The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1847-03-16

can rest on their minds-he says, you shall
receive Inc as minister. | will not come
in the capacity of commissioner. You shall
receive me as if there was no cause of quar-
rel between you and the United States, or we
won't treat at all. Now, has it come to this,
that the North American Republicans il
come to this-I ask oil the peace loving peo-
pie Of the United States-l ask of the philo-
sophie and rejecting men of the United
SIates-I ask OF the mothers of this Republic
if they are willing that their sons should pour
out their life blood on the parched sands OF
Mexico, and heapup the graves of two thou
sand men along this river, dying with disease,
simply because your President would not
name Mr. John Slidell, commissioner but
must call him Munster Plenipotcntiary and
Envoy Extraordinary TO Mexicot' Mr.. Pres
ident, are we TO forcez yourselves into good So
cietv abroad "a laush.) Gentlemen do not
act in that way in the West, Mr.. President.
We don't fight because somebody don't
choose TO admit us Into his society there IA
laugh; no do Christian men, Mr.. President,
fight for that reason
We come now 10 the year 1915. Mr.. Sill
dell writes home that il some military dem
onstration should be made. perhaps he would
be received as John Slidell, minister Plen-
ipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary" Mr..
Slidel invokes the military power Of the u
niIed States and says. sMake warllke dem
onstration on these men, and perhaps ] shall
be received The President andSec'y Gccor-
dinghy send your army 10 the, confines OF
Mexico. There lies that little piece Of terri
tory on! Of which, Mr.. President, all this war
has arisen! Now | said that | would no:
state any disputable fact. II is known 10 ev-
cry man who has looked into this subject.
that revolutionary government can claim
no jurisdiction any where when it has not
defined and exercised lis power with the
sword. 1t was utterly indifferent 10 Mexico
and the world, what legislative enacimenls
Texas made, She extended her revolution
airy government and her revolutionary do
minion not one inch beyond the extent 10
which she had carried The power of Texas
in opposition 10 the power Of Mexico.
llis therefore mere question Of fact
and how il will be pretended tina: the coun
try lying between the Neuces and the Del
Norte, TO which your army was ordered and
of which ii took possession, was subject 10
Texas and not Mcxicol What did Gen.
Taylor write home? Do you hear of trial
by jury OIL the east bank OF the Rio Grande
of Anglo Saxons making cotton there with
their negroes? No! You hear Of Mexicans
residing peacefully there, but fleeing from
their cotton fields at The approach OF your ar
my-no slaves there for il had been decree
Of the Mexican government, years ago, that
M slaves should exist there. If there was a
Texas population on the east bank of the
Rio Grande, why did not General Taylor
hear something ofIhose Texans hailing the
IL. If fl,a A,,oricap IN
tee; them from the ravages of the Mexicans
and The more murderous onsloughts oil the
neighboring savages?
Do you hear any Thing of that? No ] On
the contrary, the population fed from their
homes at the approach of your army. lE
Gods name, | wish 10 know lift has come 10
this, that when an American Army goes 10
protect American citizens on American ter
ritory, they flee from it as from the mosI
barbarous eneny2 Yet such is the ridicu
lous assumption of those who pretend that
on the east bank OF the Rio Grande, where
your arms took possession, they were Texan
population-Texan powcr-Texan law and
American United States power and law No
Mr. Presidcnt-when ] see that stated in all
Executive decentralization by finger oil
a President OF the United States-and when
you read in those documents, with whirl
your tables groan, the vcracious account OF
that noble old General Taylor. of his recep-
lion in that country, and of those men-to
use the language of one of his otiicers-hee-
inc before their invaders; when you com
pare those two documents together, is it moi
biting sarcasm upon the sincerity Of pub
lie men-a bitter satire upon the gravity OF
all public officers?
Great God Mr.. President, is i, possible
that the American people give countenance
to this atruciOus fashood that you were a.
bou. 10 incorporate nto-he history CT this
countr,; and write il down as Il fact, when
the whole world, and everybody, and you
yourselves; acting, rs il may be, on that very
| falsehooG, know that what is stated there IL
not true
Mr.. President, there is absent today a
| Senator from the other side of the House,
whose presence would afford me, rs II al
ways dOes-but particularly on This occasion
"a most singular qualification, ] allude 10
the Senator from Missouri who sirs iarih-
est from me Mr.. Benton.] / remember.
Mr.. President, he arose in this body and
performed great act of justice 10 himself
| and his coUnlry-ol justice 10 mankind, i0I
| all men are interested in the truths OF history
when he declared 1t 10 be his purpose, i0r
the sake of the truth ofhistory, 10 set righI
some gentlemen on the other side OF The
the House. in respect 10 the territory of Or
egon, which then threatened to disturb the
peace OF this Republic with the kingdom oil
Great Britain. | wish il had pleased him to
have performed the same good Offices on this
| occasion.
wish it had been so, il he could have
found it consonant with his duty 10 his coun-
try. and now while engaged with an enemy
| whom VIC have no reason 10 lear as being
ever able TO check orr progress or disturb
our internal peace, for the sake oijustice and
the interest and peace oil those two countries
England and America, he had come forward
10 settle the truth of history in respect TO the
territorial boundary Of Texas which our
our President said was the Rio Bravo-the
Rio del Norie, as it is sometimes called. l
express this wish for no purpose oil tauDting
the Senator from Missouri or leading him &c
believe that would draw his name into the
discussion for any other than the most sacred
purpose which can animate The human bos-
onl--ihat Of having truth established. for
really believe that is not true which the Sen
alto from Michigan stated yesterday, that the