The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-11

tor thought that at this stage of the session il was
not desirable 70 prepare the hearts Of the people for
war. At all events, 1t seemed to him Mr.. c. that
il was too late to deny, after all that had been heard
in the Senate, that there was any party or person
here desrous TO prepare the hearts of the people for
| war lie repeated that he must have greatly mis-
understood the language Of the senator from Ohio
during the debate the notice. If he did not use the
phrase attributed TO him. He would however, allow
the senator TO report himself He knew hest what
DC sald-certsinly, he knew his own meaning best
But there was another remark which was irrelevant
70 the debate, which fell from the senator from Ohio
yesterday. IL was asserted by him that the war with
Mexico had burst upon the country contrary to the
wishes and expectations Of all. He (Mr c. was
surprised TO hear that II he understood the honor
able senator, he said that the war had not been de-
termned upon two days before the intimation of its
existence wassent to the Senate But he certainly said
that tho war had burst upon the country contrary
10 the wishes and expectations Of all. Why, by
looking into the documents sent 10 the Senate by
the President of the United States al the time when
lhey were called upon TO make the declaration Of
war, It would be seen that, for at least FIVE or six
months before that time, war had been regarded by
the Executive as a probable event Movements
had Ieen made many months anecedent To that
period for the purpose Of bringing the war. Ia
order to. correct the erroneous Impression which
might thus 90 abroad 10 CONSEQUENCE Of the decara-
tons Of the honorable senator from Ohio, he (Mr
J
ale TO the documents themselves Mr.. c. here read
several extracts from the correspondence between
the Secretary of State and Mr. Slidell, and also
from the orders TO General Taylor, for the purpose
OF demonstrating that war with Mexico was regard
ed as probable result of the refusal of Mexico to
| receive the United States minister He did not
think it necessary to detain the Senate by comments
on these extracts. They in themselves sufi-
ciently clear and conclusive. II that evidence would
not satisfy reasonable minds, he did not know what
evidence would produce that effect IL surprs-
ing that, with all that evidence before him. the SEN
ator from Ohio could hazard the assertion that the
war with Mexico burst upon thsm contrary to the
wishes and expectations Of all. He (Mr c. did
not intend TO enter the question whether the Ex
ecutIye was or not censurable for bringing on
the war. All that he designed was to correct the
honorable senator frOa. Ohio and not permit his as.
seTllon To 20 TO the country without contradiction.
Mr.. ALLEN replied. He confessed that he had
been somewhat astonshed in finding the senator
rom Delaware take up two or three remarks which
he (Mr. A. had made yesterday, In order to con-
vert them into a text from which TO make a speech
against the Mexican war, and that in doing 81 he
should have REQUIRED TO observation which he
Mr. CLATToSl had, he believed been the first TO
mpute to him (Mr A. in the commencement of
the oregon discussion, relative TO preparing the
hearts Of the people for war. There was a peril.
nacity in sticking to this msstatement of the case
which showed that the error must be deep-rooted in
lieve that he would willingly make any misrepre-
sentation. Did not that senator know that over and
over again on that floor, he (Mr. Al had met that
charge with an explanation Of the words which he
had used' In answer TO senators, he had some FIVE
or six times put that thing right and now the sena-
tor said that he (Mr. A retTacted IT, He retracted
nothing that he said-nothng that he said-not one
syllable; he stood by every word Of it. He would
retroct no words that he had ever uttered, unless
convinced that he was IN error, or had done
injustice to others. TM.n, and not till them would
he make any retracton. But he had committed no
error here. What he did say he had repeated on
that floor half dozen times And he repeated it
once more. In the of the debate on the reso
.uuons OF the senator from Michigan, Mr. CAssl
lnquTing into the state Of the national defences the
senator from Massachusetts,, not now in his seat
MIR. WEBSTER, expressed the opinion that there
was a different mode of preparation from that of
offering resolutions, and making all this thing pub
hc-he though that the better mode was to prepare
quietly for war. In answer 10 that, he (Mr A.
stated that he entertained totally different opinion
that the preparation did not consist merely in
voting arms and men, but in preparing the judgment
and hearts OF the people for war. Now, when the
country was in danger, the heart Of the people ought
TO be prepared for war by full exhibition Of the
dangers with which the country was threatened
He Mr. A. would not shrink from the RESPONSE
bility of such sentiment. He assumed it, and the
results Of the Legislation Of this session had showed
tuut cNtn IL nc TUdue DrOdu ueCldrdtlOn at
ribued to him, that he would have been right in
preparing the hearts of the people for war. He took
nothing back. So much for that He cared not,
therefore, which way the gentleman chose to take
It. He had now explained for the sixth or seventh
time what he did say and he would stand by it.
wen, that was so unlmportant an observation, that
1t could only have been resored to by the senator
as pretext for making a speech that day against
the action Of the government in relation to Mexico.
Well yesterday he (Mr. A. had made the declara-
ton that the Mexican war had burst upon the coun-
try contrary to the wishes-and perhaps he had
added-the expectations Of all. Well, suppose he
(Mr. A. had been mistaken in fhat-was any harm
done' Was it an observation of any kind of i'm
portancel Not at all. Why, thea was it REQUIRED
to by the SENATOR Not because the declaration was
of any importance. No, that was not the reason
But the had referred to it, because it could
be conveniently used to-day as text on which to
make speech against the Mexican war We'll,
every man had right to take his own course; he |
did not complain of the senator. He Mr.. CLAY
TON had a right TO speak against the war, if he |
chose although he had voted the means Of carrying
it on. That was his own business. Well what |
was the state OF the caseI According to the SEN
ator's own quotation Of part of the declaration, it
was nothing more nor less than that nobody wished
or desired the Mexican war. Was the senator
ready to deny that Was he willing say that that
part of the declaration erroneous Would he |
say that anybody wished to bring on this Mexican |
hiu he mean W say ne A. was mis- |
taken in his declaration that there was no party in
the United States who waned-who desired this |
Mexican war; He asked the honorable senator to
answer that question before he proceeded further.
Mr.. J. M. CLAYTON. will answer the SEN |
ator with great pleasure, when he has concluded.
Mr.. ALLEN. Very well; the senator had alluded |
to the documents for the purpose of disproving the
fact that the war came contrary to the wishes and
expectations of the people. How did he attempt to
iisprove that BY reading part of the public doc
uments, in which it was said that if Mexico
lid so, and so, the country would have to
AXE the matter into its own hands
That was the proof which the senator offered to
sustain his position that somebody in the country
iesired and expected war; Well, go back to the
Presidents messages as far back the time of Ad
,ms, and they would find that in all relating TO the
difficulties with Mexico, the uniform language was
IDENTICAL with that referred TO in the message Of Mr.
Polk. But the senator said that the army was Or
Tered to take up its position the Rio Grande, and
ne quoted from the directions issued to the COM
handing general. Well, did he mean to deny that
he Executive Of the United States had light to