Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-01-29

ever extended be- jurisdiction over M Never.
Then what right had she 10 III Whv she had
s'aiHsd il, and that was ull. Gentlemen nav
say what they placss about Texas having nun
STATE and county lines over this territory; about
her including It in her judicial, sleclonal, or
reyenus districts; that will not do, for there Is
not one Of them who does no, know that she had
never held court nor served wriI that she
had never opened poll nor had vote; that sLe
had never collected nor attempted to collect a
dollar Of revenue; and, finally, that not a man,
woman or child, who acknowledged her author
liy had ever resided in that territory. or within
fifty miles Of it. And yet we are told by the
President and his friends thar Texas had esiab-
shed her jurisdiction over all the territory claim
ed by Mexico east Of the Rio Grande from its
mouth to its source. In another part Of the
message the President tells US thai Santa Fe is in
New Mexico, and he congratuates Congress and
glorliies himself not little upon the conquest of
THAI department from Mexico. We all know that
Santa Re lies on the east bank ofthe Rio Grande,
and within the territory claimed by Texas
Now, sir, will you tell me whether Santa Fe is
in the State of Texas or in the Mexican depart
ment of New Mexico, for il cannot be in both, the
Presidents message to the contrary notwithstan-
ding. Have we not taken military possession of
II, and are we not holding it as a conquered coun-
try, aud could we do this if il were a part of one
ol the sovereign States of this conlederacyl Ii
lsuot pretended that Texas had ever extended her
jurisdiction over Santa Fe, and vet she had as
much jurisdiction over that town as she had over
any other town or place on the east bank of the
Rlo GrandC. | am rs avcrse to quoting as any
body can be, for cannot help knowing how much
my hearers lose when let any body but myself
speak to them within my hour, land this trust
will be deemed a sufficient apology to those gem
Iemen who tried, but whom wouldnot permit to
interrupt me with their explanalions,) but have
an authority from so high source and so much
in point that will give it you. | read from the
"Ausun Democrat" newspaper published in
Texas, and, like every thing else there, thorough
y locoioco:
"li Santa Fe is province taken by force of
arms from Mexico, SO was the country between
the Nucces and the Rio Grande; and the very
moment General Taylor set his foot on the wes-
tern bank Of the former stream. he committed an
aggression upon foreign SOIL and hosliIey in
yadcd a country with which his Government was
al peace. If Laredo was ours, so was Santa Fe;
ilSanla Fe was not, neither was Laredo"
How will that do, sirl Is it not conclusive
against the assumption of the President, that
Texas had extended her jurisdiction up to the Rio
Grande! What right had we therel Clearly
none. Yet, the President of his own will, with
out consulting Congress, though they were then
IN session, ordered our army to advance from
Corpus Christi in the valley of the Nueces, quite
up to the Rio Grandc. General Taylor, in obe-
dlencG to the orders oflhc President, marched his
army first to the mouth Of that river, and bloc
kadcd IT, seized }razos dc ST. lago and Point Isu-
bel, and then advanced up the river to a point OPP
posito Matamoras, where he erected a torIifca-
ton and planted guns so rs to bear on that town,
and be in readiness to batter it down. His army
moved through the peaceful Mexican settlements
in wNrike array, and his scouting parties traycr-
sed the country round about in search Of Mcxi-
cans in arms. This was Of itself war, but this
was not all. A party of our troops fell in with a
party of armed Alexlcans, our men attacked them,
they stood their ground, and sanguinary fight
cnsuod, and lhcn and thus was the first blood
shed in this wicked war. Did the Mcxicans in
vade our soil a.! No, sir. They were in their
own country, their own homes. They had been
born there, and their progenitors for four gene
rations had been borni had lived, died, and been
buried there; and was it unreasonable for them
to suppose, that they had a right to remain there
in peace! Is il wonderful, sir, that these Mexi-
cans standing there before the dwellings of their
wives and little ones, in sightofthe templcsw where
they had first worshiped the Living God, and
upon their fathers graves, should fight against
those who came to yeX them, and make them
afraid! | admit that they had good cause for
war.
Away, then, with this pitfu pretcnce, that
Mexico invaded our territory and shed the blood
Of our citizens on our soil. If our Anglo-Saxon
propensity to take the land of other people with
out their consent b. too strong to be rcpressed, let
us indulge il after the old Ango.Saxon manner.
Let us come out boldly and tell Mexico that she
has land that we desire to have, and that as she
l will not yield it upto us peaccably, we will take
it from her by force. There never was an An.
gIo.SaXon land robber, from llengist down to the
potIiesl marauder, that ever frightened tho women
and children of Il hamlet on the sea coast who
would not have scorned to 60 to war upon such q
prelonco as we have gone upon.
5 The President having, as | trust have shown
he has, commenced the war without the author
lty Of Congress, it follows, Of course, that he
committed palpable violation of the Constitu-
, ton. i am aware that Congress have passed an
+ act Of indemnity against this usurpatOn of their
just authority, and have even, 50 far as they could
laid the blame of the war on Mexico, by declaring
that it exists by her act but this cannot alter the
fact nor deceive history. No, sir. Her stern
record will tell the truth, let it afford said and
comfort" to whom it may.
Twill next enquire for what is the war wagod!
Not for the conquest of territory, but for peace,
} says the President. For peace, indeed. Why,
sir, he was the first to break peace. But for him
, we should have had peace now. We have never
had any war with Mexico but such as he has
2 made, and there never has been day since il
/ commenced that ii would not have ceased prose-
t cutting it. That tale will not do, sir. Well,
f what next ., it is prosecuted to make Mexico