Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-24

o expose those hollow prctenccs aud iisinccre protcs-
IONS OF the authors and apologlsts TOR the war VIII
which have been controverted heretofore WIN
10 other apparent effect than to induce q more pcrtlha-
Gus repetition Ot them.
Referring to his last annual communication to Con
Ircss Tor particulars OF his bill ct arrangement, the ire
'tdent again recitcs alleged wrongs by Mexico, ulfough
a long series of years. &c. as being such as noi
,nly To constitute ample cause OF war, but as wouiu
have justified the United States before The whole world
in resorting to this extreme remedy. This every one,
ut all acquainted with history, knows to be gross ex-
nggeration. The long existence OF claims Tor wrongs
now alleged TO have been so enormous Is OF ltsci PROOF
the Tact that they were not at any time deemed by
Congress TO constitute n sufficient cause OF war. Most
of them had besides been actually adjusted by a treaty
the two countries, which was in the course OF
faithful execution by Mexico when the hostile dcmon-
OF our Administration suspended the pay.
mcnt OF stipulated indcmnities. AS to what remained
OF unadlusted claims, there was nothing, until the &c.
currcncc OF this war, to prevent Their penccaDle ana
even satisfactory adjustment. As to the refusal by
Mexico to receive our Minister being, as the President
intima,cs, n sufficient cause OF war, 1t is a sufficient
answer to the President that the army was ordered TO
march to the Rio Grandc (wlere, according to the
programme OF the government paper, the ,rdr irds 10
begin two months before our Minister was finally re-
fused to b. received by the Government of Mexico.
But let it b. admitted, for the sake OF argument, and
for that sake only, that, according to the customs and
and laws OF notions in less civilized, less moral, ana
less enlightened ages than the present, we really mad
cause OF war with Mexico, so far as war between two
Chrlstian Nations is ever Just or necessary yet, war
with Mexico, distracted, weakened, aud Impoverished
as she had long been and then was, with intestine lac
tons and divisions, was neither necessary, magnanl-
nous, nor honorable OH our part. Such a war, even
Tor Just objects, being unnecessary-the only lneSiapie
effect indeed upon the claims for which II would be
waged Icing to fasten them upon our own lrcasury
instead of the Mexican-could never rebound to the
glory o! The country, and much less compensate ior the
rivers OF blood aud heaps OF treasure which have been
already wasted in this war.
But, TO mss all this by. whether the existing war be
Just or unjust, ncct ssary or unnecessary, IS moi me
question now at issue between the President and the
People. Was this War the act OF the Sovereign
People ofthe United States, declared in their name, IN
the only manner known or acknowledged by the Coh-
stitutior-by the Senate and House of representatives
in Congress, to whom alone it belongs TO determine
whether War, at any time or under any clrcum-
stances, be Just and necessary Or was it, whether a
crime or a mistake, the unauthorized act OF the Presl-
dent. TO whom the Constitution has denied all power
over the question of War This is the true question ;
nor can all the wire drawn sophistry and special
pleading of the Presidents Message OF last year, re-
ierred to in that which is now before us, deceive a SIN
gle individual, be he Wing or be he Democrat OF
common sense or common information, against the
well known and well authenticated facts IN the case
Need we add, that, whoever the President be, VINO,
tampling down the barriers which the Constitution has
erected Tor the protection OF the general welfare, ana
Tor the security OF the lite, liberty, and property OF the
citizens, OF his own mere will and pleasure plunges
the country into n War, with or without cause1that
man is n Despot The Nation that quietly folds It's
arms and permits this to be done with IMMUNITY, may
deIude itself with the fancy that it lives under a writ
ten Law aud Constitution, but 1t is an idle dream
1 ia -NdllOn Is u lNutlOn OF slaves, uHu i've u q"
Despotism.
To proceed, however, to the main point, upon the
re-asscrtion OF which alone the President relies to
Justify himself before his own tellow-citizens Tor his
agency IN this War, VIZ, that the Mexican Govern
ment :" finally, under wholly unlustihable preteXts, IN
VOWED the two countries in war, by invading the ter
ritoly Of Texas, striking the first blow, and shedding
the blood OF our citizens on American soil" Not one
rord Of this is true. We regret the necessity, but the
President imposes upon us the obligation, OF renewing
the demonstration OF the utter ialsity OF the whole o
it. Mexico did not involve the two countries IN war
Mexico did not invade the territory of Texas: Mexico
did not strike the first blow Mexico did not shed the
blood IT our citizens on our own soil. -,
This whole question, it will been seen, resolves itsel
into one Of territorial boundary.
