The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-12-17
CONGRESSIONAL.
TWENTY-NINTH CONGRESS-,
Second Session.
"WEDNESDAY. DrcEMBER 10, 1916. I
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATION.
[coscLUDED.l
Mr.. KENNEDY having concluded


and free expression OF his opinion Was come to that
that the Executive could involve the nation in the war and
then the people must sustain him or be branded as tra
torss If the most corrupt administration must be sup
ported Gentlemen who boosted OF their democracy might
present such doctrines, but he had too much OF the spirit
OF the revolutionary fathers TO submit to such despoue
authority, whether the part OF foreign monarch or
American President He believed that the hrst decla.
ration the message, that war existed BY the act oil
Mexico and that the United States government had taken
all honorable means TO prevent II, was not true AS TO
the which he Mr.. H) should pursue IN future,
he would be governed by circumstances He would en-
deavor To do his duty faithfully. But if the reyoutona
~ fathers stood there and the chairman OF Military Al
fairs the way and ask for supplies for the war, they
would say as was said TO Cesar
"Bid him disband his legions--
Restore the Commonwealth TO liberty
Submit his action to III public eensure-
And stand III judgment OF Roman Senato'
Bid him do this, and Cato is his friend
Nay, more. This Cato's voice rais'd
Myself will mount the rostrum and viii strive
To gain his pardon ftom the peoplep
He believed the declaration Of the President to be abso-
luely untrue; and to show that his MIR H. - OBJ
ect How did the President attempt to sustain himself The
rst charge that Mexico had made spoiaons
commerce. IL hardly magnanimous To go behind the
treaty OF 1899 By that treaty joint commission was
appointed to settle the claims OF our citizens. Than com
mission SAT and awarded 81 100000 TO citizens Sub
sequenty Mexico SAID she could not make those payments
in the time specified and then stipulated that she
should pay the interest up to s43 andthen in ye quar-
terly nsalmens pay the principal He did not justify
the course OF Mexico Ii deserved and rebuke
But there mitigating circumstances. Such her
financial condition. and such the desire to meet the install
mens that Santa Anna levied forced loan, and the
first instruments were paid promptly. When the others
fell due Mexico could not meet the demand in money
However she contended that she had paid the third and
fourth nsalmens and showed the receipt of your Amer
lean agent The agent said the drafts dishonored
but said further, that at that time treaty for the annexa
ton OF Texas gotten up clandestnefy, becoming
question before the country in reference which the
present Executive became candidate, and that that
casoned the delay in the payment of the nstalment He
that had ham m hftth he
denied that that Just of the Ii well
known that other nations besides Mexico had committed
sPoliatons on our commerce By treaty Of France the
United States government stipulated to meet the demands
of American citizens France for such spoliations Yet
the Executive of the u States had last refused to
sign the bill awarding tardy justice to the French claim
ants. Was not that Just cause, the Presidents
reasoning Tor war against him. The rejection OF MIR.
Shdell was assigned a cause OF the Mexico ap
prised this government in advance that annexation
would be regarded as an act of war; and when that
measure adopted diplomatic relations between the
two countries ceased by the act of Mexico, whose min
lister withdrew An effort then made to these
relations Mexico said she would receive an agent from
this government whom she careful to style "com-
missioner who to treat expressly of the matter which
had occasoned the disruption OF diplomatic relations But
the United States agent went there a resident minister
The Mexican government refused TO recognise him in
that character, as would be inconsistent with their
honor and the usage oil nations still however, express
ing their readiness to receive commissioner Ii might
be said that that special pleading but if so, it was
on both sides. The United States government insisted
that Mexico must receive resident minister none.
Now he (Mr. H) did not say who was wrong in that.
He commended that there no Just cause of war.
Suppose little island in the Caribbean should de-
clare war because the United States would not appoint
resident minister. But the greatest charge brought up
by the President was that Mexico invaded the United
States soil II that sustained there would be Just
OF But the declaration of the President
wanting in truth The facts of the did not sustain
IT. Hostltles were commenced on the part of the Ex-
ecutve OF the United States exercising the warmakng
power while Congress was in session. Texas, whatever
her boundaries held by the right of revolution
Il mattered not whether she was originally bounded by
just SO far she had extended her jurisdiction
was the extent OF her territory. She did in
clude Corpus Christi, and few settlements in that
fined to the immediate valley of the Nueces She pene-
tated the country beyond that line, but uniformly failed
to extend her jurisdiction beyond it The President said
that Texas was originally included in the Louisiana
grant That had nothing to do with the case. The
President spoke OF treaty with Santa Anna No treaty
worthy OF the name was made with him. secondly, he
was prisoner and thirdly had treaty been made it
was violated by Texas herself But there never a
treaty But the President said they had another claim
boundary II the President OF the United States law
in his county, should be called on, and asked
whether he could prosecute land claim on no other
would laugh at him. The declaration Of Texas proved
nothing at all and was OF more weight than that OF
Mexico. There was another argument of the President
the Nueces and therefore the United States had title
some hundred and fifty miles farther the Rio Grande
where not one OF the declarations would hold good APP
ply the same argument to the District of Columbia and
they would see the absurdty Such the arguments
Of the President Did not the President know that by
an act Of Congress provision made that Santa Fe
should be regarded part OF Mexicoi All the public
documents went to show that the United States govern
ment had confidence the declaration of Texas that
she held to the Rio Grande. So Mr. Benton maintained
and when the annexation resolutions were passed they
annexed only what rghtfuly belonged to Texas and the
boundary question was left open II that question had
been settled why send Mr. Sdell to negotiate it, Again
Mexico tho
independence of Texas But the third stipulation left
the boundary open for the decision of an umpire And
in the correspondence submitted year ago there posi-
tive evidence by men the spot that Texas had right
to the Rio Grande He quoted from Mr. Donelson,s let
tiers to the department. and General TAYLOR in order to
sustain this assertion The war message Of the Pres
ident in May last contained clear evidence on that SUBJ
ject The letter OF Secretary Marcy was quite explicit
on that point General Taylor told them over and over
again that on his approach to the Rio Gande he found
the inhabitants to be Mexicans, and he issued proclama
ton in Spanish, nsflng them Of the observance of
their rights In view of all that he (Mr H. asked could
there be any truth in the declaration that Mexico had
invaded American soil and there shed American blood
The assertion that all honorable means to avert war
was idle and vain Was it not humiliatng to see the
Executive put forth document not only unsustned BY
fact, but positively in opposition to facsi Mexico in
vaded the United States Under the most favorable con-
sructon OF the facts that not true. The country
was in dispute, but Mexico was in possession Why
then, did the President take this course His friend from
Tennessee, MIR GENTRY had given the reason. The
President wished TO distinguish his administration by ac
curing preponderatng extent of territory in the south
The danger was imminent He (Mr H } told gentlemen
from whatever section of the country they came that
TINS question OF the acquisition of territory of
NO wl...-. ..a..l n.