The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-12-29

memory OF the deceased, which were adopted; where
upon the House adjourned
The Inteiigencer's attack upon the Mexican Policy
OF our Government.
In its long article of Friday lasbeng its fourth as
sau upon the Presidents Message-the National Intel
gence charges that the purpose manifested by our gov
eminent to obtain territorial indemnity from Mexico
as the result OF the war, is an attack upon the whole
principle and theory of National Independence 1t sets
forth this doctrine follows:
There can, it clear, be principle upon which to
establish, in favor of any society," right govern
itseto choose its political nsiituionsto consult
of ali other nations, its public and
wl-wbich does not equally apply to all other separate
societies. and it is only of the right of each
nation thus to for itself the laws and authorities
under which it shall live within ITSELF that any particular
right of that inhere in these United States. To
endeavor then, under matter what petence by what
agency to deprive another people Of this its ndefeasbe
privilege is to be The general enemy Of all freedom and in
asuch as liberty is the precious part of the life OF
nations thus to invade il is be nothing less than hosts
hani generis, the foe of mankind and of what
ever makes its true social happiness
II there be any truth in the doctrine here down by
the lnteigencer, how will that journal justify its course
and the of its party upon the question of the
nexaton of Texas! When that question under dis
cussion, how did the Integencer the ndefeasibe
privilege OF the people of Texas to determine for them
selves as TO the claws and authorities under which they
would lve' After Texas had been acknowledged as an
State for than eight years. the ntell
gencer and its friends weary of telling that
the claim of Mexico still stood in the way OF that indie
pendence, and Of the act of annexation which flowed
from it. After thus assaung the right of self govern
men in Texas, in order to support the antqualed and
utterly iegtmate claim OF Mexico over that State the
Integencer has, it would seem, but small right to urge
the principle of selfgovernment a why Mexico
should be permitted to withhold from us all territorial in
demniy Indeed the Intellgencer cannot deny that the
present WARM far has been denounced upon us
and waged against by Mexico because of the annexa
ton of Texas(and Mexico herself has never placed
either her threats of her acts of war upon any
other ground)-s avowedly, on the part of Mexico,
against the ndefeasble right of the Texan people to
choose their own form of government.
But, says the Inelligencer, government becomes
the general enemy of all freedom" when it demands of
Mexico that she should cede to portion of her ter
ritory indemnity. Whose freedom is it, that we thus
invader Is the freedom of Mexico herself! Not at all
By the terms of the statement, her government and her
nationality yet remain. She is not enslaved. She is
only forced to do justice to in the form most easy and
advantageous to herself Is it, then, the freedom OF
the coded territory which invader The question
hardly deserves Four fths of the territory
claimed by the treaty recently offered by to Mex
leo is either uninhabed sparsely inhabited, by In
dian tribes, who acknowledge allegiance to Mexico
Clearly, them the acquisition of this territory is no in
vason of national freedom. How, them stands the
with regard to the peopled portions of New Mexico and
California over which Mexico has heretofore exercised
a nominal jurisdiction Is the government which
Mexico has exercised these remote populations
such blessing to make the transfer of their al
legiance to the United States an ensavement! Will
the Intelligencer pretend that the military usurpers
in the Mexican capital have been, during the last
twenty years, protectors of the principle Of popu-
lar sovereignty in California to such degree as to
make the expulsion of their power from that province
attack upon that principle? Will the Intelligencer even
deny that in so far the central authority of Mexico
has operated in California during that period, it has ope
rated to the extnguishment rather than to the estab
lshment of all popular freedom? Certainly we do not
found upon this wreched and feeble misgovemment OF
Mexico in these provinces any argument TO show that
their allegiance should be transferred to u.s. Our right to
that transfer rests upon wholly different considerations
We demand indemnfcation for the wrongs and losses
forced upon us By Mexico and offer to accept ces
sion of territory as such ndennicaon Instead Of OBJ
iecng to the substance of this demand, TO the rea
condolences of its made by us, the ntcgencer
asserts that the expulsion of the Mexcang from
the territory and the establishment of own authority
there assault upon the general principle OF freedom
To this objection repy-and the reply is suflclent-
that the government which we eXpel is ITSELF and mas
been for generation, the enemy at once OF public free
dom and of popular sovereignty in those provinces
Were the Mexican government in California the best
government in the world, that fact would constitute no
reason why Mexico should refuse TO pay u.s. by cesson
of territory the indemnity which rghtfuliy our DUE
and which she can pay other FORM Being, as that
surely is of the worst IN the world to
plead its acreness bar of the prosecution OF claim
seems to us little less than absurdiy The only
" freedom, which assault in acquiring this terri
tory the freedom of Mexico TO page citizens and
insult our flag at her good pleasure 1t is the freedom"
Of the pirate and the brgand.
Reuted this point the nellgencer has another and
argument at hand against the policy recommend
ed by the Preside mt 1t says:
"To compel this partial sale Of herself he urges that
we should continue the war, still unreenngy as to
her blood, apacously her and strike
the vital parts of nation unable to resist MS How
do those States of owing foreign debt which they
utterly unable pay unless IN NE same manner kc
amazing doctrine Are they also parsans OF this war
obiects-subect be Justly called TO sell
their Inhabitants and their SOIL in order liquidate bonds
I.y1n