Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-07-01

this that such o judgment should be. pro
:nounced, 1t is not in the very beginning OF
a contest with an enemy that we should
lessen our own moral force. II is no time
now 10 tell the world that we are the ag-
gressors. Success in war does not depend
on arms alone in this age Of the world
We have other enemies, and. powerful
enemies too beside the Mexicans- enemies
who will gladly seize on every thing that
seems to put us in the wrong. We must
not furnish them with argument against us
arguments that would derive their chief
weight from being first uttered by u.s.
Above all, must we not dishearten our own
people, and exalt the spirits Of our foes.
w must encourage, not discourage, enlist
ments. We must increase, not repress, the
ardor of our countiymen. Did we even
know with certainty that our Government
is to blame, this would yet be our buty.--
How much more strongly isit our duty when
we cannot say that our Government IS IN;
the wrong? We have received numberess
Injuries from Mexico. For long series Of
years has she plundered and imprisoned our
citizens. Year after year has she refused to
reimburse them what she admitted herself
to owe. Again and again has she violated
her treaty engagements with u.s. All inter-
course between the two nations hos been
broken off by her. She has withdrawn her
minister from our country, and expelled Our
ministers from hers. She has persisted IN
| her claim to Texas after it had been nearly
i ten years independent other power. She
has thus persisted out of hostility TO us, for
she offered to acknowledge the independence
of that country if it would reject annexation
to the United States We have offered her
peace, and, in return, she has threatened to
invade cur territory. We have abstained
from declaring war against her, as we
might Justly have done, and the recompense
! for our forboarance has been the murder ol
our people. The first blood that was shee
! was the blood Of an American citizen
Y fThe hand that shed it was the hand OF
Mexican soldier. With these facts before
u.s. shall we prematurely pronounce Judg'
Ement on ourselves /? Can we truly say, in
THE face of these facts, that our Government
has done wrong9 How could il have acted
otherwise than It has if it meant to perform
itsduty of upholding the rights and maintain
4 ing the honor of the nation /? Will there
iIbe found any among us seeking to make a
little paltry, party capital. by throwing the
blame Of the war upon the President -
/ Will the scenes of 1912, and 'l3, and IA,
be revived, and an attempt be again made
to try, Judge and condemn an administration
in the midst of war, on the charge that on
J it, and not ON the enemy, rests the respon-
sibility of producing the war? We hope
lEnot. We believe not We trust that the
lessons of experience have not been taught
in vain. W. sec that Congress has acted
so far, promptly and we rejoice to see it.
! We hear that it has acted with almost
unanimity 4 and wc are gratified to hear it.
Some few, it appears, voted as it theii
country was in the wrong. We are glad
to learn their number was SO small. We
trust that no representative Of ours was
among them. Ohio was unanimous in the
late war; we would be grieved ane
ashamed were she divided in this. One o
. our representatives is now on the floor nd
! dressing the House of which is member
y The bill under discussion is toprovide arm.
n supplies. The subject debated relates
6 therefore, to- the war. Doubtless the VOICE
i of our representative isheard onihe SIDE Q
d his country. Doubtless ne is exertlhg nj
n talents and eloquence (and he is eloquen
IS and talented to give strength, not oni,
IS pffysical but moral, to his Government i
& the strife. Doubtless his arguments vii
) convince many an one Of the justice q on
Il cause; his cheering words, of patriotic en-
, couragement, induce many an one iovoiul
Il teer in Our defence. We are glad, heart
ofly glad, that he is speaking for us and h
at country to day. A'Ts ~
l. Such. Mr. Chairman, believe wou
to have been the language Of the people I
r Ohio, in the case have supposed. Bu
is alas, sir, they would have been sadly, sad
le mistaken. Could the yoice Of their re
at resentative have reached their homes
se instead Of hearing him yindicate his cou
20 try from the charge Of being the aGgress
g, in the conflict, they would have heard n
ur loudly accuse its President Of havil
We wantonly and wickedly produced the wa
IS. instead Of hearing him speak Of it as . ce
i'll test in defence Of our rights, they wo.
i'll have heard him denounce it as o war
ur ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and plunder on our Pal
ist instead Of hearing him treat i as stragt
~. forced upon US against our will, they wol
he have heard him declare it . war uncs
lat additionally made by our Chief Maglstral
Us; instead &c hearing him maintaiff that just
orr & upon the side. Of his own natioon, u
or would have heard. him affirm and rep
hat lint she il prosecuting an sunrighteo
! Of unholy., and daninable war; instead
10 hearing him utter words oi encoaragen
I'd. Is tbs volunteer, they would have heard
Ike describe the scene oil action as q vast char