New-York daily tribune., 1846-12-26
The War with Mexico.

That the accounts which have reached US OF tue
anarchy aud heplessness of Mexico have been
grossly exaggeroted-that Santa Anna has col
lected q numerous, determined and tO!erably wen
provided army at San Luis Potosi, aud VIII make
dcsperste stand there if assalled-and that Gen
Tarlor foresees great difficulty and peril in the at
sempt to prosecute his march to the Capital from
Monterey and Sa!tillo by way OF San Luis aiore-
.eid-so much may be considered settled by the
recent advices That Gen. T has positively desist
cd from and abandoned the idea of advancing far
ther ON his line Of invasion because oi the
scarcity Of water, the difficulties OF the route, and
the imposing stand Of the Mexicans is at least a
matter Of inference since he is not the man to pro-
claim i. if such were the fact. We infer, however,
from the unusual and fevcrish activity nov char.
acterizing the movements of the War Department
and the promptness with which troops and tfpphes
are dispatched to the Gulf that it is understood at
Washington that troops have hard lighting IN
prospect and TINT the War is not holiday eXcr
else to be settled by merely breaking an Annstice
and ordering advance to the Halls OF the Mon.
tezumas We apprehend that the victors cit Mon
terey have more correct idea Of Mexican prowess
than formerly and that Gen Taylor will not lead
column OF 7 to 10000 men through perilous noun
tain defles to attack Santa Annals well posted
250OO unless his orders shnll be such as to leave
him no discretion Our Administration, therefore, is
obviously intent assembling in Mexico all army
OF Twenty to Thirty Thousand electives lior
whcl, not less than Forty Thousand must be mus
tered into service, hoping 20 crush Santa Anna nnd
Mexico BY one powerful, wcldrccted blow. Such,
as we understand it. is the meaning of recen,
movements on all sides.
Now to concentrate Thirty Thousand. or even
Twenty Thousand, fighting men at any point as far
West as Monterey or Tampico provided with the
means of advancing TO San Luis Potosi and there
attacking Santa Anna, is an iertaliing for which
millions of money will be required, and Congress
must speedily authorize new Loans and extraor-
dinary disbursements. To say nothing OF the inc
vitaby great and deporable loss OF life it will cost
not less than Five Millions OF Dollars to follow Santa
Anna to his present stronghold and successfully at
tack him there. And for 'rho. shall this heavy ad
dition to our National Debt be incurred This is
the question which it seems to us Congress should
ask and the President answer,
To say that We are willing to make Peace on fair
terms, &c. is to. say nothing Ineligible; con-
sueror ever hesi.ated to say that To talk Of our
moderation, and in the same breath suggest that We
expect Mexico to pay our expenses in the War,
either in money (which is impossiblel or in terri
tory ut our appraisal is considerably worse than
nothing We insist that it is pressingly incumbent
on our Executive, before he says the word which
will consign thousands to bloody death and thou
sands more to lifelong anguish and helplessness,
tostate distinctly whath means by favorable terms
and precisely what the terms are on which he will
forego farther subjugation and carnage Is this
asking too much1 The Country must furnish the
men and means the People mus, give and take
the blows: why should they not be allowed to
know for what they are to 6shtl The President has
given his own account at great length of what he
sds done and why; is it not reasonable that he
should now tell just what he means to do and for
what reasons? Why should not both Countries and
the World know for what we are contendins and
how much will satisfy us Perhaps We need not
Sght more if we only say succinsly how We will
settle without fighting; perhaps neither Country
would wish to fight ii it knew on what terms the
War could be ended 1t does seem to US that Con.
Sress before appropriating another dollar. should
insist on knowing with what views TO what ends
the War is to be prosecuted Why should the Ex
ccutve hesitate to tell