Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1847-12-16
Presidents Message,

This document, lengthy as it is, will be found entire
upon our outside It has been looked for and will be
read with good degree of interest in the present
critical state Of Our national atfurs
We have perused the message with a sincere de-
sire to render Impartial judgment-to give credit SO
far as the sentiments advanced and the positions as
sumed were worthy of the official head of nation of
enlightened, christian freemen. But we sadly dis
appointed The tone of the message upon the subject
of the war with Mexico--to the discussion of which
the document is mainly devotod,-is sufficiently war
like to satiatc the most greedy war-mongern the land
and would do honor to ancient Rome in the days Of
her conqess-Our whole soul evolts at the spectacle
here brought to yiew and we cannot but give vent to
the Indignation within us when the executive head Of
great, free, enlightened, christian, magnanlmous re-
public, gravely discusses the subject of upon
weak, ignorant impoverished sister republic, in which
thousands and tens of thousands of valuable lives have
already been sacrificed, and scores Of millions of dol
lars expended, and then cooy asks for new recruits
ofmen for the slaughter, and new appropriation of mil
lions upon millions from the pockets of the people or
tho~ >LlI.v,r o~,.y ,l:- .l. &c 1eath-onA oil
for what? We believe it as capable of demonstration
as that the sun shines at mid day. that this abomnabe
and bloody war is the legitimate fruit of move on
the part Of the South for the extension and perpetual
ton of the slave powell The official correspondence Of
Secretaries Upsher and Calhoun clearly shows, that the
leading motive of our government in seeking the
neXton Of Texas was to prevent the abolition Of her
slavery, and strengthen and extend that of the South
cn States. We also fully believe Gen. Houston.
when he declared in the u s. Senate that the present
war with Mexico was but Confirmation Of the Terrain
avar So do we believe Henry Clay's statement, that
annexation was the sole cause of the war Thus, we
cannot avoid the conclusion, that this enormous waste
of blood and treasure looks to the propagation md eer
nizatoh of human slavery,-the yiest that ever saw
the sun!
MIR. Polk emphatcally reiteraos the old story that
the war was commenced By the act Of Nerico, which
we believe to be utterly without adequate proof, and
which Mr. Clay 50 fatty denied in his late speech JUS
tifes his course towards Mexico by the almost unani"
nous vote of Congress declaring war, IA hard hit at
the whgs; repudates the "no territory" doctrine as
no indemnify doctrine, nasmuch as Mexico is notori-
ously bankrupt of everything except territory; argues
against establishing line and defending it, pleads for
the boundary of the Rio Grande and ccssion of New
Mexico and the CALIFORNIA; and solicts new appropr-
atoms to carry the war with increased vgor into the
enemy's vital parts until he shall give indemnity for
the past and good security for the future.
Buttoo much room is taken up by the Message il
self to allow much space for comment Our readers
must Judge for themselves.
One argument of the President in favor of the &C.
QUESTION of New Mexico, is so good an anti-savery
argument, that cannot forbear TO aude to it. He
says that the Indians of this Province hold many Mex
lean citizens, in slavery, whom they would be COMPEL
ed TO deliver up to their families and friends in case
they came Under the strong arm of the United States
How so, Mr.. Polk? A law has prevailed among these
Indians from time mmemoral, that their Mexican cap
tives should become slaves and will you now invade
the sacred prcrogatives of the lac? But these Mexi
cans, their fathers, their grandfathers stole
and ensIavcd by the Indians. Where did your slaves
come from, Mr.. Polk?