intended virtually to end the war in
puI suanco Of his engagement.
The declarations made by him in tbs city confess
all this SO those made after reaching home and
when free from any suspicion of fear or duress con
firm the same aspect of the case. In letter which
he addressed to General Jackson dated at Columbia
Texas, July 4, 1885, he says:
When ofyred to treat with this Government. |
conrinced that useless for M rico 10 continue
the par. l haze acquired erac Information respecting
the f,uuiry uhich 1 did not possess t,co months arc
have too much zeal for the interests of my country 10
wish for any thing which is not compatible with
them Being always ready to sacrifice myself for It's
glory and advantage, never would have hesItated to
subject myself to orments death, rather than con
sent to any compromise, if Mexico could thereby
tain he eli tfa.t \
that ii popsr 10 terminate thus question by political ne
gotatiOn."
. During the eight years past, and especially within
the last two, at times, there have been a raper war
and maraudlng; and, 10 put end to the irregular
and occasional incursions that have sometimes hap
pened during that PERIOD an armstice has been pro-
posed by Mexico which, being ,xceptonable in lis
terms, Ia reported never 20 have been ratified by
Texas. So that the question whether it may be
aided by an armstice, which admits a temporary
peace, and, IN the case between Holland and SPAN
lasted twelve years, and was succeeded by durable
peace or may be embarrassed by il, as some sup.
pose, by lis lmpyIn tn existence of previous war
is probably free from this difficulty; and if Texas
taken by us now, take with her neither an exist.
ing war, nor probably any existing armsiice
he documents communicated to us lately, show
that the armistice much talked of has never been
ratified by The two Governments and il Is evident
that no regular existed, to be suspended by an
armlstce.
The Texan ministers, speaking of the supposed
armistice, say
"The negotiations having thus terminated and
this agreement being held to be null and void there
is at present no subssting arrangement of any char
acter between Mexico and Texas"
Our own minister at Mexico entertans the same
views
Mraroo' Feb ?, ls4i
" am informed that the negotiation with Texas
for peace, is not only broken Off but that the arms
uce has also been Suspended You will remember
that, from the beginning Of this matter, exercised
the opinion that nothing would come of H. II was
only device on the part of Santa Anna TO relieve
him from the difficulty In which he had inv oyed him
sell by his threats and promises of econquering Tex
as, which he knows perfectly well is Impossible
There may be other maraudmg forays, like that of
General VOL, tetreating more rapidly than they ad
yanced But as to any regular and reasonably suHi-
cieht force invading the country, the thing impos
sble, and will no be attempted. They cannot raise
money TO support such an army two months
My opinion is, notwithstanding all their yaporipg
and gasconode, that the most agreeable thing to San
Ia Anna would be an authoritative interposuon of mr.
government 10 put an end to the war as he would
then say that we we're TOO strong for them TO eonlord
with"
An armisiice, when made by governments end
mol military men as this was, acknowledge the sep
arate nptlonal existence and rights Of ach and thus
virtually surrebders the point in controversy Such
was that with Holland nd Sfain
To make any state Of things war for the purpose
OF recouquest, II must be with a will and force adc
quatt 10 the object, or apparently so II must be-
something beside proclamations, and the occasional
murder OF non combatants and piraical plurdering
It must be public force and not as Cowper say,
words, or a duet in he form ola debate"
Grolus (book J, chapter | page 3s) defines war.
from Cicero to be "a dispute ~ force" And though
custom may call the state or disposition TO use for, N
war, yet common sense seems TO look to the act %
force % alone real war.