The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-24

II they could wherein a man, woman, or child had
suffered injury the route for the want Of his pro-
| lection. he ayowed that neither man, woman,
child nor beast had suffered II this was so, il
iair to say, that what had been done once could be
done again; and, therefore, there was no necessity
10 Jasuiy this outlay OF tho public money TO give
protection to these emigrants. There was some
thing behind the scenes that had not been disclosed
The emlgrants wanted no protection; they never
| had asked for il.
| Mr.. I. here adverted to a remark Of Mr. YIN,
in relation TO the disposition Of this force after h
should have been created which called up that 0en-
teman in explanation. After which, Mr.. Il. pro.
ceeded--
! So far as the western frontier was concerned h.
believed there was already sufficient force there
Nor was there any more necessity now to give pro-
lection 10 our western settlements thaR there was
one or two years ago. He thought if the troops
| now there were withdrawn, and the people of Ar
kansas and Missouri were left TO rely on their mill
tia alone, more efficient protection would be given
than that now afforded by the troops Of the United
States. or all men, the army under our peace es-
adjustment the least efficient in such service.
There wss not anywhere more lawess set of pup
pets than these soldiers (shut up without exercise
| and in barracks, from years end to years end J
| were. He would rather have one western farmer
in such service, than half score OF such men.
Why was it that all at once the militia Of the eoun-
ny Huu CoUc W NC TcRuIuou % IncinSlChG
The battles Of Bunker Hill Of Plattsburg, and OF
| other fields, bear testimony 10 the reliance which
might be placed in that Of the national defence.
| And now what was there TO oppose TO the employ
ment Of the same kind Of force AGAIN. Why, there
was the experience Of his friend from Michigan,
| tMr. CHIPaAs, who said he once a brigadier
| general In Michigan, and that he did not do any
great honor to the country. He (Mr IT, had no
doubt of it, he had no doubt that the other militia
under that gentleman's command had done still less
honor. And, indeed, he (Mr. T.) believed that
Michigan bad been exceedingly unfortunate in her
generals. He recollected one Of them who once
had seat in this hall, General Craryl and whose
memory had been embalmed by an honorable gen.
tleman at the other end ofthe Capitol But because
| GeHerals Crazy and CHirMAs had not succeeded in
making The militia efficient il did not follow that
they could not be made so on our western frontier.
i He had no doubt that the President, and those
who sympathized and were in the closest connexion
with him, were in earnest in raising these two reg
= ments. Whilst the President conferred the Offices
| thus created upon some members Of this House,
| and, according TO gentleman from Maine,
on other gentlemen now hanging round these lob.
bies, he intended also to augment the force now in
Texas. Was the House prepared to carry out this
purpose For his own part, he declared solemny
that never until the State Of Ohio, by some act Of
hers, should revoke the resolutions OF her legisa
ture, passed by the unanimous vote Of the whig and
democratic party declaring that the annexation of
| Texas was violation Of the constitution Of the
country, and that, as such, she would never be
bound by II, would he sanction sustain that pur-
pose. Never until Ohio should wipe out that rec
ord would he consent to this grand system Of ma
| tional marauding.
Last year we had been informed that the annexa-
ton Of Texas was indispensable to the defence of
the country; that il was coming in to supply the
place OF armed egons; that Il was necessary for the
| protection and defence Of New Orleans. And now
what story did we hear Why, the gentleman
from Arkansas Mr.. YELL told us that there were
two thousand miles of frontier which il was neces-
sary TO fortify, and that these regiments as well as
the others, indispensable TO give protection to
that extended frontier And the Secretary Of War
candidly told US that the annexation Of Texas in
stead Of giving us additional protection, brought US
into proximity with the Cumanches-a wild, fierce,
and marauding tribe Of lndians-the Arabs of the
| desert-that they made annual mounted incur
sions into our territory, and that additional force
was requisite to repel them. Ifhe had understood
correctly, 1t intended to increase army (of OBJ
servaton or Of occupation) which was this day oc.
cupying territory to which, according to the high
| est democratic authority at the other end Of the
Capitol, we had no more title than had to Great
| Britain-a territory where citizens were now
paying duties on their goods to the Mexican gov
| ernment-a territory to which honorable gentlemen
on this floor had declared that we had no title For
HIMSELF he would this Capitol RACED to its foun-
dation before he would vote for such proceeding;
and in saying this, he believed that he spoke the
sentiments Of the people of Ohio.
| In what position, then, did this line of policy
| place the country? How was the national honor to
be preserved 1t had been said, "by doing
nothing but what was clearly right, and submitting
to nothing that was wrong.'' How was Mr.
President Polk, according to the position which he
had assumed, to preserve the national honori With
| cannons loaded, and with matches it, he was de-
| manding of Mexico, on the one hand, that which
rle u ppfh hall To sla IL
he was surrendering two hundred thousand square
miles Of territory to which he had averred that our
| title "was clear and unquestionable" This was
curious sgettng up stairs" in the way of preserv-
ing the national honor. Mr.. T. here referred to the
hue and cry raised from Maine to the Sabine on the
ratification Of the treaty Of Washington, to illus
trate the course Of the democratic party in making
that the groundwork of unjust and ini4uitous
charges before the people against Mr.. Webster.
He (Mr T) declared, in conclusion, that he was
resolved to go against this bill in every form in
which it could be presented unless the State of Ohio
shall revoke the resolutions to which he had referred
(and which he sent to the clerks table to be read
| Whenever that State, by any act of hers, should
convince him that she had repudiated these resolu-
tons, then, and not before, he would be prepared
to go for an army Of occupation in Texas. When
| ever that time came, he would not only 90 for
these two regiments, but for raising any amount
OF force that might be required, adequate to the
ends to be accomplished He knew that as long as
slavery existed in Texas, so long there would be
cause Of war between this country and the contig-
uous territory. 1t could not be otherwise. 1t must
be so, unless the very law of our being was
changed. So long as slavery existed slaves would
run away; and so long as man sympathized with
his felow.msn, savage though he might he, in
slavery so long would this country be cmbroiled in
these border wars. Whenever the people of this
State should give their sanction to this outrage,
then, and not before he would in favor of this
| and other kindred measures. ...r ..'.s
| Mr.. RATHBUN wished briefly to state some
objections which he had to the passage of this BILL
In the first place, he denied that the period had ar
rived when it was expedient or proper to pass
such measure If we look into the Presidents
message, we find that he recommends, in reference
to Oregon, set Of consecutive measures dependen,
upon each other. The first recommendation was
the giving the notice for the abrogation Of the treaty
with Great Britain, under which she now Jointly
occupied the Oregon territory with the United
States. The next step proposed by him was tina,
the laws Of the United States be extended over the
territory ofOrcgon for the protection and defence OF