Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-24

ter Plcnipotentiary was sent instead of n Commission
er--our Government refusing to treat on the boundary
question without mixing ii up with matters with
which II had no sort Of connection-and the cores
p%ondcnce between our Minister and the Mexican au-
tt!lofities was still going on when the army Of General
TAYLOR was, as II for the purpose of precipitatlng
events, marched from Corpus Christi to the Rio
lirande. About the same time, as we know from the
Presidents Message of last ycar, he was himsclfin Sc
cfet negotiation with the cxlled military ciieitain,
SANTA ANNA, Tor what precise purpose can only be in
fcrrcd from the fact, that the day after The ,odr was
declared to exist, directions were given to our vessels
OF war to a How him to pass into Mexico. All these
concurring circumstances show that war was prcmedi-
tated by the President.
That the war might have been then avertcd by
MeXicos agreeing 10 surrender To the United States
Caliioriiia and n boundary on the Rio Grnndc. We do
not doubt nor do we doubt that the President and his
Cabinet have been willing. ever since the war began,
TO end it whenever Mexico would arrcc to surrender
to their demand all OF her territory that they have set
their hearts on: and that this is what the President
means when he speaks of" conqncring n peace But
we have still less doubt that the original object of this
war, ana The sole true cause and motive OF II, was
CONQUEST, or, III other words, the coercion of Mexico
to surrender territory which Mr.. Polk ambitioned the
eciat OF :" annexing" to the United States. Mr.. Sec
rotary BANCROFT, IN n letter OF instructions to Com
modore SLoAT, then commanding in the PaciticA on
the lath OF July, lsi6-two months after the war was
lcgalizcd by Congress very frankly disclosed this
fact; " The OBJECT ot The United Statcs," said he, I" is,
under ITS rights as a bctigcrent n%ation, TO POSSESS
' " 'IP' '"'Ipf" "' 4hhN Il
ther, said Mr.. BANCROFT, The object of the United
States has reference to ultimate peace with Mexico !;
ultimate, observe possession of her coveted terri
tory being the %pcnultimate object land il, at the
pehcc.t the basis OF the uti p~Ossidetis shall be estab-
l'shed, the Government expects, through your forces,
to be- FOUND IN ACTUAL. POSSESSION Of LRper CaliJor-
MA"
The President declared to Congress, it is trnc. in
his Message OF last year, that this war with Mexico
had not been waged in a spirit of conquest. Would
any one suppose, with these instructions to our Naval
Commander. and cDrrpsuOuuiuu iuStruCtinuS tn our
Military Commanders, that he understood the import
OF this disclaimer No one can at least misunder-
stand the purpori Of his present Message, breathing,
as II does, nothing but war, n Conquerors peace, or
the alternative of the annihilation OF Mexico.
Nor does the President seem to understand himself
in another respect any better than he did when he
dlsclaimed any purpose OF conquest in the prosecution
OF the war with Mexico.
In setting forth, for instance, in the beginning OF
this Message, his own love of Peace and strenuous
efforts TO preserve for us its blessings, we must look on
him as exhibiting a very signal example of lt.delu-
SION. No mans pacific merits could well be less
His course, thus far, in his high Office, on the contrary
realized to the full, in almost every instance, what we
SAID OF 1t a year ago namely, that, having seen that
wars were popular in this country, and felt that he
himself was not too popular, he had thought to him
self, " | will be a War-President, and that will make
me popular, and render all my opponents and com-
pe,itors odious.' Accordingly, his very Inaugural
had a ull-blown quarrel with England in it his first
Annual Message announced that he had done nearly
all he could to bring that quarrel To a focus mean
INV ~ i"u wv n ~ - vi bDtliNi "ibi
Mexico, by way OF making sure OF a war somewhere,
So that, no sooner had the interposition OF the Senate
folled him in his original war plan, than, by n dill
gent improvement OF his time, he had another fight
ready to substitute for that which had been refused
him. Grown more wary this time, he took care not
to he toied by any body's discretion and, though
Congress was sitting for five months before he hao
brought every thing to bear, contrived to have a wa
completely in a blaze, and our succorless army PLACED
IN what (thelr prowess %unknown) seemed an almos
hopeless p~redicamen;, before the country or Congress:
knew one word OF what he was about.
