Democratic banner., 1847-03-29
~sTIIE PRESIDENTIAL WAR"

Were no evil likely to result from permit
ting the above phrase 70 pass without notice.
it might be allowed, as well for its novelty.
as its absurdity. But when men, claiming
for themselves, par excellence, the title Of
"conservators" Of the Constitution, with
~effrontery unparalleled, urge it upon the
world as truth, we shall be pardoned fordi
recting their attention to facts, which, in
their jealous opposition to the Mexican War.
appear to have escaped their observation
The facts in the case then are as follows
For a series of years, seizures, spoliations,
and confscations of vessels and theil
freights, were committed by the Mexicans,
upon American shippers and ship masters.
for the aliedged breach of their maritime
laws; until wearied, by this long continued
injustice and oppression, complaints were
formally made to our government, against
Mexico, and the damage estimated at a.
bout $4,000 ,OGO. For a series of years,
these claims were disregarded, by the Mexi-
can Government; until, by the unremittcd
exertions of Mr.. V. Buren,, in 1889, a trea-
ty was entered into by the two governments;
and a joint commission, created by that trea-
ty, to examine, and, audit the claims of our
citizens. That commission reduced the
claims down from $4,000, 900 to S2,O26, l3S.
They failed to pay the claim thus reduced
and the failure to pay this money caused
another treaty to be entered into in 1S43,j
by which Mexico was bound to pay the III
terest on this amount up to the Both of April
1913, ard then to pay the principal with the
accruing, in quarterly instalments,
so that the whole claim passed, should be
paid off in FIVE years. The first three of
these instalments were paid. The remain
der was refused; upon the plea, that the
United States had despoiled Mexico of a
PUIpr"I. IS rUI uUInInIons, or was about tuI
do so, by the annexation of Texas. This
indeed was not assigned, by their gove1n-
ment, to ours, as a reason for the nonpay-
me- nsn1 s. bat tHft It p s5f ifsEea klEd fKgri rssttt- 81 he, pay
mcnts being stopped will warrant no other
conclusion, than, that the government Of
Mexico conceded with the press and the
people, in their refusal to pay the claim:
During this time commercial men whuI
had suffered by the seizures of Mexico,
clamOured necessarily against the then ad-
ministration for neglecting the interests of
commerce. 1t was charged against the
Democratic party as a wilful neglect c.
Wing interests in suffering those shippers to
-be oefrauded of their rights; petitions for
instant redress crowded upon our govern
1nent, and m speech upon speech it was
proclaimed to be an Intentional neglect.
from principle, of wing interests. The par-.
papers of thatday promised that if all
whig President were in the executive chair :
that Mexico would be speedily brought to a !.
proper sense of what was right, or that the =
Thig President would speak trumpet toned -
It the "HalIs of the Montezumas." :
A Wing President was made, to wit: +
rippecanoe and Tyler too, for the express T
purpose of putting an end to Democratic :,
Of which these sufferings of the :.
commercial wings, formed, in the east, an =
important item. What was the consequence.
that this "Tylertoo" ordered a feet =
the waters, and at army into the %coun-n
y, claimed by Mexico, as an integral por-a +,
on of her territory. He urged Texas to
mex by every means in her power, and =,
ven, clandestinely, got up a treaty by r.
Texas was to be annexed TO the Uni-lI.
ed States, and was foiled in the annexa. =,
on, by a democratic Senate disagreeing to h.
lie propositions contained in that treaty. h,
his did not satisfy the people. The wings y,
that, time had a majority in the House IA
over ana it was confidently anticipated n
at they had a majority of the people.-n mr.
Re question was taken from the House bo
d thrown before the people, and the peo- "
p & majority of whom) supposed to be wi
llgs, elected a man comparatively IN hi.
own, over the most p~uissant leader of h.,