Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-12-23

teet BALTIMORE from any invasion that miyht he mad. n,
the good people Of Pennsylvania But he continues,
"Out squadron in the Gulf was ordered to eo-one,aio Win
me army" Bur rHousH eSs AMY AND NAVY wERK rLIcEr
IN Ar'sirioSr TO pKfESp oUR own, AND ruE Rtonrs OF TrSA.
mey were ordered TO commit no act of hostility agains,
Mexico, unless she declared wsr OF was herself m. .gy,e..
.or by striking tho hut blow. TuK RE.ULr mas psKs. T,ut
MEXICO mas MADE NO AsaSEsIvE MOVEMENT, AND ouR nLI.
rAkN AND NAVAL COMMANDERS uAVg kNKcvrEp nuEfR oEnER.
Win sUcH DISCRETION rH,r ruE rKAcy or rms ruo R.ytp.
lies mas NOT nE1N pisruEnED"
now 1t not worthy OF enquiry. if our squadron in
me Gun, and our army at Corpus Christi, ION the western
frontier OF Texas" were placed in a position las Mr. Poll
declares TO Congress) To protect our own, and Tho tight.
:" Iehas' and TO roPel any invasion Of the Texan territory
"h,cnmlshtosa ''empiedoy tho Mexican forces, and Mexico
making no aggressive movemont-I say, is n moi worthy
OF enquiry, why was thst army marched from Corpu.
Christi to the Rio Grandci And why wetc our ,un, n,opnt.
ed aud pointed upon a Mexican town, on the opposite
bank why was this state Of peace not allowed to con.
unuef And yet, when he thus proves himself TO be the
ssRressor. he declares that Mexico has forced a war upon
US has Invaded our territory, nd murdered our eitirens on
their own soil and finds n ready response from M. well
uSlned ans disciplined cohorts in Concfess, and obtains
from them n preamble 20 a bill Of appropriations, declaring
whereas by tho act Of the republic of Mexico a state of
war exists between that Government and the u. States
me'e'o'e, Mc-a statement protested against by every
"ian OF the Wing party IN both Houses, as a wllul false-
hood, aud protested Sgainst in the Senate by Mr.. Calhoun.
OF his own party, who said. - IT WOULD BE As rNPossIRlE roK
"iN 10 VOTE i'R THAT rRkANBLE, As IT WOULD ~ To srRIEE
A DAGGER TO us uIARr!" Yet the Wings voted for the
bill, with that protest against the preamble, because they
would not withhold supplies necessary 10 carry on the war,
ana the Administration forced upon them the unwcleome
Shoice OF the WHOLE OR NoNK'; and this is now most i'm
pudcnuy claimed a. his vndication and acquittal by the
wings OF Congress from the charge Of making war Ii
was IN his message OF the llth OF May, announcing the
existence OF hosulines, that no points out distinctly what
ne mad before regarded as the " WESTERN FRONTIER or
Texas" lie says:
In my message at the commencement Of the presen,
session, l informed you that upon the earnest appeal, both
" OF the Congress and Convention OF Texas, | had order.
cd an etheient military force TO take a position between
" the Neuees aud the Del Norte"-Tuere he leaves out
the Western frontier, and thereby m squotes his own mes.
sage, as by this time he had left Corpus Christi, and wa,
hehung ON the banks OF the Rio Grandc for " tks nhoic
or nonc."l " This force" he says, was concentrated
ut CoRrus CHRiSrt, and remained there until after | re-
"eeivod such Information from Mexico as to render il pro-
oable, II not certain, that the Mexican government would
" refuse TO receive our envoy" Here the gentleman lets
the cat out OF the wallet, and shows tho true origin Of this
war; which was 10 resent an indigaity supposed 10 have
been offered either to himself or his unaccredited minister.
Mr. ShdeU, that he boldly grasped, within one mile of the
SaPltol, under the very nose OF Congress, then in session.
a responsibility, from which his sober second thoughts
nave shTunk back IN terror and dismay and Is now en-.
desvofing 10 screen himself from the punishment that an
indignant people will demand, rs an atonement for , yio,
lated constitution, by a misrepresentation of the whole Ar.
iair' we shall see anon. Hectorine and brayado. in the
hour N lntempsIanco, Is usually succeeded by pusilanimity
and cowardice when tho senses are calmed and 40 We
Ind 1t hero-and yet, every man who does not look upon
Mr.. Polk as a demigod, and his conduct as ineproach-
able, Is 10 be stigmatZed as a traitor, giving a. aid and
comfort 70 the enemy a. well by the President of the n.
). as his official an0 oifcious organ. High fumes Ties, ,
Let them learn, that while we wall protect the flag Of the
country, we will not suffer them TO sacrifice the con.,itu
uon, or the honor Of the nation. And when MI. President
wants TO ascertain what powers he may exercise. either in
making war or IN governing a conquered territory, either
as President or Commandet-in-Chie instead OF looking
INTO 'a"e' foR rt RiSHrs oF sovEREIGNs, VIC will point
him 10 a written Constitution, under which hi. dule, are
limited and prescribed and fine wishes them to be enlarg.
