Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1847-01-30

AhsShSos iSSAu ttihS oho ootiiC VI t4IS
companies perhaps have already ar
rived in Tampico. With that army
there is an area to cover which can
hardly now attempt to describe. THE
gallant and honorable speaker here
briefly sketched the vast area at pres
ent occupied by the United States for
ces in Mexico, and also described the
numerous places that were TO be gar
rlsoned, and the heavy demands which
must be met in consequence of the
great extent of lines of communion
tons to be kept up All this, (he
proceeded.) cannot be done with an
army of 1900 - $4,000 $4,000
men. l doubt-yet I express this O.
Epinion with great diffidence-I doubt
whether it be possible with the best
troops America ever sent out to ac-
complish all that; and am sure Amer
lea never did send out an army more
skillful, gallant and unhinching than
that in Mexico to-day. But recollect
that this army of $4,000 men is to be
scattered over an area extending from
east to west five hundred miles. and
four hundred miles from north to south.
where the modes Of communication
are doubtful and the inhabitants hos
tile. When all this is remembered, |
ask how is it to be expected-how is
it possible that the advance can contin-
ue to be, as it has been, marked with
glory and honor? have heard it said
sir, not often, but yet decidedly, that
there is no use in reinforcing to any
great extent an army in Mexico; be-
cause if you advanced to the city of
Mexico itself, you will be no nearer
peace than you are now. If that be
true, they should have thought of it
before they declared war, and certain
ly before they adopted the plan of in
vasion. am one of those, who, with
out attempting to discuss at this mo-
ment whether we are right or wrong
in the manner'in which the war was
brought on, acted in the belief that
Mexico had commenced the attack up
on what was claimed as American
soil-or to territory to which the gall
liant American army had been sent
and / was not willing to yield the
claim; was not willing then. and am
not willing now. But even if the war
was just, as admitted on all hands, it
does not follow as necessarily that it
was to be war of invasion. As a
war of defence it has been beyond all
description glorious to the American
arms-a Wharf.-The remainder of the
sentence was lost. The war of inva-
sion last spring was not necessarily in
cumbcnt upon us; but with the almost
unanimous consent, so far as this House
could act, with scarcely dissenting
voice, as ! understood among those
who expressed that opinion on the SUBJ
ject. All parties and classes said FIVE
must have war let it be brief and sud
den. Well, we obtained three great
battles. In doing so, we have advanc-
cd, it is true, some three hundred miles
into the Mexican territory; yet we
have scarcely, to any preceptible ex-
tent, crippled their resources or weak
ened their power. On the contrary.
it has been very much doubted-and |
am one who doubts whether Mexico is
not stronger than ever-more nation
allied, more concentrated in public o.
pinion, looking with more undivided
glances towards a single head-and |
was about to say more heroic-ves /
will say more heroic than ever-for
they are always heroic who rush to de-
fend their country-morc capable of
sustaining the desperate and prolong-
ed conflict. / apprehend that from
this state of facts-in which am sure
every gentleman will agree with me-
that we ought to derive new conscious
ness of the duty devolving upon US to-
wards the war; And il is on that point
only that | desire especially to be
beard, and for that purpose only do /
open my lips at all. / will not under
take the task at this moment ofmaking
the prediction, whether it is in our
power to compel peace, even if we
were to attempt to dictate its terms in
the city of Mexico itself But oil one
thing | am very certain-that nothing
that we have yet done in this war is
sufficient to convince the Mexicans
that we are able to conquer them
They feel as they have ever felt, that
the territory which we have overrun,
the towns which have conquered, the
cities which we have stormed, form no
important part of their territory, and