Did, nj the breaking out of this war, the territory
between the Nueces and the Rio Grande Del Norte)
belong to Mexico or to the United States
i did not belong to the United States. The Re-
public OF Texas had no tile to it. She had not even
a Respectable clam to it. She pretended to no such
title when she called n Convention to form her Con
s''tutI"n Tor not a member was ca lled TO that Con-
vention from any portion of the territory bounding on
on 'le no Gfnnde. Nor when, in her Constitution
sue apportloned the Representation in her Legislature
among the several districts of her territory, did she
enuneIa,e any districts lying upon the Rio Grande as
e nh 70 representation IN The le4ah EeneIai as
scnbly. The whole country on the Rio Grande, ana
lnueeu me whole country west of the Nueces, eNcept
the small settlement OF San Patricio, was exclusively in
possession OF the Mexicans, until the arny OF the
,hled states marched into ii, driving before II the
mexican civil officers and the peaceful inhabitants
leXas having no title to the territory, the annexation
81 ieNas to tins Union could confer none upon the
United States. Were a peace to be made tomorrow
on the basis OF leaving things as they were before the
war, me territory between the Nueccs and the Rio
Elnide would SUI constitute u part Of the Mexican
states Of Tamauipns, &c.
Inns state of the fact is none OF our first discovering
much less OF our imagining, We derive nearly all oul
m''rnn'ion on III subject from the highest Democra'
nc autilorlty.. When the Treaty with Texas, by which
she undertook to convey to the United States a west
ern boundary TO the Rio Grandc, was depending in the
senate, Mr.; Senator Benton high authority on the
lllrr InIinpnntly ,p,n,,a - pp ~, tn,,,
fraud and outrage.
" wash my hands said he, " of all attempts ID
dism'mber NE .ncrican Rcpubiic, By seisins her do
miniOns in Nen .Icrico, Chihuahu1, (oahuiI1. ana
1dmanflpas. The treaty, in all that relates 10 m.
dD"hddiy oj the Hio Gr0nde, isan act Of unpdrdLei-
ed onfraseo on -Mcrico. II IS the seizure of iro thon.
Sand m,ics Of her t%crrito,y, without a word OF eNpla.
nation with her, and by virtue OF Il treaty with Texas
TO when she is no party
Mr.. benton further declared that the claim set up by
Texas by the Treaty, If maintained, would cut of
y The capital and forty towns and villages of New
Mexico, now and always as fully under the dominion
OF Mexico as Quebec and all the of towns Canada arc
under The dominion Of Great Britain
resolution
Hsso'rcd. That the incorporation o. the lc, bank o
the kIo del Nor'c into the American Union, by virtue
OF a treaty with Texas, compromising, as the said IN
corporation would do, n portion Of the Mexican de-
Raartments OF New Mexico, chihuahua, Coahuila, anc
Inmanllpas' would be a" act Of direct aggression npo,
,Mrrico, tor gu Tie eonsequencescf ~hich the United
''ff' Ff'ff" ffNIVNsfDtFs
To the same effect, that great Democratic lender
the Hon; SILAs W WRIGHT. (whose late death has beer
so justly lamenled by men of all parties9 who was pre-
sent during the whole debate upon the Texas Treat,
aud gave ms vote against its ratification, declared I,
his constituents, in a speech delivered at Watertown
as follows:
3" ielt it my duty to vote against the ratification o
the treaty Tor the annexation. | believed that the
treaty, from the boundaries thaf must be implied from
It, embraced a country 10 rhich Ierds had no claim
orer tchich she had nercr asserted jurisdiction, ana
rhich she had no right to cede.'
But, many years before the date of this debate, the
records OF the United States had borne testimony to
the true boundary OF Texas. In 1886 an Agent was
despatched by the President of the United States Gen
haCK>oNl IN rvn,nin" nnd rsper, sr",. the condition VI
texas, which had then established an independent
Government and in his report, dated in August Of
that year, he reported that =" the political limits o.
texas proper, previous to the last revolution, were III,
Nnoces hirer on the nsst along the Red River or
the north the Sabine on the east and the Gulf O
Mexico OH the South"
A t the time of the consummn,ion of the act of an.
neXation, Mr, DoNEIsoN being the Charge dAtiaire.
OF the United states To that young Republic, commu
nlcated Freely. with his Government as 10 the position
OF thingsn Texas. From his letters we extract tn,
following passages, showing what was the fact AS L
the limits OF the territory actually occupied by Texas
even at that time
Corpus Christi is said to be ms healthy as Pensa
t cola, II convenient place for supplies, and THE MOS
I WESTERN PoINr NOW OCCuPIED ny TExAs"-Lefterl
, secretary Of State, June 30, 1915.
1 The occupation OF the country between the Nue.
g cs and the Rio Grande, you are aware, is a dispute,
A question. Texas holds Corpus Christi. Mexico IoIp
/ TUE BRASos DE SANTIAGo"-Letter 10 General TayLo
e June ~, 1913.
a The Joint resolution ct our Congress left the ques
. tOn an open one, and the preliminary proposition mad
by this Government, under theIauspices OF the BIRTHS