60, ne must looA 10 US, the People and that, as far as the
law o. Nations, relating To TBE RIGHTS OF soyEKFIgSs over
conquered territory, is concerned, il appertains, so far "A
aPPheaole, To THE GovEENMENT, and not 10 Mr.. James X.
f0lk, IN the one capacity Or the other. But | am getting
on upon another branch OF his conduct not less reprehen,i-
bic, but which is undergoing review in the proper place
/ mean, by the representatives Of the people where | am
disposed TO ltaHsi. There are cnough there able 10 do IL
justice. Now, does he stand conyic ed or not by his own
solemn declarations II he does, shall he not be impench.
ed y violated Constitution, an abused people, the ma.
uonal honor, aud the blood Of our citizens, all demand IT,
II he does not stand convicted, then | confess 1 am in
competent TO sit on any jury, or decide a question of
"meun and tuum" between man and man.
/ will now undertake TO show, first, that there WINS N,
well founded ground Of complaint epeH, much les. for war
against Mexico, at the time this war was commenced
growing out OF the spo.iatons and other injuries we had
sustained and, secondly, TO show how this war was
brought about-which was perhaps rs much the result Of
folly as wickIdGesS, but none the less culpable on that ac-
count, as far az the consequences arc concerned, It being
attended with a gross usurpaton OF power, iuSdfying the
'niiicuon OF the seyercst punishment known to our form Of
government.
BY an attentive porusal Of Mr. Folks communication. il
will be found that, whatever might have been the proyoca-
uon for a resort to hosuliues against Mexico At any former
period, for the wrongs aud injuries, which Mr. Polk nouns
over as II now existing, they mad all been settled and oblit-
Grated. Let 1t be borne in mind that all that had been asked
or expected OF Mexico, was that she should indemnify. IN
money, our citizens for the losses they had sustained a, her
hands. Well; about tle close OF Mr.. Van Buren's admin
istrHtion, TO wit, on the llth OF August, 1899, MIR. Polk him.
self tells Us, the negotiation between Mexico and the U. 5.
resulted IN Z" a convention for the adjustment of claims @:
citizens OF the United States of America upon the govern.
ment OF the Mexican Republic" Moreover. " mat the
JOINT board OF commissioners created by this conyen-
ton was not organized until August, 1910, and that
under the Terms OF the convention they were to terminate
their duties within eighteen mOnIhs;'--a provision for which
the Onltel STATES government was quite as responsible as
That OF Mexico, and 1t was probably inserted by the 5.
negouAiOr, TO hasten the settlement. lie tells us, further
more, that at the expiration Of the eighteen months they
had not gotten through with their business, "but had as
certainod the sum OF tao million. twenty-si1 thousand, one
one hhndcd and %Ihiry-nino dollars, aud sixty eight Gems
10 De que which sum the Mexican government promptly
recognized, and agreed 10 pay by i~nstalmenis, a. stipulated
~ q second convention, concluded on The 3Oih o: January.
le4J aud, IN compliance with ihat agreement she paid. on
--.A g.. hP1I 1913, all the interest due on the awards
winch had been made IN favor OF the claimants, and three
Of the twenty instruments. Two other instruments. due in
APni a"l Jn'r ls4i, were paid by Mexico 10 the American
agent whose receipt was giyon for the money whereby
MeAlco was discharged from all farther responsibility, he
having taken orders on an English house IN Mexico, in
high credit. but which afterwards failed. The circum-
stances were such that the L. States felt themselves under
an obligation to assume the debts, and paid them over 10
the claimants. II being manifest to both parties that the
time allowed OF Is mUnths) under the convention Of 1889.
had not been sufficient to ascertain al the claims due 10
American citizens, Mexico promptly agreed, BY the con-
venuon OF January, lSi3. to enter into another convention
for the settlement Of all other claims due to the government
and citizens Of the u. States from the Republic Of Mexico,
wv VIZ '''7di aHui aSCOIuhBJt III NONember,l 1913, pro
vision was made FOR ascertainIng aud paying these claims
In January lo4i, this convention was presented {, the con-
sideauOn oi the Senate Of the u. States. who did not ia
uy u, las Mr.. Polk says they did, with two amendments,)
but who refused u rauiy II, by adopting two amendments,
which, owing TO various causes that might be deemed rea-
Sensible and sufficient, have never yet been acted upon by
the Mexican government. BY the bye, IL is left for Mr..
Folk to discover that's treaty or convention can Be ratified
oih amendmsnfs; they must rnuiy or reject. or they may
offer amendments, in which case they refuse TO ratfy but
still do not reject, absolutely: for IT they did nnfy, there
would be nm end of the funftOF Tina ~ - uva.
owing o. the action Of our own Senate that this convention
tor hnnl settlement Of all claims wasnot concluded, and not
the action Of the Mexican government. But II tho blame
can properly be laid At the duor Of Mexico, it becomes
a question whether our relations with her, growing out Of
the annexation Of Texas, then IN progress, was not sufi-
Gent eiuso, (she believing IL to 10 .or territory, whether 90
or metz Tor a Suppression Of payment and negouauon, to say
nothing Of the Distracted state OF her public councils from
that Time 10 the present: She had shown every disposition
~ -ErrtE sAiR, i she never paid-and I wish We could
boast o. much for some Of our own States.
But would Il not have been well tor Mr. Polk TO have
told us something 0l the natufe Of these two amendments
before he asked Ne to condemn the Mexican government
Tor not adopting thcm7 Must wo not knnw something Of