Democratic banner., 1847-12-13
CLAY'S RESOLUTION s THE MARCH
TO THE RIO GRANDE.


/. ResoiUed, As The opinion of this meet
ing, that the primary cause Of tie pre-
sent unhappy war, existing between t'e
United States of America, ami the United
States of the Republic of Mexico, was Il,
annexation Of Texas to the former; and tlai
the immediate occasion of hostilities BE-.
tween the two republics, arose out of the
order of the President of the United States
for the removal Of the army under the CON-
mand of General Taylor, from its position
at Corpus Christi to a point opposite to
Matamoros, on the East bank of the Rio
Bravo, within territory claimed by both re-
publics, but then under the jurisdiction Of
that of Mexico, and inhabited by its citi-
gems; and that the order of the President
for the removal of the army to that point.
wss impropideut and unconstitutional, il
being without the concurrence of Congress,
or even any consultation with it, although
j: was in session; but that Congress having,
by subsequent acts, recognized the war
thus brought into existence without IFS pre-
vious authority or consent, the prosecution
Of it became thereby National.
The above, is one of the resolutions
drawn up by the Hon. Henry Clay, and
passed by the Wing Meeting at Lexington,
before which he delivered his celebrated
anti war speech.
It will be seen, that though he admits
the annexation of Texas to have been the
primary cause Of the war, yet he argues,
butfor the march of the army from Corpus
Christi, the war might have been avoided
To sustain both of these positions, requires
ever the arguuentative powers of a great
81 and mightier statesman than the sage Of
Ashland. 10 sustain the first position was
necessary to sustain the reputation of the
statesman himself, as a prophet who had
said that annexation would involve this
country in a war.
To sustain the latter was necessary to
cast a slur upon the executive officer that
had beaten him for the Office to which his
eyes have SO long been turned. Granting
him then the former, for the sake of his
prophecy, let US briefly notice the evidence
Of the latter. In establishing his first posi-
ton, he has proven from Mexican authori-
ty, that annexation was not only the prima-
~ but the sole cause Of the breaking out
Of hostiiities.
He says that the Mexican Minister (Al-
monte, "formerly announced to the gov
srnmsht at Washington, that his nation
would consider the annexation of Texas to
the United States as producing a state of
war;" He might have gone further, by
adding that upon its actual passage in Con-
gress, that that Minister peremptorily de-
manded his passport, and left this govern
ment abruptly, declaring that his govern
ment would regard annexation as a "casus
5eAi," and that war was the only recourse
Of his government. The evidence he
could have given that annexation was the
sole cause Of the war, does not stop here.
Upon the arrival Of our Minister, Mr.. Sill
dell, at Mexico, the Mexican Minister of
foreign affairs, Pena y Pena, refused upon
the most trivial pretences to accredit him.
And for suffering an American peace minis
ter to set foot in that country at all, and for
refusing to march the Mexican army imme-
diately into Texasin open hostility, a revo-
luton broke out, by which Herrera was
supplanted by Paroles, known to be in ia
vour Of immediate war. The first official
act Of this last dictator was to issue a war
manifesto, in which he declared that he had
already given orders to the army Of the
North "to act in hostility against the army
in hostility against u.s." The standard was
said this military usurper, con which
Mexicans would behold the illustrious names
Of Hidalgo and Iturbide, summoning Mexico
to conquer, or cease to be-"
On the 18th of March, Paroles, minister
IF foreign affairs, addressed a note to Mr..
SlideIi again rejecting the orertures he
made on the lst of that month, still repeat
+be sole grievance, the annexation of
Texas, which he too, declared was regard
ID BY his government as a "casus 6eAl,"
snd that "war was the only ecourse of the