Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-10-29


your movements musi be made. Fromthe views
heretofore presented to this Department. il is pre-
sumed Point Isabel will be considered BY you an
eligible position; this point, or some one near il.
and points opposite Maiumoras and Msr, and in
the vicinity OF LOredo, are suggested to your
consideration"
lion, why Congress was not consulted when this
decisive step was takenf Here was a clear, un-
equivoeal reputation Of oil ourprevous pledges
in regard 10 the question Of the boundary TO The
Rio del Noue- Here was an order TO occupy
country which il was admited was under The
jurisdiction Of Mexico, and in which Mexican
town, on the left or eastern bank Of The Rio del
Noue--lhe town Of Loredo, containing fifteen
hundred inhabiIanls-was specially designated
as one Of the positions for the army; here was,
in short, an invasion Of Mexico-just such an in.
vasion as every civilized nation would regard as
an act Of war. Suppose the case reversed, and
Mexico had directed her troops 10 advance 10
the Nueccs, and TO occupy a position which
should command one OF the villages of Texas,
what would this country have thought Of it'll
Need | aski The declaration would have been
universal that Mexico had begun the war by an
ACT Of hagranI aggression. And yet certainly
Mexico had quite as much right 10 seize upon the
disputed territory as we had-if Mr.. Benton's
opinion is worth any thing, much better right.
On the 10Th Of March, 1916, General Taylor,
in obedience TO these orders, commenced his
march from Corpus Christi 10 the Rio Grande.--
He arrived at that river on the 28lh, and encam-
ped opposite Malamoras. What he did Hhen
he arrived there, you will read in his official des
patch. On the 9Th Of April the General writes
'On our side a battery for four eighteen poun.
ders will be completed, and the guns placed in
battery to-day. These guns bear directly upon
the public square Of MalO nOros, and within good
range for demolishing the town. THEIR OBJECT
CANNOT BE MISTAKEN BY THE ENEMY" Remem.
Der, that when that letter was written there had
been no collision--not shot had been fred-not
a man nude prisoner.
And yet we are told that this act was not an
act OF war!--lhal this marching Of an army into
what we are pleased to call "dispuied territory"
but which conlesscdly was, and always had been,
IN the actual occupation Of the people of Mexico
and under the jurisdiction of that couniry-this
marching Of an army there-ihis pointing Of
cannon into The very homesleads of The inhab.
tants Of Malamoros, the capital Of Tamaulpas,
""SHOh dli at Vi war; OOlllSlOUS HOW
could it be Otherwise, with these guns pointing
into The windows Of Malamorosl Armies were
IN motion, and il was not long until blood was
split. What pilful and unmanly equvocation
was il for The President 10 say, after this nggrcs.
sion on his par, that war exists by the act o.
Mexico! He had failed in his duty when he fail.
ed 10 submit the question of invasion, Chich pGS
a question Of rGr, 10 Congress. And when he
found that he had brought our inle army into
peril by it., il was n mere trick, to rid himself of
the responsibility he had SO rashly assumed, to
throw the blame Of The war upon Mexico.
These letters have grown 100 long to allow me
much space for comment on these transactions,
and us prefer Democratic authority IN this mat.
ter 10 any other, | shall close this narrative OF
the events which belong to the origin of The war
by few extracts from a distinguished writer on
The Democratic side, who was once the edilor OF
n Democratic magazine, and who, as these ex.
tracts will show, was friend and supporter ol
Mr.. Folks election.
quote some passages from an article in
Brownson's Quarterly Review on The Mexican
war, published in July last, and written by Mr.
Brownson himself:
"For ourselveS," he says, tive have regarded
unjust. We have examined the documents pub
lished by order of the Government. We have
read the official defence of The war in tho las
annual message Of the President 10 Congress
and with every disposition TO find our Govern
menl in the right; but we are bound 10 say rha
our original impression have been strengthened
rather than weakened"
The act Of Mexico in crossing the Ri,
Grande and engaging our troops on territory
which she had possessed and sill claimed a.
hers, but which we asserted had, by recent nc
against which she had protested, become ours
The act which The President chose TO inform Con
gress and The world was war-may or may moi
have been just cause for declaring war aguins
her, but it assuredly was not war ITSELF"
| And again:
mo sophsiry can make her act war-certain
ly not without concedng that our oct in takin!
military possession of that territory was also
war; and if that was war, if il existed at all, j
existed by our act and not by hers, for her &C
was consequent upon ours. The most that tht
President was AT liberty to say, without condemn
ing his own Government, was, that thcro hat
been a collision Of the forces Of the two Repub
lies on territory claimed by each; but this culi
sion he had no right TO term war, for every body
knows that it takes something more than a COLI
sion of their respective forces, on disputed ter
ritory, 10 constitute war between TWO civilized
nations. In no possible point of view was the
announcement of the President that war existed
between The Two Republics and existed by The nc
Of Mexico correct. Il did not exist at all; or i
it did, it existed not by the act of Mexico, bu
by our act. In either case the official announce,
ment was false, and cannot be defended"
"The course the President should have pur
sued is plain and obvious. On learning the slalt
Of things on the frontier, the critical condition
Of our army Of occupation, he should have de
manded of Congress The reinlorcemenls and sup
plies necessary TO relieve it, and secure the pur
pose for which it was avowedly sent to the Ri
Grande; and, if he believed il proper or necessa
ll:...... LII IL Cy....<......