Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1846-08-11


which authorized to deIare war, was IN ssss-
ion advised Of what tae President wa
doing
tbs war than Mr.. Chairman does net exist
tea by the President Shy the act Of Hexco herself 1t
exists BY awlcss and unintho-zel act o. the Pes
dent Of the Unit,i States X. ha made trupoa Mex
leo by sending hostile into her errories-into
the midst ot her people lie mas this in utter disr
gard of the compact OF annexation between as ~oyera-
ment and Texas-in the face of act Of Congress.
pressy recognising thu territory he has part
of Mexico, and IN open snd shameless violation of the
Constitution which he has sworn to support
The friends of the President have labored assdaouS
10 fad some for his conduct, and shield him
from condemnation. Bot in dom. this they only a.
BILE to make the broaa that tae territory into
which troops belonged 70 tn. nited states
They furnish no proofto sustain their assertion Tor le
know that exists.
But the most extraordinary effort in defence Of the
of the President is to DC fonnd IN vouminous
report from the Committee Foreign Affairs OF
House This report was drawn ana prs sntei u tire
House by the gentleman from PeHnsy iyania fHr. c j.
Ingersol!,) who is the Chairman of that committee As
have the honor of being Der OF that
wish to refer to the report for tho purpose Of noticing
Of is statements, which the honorable chairman
has drawn quite largely his Imagination for his facts
well for the purpose Of stating that the report
made without my sanction and mat dissent from in
toto The report purPorls to present to tie country
history OF The of the Mexican war, but
laborous effort to whitewash the Administrations. and
to furnish apology excuse for Is invasion Of
Mexico The chairman in this report asserts, tat the
territory in which hostlities need Ane-cl.
grouad' will deain the committee TO read short ex-
tract from it. lie says:
'.,Io tho rest o. the word, to faturjty. aDd 70
our own countfymcn. arc able 70 show, that
as these odious hostilitcs have not been provoked
by our GoVotnmsnt or poopc, neither were
they begun where forces had no gh. to be,
nor begun ~ them anywhere; bat that h,yico
struck tho first blow, and struck i, on America 4
ground
wish now o compare the opinion of th- honorable
ciarman expressed the above extract from his report
with opinion expressed by the gentleman about
eighteen months ago.
In February 3i5, the Joint ton for the annex
alton Of Texas pending in this HOUSE The gentle
from Pennsylvania Mr.. G. ]. Ingarso5 Was then.
he is, the Chairman of the Com ntae on Tor
egn Affairs lie made speech in favor Of annex alton
In the of that speech he used the following Ian
guage. in relation to the boundary between Texas and
Mexico:
.rho stup,ndous desert, between tho Nuocos
and Bravo Rio Grandej rivers are tho natural
boundaries between the Anglo Saxon and the
Mauritanian races. Tncrc cnl5 thc valley of
the West. There Mexico begins While peace
IS cherished. TINT boundary will be sacrcl. No.
till the spirit OF conqucs. ragos. viii tae people
either side modest mix with each o:hcr.''
But eighteen months have elapsed since the gentle
assured this House and the country that lc stu
constituted the boundary between Texas ana Mexico
Then assured by him, that that boundary
would be sacred, until the spirit onGuest should rage
Now the gentleman has transferred that boundary
those ..stupenous DESERTS, established it
the midst the Mexican settlements The
conquest which, III the opinion of the gentleman.
could alone induce pass that boundary. and modest
the people upon the other side of it, has seized upon the
country than he anticipated The same spirit
to have seized upon him. for he is now willing to
lend the influence of his and Official station
and Justify the President for doing that which he
says could only be done under the influence nf the
esprit Of conquest leave it. s,r for the
and the determine now much reliance should
be placed upon the assertion contained that report
that the country upon the lo ''rande, where hostttas
first commenced, is 'Amcrcau grouaI.'' when
that assertion stands expressly denied speech made
upon this floor, only eighteen months ago by e
gentleman who wrote the report.
But must pass to another portion of this
ordinary report. In another part OF it, he says:
..Whcther the territory between The Nueccs
and tho Bravo was American ground. the Prcs-
don: had no ght or power to determine"
Sir, this is the very point which charge Pres
iic with Il usurpation of power. admit. that he dad
2ht g0acer 10 dic1.iae this question OF boundary,
and is because he did without sri, M poc,'
it. aud involve the country that he deserves
the srvercst rcPrchelson OF every Anierlcan ctzcn
The honorable chairman cte rmned to prove the
country upon the Rio GranJc to be tmcyican @roqnf.
mt least far broad and general ss"rons Will prove
il. IL is to this Iiakc t>tiic
the President. But as III has attempted
furnish any evidence the position, presume
the fact lie says:
..Sevoral acts Of Congress had made il his (thc
Prosidcnt's) dl.y 70 consider it American. All
ms predecessors. from the purchase OF Louisiana.
in Sl3. dc-mo! tho Bravo the bouad,rv be-
tween the United States ana Mexico. Tho Tex
declaration ut inde ponjence and a Texan lew
in 1886. expressly assorted it. Treaties be-
tween Texas and Mexico likewise expressly
Sir deny. IN positive terms. the statement hers made
thai raj acts o Congress had geGe lis urn h
s.Fr ii american Ii any act OF Congress exists, winch
the clam. up to the country npon the
Rio Grandc, call upon the Chairman Of the Committee
Foreign Affairs. who has made this assertion.
ducc it. 1t cannot be proiuced. for of Con-
existence. On the contrary, have shown TIE
of Congress which passed after the resolution Ia
Texas. which expressly recognises that country
part of Mexico All ta predecessors OF thu President
efio the purchase o. louisiana ia l>3. could have
deeed the Braro the boundary betice the itsd States
and Merico. because by the treaty with Spain l>l9
before Mexico became independent, ;hs boundary
fixed at the Sabine.
But the chairman says. that '4e Ttrrs declaration
independence and TcrGn l1r Of 1886 expressly asScJ
the boundary be the Rio GRANGE TrIe they did, end