The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-09-03
From the New York Tribune.
" Conquering Peace

When the President sent in his War Mes
sage to Congress, asserting the attrocious and
unmitgated falschood that our army on the
Rio Grande had been attacked by the MeXi-
cans on oar OlUn soil, &C., &C., and Congress
was rushing through votes of Fifty Thousand
Men and Ten Millions of Money to prosecute
hostilitieS, MIR. Calhoun vainly begged the
Senate to act at least with calmness and dig
nifty as became a Senate-to take time for
deliberation, giving the members his solemn
assurance that war not only should be but
might be avoided. lie sad, we are not GER
tain whether in public debate or otherwise,
that with but one days delay he could pre-
vent the war. The delay was not granted,
and the country rushed into war. A short
time afterward, Mr. Webster addressed the
Senate on TIE subject, and went far beyond
what we could have done in favor Of prosecu-
ting the war commenced with such deplora-
bic rashness. lie would vote any amount OF
men and money for the war, but he thought
the President should profIer the olive branch
to Mexico, as we'll as brandish the sword-he
thought we should send her mission of peace
as well as a visitation of war. But this idea
was secuted by the Presidents organ and its
echoes as a betrayal of pusillanimity worthy
no overturcs, no statement even of the condi-
tons on which we are ready to end the war
let Mexico send embassies if she wants peace
but we will hurl Fifty thousand Men on her
Capital and Conquer Peace" Such was the
Organs response to Mr. Websters sugges-
ton.
Well, we have now been several months
hard at work conquering peace. Our gov
eminent has had every thing its own way
plenty of cash against the empty Mexican
treasury unsullied national credit against
utter bankruptcy; an ample and gallant ma
Wy against none at all more gallant soldiers
than it has wanted or could employ against a
routed, disorganized, dispersed army, and a
feeble, miserable people, so distracted by in
testine feuds, and the throes of approaching
revolution, as to be unable to oppose to our
own any positive, tangible resistance-and
so we have gone headTong on conquering
peace.
Well, what progress? We have conquer
ed the surplus in our treasury; we have con-
uuered the aversion Of our hard money party
to government shinplasters: we have con-
ouered and utterly dissi pated all prospect OF
atsurpus revenue, or the extinction of our
national debt for good many years to come.
But how near have we come to conquering
Mexico, or conquering peace?
Not very, if we may judge from the fact
that Mr.. Polk has overruled the Organs pat
riotic horror of Mr.. Wcbster's proposition, and
sent secret embassy to Mexico unasked to
treat for peace not very, if we may judge
from the clamor raised by the Polk journals
at the failure, Ohrough opposition from their
own party Of the effort to i've the President
two millions of dollars wherewith to buy
peace. We claim balance due us from Mex
leo; we certainly have vanquished her troops
in the field; we have ovcrrun some portion
of her territory, and have three or four ar
mics now advancing upon her soil; yet Mr..
Folks journals fear he can't persuade Next
co to come to terms without two millions from
our treasury to sweeten the bargain. Is not
this q new way to conquer peace?
We have inflicted great injury upon and
caused much suffering to the Mexican peo-
pie. We have blown off the legs and arms
with cannon balls, and torn out the bowels
with grape shot of some hundreds of them ;
we have carried mourning and anguish into
hundreds of their villages. We have captur-
ed their towns and villages on the lower Rio
Grande, and will very soon have possession OF
those of Santa Fe, on the upper waters OF
that stream another month may see our ca