The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1847-02-26

oppressed peoples" has made a pretty bloody
affair Of it on our part. This is bis Ian.
guage:
"As to where the fist blood was split,
there was no dispute But there was dis
pu,o as TO whom the territory belonged. II
was Msxico's as clearly as The city Of Mexico
itself The United States never had had
possession of IL, In the valley of the Rio
Grande, where the United States Govern.
ment had caused the first blood 10 be split
there were Mexicans whose grandfahers lay
buried there. 1t was an inference which
gentlemen drew, but wholly unsupported by
facts, that American blood had been frs,
she'd by Mexico on American soil. 1t wa,
said that the war was not carried on for con
quest. Oh! no. But did
they mean TO charge nothing for the poo
fellows who had been slanghteredi How
much would they charge for mani No
Let them not submit that question 10 the
House, but ask the widow and orphans tc
fix the amount; and then they would find
that they had got crime enough agsinst Mex
leo to take her last acre. Somebody had
got TO square up and foot the bill. If the
widows could notbtiag them TO account, God
would bring them 10 account"
Ishall leave the account of this gentlenan
to be settled with his constituents, and turn
to notice for moment hew promptly his
Excellency Governor Bebb, Of Ohio, squares
up to the same COED old Federal creed. In
his late Inaugural, he says:
".And how, with the Constitution Of the
United States in our hands, proclaimina that
Congress alone shall have power to declare
war, cen we behold President of the United
States trampls that sacred instrument in the
dust, deliberately, and without tie advice Of
Congress then in session involve the country
in foreign war of conquest, and yet moi
dare give ntterancs TO our indignant con
demnation Of his unconstitutional acts !!
Where 10 the man who does not know and
feel that this Mexican war is a presidential
war! A war which, before it's commence
ment, Congress would no, have declared
A war begun without adequate cause. and
without any great, justihuble, aud csmnsn-
surate object, compatible with the interests
and integrity Of the Union"
Mr. s. said he had plenty more Of thu
same sort: he might read hundreds Of ser.
mons in the same strain. Aud he could
quote hundreds Of resolutions, such as the
Wings were passing now, putting our own
country all in the wrong and Britain in the
right. These gentleman could shed pious
tears over the death Of Mexicsns: they call.
ed it murder and piracy--unproyoked but
cherry of peaceab!e unofendng people
massacre Of defenceless women and childrsn
1t might be fact tina, some women and
children, too, had perished in the conflict
When mad il been otherwise! Did these
gentlemen shed any Of these tender tears
and vent any of these doleful complaint.
when the British turned their Indians ON ouI
frontieri Were no women and no children
butchered then? Blu. one Of their leading
mem could declare in open Senate, that,
though the British were battering down the
walls Of the Capitol, he would not vote .
dollar to be put into the hands of the Pres
ident to prevent it, Such was their lan-
guage then, and such il is now.
Thus it was that by speeches and by the
press, gentlemen on the other side give /" aid
and comfort" to the enemy. These speech.
es Of members Of Congress, and these ar
ticles in the Wing papers, had gone through
all Mexico, and were read in "the halls oi
the Montezumas" And by language like
this the Government and people Of Mexico
were strengthened aud encouraged to be
lieve that large and powerful party in the
United States were OH their side. Now, ht
would ask gentlemen to suppose that arti
cles Of such strain were published in the
Mexican papers against the Mexican side o
the question. What would be their effec
herei Should we not at once conclude
that Mexico was divided, that there was I
rupture in her councils, and that she woule
soon have TO submit--just as the British
Ministry and nation thought in the last war
and Just as they had concluded in the war ol
the Re,olutioni But they were mistaker
in both cases, and Mr.. 8. could here tel
the Mexicans that the great body Of the
American people were not against this war
but, on the contrary, believed il just, ant
were resolved to prosecute'it to success
Ifulissue. g
f Gentlemen objected to taking Mexican
Territory as indemnity for what Mexico ewet
for spoliations and robberies: this they de
uounced as unjust, unconstitutional, oppres
siye, cruel, and devilish. But bis col
leagues (both lawyers) must give him ieav'
TO tell them that this was just what they di,
lthemselses every day. They had done il
Thousand times for their own clients, whethe
the parties were willing or unwilling. If ]
was damnable in Us TO do il TO Mexico, |
was no less 10 in these gentlemen to do !
10 their neighbnrs. But it was not damn
able, nor cruel, nor unjustt at all; but right
| ..~L. W. hal .o& t,,I~