Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-12-31

Whenever noiiou becomes involved Il ~.
tic manilesloes and every oiher pubic ucl issu.
ea loF Ihe purpose Of lusiilying rs oonduci, al,
ways embrace every ground ul complaint which
can possibly be alleged. But, admitting lhas
The refusal 70 satisfy the claims ior Indemnity of
our citizens might have been just cause orwar,
u Is most certain that those claims were nos he
cause Of that ia which We are now involved.
Il may be proper, IN the first place, 10 observe
That the refusal Of doing justice, 10 cases Of this
knd' or the long delays in providing loF ihem,
have not generally produced actual war. Al
most always long-prOracled negotiations have
been alone rcsoued 10. This has been striking.
/ iy The case with the United States. The claims
I OF Great Britain for BRUSH debls. secured BY
the treaty Of 1893, were not setled and paid 6ll
The year 1908; and it was only subseaucnt 10
that year that The claims or the Unlted Staies.
for depredatiOns committed in 1898, were sans.
fed. The very plain question Of slaves carr.
81 away BY the British forces IN 1915, in omen
violation Of the treaty Of 1914, was not se,ted
and the indemnify paid ill the year 1926. The
claims against France for depredaiions commi,.
tcd 10 the year 1906 to 1913 were not serl..d
and paid FOR Iill the year 1884. In all those
eases peace was preserved by patience and for.
beamucc.
With respect to the Mexican indemnitcs, the
subject had boon laid more than once before
Congress, not without suggestions that strong
measures should BE- rcsOucd to. But Congress,
10 "ham done Is vested the power Of declaring
wur, uniformly declined doing il.
A convention vas entered into on The l4th Of
ApHl, 1889, between the United States and
Mexico, by yirtue Of which Joint commission
was appointed for the examination and scule.
mont Of those claims. The powers Of the Com.
miasjoncrs terminated. according to the conyen-
ton, IA February, Ig42. The total amount Of
he American claims. presented 10 the commi--
sion, amounted 10 e6,29l COS. OF lbcse, S2,.
09G, l4O were allowed by the commission; a fur
ther sum Of s92s,628 were allowed Ly tho
commissioners Of the United States, rejected by
the Mexican commissioners, and left undecided
By the umpire, aud claims amounting 10 e..
5JU,C31 had not been examined.
4 new convention, dated January 90. IG4S,
grained 10 the McXIcans further delay for the
payment Of the claims which had been admitted,
Jy virtue Of which the interest due to the clai-
manIs was made payable on The 3Olh Of April,
lJ4o, aud The principal Of lhe awards, and tho
interest accrung thereon, was stipulated 10 be
paid IN five years, in twenty equal nslaImentJ
every three months. The claimauS received
the inlcr,s, due on the 3Oh Of April, 1913, and
Ihe three inSamenls. The agent Of the Uni
Ted States having, under peculiar circumstances,
given a receipt for the instalmenIs due in April
and Jolly, 1914, before they had been actually
paid by Mexico. the payment has been assumed
BY III, United States and discharged to the cIai-
mauls.
i third convention was concluded at Mexico
on the 2O;h November l843, by The PIenipoten-
liurics Of The Two Governments, by which pro-
vision was made for asccrlaning and paying lhe.
claims onwhlch no finul decision had been nude.
ln January, lG44, this convention was ratified
By the Senate Of the United States, with two
amendments. which were referred 10 the Gov.
ernmrnt Of Mexico, but respecting which no
answer has ever been made. Ga The 12h OF
April, 1914, Il treaty was concluded by The Pre-
; sdenl with Texas, for the annexation ofthat re-
public to he United States. This treaty, though
, hot ratified by The Senate. placed the TWO coun-
lrirs in new position, and arrested for a while
all negotiations. 1t was only on the Isl of
March, 1915, that Congress passed joinl rcso-
luton for The annexation.
1t appears most clearly that the United States
arc justly entitled 10 full indemnify for the in.
iurcs done 10 their citizens; that, before the an
neXaIon Of Texas, there was every prospect of
securing that indemnify; and that those injuries,
even if they had been just cause for war, we
in no shape whatever The cause OF thai in which
we are now involved.
Are the United States justly entitled to indem-
nifty for any other cause! This question can
not be otherwise solved than by an inquiry into
the facts, and ascertaining by whom, and how,
the war was provoked.
llI.-AHneraliOn Of Ttras.
/ At the time when the annexation of Texas
took place. Texas had been recognised as an in
dependent Power, both by the United States and
by several of the principal European Powers;
bat It's independence had not been recognised by
Mexico. Nothing can be more clear and undc-
nable than that, whenever two nations are ut
war, if a third Power shall enter into a treaty of
alliance, offensive and defensive, with either of
the belligcreGIS, and Il such treaty is not contin-
gent and is 10 take effect Immediately and pen
ding the war, such treaty is declaration ofwar
against the other party. The causes of the war
between the two betgerents do not alter tho
fact. Supposing thai The third parry, the inter-
lering Power, should have concluded the treaty
Of alliance with that beiIigcrent, who was clear
" engaged in most just war, the treaty would
not be the less declaration Of war against the
other begerent. e
Ii Great Britain and France were at war. and
the United States were 10 enlcr INTO such trea-
~ with either, can there be the slightest doubt
that this would be actual war against the other
parry; that it would be considered as such, and
that ii must have been intended for that purpose!
If, ut this moment, either France or England
were TO make such ID treaty with Mexico, there
by binding themselves to defend and protect il
with all their forces against any other Power
whatever, would not the United States rslan-
laneOusy view such Il treaty us u declaration of