Such are the general and the larger facts, as to tina
merit of loving peace which the President appropri
ates TO himself. If we look closer and scan the par
ticulars of things, we must not only say that Presidcn
POLK is not possessed OF that virtue OF Il ruler which
he claims, and-we regret that we must say it.-ha
shown, and every where in this Message shows him
self, utterly indifferent to the carnage and calamitic
of war.
OF little less than stone, indeed, must his heart be
who can look, without the strongest commiscratior
t upon the spectacle of a nation reduced to the cxtrcmi
ty of distress in which Mexico, known from the ins
t to be incapable OF resisting us, now stands. Not on
t., spark OF compassion can his breast ever have know
who, after iniiicting upon a wrctched people, dcstitut
OF any resource against us but their hereditary obsti
macy, all the slaughter and humiliation which we hav
I every wher" inflicted upon Mexico, can cooIly resolv
IN his heart that this is not enough not blood enough
: not tears enough not sufficient ravage, not satisiac
I tory disaster, not national wo and degradation dbl
aeep lot that the victim people, though covered wit
! I,o"u ana PROSTATE IN the dust, stu, with despcrat
hearths and altars-that therefore, as Mexico does M
yield, we must now begin to strike her " in her vita
parts and, besides seizng, for ours perpetually, ter
ritores the utmost that even Rnpacity has dared avo,
Tor our aim most practically aud overwhelmingly cxhort
US to go on ravaging the rest OF Mexico until the ma
ton yields or is destroyed,
Why, the very savage of the courtyard, in othc
tines-ihat most brutal of mankind, the bully Of tn
balllwlck, who chewed mp an ear or nose, or SCOPE
out with thumb a PROSTATE ndyersary's eye-wns hu
imhle' was generous IN comparison with this Tor he
when he fought, never fought the weak but rather hi
match nor, when his rival champion lay gaspiug am
helpless under him, game 10 the last and ready To di
sooner than utter the craven word &c enough, ;" woul
he have ever thought of procc ding To mutilatc tin
vanquislicd, by way of forcing him to confess himscl
conquered. and then, moreover, have helped himscI
to whatever he could find in the manned mans pockets
No; even IN has hardened heart, there would bc
manly pity, because there was courage If he did no
at once raise up his enemy with respect, he NJ lcas
( would not begin " TO strike at his vital parts: - AM
well Tor him, too, that he would not for the YER
crowd OF n court green, coarse ms it then was, was ye
undebauched OF every right sentiment by party poll
tics, and would not have suffered in the bully what
: now endures in the President.
So much for the mcrcies and the computations q
him who proposes, for the lucrc OF five miserable mil
r lions OF indemnitics. which he himself acknowledge
Mexico could not raise the means OF paying, to butch
er or enslav' n whole empire ct Republics But thi
T Is not all how stood the fact OF our very night to as
e tor these mdemnities, after having helped ourselves t
4, Texas, Tor the liberty of peacefully anncXing which
Z, Is well known that we stood ready, under the lyle
! administration, at any time to have given more tina
5 the amount OF the mdcmnItIes a. "A prce ! Even /
T the moment OF Annexation, the Chairman OF til
Committee OF Foreign Affairs in the House of Rer
$ leseltatlHcs, speaking as the organ OF the ENecuuv
7 IN the House, said, to quiet the last opposition, thu
; he had the liberty OF assuring the House that i, WI
asceitained that the injured feelings OF Mexico coul
e be healed iith money. Such was the imtination the
I held out aud there Is every reason 10 believe thu
i authorized but unofficial offers of at least the amour
OF the indemnlties had been more than once made
7 Mexico Tor her rights over Texas.
FINALLY, however, IN the mere confidence Of impl
MY, we took u without n price but at last by a lar