Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-12-31

son,ai;yo from tho Ricbmond district Mr. Seddon\
had admitted thar General Tnvlor IN onnroaching
tho left nonk of the Rio Grande found il occupie3
evclnsvelv hv nnonle who owned no o,her rovorn-
mont but thnt Of Mexico. No fact had been or
could be produced TO show that Texas ever had eff
fectvelv established her Jurisdiction over that mart
of the country Yet the President smoke of Mi Nv.
in cast of the river ms that Texas which had boen
annexed to the United States. But the anneying
resolution spoke only of so much of the c,untrv as
"riphtfuly belonred~ to Teyas. and no moro was
annexed If Texas ran TO the Rio Grande from
its mouth to its source. why had the western boun
Diary been reserved as a question for nepotiation
No the President mipbt trv but he never conld
make the poople of the limited States believe nnv
such statement lie spoke only that he mipht lead
the people to believe n lie. Al the time of annex
alton. and since il had been admitted by the mos,
DISTINGUISHED members of the Democratic marty
that the question of boundry was still an tpcn
unestion. and that the country lyinp between The
Nueces and the Rio Grapde was plausiblv a matter
of dispute.
The President next undertook to rive history
of the outrarcs of Mexico on the people of Texas,
from the first existence of that State TO the pres
ent time and this was done with n view to create
the innression that these wore the causes of this
war But no man of sense could admit such an
idea; ii was intended for fools, and for fools only
Mr. G. did not controvert the posilion that for these
outrages we had had rood cause for war with Mex.
leo long AGO and if the President had openy
brought them before CONGRESS-. and recommended
war ON that ground Mr.. G. did not know but he
MIGHT have been in favor of if . but the case wos
otherwise. and The Execu,ve had not consulted
CONGRESS in the notter tll no was urred nv inno
rious necessity. lie Jeff j. Tin crcumstnnccs we're
such MS 10 Ieaye Congross no moral CroeIon IF nc.
ton for he left them 70 choose between sacrif.
cinp Gen Tavlor and bs or, and cr,,iI, rocco
nising war. Nor were thcv allowed f. debate the
question or sneak n word nboni il rhev voted m.
der the rnr and IN tbs v,oy ,o III, pyosiJnn, fc |
ty thousand mon and Q IN 06nno0 since hon tho |
President hid boon i;t,io o,J,1r ,ta Io,nnt nJ
had waped the war bv h;s own will olono II was
the war of the President commenced and carried
on for his own objects ,yithout the consont of Tho
body to whom exclusively The constitution had com.
mitted the war-power in This Government The
President was an executive officer. but whose will
did he execute? The will of tbe peonlo /? AIR G. |
had heard no such expression of their will; thew
had nowhere declared it to be their wish no AN |
Mex HALF A DOZEN MEXICAN pROVIN. |
CES TO THIS IrI;TON Me- such tbina
The President had rushed forward m his own moro
motion: he was usnrncr y vioIoter Of tho nonst;,
tuition: and il wonld he treason moral treason no,
to denounce him.
He was orounr to show tb,, this war had boor
brought about bv an Unconstitutional act of the
President of the United States He had said that
the country between tbp Nnecos md the Rio
subject
but the President had asserted onr claims 10 if bv
the force of arms Mr. g. Insisted that This was N
act of provocaton calculated and intended TO nro
duce war, and 1t did produce it. 1t was practical
evasion of the constitution. which reposed the
power of war and peace in the Representatives of
the People alone. A large discretionary power
was left in the hands of the President; and by the
abuse of this he might bring ON such state of
things that Congress could exercise no free voli-
ton in the case but must declare war or suffer the
country 70 be insulted This was now the contro-
versv between the President and the People of the
United States
The President seemed TO have Thought that if he
only struck an imposing blow. and made a strong
military demonstration, that the Government Of
Mexico would be intimidated, and he would easily
get all he demanded and thus his name and his
Administration would become glorious in history:
but the war had lasted longer than he expected
Why had he sent armies into California and New
Mexico? Did not this plainly show it WAS TER
RITORY THAT HE WANTED?
The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Douplas) n
distinguished leader in the Executive ranks. and
learned urist to boot had stated to the House that
by the mere fact of conquest. New Mexico and
California became part and parcel of the United
States; that we had perfect right to set I'D roy-
ernmens over them; and further that if treaty of
peace should be made without specific boundaries
all we had conquered would of course be annexed
to the territory of the United States, and once in
could never 90 back but by an act of recession or
by re-con0uest
Now, Mr.. G. had 10 doubt that this foreshadow-
ed the actual plan of the Administration. TO get rid
of all those little difficulties and obstacle that some
times attended the consulting of epislative BODY.
But it would not 90 Even the more honest mart
of the Democracy themselves would never stand
that. Old Virginia would not stand it. There was
too much of patriotism. too much of the love off
liberty, vet remaining to sanction SO gross an in
fraction of the constitution
But his COLLEAGUE. INF. Stantonl gentleman
personallv and poticallv associated with the Pres
ident had told the House that the President did not
desire un;nstlv 10 wrest from Mexico any of her
PROVINCES; but that those who opposed the war
werc onnosed 70 an event which was to constitute
the great feature of this oge viz. the annexotion
of California and thar the man was Hind who did
not see that events all tended to sucb n result
|