The Somerset herald and farmers' and mechanics' register. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 183?-1852, 1847-03-16

UO0pS enough. DubHe ittb hic4h
And now, wlren the Mexicans have en-,
trenched themselves, have streugtReDeu
their farsdi-ations. put down their iaenoHs
,nd a-rsoa;tel IS one man, with taclr ola
..a ,hios, cbieftqin. Santa Anna, al Vheif
Iaad~xow after eight or nine months, de-
az ~ President is ready to go forward;
h,s,lng about. and complaining OF
or meaos. General Gaines, know
inc that the true course was 70 strike
ouick and heavy blows, promptly called
- the field all the forces at hand, to act
with energy. before the enemy had time
ob,rmonize and concentrate theirstrength
srd ,tus 10 put an end to the warat once;
"a for doing this, he has been court
@s,.;ared nv the President, and removed
Co. b;s command in the south. Ana
~, iii The President do? Instead OF
s,r;kino vigorously al the heart oil Mexi-
~ he is found invading her remote and
.decencelsss frontiers, in organizing civil
governments. and in securing territory to
10 beId as indemnify for the expenses oil
the war. as apay for heating the poker.
pv taking possession Of her frontier pro-
r;nces. the President has essentially
strengthened Mexico, by relieving her
from the necessity Of keeping up troops
nm her frontiers to hold in check the
fierce and warlike savsges of the North,
who were continually making hostile in
curyions. and robbing and numbering her
people. These Indians are now held IN
check bv our troops, and Mexico has
withdrawn hers to strengthen her deien-
cas al home. The whole Of these move
mems show conclusively that the pur-
pose and policy of the President, in the
commencement and prosecution of this
war, has been the acquisition of territory;
and, although he may deny it in his mes
sage. who that looks to his acts can be-
ljeye him! Now, | submit to my friends
in the South. in all kindness, | ask them,
ought they not to be satisfied! Have we
not oiyen them Florida at a cost of forty
millions? Have we not purchased for
them Louisiana, which has given them
four or five States; and have we not re-
Gently annexed Texas, which will give
them four or five more? ALI these vast
territories have been acquired partly by
the blood and treasure of the North, and
have all been surrendered to the South;
and vet it seems that southern men are
not satisfied Is this reasonable; is 1t
right! When we claimed the whole of
Oregon for tke formation of free States,
by title declared by the President TO be
s'clear and unquestionable," yet nearly
one half of it was given up by him. |
tell my friends in the South, that they
had better stop in their course of acquisi-
ton, especially by conquest. If they
proceed, they will establish a geographic
calline as a party line; and that viii in
the end destroy this Union. Suppose
parties are divided by geographical lines,
with northern candidates and southern
candidates for the Presidential Offices
Suppose the north should triumph In the
struggle; will the south submit! We
are told they viii not; that they will null
lily and set up a government oil then
own. But In q different result the North
might do the same thing. These arc
fearful consequences; may they not fol
low the further acquisition oil territory by
conquest? These dangers may be re.
mote; | trust they may never occur
that wisdom and moderation may forever
avert them from our beloved country
but I fear nothing can stop them (ifun-
restricted territory is acquired by con-
quest from swallowing up in the
end all that is precious in our present
happy Union and free Institutions. Such
are some Of the sad consequences which
/ fear will flow from this war, if its orr
ginal purposes and objects be carried
out.
This war which is to be prosecuted at
the sacrifice OF all the other great inter-
ests Of our country; for which internal
improvements are to be arrested; private
claims vetoed and postponed; in short, we
are told by the President In his Message,
that no appropriations that are not abso.
1utely Indispensable, are 10 be made while
this war lasts. What would the money,
already expended in killing those misera
bic Mexicans, have done for the improve
ment OF our country! Ii would have i'm
proved all our harbors, cleared out oul
rivers. and saved millions Of property anc
hundreds Of lives, lost for want Of them;
il would complete a railroad from The
Mississippi to the mouth Of the Oregon
1t would have conferred countless bless
ings and benefits upon our beloved coun-
try in a thousand forms; but instead Of
this, what has it done, an6 what will il
do! 1t has destroyed thousands of lives
the lives Of many Of our best men, by
sickness and the sword-it has made
hundreds Of widows and orphans
viii destroy the health as well' as the hab.
its Of hundreds and thousands Of our best
citizens-it will build up an enormous
standing army and pension list 10 restlike
an incubus upon the people for a genera,