The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-02-27
SENATE.
THE THREE MILLION BILL.
rContinued from Wednesdays " Un'on."l

II THE THREE MILLION BILL.
(Coniinued from Wednesdays" Unon.1
Mr. BENTON having concluded =,
Wr CALHOUN rose and sad One thing, Mr., Presi-
nt at least may be inferred from the unprovoked at,
s Of the senator. and the great solicmde he eyinced
m trace the authorship OF the war TO meant that is iha
~ war is unpopular There can be no mistake. lie
~, 4, the tide of public sentiment had turned agails
and hence the anxiety exhibited TO place ITS response
MN on my shoulders, and take II from those on whom
o,,h nlstly 10 rest Had he supposed the opposite
lad he believed that the was necessary and una
yoIable and that lis termination would be successful
am the last man whom he would attribute any agency
- nansng il | am gratiiied that the senator has 1ur-
i,LsI ibis evidence 1t affords reasonable hope, that
hose who are responsible for it, will exert themselves
and hope with success, to bring II TO speedy ermlna-
U traces the authorship me, because as he asserts
am the real author OF the annexation OF Texas and
thai annexation is the real cause OF the war trust
Mr. President there VIII pc no aisPq'e al m
who the real author of annexation Less than twelve
months SINCE had many competitors Tor that honor
the official organ here claimed, II my memory serves me
large share for Mr. Polk and his administration and
NOT less than half dozen competitors from other quarters
claimed to be the real authors But now, since the wal
has become unpopular, they all seem to agree that IN
reality am the author OF anneXaton Will not put me
honor aside | may now righfully and indsputably
claim to be the author OF that great event-an even
which has so much extended the domains of the Union
which has added so largely TO its productive powers
which promises greatly to extend Its commerce, which
has stimulated its industry, and given security to our
most exposed frontier | take pride to myself as being
the author OF this great event
But the senator objects that conducted the question
of annexation necessarily TO lead TO the war On wha
does he rest this charge He rests 1t on the ground tha
selected the resolution as 1t came from Inc HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES. the basis OF the anneXaton nsteaa
Of giving the Texan government the choice between the
| House resolution and the amendment OF the SENATE
originally moved by the senator himself He complained
bitterly that the Senate resoutonpassed at the very nee
Of the session. under the expectation that 1t would be
carried into effect by the present administration then lus
coming into power, and not BY Mr.. Tylers admnisra,
ton then about TO eypire--had not been adopted.
He seemed TO think that the then administration had nc
right to act upon it, and that undertaking to do so, was
deprvng successor of some OF its rights s accused
me Of acting with the greatest promptness The fact
SO The resolution, if recoec, was signed by the late
President about the first of March. saw the importance
Of acting promptly and advised the President to act with
ont delay that he had the constitutional right OF dong SO
and that deemed ii necessary that should act in orde
ehectualy to the success OF measure winch nae
. originated with his administration His cabinet was
the next Day ana ecu M II e
charge in Texas and the next day, late IN the evening
the third OF March, it forwarded to him II was my
last official act OF any Importance as Secretary OF otate
selected the resolution of the House in preference
the amendment of which the senator IRON Missouri wa
the author, because clearly saw not only that Il wa
way preferable but the only CERTAIN moos
thinking so were fully set forth in my despatch wheel
may be found among the public documents accompanying
the frat annual message OF the present Executive lney
will speak for themselves they never have been eontro
verted and never be successfully Indeed, neve
considered the senator's amendment as expressing th'
deliberate either OF the Senate House OF Represen
tatiyes tits we'll known that he and few of his friends
had the power OF greatly embarrassing the passage OF the
resolutions of the House, not OF defeating them and
that his amendment was moved not SO much as an I'm
provemen of the resolutions, TO Crafty HIM and them
That the course adopted did secure annexation, and
that it indispensable for that purpose have higf
M Re by could TSpa
and for this prompt and decided act il for nothing else
might claim the authorship OF annexation.
Now can anything be more absurd than the assertion
that the with Mexico resulted from selecting the
House resolution instead of the amendment OF the sena
Tor He has ventured the bold assertion without the
shadow OF an argument to sustain IT. what possible dif
ference could it make with Mexico, whether the annex
alton was made upon the other Why should the
not be offensive to her as the other' Indeed,
doubt much whether TO this day, the government OF
Mexico knows whether the resolution was passed with
without an alternative Such the baseless ground
which he has charged with being the author of the
war. had heard for several days past that he had
prepared 10 make elaborate attack on me. Some OF
my friends asked, rather iesngly did not expect to
be annhiated After these gvings out, and such labo-
ous preparation, did suppose the senator would make
show of formidable charge but OF all the attacks
have ever witnessed, this any other legislative
body, have never known so empty and ridiculous
Every of his charges is founded either in gross error
or partial statement of facts some forced and absurd
conclusion may begin with the very first that he made
He had the assurance TO assert in the presence OF the
Senate, that the first TO introduce the question: who
was the real author cause OF tins war: NOW
appeal TO every senator, and every other ind
yidual who was present on the occasion, wheth
er the senator from Tennessee, Mr.. TuRNETl dc
not first charge me with being the author OF this
war, and whether did not limit myself to rePellinS
his charge, by showing that ii originated in the order to
General Taylor, TO march from Corpus Christi and take
position on the Rio del Noe 20 further and ask, is
there senator here ignorant of the fact that the ques
lion, OF who the author or of the war, had
been long before deliberately discussed in this bodyn
the House of Representatives, and throughout the whole
country from its declaration up TO that time In the face
OF all this the senator rises up in his place. after long
and laborious preparation, and asserts that II was who
originated the inquiry as TO who was It's author This
fair sample OF the accuracy OF the senator, his
merous allegations to show that the author OF The
war | might 90 and take them up one by one, and
show that every OF his positions and deductions is
equally unfounded in fact false in conclusion. dc
not deem il necessary. large portion OF his speech was
but the stale repetition OF what he said in the session
1923, when the treaty which had concluded with
Texas, was under discussion IN this body All the docu
mens brought forward then before the Senate
and he went over the topics very deliberately and
with much more power than the present occasion
without making any impression on the country. The
country was against him then, and still remains against
HIM. and it is in vain, that he undertakes to disturb its
settled conviction II will remain unchanged, in spite
of all that he do Under this conviction will moi
weary the Senate, by repellng assaults then made and
then repealed The most prominent OF the charges-the
orders given BY the administration to place fleet in the
Gulf of Mexico, and portion OF the army on the iron
her Of Texaswas repealed by my then colleague, Mr.
McDuFTIEl OF whom he speaks so lightly on this occa
SION In repelng it, he said, that il the oters TO whic5
The senator then and Objects had not bean issued
Inc Executive would have been guilty OF great derehe
ton OF duty.
The Florida treaty, forming another subject OF attack
inquired also that occasion, in conneXon with annexa
ton; and what he has said now is but repetition o
what he said then He then, now, made me Response
bic for that treaty, although was but OF six mem
oers of Mr.. Monroes cabinet, and the youngest o
af III. lx.s rrl