Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-06-17

haa tCf the last mteen years ample grounoS
for q war with that nation.
My personal recollections furnish me with
something like case inpoint. As early as
in the winter of 1929, 80, there was very
bad state of feeling between US and Mexico.
The Mexicans had offered some gross In
dignities to our Minister. They had threat
aned his person with violence. A mob as
sailed his house, and the government were
either unable or unwilling to suppress it.
You remember that beautiful incident
worthy the proudest period in the history of
Rome's greatness-when our Minister
stepped forth on his portico, and, while the
mob were in the midst Of their assault, boldly
unfnrled the flag of his country. The effect
was like that Of an electric shock. The
mob shrank before it and the person OF the
Minister was safe for the time. When he
was about leaving the country, however, he
gave out at the city of Mexico that he would,
on his journey to the coast, take one route,
but had the precaution to proceed by an
other, to avoid the chances of being robbed
or assassinated on the way. Mexico teens
with robbers; and they seem to have strik-
ing partiality for the Representatives of our
government, for they have robbed nearly
every one we have sent there. Besides the
insults they had thus offered our nation, in
the person of our Representative-and be-
aides committing many fragrant injuries up
on the property and persons Of Americans,
who had settled in that country-they had
made practice of impressing American
seamen from on board our merchant vessels
into their naval service the very thing for
which we had gone to war with England.
And were we likely to put up with it at the
hands of Mexico? An American squadron,
consisting of five vessels Of war, anchored
about that time at Vera Cruz. The case of
some American seamen, who had been i'm
pressed, was Immediately brought to the
notice of the Commodore by our Consul,
who, in conjunction with our Minister, had
been doing his best to get the men released
but to no purpose. The Commodore ad-
dressed respectful letter to the Mexican
authorities, demanding their release. They
refused to comply with the demand. A
second letter was written with the same
result. The blood of the Commodore was
reused to think that Mexico should insist up
on pretensions which we would not tolerate
on the part of England. He ordered the
guns to be shotted and primed, and themen
to be in readiness to stand, at moments
warning, to their quarters. His Secretary
was sent for to repair to his cabin. There
stood the Commodore, in no very amiable
mood, holding up the last communication he
had received from the Mexican authorities.
"Read that" said he, ''and then write to the
id rascals that if they don't release the
men in twenty-four hours, we'll not leave
them enough of navy to stand upon."-
And he would have been as good as his
word.
For just precisely that state of things then
existed that gladdens the heart of many an
old Commodore. He felt that brush with
Mexico at that time would have been (just
as the present war is, popular with the
people of the United States-and he felt,
as every man did, who had knowledge of
the state of our relations with Mexico, that
at that early period she had done enough to
provoke war. His Secetary wrote the
the letter; but as he had been looking
little into the Constitution of the United
States, and the pages of international law, he
used his own phraseology instead of the
Commodore's. hope you will not blame
him for that; for assure you he thought he
was doing his duty. Any how he wrote
such letter as had the desired effect. The
next day the men were brought on board
the flagship of the squadron. They were
regularly mustered into service under the
stars and stripes. In few days after, a
part Of the squadron sailed brought off the
American Minister and carried him in safety
to the United States.
The struggles of Texas for independence
are still freshin your memory. Where is
there citizen of the West, that cannot
point to some valued friend or relative, who
fell during that period, victim to Mexican
per6dy, or Mexican cruelty? Shall
remind you of the scenes of buchery that
marked the progress Of Mexican troops
through her territory? Have you forgotten
the cold blooded murder of our countrymen
the brave Col. Tanning and his men and
that too, done in ruthless defiance of the
terms of q solemn capitulation. imagine
see those intrepid men, disarmed, falling in
whole platoons under the deliberate fire of
their brutal assassins, and, as they fell, in
voking the future vengeance of their coun-
trymen. The moral sense ofthe Christian
world was shocked by that attrocious outrage.
All Christendom would have been justified by
that and other transactions Of scarcely les:
fragrant character, in uniting to wage wal
upon people, by whom the most sacre,
principles ofhumanity-of international Law
and the usages of civilized nations, ha
thus been trampled under foot just as muc
90, as an American, or British man of wa,
would be justified in taking summary ver
geance on horde Of Malays, or Fegees, fc
acts Of piracy, or cannibalism.
Buta day of retribution-at least of parti,
retribution--came at last Mexican bio,
flowed pretty freely on the field of Ss
al