The Southern journal., 1846-08-01

S" " Se"' 7l ioI. anu Is puoilsneQ
in both the English and Spanish Ian.
gnages in the Matamoros papers:
A PROCLAMATION
By the General Commanding The Army Of the United States
Of America.
To THE PEOPLE OF MExico
many years Of patient endurance. the
United States are at length constrain-
ed to acknowledge, u,at a war now
exists between our government and
the government OF Mexico. For ma
ny years our citizens have been sub
Jected to repeated insults and injuries.
oar vessels and cargoes have been
seized and Contiscated our merchants
have been plundered, MANNED. impti.
sohed, without cause, and without re-.
paration. And at length your gov
ernment acknowledged the Justice OF
our claims, and agreed by treaty to
make satisfaction, by payment of sew
erai millions Of dollars; bnt this treaty
has been violated by your rulers, and
the stipulated payne nts have been
withheld. Our late effort TO termin.
ate all difficulties by peaceful negoti.
a''on, has been rejected by the Die
tator Paredes, and our minister OF
peace, whom your rulers had agreed
to receive, has been refuseda hearing.
lie has been treated with indignity
and insult, and Pdredes has announce, d
that war exists between US. This
war, thus first proclaimed by him, has
been acknou ledged as an existing ia ct
by our President anc Congress, with
perfect unanimity, and will be prose
cuted with vigor and energy against
your army and rulers; bot those Of the
Mexican people who remain neutral
will not be molested.
Your government is 10 the hands Of
tyrants and usnrpers. They have a.
bolished your State goyernm' nts, they
have overthrown your Federal con.
st'tution, they have deprived YOU of
the right Of suffrage, destroyed the H.
berty Of the press, despoiled you of
your arms, and reduced you to "A state
OF absolute dependence upon the pow
er of Military Dictator. Your ar
my and rulers extert from the people
by grievous taxation, by forced loans,
and military seizures, the very money
which sustains the usurpers in power.
Being disarmed, you we're left de.
fenceless, an easy prey to the savage
Camanches, who not only destroy your
lives and property, but drive into cap
tivity. more horrible than death itself.
your wives and children. 1t is your
military rulers who have reduced you
TO this deplorable condition. 1t is
these tyrants, and their corrupt and
cruel satellites, gorged with the peo.
pies treasure, by whom you are thus
oppressed and impoverished, some of
whom have boldly advocated monar-
chlcal government, and would place
a European Prince upon the throne of
Mexico. We come to obtain repara
ton for repeated wrongs and injuries; /;
we come to obtain inde emnity for the
past, and security for the futue; we
come to overthrow the tyrants who
have destroyed your liberties, but we
come to make NO war upon the peo,
pie of Mexico, nor upon any form of
free government they may choose to
select for themselves. 1t is our wish
to see you liberated from despots, to
drive back the savage Camanches, to
prevent the renewal of their assaults.
and to compel them TO restore to you
from captivity, your long lost wives
and children. Your religion, your al,
tars and churches, the property of
your churches and citizens, the en-
blems of your faith and its ministers
shall be protected, and remaiu invio.
late. Hundreds of our army, and
hundreds of thousands of our peop)e