The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-12-25

| the United States, declared in their name, in
the only manner known or acknowledged
| by the Consttution-by the Senate and
! House Of Representatives in Congress 10
whom nonc II belongs to determine whether
War, at any time or under any circumstances,
be Just and necessary? Or was it, whether n
crime or u mistake, the unaut horized act of
the President, TO whom the Constitution has
denied all power over the question of War?
! This is the true qucstion;nor can all the wire
drawn sophisry aud special pleading of the
Presidents Message Of last year, referred 10
in that which il now before us, deceive n sim
gle individual, be he Wing or be he Demo
crat, ofcommon sense or common informa-
ton, ngainst the well-known and wel-nuihen-
ticated facts in The case. Need we add, that
whoever the President be, who tranpling
down the barriers which the Constitution has
erected for the protection of tho general well
fare, and for the security Of the life, liberty,
and property of the citizen, of his own mere
will and pleasure, plungCs the country into n
! War, with or without cause-thnt man is II
! Despot! The Nation that quietly folds its
arms and permits this to he done with impu-
nifty, may delude itself with the fancy that il
| lives under written Law aud Constitution,
but it is an idle dream. That Nation is a Ma
ton of slaves, aud lives under Despotsm.
To proceed, however, to the main point,
upon the re-asser,ion of which alone the
President relies TO justify himself before his
own fellow citizens for his agency in this
/ War, viz; that the Mexican Government Of
nally under wholly unjustfable pretcxts, i'm
voyed the two countries in war; 10y invading
the territory of Texas, striking the first blow,
and shedding the blood of our citizens on A.
merican soil" Not one irord ocMiS is true
We regret the necessity, but the President
imposes upon us the obligation of renewing
the demonstration ofthe utter ialsity Of the
whole oft Mexico did mol involve the two
countries in war; Mexico did not invade the
territory Of TeNns: Mexico did not strike the
first blow: Mexico did not shed the blood of
our citizens on Our own soil.
This whole question. it will be seen, re
solves itscifinto one of territorial boundary.
Did, at the breaking ont Of this war, the
territory between the Nucccs and the Rio
Grande Del Nore) belong to Mexico or TO
the United States?
1t did not belong to the United States. The
Republic ofTeXns had no lille TO it, She had
not even respectable claim 10 it. She pre-
tented to no such title when she called Con
vention to form her Constitution; for not
member was called 10 that Convention from
any portion ofthe territory bounding on the
Rio Grandc. Nor when, in her Constitution,
she apportioncd the Representation in her
Legislature among the several districts other
territory, did she enumcratc any districts ~
ing upon the Rio Grande as entitled 70 rep
rcsentalion in The Texan General Assembly,
The whole country on the Rio Grandc, and
indeed the whole country west ofthe Nueces,
except the small settlement of San Patricio,
was exclusively in possession of the McXi-
cans, until the army of the United States
marched into it, driving before it the MeX-
can civil officers and the peaceful inhabitants.
Texas having no title TO the territory, the an
ncXuton Of Texas to this Union could con-
] IL. -
peace TO he made 10 morrow on the basis of
leaving things MS they were before the war;
the territory between the Nueces and the
| Rio Graude would still cor situte part ofthc
Mexican States of Tamauipas, SC.
This state Of fact is none Of our first dis
coveyies, much less of our imagining. We
derive nearly all our information on the sub
ioct from the highest Democratic authority.
| When the Treaty with Texas, by which she
undertook TO convey to the United Suites a
western Boundary to the Rio Graude, was de-
pending in the Senate, Senator Benton thigh
authority On the subject Indignantly denounc-
ed it asun attempted fraud and outrage.
81 wash my hands, said he, "of all at.
tcmpts to dismcm6o tie Mcrican Republic, byI
Sci=ing her d0miaionS IN .Nctc .MeTjcO, ChihH0.
! Ina, Coa6Hila Ggd Tdmaa1ipds The treaty in
all that relates to the Jonnd0ry Of the Rio
! GrdRdc, is an act Of unparalleled outrage on
! .Ncgico, II IS tie seizure Of tcO thousand miles |
Of her territory without word of explanation
with her, and by virtue ola treaty with Texas. |
TO which she is party
Mr. Benton farther declared that the claim
set up by Texas by the Treaty, if maintained,
would cut oif"Thc capital aud forty towns
and villages ofNew Mexico, now and always |
us fully under the dominion of Mexico as
Quebec and all the towns of Canada are I'M
der the dominion of Great Britain
Mr. b. closed his speech Ivy offering the
following resolution:
Resolved, That the incorporation of the left |
bank of the Rio Del Norte into the American
Union, by virtue of IL treaty with Texas, com
pretending, the said incorporation would
do, portion of the Mexican departments Of !
New Mexico, chihuahua, Coahuila, and Ia
maulipQs, would be act Of direct 0ggrCS |
sion upon .Neric0, for all the consequences Of |
achich the United States ,cOUid Stand responsible.
To the same effect, thar great Democratic
leader, Hon. Silas Wright, Whose late death
has been so Justly lanented by men of all
parties,) who was present during the whole
definite upon the Texas Treaty and gave his
vote against its ratification, declared to his
constituents, in speech delivered at Water
town, as follows:
sI felt il my duty to vote against the ratii-
cation of the treaty for the anncX aton. be-
leve that the treaty, from the boundaries Mat
must &c implied from embraced a country To
aohich TEXAS had no cIaim, Ooor achich she had
nercr asserted jurisdiction, and aohieh she had
righb to ccdG.' l.
But, many years before the date of this de-
bate, the records of the United States had
borne testimony to the true boundary OF Tex
as. In 1886 an Agent was dispatched by the
President Of the United States Gen. Jacksonl
to examine and report upon the condition OF
Texas, which had then established an indie
pendent government; and in his report, dated
la, cd lint flo