Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1846-10-02
NEGOTIATION WITH MEXICO.

We are able to put an end, IN more eX-
plicit manner than we have hitherto been able
to do, to all mystery and all doubt about the
despaches by the Princeton. The preceding
paragraph gives the true version of the trans
action; the precise form of the correspon
dence which has taken place between the two
republics, we presume, will be made known
at no distant day. The gist of the matter is,
that the Mexican government has not positive
" declined our overture-nor has she accepted
it upon conditions-she has neither refused
nor accepted it; but has referred our PROPOSE
ton to the constituent Congress of December,
to decide the whole question.
We are unable to say how far Santa Anna
participated in this answer. We understand
this reply was transmitted by General Relon,
the secretary of foreign affairs, and that only
four days ELAPSED between the receipt of the
letter of our Secretary of State and the reply
of the Mexican minister. But though Santa
Anna might not have been consulted about the
form of the reply, vet the character of it seems
to correspond to the general principle which
he processes to have laid down for himself
of throwing himself upon the wishes of the
| people and of the constituent Congress.
We had right to expect frank and prompt
answer to our liberal and gratuitous PROPOSE
ton for negotiation. But the acting Mexican
government declines to act without the advice
and concurrence of the Congress of December.
Thus three months will elapse between their
letter and the meeting of Congress. How long
they may spin out their decisions, before they
| rl;e Tho nvncntivn 9nvornronnt NJ man can
conjecture. Another month perhaps might
pass by. And thus we should have four
months consumed in idle and unavajing pro-
crastination. This is surely In the usual dlla-
latory style of Mexican negotiation. But, in
the mean time, what sagacious politician can
hesitate as to the course which we ought to
pursue.
We are aware, in the first place, that though
Santa Anna may defer negotiation, he will not
fold his arms, and adopt system of inactivity
So far from this, we see him declaring to Gen
Sa!as and his countrymen that he is determin'
ed to throw succors into California, and to de-
spatch troops to meet our advancing armies
He even promises to gather laurels on the Sa
bine- that is to say, to drive General Taylor
and his associate Generals out of Mexico, be
yond the Rio Grande, and then to pursue then
through the whole territory of Texas, until hi:
advancing arms can gather their victorious lau
rels on the banks of the Sabine. We ough
to thank him for stopping at these confines
and not pushing on to Washington, as he j.
: said to have threatened some years since!
Santa Anna had better boast less and &C
more. This staggering has been too Ions
the characteristic OF his countrymen to impos
even upon them. In his long manifesto o
the 10th August, proclaimed at Vera Cruz, h
speaks with unusual moderation of the Unite'
: States. But in a few days after, in his inter
view with Gen. Salas, he drops the characte
of the man of sense, and resumes the rhedo
monta1e of the boaster. He promises to la,
the laurels which he is to reap on the bank
of the Sabine, at the feet of his countrymen
One would have supposed that the laurels whicl
he had lost at San Jacinto would have beer
sufficient to subdue any wild hopes of reapin
laurels on the banks of the Sabine Texas
l single handed, defed all his chivalry H
e knows the catastrophe which befel him.
Why, then. does he boast of gathering mi!itar
honors in opposition to Texas combined wit
the United States?
All this, of course, is ridiculous bombas
f Yet we have no wish to disparage or abus
q the character of the present ruler OF Mexico
But we take it for granted that he will emplo
: all the means he can command in carrying O
n the war against US.