The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-08-14

greed to pny the award they made, in regular
instruments, in coin, and not ns she could lc-
gally have done, in deprecated paper, which
would have saved her, (und lost us) seventy
hundred thousands OF the amount Of our Il
wards, She then proceeded to pay regularly
her instruments, and did So in the mean while
entering into fair negotiations for still another
commission to settle all claims left unsettled
by the former, until the time when diplomat
tic relations were suspended between the two
Governments by our course in the annexation
of Texas. All this, you know, Sir, and yet
you have the mcGnncss to keep all this back
to us lame account of these grievances, with
a icrocious title, and tell us that these arc the
causes CfthG 'rar; without so much as limiting;
nay more, essentially dcnyingj that Mexico
had ever lifted her finger to settle this matter
pcaceably. With "great swelling words"
you tell us to read the cases Of Craud, coRfSca-
ton, roJbcrH ao0uRding, Imprisonment aad
murder! committed on American citizens,
and then say, five can, that we have no Just
cause for war with Mexico. Did you think
we were fools enough not to know the histor-
ical facts; or knavcs enough to say, that be-
cause Mexico had just began to pay her hon
est debts, and make every righteous rcpara-
ton to our citizens, therefore, it is Just to go to
war with her? Really Sir, it is hard to say
whether this extra, - does greater honor to the
shallowncss Of your head, or the bascncss of
your heart. | repeat it, tive take the pa
pors."
1t is surprising, Sir, that you did not see
how easy it would be to make you "cat your
Words by simple reference to the docu-
umcntary evidence of the real cause Of the
commencement ofhostilitics Was it, that We
equipped and sent an army to the Rio Grandc
to enforce the payment of claims for which
we had waited, till we could wait no longer:
Was our commanding General instructed to
demand immediate payment and to threaten TO
sack the land, lit were withheld Had it any
thing to do with this Not the icast, as gou
hao,c. Here are the plain facts, which You
dare not deny.
We annexed, in 1s45, Texas, claimed by
Mexico as her territory. Granting, for the
sake of argumcnt-that it was all fair on our
part, and that our President had n right to oc.
cupy the territory annexed with United
States troops, still, the question of the south.
western boundary of Texas. was, in the rcso-
luton Of annexation expressly reserved for
settlement by ncgotiation-it being claimed
on our part that this boundary was the Rio
Grnndc, and on the part of Mexico, that it was
the Nucccs. Knowing this and knowing well
too, that the military occupation of this dis.
putcd territory would be among nations n
cause of war; our President ordered Gen. Tav-
Ior 100 miles over the Nucccs, TO the farthcst
verge Of the nominal, paper title Of the most
rXtravagant TcNian;-whcrcj thc inhabitants
were Mexican, under the undsturbcd rule of
Mexican authorities, where were Mexican
military posts, and where, as a matter Of fact.
he authority of Texas in any shape, had ncv-
r extended; where the only practical knowl-
dye they had ever had of TcNan officers,
vas similar TO that we have of the men who
ob our hcnroost5. The Provincial President,
'arcdcs, very properly resented this impu-
lent bravado on our part, and ordered his
roops to defend their territory, making this
PROCLAMATION. 81 solcmly announce that do
not declare war against the United States; but
~ ''''iiN' Va INC hlfNltdl lcIIlIbIJ N'llN' -
INVADED by the troops the United States, is
" paramount necessity, and my responsible
y would become great, if did not command
hat the cncmy's forces should be rcpcllcd. -
lie accordingly demanded that the United
states troops should retire into Texas; they |
efuscd, and he attacked them. They attack !
d, in return. Our Congress then "rccog-
iy,I hn a 81 ,ff ~ II tl,
dent accordingly issued his proclamation.
Here, Sir, as you are perfectly we'll awarc,is
he whole story of the commencement of hos
litics, so 1aras the immediate causes con-
erncd and the truth is, your ''nincty-fivc in
tanccs" were never once thought of, until uf
rr the contest was in full operation, and the
resident found that his war threatened to he
little cxprnaivcj and might, if aot attended
D, upset his popularity; when he sat down and,
y the assistance of plentiful supply of brass,
ypcrbolc and italics, worked up, out of the
lckily remembered mate rails of these claims,
very nice, and powerful demonstration of
he amazing Justice of his course. You have .
rkcn his statements shon of some of their I
,rcc, and all their ingenuity, aud sent them
,rth to us, bcnightcd residents of Vermont,
II a similar object. Be assured, wo are de-
lived neither by the one, nor tho othcr-by t
lc original humbug, nor its enact tied shadow! Il
But Sir, the moanost thing in this base bus c
ess syet to be told. You attempted to de- u
live us by the pretence that these 'ninoty-fve i
were the causes of the existing
ar, when you not only know they had all been +,
1t in fair way Of amicablc settlement, and f
hen you knew that the immediate and pro- il
icing cause was the unlawful occupation of s
=. -, $500 {.