The Port-Gibson correspondent., 1847-03-13

:, ioNGIS - JUST as the gentleman from
Massachusetts that day, when he found
that he could not maintain his charge a.
gainst the administration and the demo-
cratic party Of hostility 10 General Tay.
ior, dashed across the Gulf to Santa An
mas cockpit in Havana and rhargedi the
President with being friendly 10 Santa
Anna.
Mr.. Ashmun, did not say so!
Mr.. Douglass. Well, the gentlema n
tried 10 produce that impression.
| Mr.. Ashmun. said no such thing!
Ehe gentleman surely does not desire to
+ 'isrepresent me?--I said expressly that
I'D not think that Mr.. Polk had any
+ patriotic views in his breast when be
! ut his secret agent 10 Santa Anna Bat
repeat, the only charge 70 which he
as Justly liable was, that be placed too
much faith in man whose whole his
tory was full Of treacherv. I did not
say that Mr.. Polk was friendly 10 Santa
Anna,
Nj. Douglass. admit The explanation.
Nj. Ashmun. Correction, not explains
ton.
Mr. Douglass. Well, ! admit the cor
rection.-The gentleman, then, did not
charge lhe President with any such de-
sign. OF course il was unnecessary for
him Mr.. d J to defend him against the
charge Of entertaining such a design. lie
only charged The President with con.
spiracy against General Taylor, end on
that he made speech about Santa Anna.
Now, if the only point Of his speech was
d charge against the President il regard
10 Santn Anna, what fact did he state 70
prove il? lie (Mr ID had shown se>
ries Of acts Of kindness, ol friendship, Of
honor, Of good will unparalleled in nun
ber md rapidly ofsuccession when com
pared with any similar acts on The part
or fany President towards any general in
the army. Where. then, the evidence 10
sustain such charge? The gentleman
characterized that vote as an insult.
Where was the evidence? Because they
had voted ID that resolution Provlso
that they did not intend that to De con-
slrued into an act Of approval Of the
capitnlation of MontcIeY.-N here was
The insult? The articles and facts Of
that capituiation had never been made
fully known 10 the country. They had
expressed no opinion as to the capituIas
lion. The details were not yet known.
(Mr. d. deied The gentleman TO show
any details, any reason for il. except IN
private letter. Did The gentleman wish
them to give vote Of approval in thai
matter on the authority nl private let-
ter, published only in part; with ars
indicating what had been omitted.--A-
gain: all know that there had been a se>
rious discussion all over the land in re
gard to the capltulation at Monterey.
There was, however, a general reso.u-
tion not to complain-not to- censure--
not 10 find fauh--but a general suspen>
sion or opinion till it was asccrtained on
what grounds the capituloiion has been
deemed necessary. There was great
forbearance in thus rcfrainng from an
expression Of opinion ill nll the facts
were known. The President OF the
United States, in a communication Of the
War Department, presumed that clrcum
stances mad justified the act. II the Pres,
ident presumed that circumstances had
justified the act, did that display a want
of confidence in Gen. Taylor? What
more confidence could they desire? The
democratic party had been willing TO en-
tertain the same presumption; and yet
there had been a general enquiry into
what that state Of facts had been. YET
they were now asked to go it blind and
before aware oGthe facts, to approve OF
the act! So far as they knew, they ap>
proved. What they did not know they
refralned from expressing an opinion a.
bout, and yet for that they were censurs
ed.
Mr.. Ashmun here begged that the
gentleman would understand distinctly
his positions. lie (Mr. a said that his
friends wished clear and unequiyocal
vote Of thanks.
Mr.. Douglass proceeded. les. they
did say they were unwilling to vote
thanks 10 a general Tor fighting in an
unrigh'e US and unhoIv cause.
Mr.. Nj. Brown asked why, when the
vote Of thanks was given before, the
same clause was not introduced, chorac-
.erizing the war as righteous and holy
Mr.. Douglass replied: il bad not been
done simply because il had not been de-
nounced as sunrighleous and unholy,
Mr.. Ashmun. l beg the gen
tIeman will understand distinctly
the position Itook. Heproposed
a clear, distinct, uneqniyocal vote
of thanks. The gentleman and
| his friends refused to vote such
resolution, unless, accompa-
MED by an equiyocal expression
in regard to Gen'I. Taylor's cha
racter and conduct, and also
what we may regard asunfound-
ed allegation with regard to the
origin Of the war.