Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-05-14
WAR WITH MEXIC0--PRESl
DENTS MESSAGE, sc.

NAR With inEAiLU~I IL iIol
DENTS MESSAGE, &c.
We refer the readers attention to the inn
portant news from our''Army of Occupation"
which will be found in another column. 1t
will be seen that s'the war" has commenced
there is no telling yet what will be the end of
it, Great excitement prevails every where IN
the country where the news has reached
Large meetings have been held in New On
LEANS, MOBILE, &C., and our people are res
ponding with great alacrlty to the calls OF their
country We have no room for comment this
week, and content ourselves by detailing the
facts as they exist
The President on Monday sent in mes.
sage to both Houses of Congress upon the
subject of ssthe eristing ,car" between the Re-
public of Mexico and the United States, IN
which he refers 10 the statements made IN his
Annual Message respecting the relations exis-
ting between the TWO countries, and ''the eau.
ses which led to the suspension OF diplomatic
intercourse between the two countries IN March,
ls45, and the long continued and unredressed
wrongs and injuries committed by the Mexl-
can Government on citizens of the q. States
in their persons and property" He then re-
fers to the strong desire upon the part OF our
government $50 establish peace with Mexico
on liberal and honorable terms. and our readi-
ness to adjust and regulate our boundary and
other differences with that power on such tar
and equitable principles as would lead TO per-
manent relations of the most friendly nature,
which induced him in September last TO seek
the re-opening of the diplomatic relations be-
tween the two countries. In turtheranee oil
this object the Hon. JOHN SIIDrLL, OF La,
was. on the 10th of Nov, 1915, commissioned
as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pienl-
notentiarv the United States to Mexico with
full powers to adjust both the questions OF the
Texas boundary and Of Naturalization TO our
citizens. Mr.. SLipELL repaired to Mexico
and presented himself as Minister Pelnipoten-
,ary of the United States. and, notwithstand-
inr he was there By agreement between the
two governments, the Mexican government
refused to receive him or listen to his PROPOSE
tons. His mission proving unavailng he re-
turned home. and the Mexicans have at nst IN
vaded our territory and murdered our citizens
on our own soil. The Message then enters
INTO full detail of the origin, progress and
failure of Mr. SLIpELL's mission, and con
cludcs with this language.
Thus the government Of Mexico, though
solemniy pledged by official acts IN October
last to receive and accrcdit an American envoy,
violated their plighted faith, and refused the
offer of peaceful adjustment Of our drihcqI-
lies. Not only was the offer rejected, bat the
indignity of its rejection was enhanced by the
manifest breach Of faith in refusing to acmt
;he envoy. who came because they had bound
themselves 70 receive him. Nor can 1t be SAID
that the offer was fruitless from the want ofop-
portunity of discussing 1t : our envoy was pres
ent on their own soil. Nor can It be ascrlbed to
want of sufficient powers our envoy had iul
powers TO adjust every question OF difference
Nor was there room for complaint that our
propositions for settlement were unreasonable:
permission was not even given our envoy TO
make any proposition whatever. Nor can 1t
I've objected that we, on our part, would not
listen to any reasonable terms of their Sugges
ton: the Mexican government refused all ne
gotiation, and have made no proposition OF any
kind.
The Message then explains at length the oP-
erstions and movements of our "Army OF Dc
cupation" and the authority under which they
acted &c-and concludes thus -
The army moved from Corpus Christi on
the lth Of March, and on the 2Sth OF the
month arrived on the left bank ofthe Del Norte,
opposite 10 Matamoras where it encamped on
v,Itnr, t,Csifpt, which hoe hppu
strengthened by the erection of field works.
A depot has also been established at Point Is
abel, near the Brazos Santiago, thirty miles IN
.ear Of the encampment The selection of his
position was necessarily contiGed 10 the ludg-
ulent Of the general IN command.
The Mexican forces at Matamoras assumed
belgerent attitude, and on the 18th Of April,
General AMpuDtA, then in command, notified
General TAYLOR to break up his camp within
fwenty-four hours, and to retire beyond the
Nueces river, and in the event of failure to
comply with these demands, announced that
arms, and arms alone, mustdeclde ihatquesuon,
But no open act Of hostility was committed I'M
iii the twenty-iounh of April On that day,
General ARIsTA, who had succeeded 10 the
commanded the Mexican forces, communicated
10 General TAYLOR that she cons idered hostlil-
ties commenced and should prosecute them y
A party OF dragons of sixty-three men and Of
6cers were on the same day despatched from
the American camp up the Rio del Nor'e, on
its lsi bank. TO ascertain whether the Mexican
troops had crossed, or Were preparing TO cross
the river, ''becane engaged with large body
of their troops, and after short affair, IN
which some sixteen were killed and wounded.
appear 10 have been surrounded and compelled
TO surrender"
The grlevous wrongs perpetrated by Mexi,
co upon our citizens throughout long period
Of years, remain unredressed and solemn uea
ties, pledgng her public faith for this re
dress, have been disressrded. A government