Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-04-12
NEGOTIATING BY THE SWORD.

IN the Capitol, in the act of weighing out the ran
som the attendants of Brennus struck the SCALE SO
as to make the Roman side kick the beam. AT this
the Romans murmured; whereupon Brennus cas-
into his own scale his heavy sword, with the me
morable words, " P9 victis p which may be trans
lated, /" Wo to the weak I" This was, we sup
pose, what the Constitution calls "a negota-
ton of the sword"
That paper speaks as follows, under date of the
9Th instant:
As to the anxiety which the Integencer feels for the
effects which may be produced upon the Government
PIE OF Mexico by the Of the passage Of the act for the
OF Texas we confess that do not J all par
clpate IN It. We intended Mexico wrong have done
her no wrong and she has just complain And
though she may be strongly urged IT, yet we have not the
least apprehension that she will make any hostile demonstra
ton If she do, she will find that the negotiations Of The
sword have but few conditions"
It is but too true, as the Constitution says that
when, having exhausted nearly every discreditabe
resort OF diplomatic and Of legislative stratagem,
we shall at last come to the opener if not fairer,
appeal OF arms, Mexico, to whom these proceed
ings leave no choice but that Of national debase
men1 OF OF at least brave if unequal struggle, must
probably come by the worse. And if we overthrow
her, we shall probably impose upon her terms as
much more hard than what we have already done,
as war is more cruel than peace--if indeed, such
conduct as ours towards her can be talked Of as
peace.
II Is one OF the lamentable features of this case
that we have committed wrong which threatens to
mvoive us IN crimes of carnage if we proceed,
ana IN disgrace II we retrace our steps upon Mex-
co.'s resenting our acts.
AS for the rest, we can neither admire nor under.
stand the unconcern with which the Constitution
regards even the possibility of that amiabe sort of
negotiation of which it speaks. Could we trample
without single scratch sister Republic could
we, unframed ourselves, infict upon her such SAN
guinary chashsement as must first inflame and at
last extnguish the national resentment of passion
ate, vindictive people, still we conceive not how, in
time like the present, men should look without
horror upon even that nglorious slaughter of fee
BILE enemy which our pro-Texas friends promise
themselves. We confess that they are, in the con-
temptation of national guilt, of rebellion against
the Constitution, and Of consequences SO terrible,
and perhaps so disastroas-brought about by what
was at first only Presidential trick, the plan to
make a CRsar-a good deal more like the phils-
sophie Portius than we can pretend or wish to be-
-" Ply steady temper, Portus
Can look on guilt rebellion, fraud, and Cesar,
In the cool light Of calm philosophy.
The same paper Of Saturday contained also this
paragraph:
"MrxIco.-We have received news from this Republic
up to the 23d pmo by the schooner Aavida, arrived here
from Vera Cruz. The subject Of Texas, and the prospect
that exists of the rejuncon with the Mexican union of that
severed department. the Mexcans still call gallant little
neghbor the other side Of the Sabine extensively
ed by some Of the Mexican papers They indulge in the
most vaingloous hopes Of conqueng Texas Three modes
Of conduct spoken Of by them, viz to allow her to be-
come independent nation under the protection Of Euro
pean Power wink annexation compel her forced
embrace with the old oppressor Mexico The first plan is de-
clared visionary the second be mentioned with
pacency and of the third alone feasible proper
good deal Of speculation is INDUCED in regarding the
the Mexicans may derive from the Indians and foreign
Powers by which meant doubt England and France
Our Texas democracy has grown so utterly in
credulous of all its own original alarms of English
designs that it laughs at any notion Of interference
from that or any other quarter. The annexation is
now free choice, attended with every sort of adj
vantage and convenience, and exempt from the
slightest danger or hindrance: in word, it is no
longer measure of absolute self-preservation, Of a
necessity that dispensed with all need of rights such
as it was urged to be in the Presidential Messages
to the bodies that passed it. Nor is the renewed
plea OF humanity less entirely forgotten: for now
after repeated overtures to Mexico to quiet hei
claims by gold-after formal assurance convened
to the country by the Administration, through ii
Congressional organ, the chairman of the House 0
Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations
that Merico would pockef the ,oronr If ,ee mn,
her ddnages-we are told that "the negotiations =
the sword have few conditions ~ Yea. very few
as every knows and not very humane nor paricu
larly just ones.
The Constitution still adheres to the story O
Santa Annals traffic with the English for California
Its sincerity we cannot doubt; for il believed in tn,
Andrews plot and all the anonymous letters. Blu
if it supposes that England had SO little common
sense as to purchase what Santa Anna could no
sell any more than President Polk could Tennes
see. its organ Of faith must be very hugely develop
ed, What! buy and pay for California from ;
chief magistrate Alone and that chief magistrate al
ready almost certainly deposed Really, these an
nexaton theories, that now make England our in
satiable foe, now our allenduring friend now tn,
craftiest Power in the world, and now the meres
! gull, are very convenient
The vicksburg papers state that the Governol
Of the State Of Mississippi has appointed the Hon
JAcoB THOMPSON, a Representative in the last Con
gress, to be Senator Of the United States to I'll