The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-11-29

DANIEL. TAGGERr
JOS JEwErr Rhode Island
Hon. r. d. JOHNSON, (of Galvesron.9 for Texas.
CORNELIUS GLEN. for the State of New York
Mr.. Clays Caiumny ON the Government and People
of the United States.
In the first OF his resolutions and in the few sentences
OF his speech which devoted to its calculation Mr.
Clay has deliberately charged upon the PEOPLE OF
THIS COUNTRY, acting through their highest constitu-
tional authorities both executive and legislative the
preparation of the HIGHEST AND BLACKLIST CRIME
known to the action of governments and nations He
charges in terms, that with Mexico sis 10 war
of defence, but one OF UNNECESSARY AND OF
FENSIVE AGGRESSION OF this war, he says,
"The President having PRODUCED it, appealed TO CON-
GRESS;" and Congress having, by subsequent acts
RECOGNISED the war, thus brought into existence
without its previous authority consent, the prosecution
of il thereby became NATIONAL" Having thus brand
ed the American people and government with the awful
guilt and the crushing disonor of producing and wagng
unnecessary and aggressive war; Mr. Clay expatates
at length upon the enormity of their crime and mag
nies its evils above those of famine or of pestlence
He takes these positions avowedy a partisan, and
makes them party issue! He calls upon the American
people to rally in public meetings. and at the polls
tain his declarations and uote themselves and their gopern
men infamous 1t is the most desperate game which, in
this country at least faction has dared TO play Ii ii
succeeds the people sustain the issue thus presented
TO them, in behalf of the wing party by its chosen chief
and embodying the wing policy-then the patriotic
pride and the public honor of this nation gone; and
the American people for the first time in their history
gve by their act 'cognorH of their national degra
da;ion and disgrace
We are by no means surprised, therefore, to see
the most decided portion of the wing press through
out the country with the National Intellgencer at
its head-feeng maniesty that the past course of
the wings has left them no alternative as party
but to stand or fall with Mr. Clay upon his charges
against his country and its war-aer certain pause,
rushing eagerly forward, TO defend, some to
mistfy, and some to explain away the odous and dis
honorng significance of Mr.. Cays assertions as 10 the
origin and the guilt of the war The case surely demands
their utmost ingenuity and their best attention AS for
Mr.. Clay himself, he has deemed it most prudent to
compress the whole wing argument to prove his
ton true, and his country infamous, into few care
fully chosen words We give entire his discussion of
this tremendous issue-whether this American govern
ment and nation are henceforh to regard themselves
and to be regarded by the world, stained with the
unspeakabIe guilt of bloody war, caused by their
act and waged without necessity justification, in the
fell spirit of aggression and robbery!
elbow did unbappiy get involved in this warl 1t
predicted the consequence of the annexation OF
Texas the United States. zoe had not Ie1as, should
hare The people were told that If that event hap
pened war would ensue. They told that the
between Texas and Mexico had not been terminated by
treaty of peace; that Mexico still claimed Texas a
VOTED province and that, if we received Texas in
Union took along with her the existing between
her and Mexico And the minister of Mexico formally
nounced the government at Washington that his nation
would consider the annexation of Texas the United
States producing state of war But all this was de-
MED by the parsans of annexation. They insisted we
should have war, and even imputed to those who fore
told it sinister motives tor theiS groundless prediction
But Notwithstanding state of virtual necessarily
resulted from the fact of alton of one of the begerent
the United States actual hose5 might haze been prob
ally dpeted by prudence moderaon and cise craftsmanship
If General Taylor had been permitted 10 remain where his
own good prompted him to believe he ought to
main, at the point of Corpus Christi, and If negotiation
had been opened icih erico spirit of amify and
conciation car possibly might hare beea prevented But
instead of this pacific and moderate tchi,st Mr.
Siid cending his pay 10 Menico Nth his diplomatic
credentials Gen. Taylor ordered to transport his
non, and to plant them in warke attitude. opposite
very disputed territory the adjustment ofwhch be
the object of Mr. Sde's mission. What else could have
transpired but conflict of arms9
Thus the commenced, and the President after hap-
raise fifty thousand volunteers, and, in order commit
all who should for it, preamble inserted, falsely
a6utng the Of The tcar to the of Merico
have no doubt of the patriotic motives of those who after
struggling to dves the bill of that fragrant error found
themselves constrained for it, But must say that
no earthly consideration would have tempted pro
voked me to vote for bill Nth pakpabe taehood stamped
on its face Almost dozing truth, do, never,
could have voted for that bll.
The whole argument thus brought forward by Mr.
Clay free public enemy from the guilt Of this war,
and TO fasten its guilt upon ourselves, is summed up in
these three propositions:
First That the war necessarily resulted from the an
nexaton Of Texas.
Second That negotiation with Mexico, true spirit
of amty and concilaton with prudence and moderation
part, might probably have prevented the war, and
that no such negotiation on our part opened
Tairdly But instead OF this pacific course part,
General Taylor, in opposition TO his own judgment, was
ordered with his force TO warike attitude on
the east bank of the Rio Gande, before Mr.. Shdell
reached Mexico with his diplomatic credentials
That Mr.. Clay, the recognised head of great par
ty should at his time of life, deliberately come forward
upon no other grounds preences than these accuse
ton can commit and at the time TO stigmatize the
whole American Congress as having with great una
nmitv by its recorded vote, declared a papable false
hood is perhaps the most astounding fact in the
political history of our time. From his youth
upwards, Mr.. Clay has been known man OF