Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-12-12

- TIC Wal Has iiot bCCh WdSCu III VIC SpIit VI
conquest" So says the Message; and, if the de-
claraton Of the Message were not contradicted by
notorious facts, we should most sincerely rejoice in
it, But, have we not before us the rescripts Of our
Military and Naval Commanders, openly and Off
cially procaiming the contrary! Did not General
KEARNEy, on taking possession OF Santa re, pub
lcly announce his " intention to hold the Depart
ment Of New Mexico as part Of the United
STATES, and under the name Of the Territory Of
NeW Merico?" Did he not also issue another
ukase, in which, "by authority of the President Of
the United States" he announced the establishment
of Civil Government for " the Territory" thus
annexed by proclamation, including entire judi
cial system, as well Governor, Secretary, &C.
dating the same Sat Santa Fe, the capital of the
Territory of New Mexico, in the seventy-frst year
Of the independence of the United States 7" If
this be moi acquisition, political and territorial an
nexaton, well conquest, what constitute it
And so, in the case of California and Commodore
STOCKTON, from whose first proclamation, signed by
him as I" Commander-in-chief and Governor of the
Territory of California" and dated "City Of the
Angels, California, August II, 1896" we extract
the following entire paragraphs:
" The flag Of the United States is flying
from every commanding position in the Territory,
and California is entirely free from Mexican do
minion
" The Territory Of California NOW BELONGS TO
THE UNITED STATES, and will be governed, as
soon as circumstances may permit by officers
and laws similar to those by which the other ter
yitories Of the United States are regulated and
protected"
1t may not be amiss, in the same connection, to
remind the reader Of the letter of authority and in
sructions given by the Secretary of War to Colonel
| j. ID. Stevenson, Of the city of New York, when
authorizing him to raise regiment of Volunteers
to be employed in Upper California, showing that
they were intended to be of the character of colo
nisis and settlers OF conquered territory, rather
than soldiers to take part in the strife of war. By
this letter the volunteers were required as far as
practicable, to be men " of various pursuits, and
such as would be likely remain at the end of the
war either in Oregon any territory that may be
then part of the United States" exhibiting a
remarkable coincidence of views etween the dis
tinguished Naval Commander and tn e Chief of the
War Department. Though the galan commodore
sailed for the Northwest Coast about the LIST oil
| November 1915, it is evident enough that he knew
before he embarked, what was in the wind In
Decd in his address to his crew. on the deck of his
Ship before leaving the port of Norfolk, he seems
. to have limited at his ultimate destination when he
said: /" We now sail for California and Oregon,
and, then, what Heaven pleases.''
These are acts of sovereignty, such as no one
would suspect either General KEARNEY or Captain
STOCKTON of undertaking to exercise without other
authority than their own, though they had not ex.
pressy declared that in what they have done they
have acted by authority Of the President of the
United States. Do not these acts Of theirs, SO sane
toned, constitute sufficient proof that the spirit
conquest" has had something to do with this war
n When we look, too, at contemporaneous ipdca
tons Of tffe-sdisposition of the Executive and his
official advisers, supplied by the columns of the
government paper-the most ultra and most odious
doctrine Of which against public liberty the Presi-
dent has just endorsed in his Message-we cannot
doubt but " the spirit of conquest" entered into the
motives Of this war. We find in that paper of the
18th of May last, Immediately after the receipt of
the first news of the confc. of arms on the Rio
Grande, exhortahons TO " throw volunteers at once
across the Rio Grande, march into Mexico and
terminate the war with Mexico, if necessary, IN
The Halls of Montezuma!" Nor was this banker
ing after the halls of Montezuma a new idea with
the Administration, thrown out in the heat of pur-
suit of retreating army. The same idea was
broaehed by the organ Of the present Administration
in cold blood within the first three months after its
establishment in office, and within one week after
the Editor of the new government paper took his
post. In the Union" of the 9Th Of May, ls45,
referring to some specuations of a London news
paper upon the supposed designs Of the United
States upon Mexico, our government Editor took
occasion to say that not $4,000 men nor 10000
would be necessary, but that 10000 men would be
enough, to march upon Mexico, adding follows :
"Sound the bugle through the West and South
west-let the United States raise the standard to-
morrow, and in this proclaimed crusade 10 the
Halls Of Monfezunla and the Mines Of Merico,
twenty thousand volunteers would appear" &c.
And, on the 22d Of the same month, replying to
the Cincinnati Gazete's exception 10 the spirit and
temper Of the above intimation the Union" said
"Was it wrong in us to tell the London Times
that though we might not have regular troops
enough yet volunteers would start up al the first
sound of the bugle by the Government of the
=
The President, in justification Of the order of the 18th
January for the march Of army the Rio Grand states
circumstances existing when it deemed proper
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