The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1847-02-20
Mr.. CORWIN's SPEECH.
[Continued.1

~
ask OF the philosophic and rejecting men of the
U. States--l ask of the mothers of this Republic
lfthey are willing that their sons should pour out
their life blood on the parched sands OF Mexico,
and heap up the graves OF two thousand men w.
ing along this river, dying with disease, simply
because your President would not name Mr. john
Slidell Commissioner" but must call him
minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordi-
nary to Mexico :" Mr. President, are we IN
force ourselves into good society abroad? "a
augh.) Gentlemen do not act that way IN the
West, Mr. President! We don't fight because
somebody don't choose to admit us into his socie
~ there "a laugh0 nor do Christian men, Mr.
President, fight for that reason!
We come now to the year 1916. Mr. Slidell
writes home that it some military demonstration
should be made, perhaps he would be received
as John Sldell, Minister Plenipotentiary and
Envoy Extraordinary Mr. SlideII iuyokes the
military power of the u States and saws, Make
warlike demonstration on these men, and per
haps shall be accredited and received The
President and Secretary accordingly send your
army to the confines of Mexico There lies the
little piece OF territory out of which, Mr. Presi-
dent, all this war has arisen! Now | should hut
would not state any disputable fact. It's known
to every man who has looked into this subject
that revolutionary government can claim no iu-
rlsdlction anywhere when it has not defined and
terly Indifferent to Mexico and the world. what
legislative enactments Texas made She extend
ed her revolutionary government and her revolu-
uonary dominion not one inch beyond the extent
TO which she had carried the power OF Texas in
opposition to the power OF Mexico
1t is therefore mere question of fact-and
how will it be pretended that that country living
between the Nueces and the Del Norte, to which
your army was ordered and Of which it took pos
session, was subject to Texan law and not Mexi-
can law? Why, what did your General find
there What did he write home Do you hear
of trial by jury 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
helds at the approach of your army-no slaves
there, for it had been decree OF the Mexican
Government, years ago, that no slaves should ex-
ist there. 1t there were Texas population on
the east bank Of the Rio Grande, why did not Gen.
Taylor hear something of those Texans haiing
the advent OF the American army coming to pro-
teet them from the ravages of the Mexicans and
the more murderous onslaughts of the neighborng
savages
Do you hear anything of that No! On the
contrary. the population fled from their homes at
the approach OF your army. In Gods name. |
wish to know if it has come to this that when an
American army goes to protect American citizens
on American territory, they flee from it as if from
the most barbarous enemy? Yet such is the ri
dicuous assumption of those who pretend that on
the east bank of the Rio Grande. where your arms
took possession there were Texan population
Texan power-Texan laws and American United
States power and law
No Mr.. President when see that stated in am
Executive tsocument-w written by the finger of a
President OF the U. States, and when YOU read in
those documents, with which your tables groan,
the veracious account of that noble old General
TAYLOR, of his reception In that country, and of
those men-to use the language of one of his Of
hcers--heeing before their invaders; when Won
compare these Two documents together, is it not
biting sarcasm upon the sincerity OF public men
"a bitter satire upon the gravity Of ali public Of
hcers
Great God Mr. President, is it possible that
the American people give countenance 10 this
atrocious talsehood that you were about to inter.
polate into the history Of this country and write
it down as a fact, when the whole world, and ev-
erybody, and you yourselves, acting, as it NAV
be, on that very iaIsehood, know that what IS
stated there is not true
Mr. President, there is absent to-day Senator
from the other side OF the House whose presence
would afford me, as it always does-but particu-
lariy on this occasional most singular graffca-
ton. | allude to the Senator from Missouri who
sits farthest from me (Mr. Benton.) | remem
Der, Mr. President, he arose in this BODY and
performed great act OF justice to himself and his
country--of justice to mankind, Tor all men are
interested in the truths OF history, when he de-
clared 1t to be his purpose for the sake of the
truth o. history, to set right some gentlemen, on
the other side OF the House, in respect to the ter
ritory OF Oregon, which then threatened to dis
turb the peace of this Republic with the Kingdom
OF Great Britain. | wished it had pleased him to
have performed the same good offices on this oc-
casion
| wish it had been so If he could have found il
consonant with his duty to his country, that now
while engaged with an enemy whom we have
no reason to fear as being ever able 10 check our
progress or disturb our internal peace, for the
sake of justice then he did for the sake of us-
hce and the interest and peace of these two coun-
tries, England and America, he had come tor-
ward to settle, the truth of history in respect to
the territorial boundary of Texas which our Pres.
ident said was the Rio Bravo-the :" Rio del
Norte," as it is sometimes called | express this
wish for no purpose of taunting the Senator from
Missouri, or leading him to believe that would
diaw his name into this discussion for any other
than the most sacred purposes which can animate
the human bosoin-that Of having truth establish
ed for really believe that that is true which the
Senator from Michigan stated yesterday, that the
worst said in the Senate is, that much might be
said Oh both sides "a laugh.) cannot view
1t in that way. Much may be said, much talk
may be had on both sides on any question, but
that this is dsputable matter about which
man could apply his mind for an hour and still be
in doubt, is to me an inscrutable mystery.
wish to invoke the authority of the Senator