The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-10


Mexico il she demands or desires ons' Is the mode
Of warfare TO be changed from fighting TO purohas-
ing! Who 10 10 be bought And what evidence
have We that any body or thing Is purchasablet Is
this 10 be corruption fund IN the hands OF the
President, to at his pleasure asd discrellonf
SIR, have no confidence IN this application. we
have no evidence before Of its necessltyj no IN
formation Of its use OF applications we are IN the
dark and required 10 vote ia the dark or be chargeo
with opposing measures OF peace. IL mere Is the
slightest prospect Of peace, any gimmer or faint ray
OF that heavenly messenger, why could II not nave
been communicated TO this House, | repeat, sir,
have no confidence in this application for money
territory - what issought after, and cannot give
my sanction to this appropriation, unless The bill
now upon your table shall be so amended as 70 for
preclude the possibility Of extending the limits
of slavery. And call upon gentlemen on the other
side Of the House TO bring forward such amend
rnents shall effeetuay prevent the further aeqnl-
suon of territory, which may be caused by the
adoption Of that institution. call upon the other
side of the House to propose such an amendment
not only an evidence Of their desire to restrain
that institution within It's constitutional limits, but
as guaranty that the President will honestly and
faithfully apply the funds SO generously placed In
his hands to the ends specified in his message
Mr.. WINTHROP said that he should follow the
example of his friend from New York, Mr..
WHIFE, and conhne himself to a brief statement OF
his views reserving himself the privilege Of am
plifying and enforcing them hereafter. The admin
istraton and its frienGs had thought fit during the
present session TO frame more than one OF their
most important measures so as TO leave their oppo-
nents in a false position which ever way they voted
There were two things which he had not imagined,
in advance, that any circumstances could have con-
strained him to do and from which he would gladly
have D.en spared. One Of them was TO give vote
which might appear TO lend an approving sanction
to a val which had been caused by the annexation
Of Texas; the other was 10 give vote which might
appear like AN opposition TO the earliest restoration
of peace, either with Mexico or any other power on
earth But he must let appearances take care Of
themselves. He was not here TO pronounce opinions
either upon the preamble Of bill or the phrases ola
Presidents message. He was here to vote on sub
stantIal provisions Of law, proposed with view 10
their practical Interpretation and execution. One OF
these votes he had given already under circumstan
ces which were familiar u the House and to the
country. He believed il then, and he believed il
now, upon the most deliberate reflection, TO be the
best vote which the case admitted. And now, he
greatly feared that he was about 10 be compelled 10
give the other of these abhorrent votes. He could
not and would not for this bill as il now stood
What was the bi' A bill 10 place two millions
Of dollars at the disposal Of the President "for any
extraordinary emergencies which might arise out OF
our Intercourse with foreign nations" Nota word
about peace. Not a word about Mexico. Not
syllable about the disputed boundaries on the Rio
Grande. Ii was a vote Of unlimited confidence in an
administration, in which, he sorry to say, there
was very little confidence TO be placed. They nigh
employ this money towards buying California, or
buying Cuba, or buying Yucatan, or buying the
sandwich Islands, or buying any other territory
hey might fancy in either hemisphere. II we
turned TO the message of the President, II
was hardly more satisfactory Nothing could
be more evident than that this appropria-
ton was asked for the earnest money for
a purchase Of more territory. The message ex-
pressly stated that il was to be used in part pay
1yhIr oh mi oh
make to us. The President already had the claims
of our citizens deal with, to the amount Of three
millions or more. Here were two millions more TO
be placed in his hands, in cash. What was to be
the whole payment, for which FIVE millions OF dol
lara was wanted as an advance And where was
this territory to bes The message, as fnot wling
TO leave US wholly in the dark, had pointed express
ly to the example of 1903 TO the purchase Of Loui
siana and this very bill las Mr. W. understood) had
been copied verbatim from the act by which that
purchase was indirectly sanctioned The Presi-
dent has thus called upon u.s. in language not to be
misunderstood, to sanction, in advance a new and
indefinite acquisition Of southern territory. To
such an acquisition he (Mr W. was opposed. He
had said heretofore, and he repeated now, that he
uncomprotnisngly opposed to extending the
sIavehoding territory ofthe Union He wanted no
more territory Of any Sort but of this we had more
than enough already.
He cordially responded to the Presidents desires
to bring about a just and honorable peace at the
earliest moment Nothing would give him more
real satisfaction than TO join in measure honestly
proposed for that purpose. He did not grudge the
payment Of the two millions. He would appropi
ate twenty millions for the Legitimate purposes Of
treaty ofpeace without moments hesitation. And
he still hoped that this measure might assume a
shape in which he could give it his support. Limit
the discretion Of the President to a settlement Of
those boundaries which have bean the subject Of
dispute. Hold him to his solemn pledges, twice
repeated that he would be ready at all times to set
tic The ersiing differences between the two countries
on the most liberal terms. Give him no counte-
nance in his design to take advantage ofth present
war to force Mexico into the surrender, or even the
sale, of any of her provinces. II anybody wants
better harbor on the Pachs let him wait till 1t can
be acquired with less of natioGai dishonor. But
whatever else you do omit give us at least to be
assured that this appropriation is not to Ge appieu
to the annexation of another Texas or even to the
purchase of another Louisiana. Here the hammer
fell
Mr.. J. r. INGERSoLL hailed the rainbow
of peace, from whatever quarter 1t came, whether
from the North or South the East or the West. 1t
was the duty of the President to make peace when
he could but the particular circumstances OF this
particular war rendered it especially incumbent on
all branches of the government TO unite with the
President in making peace as they had united in
making war. His opinion had always been that
the annexation of Texas was the hrst step to war.
But we now had suggestion on the part OF the
President of the United States, which indicated
that he believed he could make peace on honorable
terms if Congress would furnish him the
and Mr.. l. was in favor of granting them.
In conclusion he offered substitute for the bill,
which will be found at subsequent stage Of our
report.
Mr.. order had always believed this war I'M
necessary; and should hold the administration re-
sponsbe for all its evils. He had voted in this
view for the appropriation for the war; and he
should vote for this which looked to peace, holding
the President responsible for its use in making
peace and for the character Of that peace He knew
there were well-founded apprehensions as to the
manner in which this money would be expended,
but he argued that the fact that the President might
abuse his power was no ground for Withholding this
appropriation. The country were all DESTROYS Of
peace.
Mr.. WlLMOT regretted that the President had
not disclosed his views. He disked to act in
the dark this or any subject. If this had been
done, and it had been inexpedent to have received
and deberated upon it publicly, they might have
gone into secret session. He would vote for this
appropriation in case the amendment he intended to