The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-15
TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS,
First Session.
THURsDAY, May Ia, 1876.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
tcoscLUDED.l

malIy and cOnsttuuonally. War had informally
existed for some time before; and it war com
menced by the President of the United States He
(Mr d. laid it down as an irrefagabe principle
that the war-maklng power IN all It's phases except
regards the purposes of self defence, rested in
Congress alone. He assumed that such state OF
things as now existed dad not exist until the march
of General Taylor's army to BrazOs ST. lago-an
act done whilst Congress was IN session, upon the
Presidents own authority and responsibility, and in
violation therefore, of the constitutional power OF
Congress to declare war. Whether war was ne
cessary, or whether Congress would have declared
war, If the Executive, IN the discharge of his duty
mad submitted that question to them, was with him
(Mr d. a matter of minor consideration. The
great point to which he wished to direct the atten
ton the committee and Of the country was this thai
the President had himself commenced and waged d
war whilst Congress was in session, and without
delgning to consult them in relation TO it. Whether
war was intrinsically proper or not, the Executive
had assumed the function and power OF making wal,
and it for this that he Mr.. D. arraigned him.
Mr.. ID. now passed on To the question of title to, or
right of jurisdiction over the disputed country be-
tween the Nueces and the Rio Grande. He recited
facts and referred TO certain aliases, Biographies,
and other authorities, to show that Tamaulpas ex-
tended the Del Norte TO the Nueces. He
traced the political history Of Texas and Tamaul-
pas through the declaration Of independence by the
former down TO the present time, TO show that
Texas hau never suDJuShlcu pOIuOn OF country
now claimed as portion OF her territory, and that
she never had any real title to it, Notwithstanding
she had annexed II by law of her Congress. II
II hSd been part of that State, then II the
stitutloual duty of the President to repel the Mex
cans if they crossed into 1t, by all the power at hi
control He (Mr. d. ADMITTED that portion OF
the disputed territory might be part Of Texas; but
he argued by reference TO various expeditions thai
had been fitted out, and from other sources, thai
Texan laws and authority had never had sway al
ST Iago or at Point Isabel, and other places which
he designated as not being u portion Of Texas al
the time she was coded TO the United States. All
attempts at conquest of that portion Of that country
had failed; and the idea Of mere declaration OF
right to territory giving it, was preposterous.
The army had occupied Corpus Christi until af
ter the commencement of the present session. Sub
seuuently orders were despatched by the President
to Geneg Taylor, instructlng him to march his ar
my to St1ago, and thence to the Rio Grande to
take position opposite MatamOras. Mr.. D. referred
70 the course pursued since General Taylor's arrival
there to the blockade Of the mouth of the Rio
Grande, &c. He contended that these proceedings
mad neither excuse nor necessity; that they were
acts Of war; done by the President whilst Congress
was in session, in violation of the constitution,
which vested in that body the whole war-maklng
power
He repealed, with scorn, the obloquy and base
imputations which had been heaped upon the wings
for daring to arraign these acts Of the Executive
He (Mr. D. denounced these acts as usurpations
Whilst he did this, he would vote every man and
every dollar asked for the assistance of Gen Taylor
He made distinction between that officer and the
usurper His word for it, that, before this time,
Gen. Taylor had struck blow that would glorious
ly redeem the honor of the nation. There was no
man here or at the other end Of the Capitol, who
was unwilling to vote supplies for the army; but the
party in power had surreputously mixed up the
TWO questions OF supplies and of a declaration OF war
b,y thar n1nntion Of ILLEGAL att
and as he believed an unnecessary war. And TIT
future historian would be COMPOUNDED at the fact that
not wing in this House allowed to open his
lips on the subject
lie was not afraid of this Mexican war. Like
IN N or Spanish guerilla warfare it might give us
Iu tt annoyance; but that we should finally over
lu the country, and that in fact we had already
uNcarul TIE country about Matamoras, he did moi
doub' BIT when the enemy retired to their moras-
ses nI U,cr Businesses, living upon food upon
winch array would perish, the great difficulty
would come. Ii not from their swords or then
cannon that we were to apprehend disaster, but
from the malaria and diseases Of the country.
tie expressed his conviction that Mr.. Polk had
determined to involve the country in war, and then
call on the patriotism of the country to adopt it.
And he believed that this Mexican war was intend
cd merely To school the nation for more desoatine
conflict with England in relation to Oregon
1t was by such processes as these that the spirit
was departing from our institutions, leaving nothing
{
but their UeIess, souess, nanima.e form.
Mr.. HUDSON followed. He called attention. in
the first place, to the manner in which this war had
trgun. Those members of this House who had
had independence enough to vote as they thought
to follow their own convictions, had been held up
by several gentlemen on this floor as hypocrites
traitors and towards. For himself, whilst he mad,
no great boast of his courage or daring he had
enough of it to say, here elsewhere what he be-
Ieved to be true; and neither the denunciations OF
day, nor the gentleman from Ohio Mr.. THURMAN
today would deter him for single moment from
speaking his mind freely. What opportunity had
been afforded to him. or others, to express their
views before this declaration of war was passed
lie wished to call attention to the fact that this great
question of peace or war not discussed on this
floor for moment that neither wing nor democrat
spoke syllable directly on that matter. Mr.. ii
here recapituatcd what the of proceeding had
been in the House since the reception of the mes
sage on Monday--commenting upon the course o.
the majority in keeping the declaration of war ou
of view until the time allowed for debate har
passed.
He expressed his concurrence, substantially in
the remarks which had been made by the gentle.
man from Ohio Mr.. DELANo and the gentleman
from Kentucky Mr.. DAwsl He believed that the
preamble on which this House had voted was il
every particular false lie did not believe that war
IN the constitutional of the term did at tina
time exist nor did he believe that the declaration o.
war which had been made was provoked by Mex
co. Could i be expected that any man would sol
EMMY record his name declaration which ht
believed to he untruG There had 1t true, beer
collision, but we had no evidence that it had beer
authorized by the Mexican government. And he
instanced the case of the Caroline. In both case,
aggressons and collisions had taken place. but tina
war authorized by the war-making power of either
nation existed when the House was called upon tc
vote on the preamble, was utterly untrue.
But even if he could overlook the manifest dis.
tinction between war; in the broad sense of tina
term and hostltes collision, he believed that the
other declaration that this state Of things had beer
brought about by the Mexican authorities was
wholly destitute Of foundation. And this involved
the question of title to that country He did no
intend to 60 in detail into that argument, but tina
which had been made yesterday by the gentleman
from Illinois, Mr.. DOUGLAS had so much assur
ance about it; so much of advancing and retreating,
that il had struck his Mr.. H. 's) mind as singular
And he answered briefly such of the positions o.
Mr. DOUGLASS on that point as seemed to him (Mr
H. h. have any weight Having done this, he pro-
Ceeded to show, from the action of Congress on the
InInt that the nuestion of boundary