Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-01-16


held and rights in deeper any other
Mexcohow glorious, behold iustrious and talent
ed President engaging in secret underhanded intrigue
with wretch like this to effect treaty OF peace With
what pleasure must his friends look upon this part of his his
oy Must the blush of shame rise into Eeir cheeks
the thought that their President had deeply degraded the
Government and thecounry But il seemed that this in
ue Of his had proved successful he had accomplished the
great end he had in view, by returning Santa Anna safely to
the Mexican soil. He there-the life and soul of
all their operations against Who, then, Mr. s. would
askwho that might Justly be charged with having
given Mexico the aid and comfort OF his presence in
the midst her nfuse enthusiasm the breasts Of
her people, guide her councils, and TO combine and
cenale her military power Who had brought this enemy
of ours the great crisis and strait Of her atarsa gene
raj Of unparalleled military skill able in strategy arllu and
reacherous plans, adro in diplomatic movements,
in dupiciy, and deeply versed in the nature of
greater all these respects than any they had had
among hem-who gave the Mexicans all this g aid and
comfort !" The President of the United States This
the fruit Of his seven months conduct Of the Mexican
He had brought them Santa Anna, and with him sixty
seventy of the most accomplished and experienced military
leaders, who at this hour doing against than
had baan GoEe since the contest began We had been
eight months in the war, and what had been accomplished
Paredes petty usurper, with nothing to recommend him
but the holiness and cruelty with which he had seized and
maintained his power had been turned out and Santa Anna
put his place. to control and to combine the whole move
men of the Mexican strength. This was the :" aid and
comfort which Mexico had received from the President OF
the United States. Now, Mr. s. prepared to ask which
fort and Of ad-the President the Wings, who had
pressed their honest opinions Of his conduct
And Mr. S. would proceed to inquire, for what Pu-
pose this BE- prosecuted 1t had often been asked
whether this was a war Of conquest II seemed difficult
thing say what sort Of war it and he thought upon
the whole, must be Sui geneS-a war that had no
parallel The President indeed, had assured Congress in
his message that not of conquest and his friends
seemed much reoced finding that declaration in the
sage yet another part of this document he congatu
lated Congress the increase of territory by the
conquest of many Mexican Provinces and urged the ap
preparation of money for the purpose OF orying those
acquisitions Yet it was no war OF conquest-oh no
A gentleman from Tennessee, (Mr STANTON who SEEM
ed be Of the spokesman Of the President had given the
House his most solemn that there had been no de-
sign of conquesnone at all it had only been undertaken to
carry the great OF the age, in the acquisition
Of California IA laughl Another friend had given the
House equally gratifying. This gentleman
exclaimed that he himself against all conquest he did
consider patriotic to sanction OF conquest and
he gave the House his word, Representative and gen.
leman that no such designs cherished by the Admins
tration. Yet his idea that should finally
cude boundary the Rio Gande to latitude 32o,
and thence carry directly to the Pacific, and take all
Mexico north of that line. laugh II was no war Of
conquest no thing thought of intended; but
as an incident of the wa- might probably happen that
should get one-thrd one-half of Mexico Laughter.
Another good friend of the Administration the gentleman
from New York, (Mr PREsToS KISG,) told the House the
thng-ha this of conquest, but only war
for the acquisition of a little more free territory.
Mr. KING here nterposed say that the gentleman from
Indiana incorrect He had said such thing that
this not Of conquest. He had not once used
the word. s..
Mr.. SMITH did not admit be had been mistaken The
gentleman had certainly said that should probably get more
territory by conquest and that this to be free territory
Mr. KING again nterposed and said that he had made
of such language he had not used the word soon
quest at all. ..
A voice He did not the word
Mr. KING. No, nor the idea.
Mr. SMITH rendered the gentleman many thanks for the
gratifying assurance; must certainly disarm their fears
OF course them after all these repeated from
many friends of the President Mr. s. not to say that this
of conquest It was not certainly then he sup
posed must be designated of manifest destiny
which hough ntended plant the glorious stars
and stripes half Of Mexico. twas OF destiny
Of manifest destiny Much laughter
Mr.. s. said that for he opposed to any conquest
of Mexico getting any Mexican territory under any
whatever He had always been against the annexation
Of Texas and he would say that he still believed that
had taken place in history frem which ca
lames so great were likely proceed that nothing had
happened to which would prove injurious to the
country He had regarded at the time great evil
connected with that act that would open the door TO more
annexaons of the kind He had predicted then that
within six months the cry would be raised that California must
be "reannexed and events had shown that followed close
on its heels.
question now arose which was deserving of very serious
consideration and that was, ought 10 prosecute this war
TO conquer Mexico And if did, when did expect to
be able accomplish it, proceeding at the rate and IN the
manner we had done thus far IL the Mexicans should be
possessed by the spirit which manifested in the let
tiers Santa Anna, would be at least ten years before we
should succeed. But gentlemen told him that must COM
pei Mexico make treaty, and that must dictate its
terms in her capital We must "conquer pesce, whether
she was willing or unwilling Now, he thought this might
prove to be very difficult, and that should be obliged to
sacrifice more life and in the attempt than
temen seemed suppose. But Mexico should refuse to
treat what then Were 10 push the to extermna
ton Must carry ill the whole Mexican nation was
atol moi. VIII was q be
But supposng should be able TO exto from her the
province Of California New Mexico and then add Chhua
hua and Coahua, and New Leon and Tamaulpas suppos
ing we got them all, what to do with them That
was question which involved consequences serious than
were presented by any other of the subject The House
had had foetase here, within the last two days, Of what
was follow. gentleman who had addressed the commit
tee yesterday (M HILLARD) had told them that if these
new territories into the Union, they must in
slave territory that they Of the South to be deprived
of the privilege of going into the States with all their
goods and chatte and all that they in the habit OF
gariing property and he went to the House in
strains Of imprisoned eoquence to beware Of the danger
which was impending that the result Of perssng
in such determination had been avowed in certain quar-
tiers would inevitably be the dissolution Of this Union. gen.
teman from New York, (Mr KIse,) on the other hand,
warned the House in like to beware that ii these
new territories 10 be admitted and annexed there must
be no slavery there that the North would submit to
have the Of slavery exended that they would dissolve
the Union before they would to admit these States
as slave territory. ...
Mr. KING said he must again correct the gentleman lie
had expressed no such sentiment On the contrary he had
desired that the question should be brought discussed
He had no fears all Of the dissolution Of the Union.
Lorxxa bo