Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-12-17

Whenever nation becomes Involved in war tll
i-Anifestoes and every other public ACT issued 70
the purpose OF justifying It's conduct always einhra
every ground Of complaint which possibly be Al
lodged. But admitting, that the refusal To safisf
the claims for indemnity Of our citizens might hav
been Just cause Of war, il is most certain. tha
those claims were not the cause Of that in which w
are now involved.
Ii may be proper, in the first place % observe
that the refusal Of doing justcc in eases Of Thu k
or the long delays in providing for them, have no
generally produced actual war. Almost always long
Irotracted negotiations have been alone rcsored TO
This has been sirikingly the case with the Cniiet
States. The Chains Of Great Britain for British
debts secured BY the treaty Of l7sa, were not set
lied and paid tn the year lso5 and it was only
subsequent to that year, that the claims Of the Uni
ted States for deprcations committed in 1888, wert
satisfied The very plain question Of slaves carried
away by the British forces in 1919 ia open violation
OF the treaty Of lsi4 settled and the inden-
nifty paid till the year 1896. The claims against
frunce, for depredafions committed in the venrr
1906 to 1919, were not settled and paid for tn the
year 1854. In all those cases peace was preserved
by patience and forbcarauec.
With respect to the Mexiran indemnities the sub
Ject had been more than once laid before Congress
not without suggestions that strong measures should
be rcsorted 10. But Congress in whom alone Is
vested the power Of declaring war, uniformly de-
clined doing IL
A convention was entered into on the iIth April.
1889 between the United States and Mexico BY vir-
tue Of which a joint commission was appointed for
The examination and settlement Of those claims.
1he powers OF the commissioners terminafcf. &C.
cording to the convention. in February, Ist2 The
total amount Of the American claims, presented to
the commission, amounted to Sc ,29l sos. OF these
S1O26,l40 were allowed BY the commission; a fur
ther sum Of S928G2s was allowed BY the commits
sioners OF the United States rejected by the Mexican
commissioner aud left undecided BY the umpire;
and claims amounting to ssls56,sJ7 had not been
examined.
A new convention, dated January 30. lsls. grant
ed TO the Niexicans further DELAY for the payment
Of the claims which had been admitted BY virtuc Of
which the interest due to the claimants was made
payable on the 30th April, ls43 and the principal
Of the awards, and the interest aecrung thereon
was stipulated to be paid in five years, in twenty
equal instaiments every three months. The claim
ants received the interest due on the 3Oth April
1913, and the three insialments. The agent Of the
United states having under peculiar circumstances
gwen receipt for the instalments due in April and
July, isf4, before they had been actually paid BY
Mexico the payment has been assumed By the Uni
ted States and discharged to the claimants.
A third convention wns concluded at Mexico ON
the 2oth November, 1s43i by the Plenipotentiaries
OF the two Governments, BY which provision was
made for ascertaining and paying ihe claims ON
which no final decision had been made. In Jan
uary. ls44 this convention was ratified BY The Sen
ate Of the United States, with Two amendments,
which were referred to the Government Of Mexico
nat respecting which no answer has been made.
On the 18th April 1874, treaty was concluded by
the President with Texas, for the annexation Of that
republic to the United States. This treaty. though
mot ratified BY the Senate placed the two countries
IN new position and arrested for while all nego-
tiatioHs- Itwas only on the Isi March, ls45, that
Congress passed joint resolution for the annex
alton.
L. appears most clearly that the United States are
justly entitled 10 full indemnify for the injuries
done to their citizens THAT before the annexation
OF Texas there was every prospect Of securing that
indemnity and that those Injuries even II they had
been just cause for war were in no shape whatever
the cause of that in which we are now involved