Democratic banner., 1847-02-15

commenced finding fault, and unwilling to
be the cause of difficulties, he commenced
moving out of the country. They pursu-
ed, melting the Indians ahead to arrest his
progress. Thus placed between two fires,
he CALAMITY, with his little band, turned up
on the less savage foe, and by the rapidity
of his operations and a brilliant success
ion of triumphs, aided and supported by
our gallant naval force in the Pacific, in a
few days overturned the government of
California, and added it to the list of con-
quests which have graced the triumph Of
our arms. For bold and daring enterprise,
for rapidity of operations, for the achieve
ment of important victories at little cost o.,
blood, for magnitude of results, this Con-
quest has few parallels.
What followed tie c~onoueste The same
mild system Of temporary civil government
which was extended over New Mexico,
was generously given to the Californias.-
The conqueror took the reins of govern
ment, and now administers it for the bene-
fit of the people, until the fate of war de-
termines where it is to fall. Do gentlemen
find anythingt to complain of in all this? Is
there anything in it establishing more than
a temporary government pending hos
~tilities?
Mr.. B. would beg leave to call gentle
mans attention to illustrious examples of
conquest, and the disposition of conquest
in our own country, of which he had heard
no complaints. In the late war with Great
Britain, General Brock, the commander of
her forces in the northwest, conquered
Michigan, one of the territories of the U.
States. He Immediately made proclama-
ton of the fact, and demanded obedience
of the citizens to the conquering power.
The government of the territory was imme-
diately turned over to Colonel Proctor, who
assumed the executive department, turned|
officers and appointed others, and ex-
to it British laws and a British adj.
He would not trouble the
House with reading General Brooks proc
lamation, or Col. Proctor's principles laid
down, upon which the government was to
be administered; they could both be found
the third volume of Niles Register; and
if gentlemen would take the trouble to read
them, they would almost fancy that our
had them before them when
were establishing civil governmental
over the conquered provinces of Mexico.
Here is a precedent, and a precedent wei
to, until, by the g~allantry of our
we drove the invaders from our
soil. Nor do we read in those times that
peace party then applied the titles of
usurper, despoiler, and plunderer, so lavish
ly bestowed upon the President, even upon
the British commander, simply because the
fortune of war had temporarily placed one
IF our provinces in his possession. And
yet the case was much better calculated toI
arouse our antipathies, and call forth our
1enunciations, than when our W govern
nent is the victorious party, and a foreign
oe the vanquished.
But we have still another illustrious ex-
in point. and that was the conquest
upper Canada by Gen. Harrison, in 1873.
he proclaimed law to that province q
n almost the identical form adopted by our !
commanders. This is a case direct :
y in point. And what say gentlemen toll
t? Was he an usurper and a plunderer? |
Vas he a ~violator of the law of nations Pr
70. And he deied gentlemen to draw a r
ubstantial distinction in the two cases. 4
All! but, say gentlemen, the design of !
permanent government is manifested by the q
'ecretary of War in his direction to Colonel
stevenson to enlist troopss for that service, .
who would be likely to remain at the end e
the war either in Oregon or in any 9TH v
n territory in that region of the globe I
which lay then be a part of the United c
The above quotation embraces a
the denounced, portion of that i~nstruc- s
on which alarmedth the Wing press for the 8
tie of the country, and winch has figured y
conspicuously in this debate. And what y
,es it all amount to? What mighty de-.
gns of usurpation and plumber does it s
lroud and e%nvelop from the public gaze h