The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1847-12-09

which the war should be continued: and
such an expression will receive JUS, 10
much consideration and consequence as i,
Is entitled to and no more.
Shall this war I've prosecuted Ger tho pur.
pose "f conquering and nnncxing Mexico.
~ "ll its bound.css extent, to the United
States?
] will not attribute to the President Of
The United states nny such design; but
confess that ] have been shocked aud n.
harmed by manifestations Of il in various
quarters. OF all tho dangers and misfor.
tunes which could befnll this nation, |
should regard that Of its becoming warlike
and conqnering power the mos, drcf,l aud
fatal. History tells the mourniul tale Of
conqncring nations and conquerors. The
three most celebrated conqucrors in tho
civilized world, we're Alexander, Cnsar,
and Napoleon. The first. after ovcrrun.
n'ng lnrge portion Of Asia, and signing
and lnmenting that there were no more
worlds To subduc, met a premature aud ig.
noble death. His licutcnan,s quarrellcd
and wnrred with each other. ns 10 the spells
1t his victories. md finally lost them all.
Caesar, ailer cnnqnering Gaul, returned
with his triumphant lcgions Ia Rome, pass
Ell the kabicon, won the battle Of Pharsa.
Tia. trnmplcd upon the liberties Of his coun-
try, and expired by the patriot hand Of Eru
tus. But Rome ceased 10 hc free. War
aud conquest had encrvatcd and corrupted
tho mnsscs. The spirit ftruc liberty was
cxtinguished, and long line OF Etnpernrs
succeeded. some of whom wcrc the most
exccrabo monsters that ever existed in hu-
man form. And that most extraordinary
man, perhaps, in NIL history, after suhiugu-
ting all continental Europe, occupying al.
most all its capitals, seriously threatening,
according Ia NJ. Theirs, proud Albion it.
sell, and decking the brows Of various men,
hers Of his family, with crowns torn from
tho heads of other monnrchs, lived to be-
hold his own dcar France itself In the pos
session Of his enemies, md was made him.
self wrctchcd captive, aud, far removed
from country, family, md friends, breath
cd his last on the distant aud inlospi,al,le
rock Of st. Helena. The Alps and the
Rhine had bccn claimed rs tho natural
boundaries Of France, hut even these could
not be secured In tho treaties TO which she
was reduced TO submit. DO YOU believe
that the people of Maccdon or Greece, or
) Rome. or Of France, were benefited, indi-
Z vidnalIv or collectively, by the triumphs ol
their great captains? Their sad lot was
immense sacrifice of life, hcnvy md intol.
cradle burdens, and the ultimate loss of lib
crty itself.
Tint the power &c the United States il
competent To the conquest Of Mexico, il
; quite probable. But il could not be achiev
ed withou, frgh,ful carnage, dreadful sacri.
, fees Of human life. and the creation Of mn
onerous nntional debt; nor could il lie com
plctely effected. in nil probability, until ne
ter the elapsc Of many years. Il would bt
necessary 10 occupy all its strongholds, :,
, disarm It's inhabitants, mud 10 keep them il
: constant fear and subsection. TO consum
mate the work, ! presume TINT standing
armies, not less than hundred ihousanc
men, would he necessary, 10 be kept per
2 haps always, in the bosom Of their country
! These standing armies, reylling in for
G cig0 land, and accustomed 10 tramp!c upon
4 the liberties If foreign people, at some
c distant dav, might lie I'll and ready instru
. mcnts, under the lead OF some daring ant
I nnprinciplcd chieiiain, To return 10 thci
u country and the public liberty.
Surprising the conquest 10 he once mad,
T what is 10 he done with il? Is il to be
! governed, like Roman provinces, by pro
Q consnls9 Would il be compatible with th,
$ genius, character, and snfcly Of our free in
4 s,i.u,ions, IL keep such great country a,
! Mexico, with population Of not less thar
e nine millions, ic state al constant miltnr,
Z sahjeciion?
Shall il he annexed TO the United States
: Does any considerable man believe il posi-
e ble that two such immense countries, will
!. territories Of nearly equal extent, with pop
c nation 80 incongr',nus, so different in race
: in langnnge, in religion, mud in lave, cou!,
: he blended together In one harrnoniou
: mass, aud happily governed BY one com
i mon authority! Murnnrs, discomfort, in
/. surrcciions, rebellion, would inevitably en-
sue, until the incompatible parts would be
! broken asnndcr, md possibly, 10 the fright
ful struggle, our present glorious Union il
self would DO discovered or dissolved. W.
ought not to forget the warning voice u
nll history, which teaches tho difficulty ol
combining and consolidating together con.
} quering and conquered nations. Ac
: ter tho lapse Of eight hundred years,
during which the Moors held their con-
: quest Of Spain, the indomilable courage
perseverance, aud obrtinacy Of the Spanish
race finally triumpl.ed, and expelled the
African invaders from the Peninsula. -
Aud, even within our own time, the COL
! Iossnl power Of Napoleon. when nt its lof.
test height, WIS incompetent t0 sul,due