Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-12-15

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or by the Laws Of war. They should ,n-
tinue 10 be held, rs q means coercng M ex-
leo to accede to just terms of peace aCiv.i
il as well as military officers ure required
to conduct such a government adequate
compensation, to be drawn from ,c,ntribu-
tions levied on the enemy, should. be; fixed
by law for such officers rs may be thus
employed. " hat further provision NAV
become necessary, and what final disposi-
ton it may be proper to mike of them mus,
depend on the further progress of the war,
and the course which Mexico may think
proper hereafter 10 pursue. ssss.
with o ansset l;ss,
vor the policy which has been suggesse5,'
either to withdraw our army altogether, or
to retire to designated line and simply hold
and defend it. To withdraw our army al
together from the conquests they have made
b. 6eeds Q unpar.l lei bravery, and
at the expense of so much blood and treas
ure, in Il just war on our part and one
which, by the act Of the enemy, we could
not have honorably avoided, would be TO
degrade the nation in its own estimation
and that Of the world. To retire to line
and simply hold and defend it, would not
terminate the war. On the contrary, it
would encourage Mexcoto persevere, and
tend to protract it Indefinitely -a Eaas 3
1t is not to be expected that Mexico. after
refusing to establish such line as boun-
dairy, when our victorious. army are IN
possession of her capital and in the heart
Of her country, would permit US to hold il
without resistance. That she would con-
tinue the war, and in the most harrassing
and annoying forms, there can be no doub;
4 border warfare Of the most savage char
acter, extending over long line. would
be increasingly waged. 1t would require
large army to be kept continually in the
field, stationed at posts and garrisons along
such 4 line, to protect and defend it. The
enemy, relieved from the pressure Of our
arms on his coasts and in the populous
parts or the interior, would direct his atten
tion to this line, and selecting an isolated
post for attack, would concentrate his for
ces upon it. -. t... -.-....t..- -.,
This would be n condition, of aff4irs
which the Mexicans, pursuing their favor
ite system of guerilla warfare, would prob
ably prefer to any other. Were we to as
sumo defensive attitude on such a line, all
the advantages of such q state of war would
be on the side Of the enemy. We could
levy no contributions on him, or in any
way make him feel the pressure of the
war, but must remain inactive and await
his approach, being in constant uncertainty
at what point of the line or at what time he
might make the assault. a f.. ss..s -.
He may assemble and reorganize an o.
overwhelming force in the interior on his
own side Of the line, and concealing his
purpose, make sudden assault upon some
of our posts, so distant from any other, as
to prevent the possibility of timely succor
or renforcements, and in this way our gal
liant army would be exposed to the dangers
Of being cut off in detail, or if by their un-
rivalled bravery and prowess every where
exhibited during this war, they should re-
pulse the enemy, their numbers stationed
at any one point may be too small to pur-
sue him. If the enemy be repulsed in one
attack he would have nothing else to do but
to retreat to his own side of the line and
being in no fear of pursuing army, may
reinforce himself at leisure for another at
tack on the same or some other post. He
may, too. cross the line between our posts,
make rapid incursions into the country
which we hold, murder the inhabitants on
them and then retreat to the interior before
sufficient force can be concentrated to
pursue him. Such would probably be the
harrassing character Of a mere defensive
war on our part. If Our forces, when at
tackled. or threatened with attack, be per-
mitted to cross the line, drive back the ene-
my and conquer him, this would be again
to invade this country after having lost nll
the advantages of the conquests we have
already made by having voluntarily aban-
doned them.
To hold such line successfully and in
security, it is far from being certain that it
would.not require MS large an army as would
be necessary to hold all the conquests we
have already made, and to continue the
prosecution of tho war in the heart of the
enemy's country. 1t is also far from being
certain that the expenses of the war would
be diminised by such n policy. 3-HgH
am persuaded that the best means OF
vindicating the National Honor and inter
est, and of bringing the war to an honora-
BILE close, will be to prosecute II with in,
creased energy and power in the vital perts
of the enemys country. ..
In my annual Message to Congress. Of
December, | declared that the war has not
been waged with view to conquest, but
having been commenced by Mexico, it has
been carried into the enemy's country, and
will be vigorously prosecuted there, with a
view to obtain an honorable peace, and
thereby secure ample indemnity for the ex
penses of the war, as we'll as to our much
injured citizens, who hold large pecuniary
demands against Mexico. Such, in my
judgment, continues to be our true policy
indeed, the only policy which will probably
secure permanent peace. .r
1t has never been contemplated by me
as an object Of the war to make perma-
nent conquest of the Republic of Mexico,
or to annihilate her separate existence us
an independent nation. On the contrary,