The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-02-11

late American Minister in Mexico. Mr. l..
says: 90 can sec nothing like certain pros
pect of the termination of the war for the
next ten years." Mexico is not a city en-
pire like France, where when an enemy has
conquered Paris he has conquered France.
" The valley of Mexico is walled in, not with
mountains, but lodges of mountains piled upon
each other for two or three hundred miles,
He says our armies will have to be supplied
from home, and through Vera Cruz.-M II.
Sentinel.
five take Vera Cruz (says Mr. Thompson)
a garrison must be permanently kept at that
place-the most pestilential spot on this con-
tinent Garrisons must also be established at
different points on the road to Mexico, be-
sides detachments to convey the provisions
and munitions of war and all these men and
this multitude of horses and mules to be ted
with provisions carried from this country to
Vera Cruz and thence packed on mules to
the city OF Mexico, distance Of two hundred
and seventy miles. The daily consumption
of such ar army will be more than that of the
city Of Baltimore. Can we raise the funds to-
meet this enormous expense ] doubt it
Can we place in Mexico an army of fifty
thousand men2 Still more DO doubt that.
The enthusiasm for volunteering has had its
last paroxysm.
disaster befall our armies, (Which Heaven for
bid y and then our people will rush to the
rescue. How long will our armies have to
endure the privations and tolls of such SER
vice, and our people its cost III were to
venture prediction, [ would sooner say ten
years than any shorter period. We have to
deal with two races the Indian and Spaniard, !
most remarkable for indomitabIe fortitucle-
call it obstinacy if you please, in our enemy. !
In like circumstances ourselves, we should |
call it fortitude and heroic virtue, and so the !
world viii call it in the Mexicans. What mo-
tive will Mexico have to make peace Thus
far, the war has not injured, but in every wav
benefited her. Why will it be otherwise for
the future? Iconfess cannot see Certain
ly, the possession of the palace of the Monte
zunas-rt any such palace existed-wil have
such effect but one exactly opposite 1t is
not 6y singing and irritating her with nettles
tnat Mexico is to be brought to terms. Moth
ing short of utter demolition will make her
suceumb! Are we prepared to 90 to that ex-
IRENE The spirit of the age, justice, hui
m&nlltyy, and policy forbid,
-Tampico has been suggested as the
Rolrt from which our armies should move
Ihe dIstauce from Tampico to the city of
MexiGo IS about one hundred leagues. For
sixty leagues of this distance there is no other
ROAD than mule path. The only practicable
route, therefore, is that from Vera Cruz.
do not think that there will be much difficulty
IN obtaining possession of Vera Cruz and the
Castle of San Juan-not by assault, but by
siege, and not very long one.
There are at least one hundred defles be-
tween Vera Cruz and Mexico, where a hun
dred men might maintain themselves against
ten times their number. The road between
the two points overcomes an elevation of eiqht
thousand five hundred feet. Frequently. in
ascending, the road is cut through the noun
tam, the banks on each side higher than the
top of the stage coach What havoc would ,
not few pieces of artillery make in these
natural defles And the Mexicans are not
bad artilerists. They are proud and brave
people-not inexperienced in war, and now
united to fanaticism. Can it be- with such adj
vantages, that our armies can ever arrive at
Mexico but with immense sacrifice of human
life? '''''''''
What, then is to be done? Are we to
Withdraw our armies-to submit to the dis :
grace Of a failure, and to encourage Mexico
in her insolence and violations of rights and
usages of nations? ? These are all questions
which it is difficult to answer I have always :
thought that it was our policy TO avoid war
with that country and that ifforced into one, 7
the chastisement we should inhict should be
as wold be long remembered
and | am not ignorant of the evil CONSEQUENT
ces of stopping where we are. But it is !,
choice Of evils, and | think this the least.
We have had three battles, and in each
victory not to be surpassed in modern war -
We can afford to be generous. 1t would be T
to forbear. five prosecute the
war of invasion, all we can possibly gain by Q
it is mere territory. Is this desirable Have 7
we not already more vacant lands than we
know what to do with, and land infinitely bet
ter than the counterminous provinces of Mex \
lco more fertile, and what is of more conse- T.
quence, with facilities Of transportation. The !;
portion of Mexico which we propose to con- +
quer and retain, has no navigable rivers, and
Its great elevation will always prevent the .
construction of railroads. We shall ret no =
public domain; for nearly all the land is al
ready granted we shall not get the land alone
but the population, and nine out ofevery ten
Of them are Indians.
Will they be received as Indians and place
ed on the same footing as our own Indian s
tribes, or as citizens, and allowed to vote and v
send their Indian representatives to our Con- t
gress? Shall the same privileges be ex-
tended to some or all of our Indian tribes e
who are more enlightened and virtuous? If t.
not, why not? But, behind all this there a
Lovers black and portentious cloud which no O
patriot can look upon without dismay. IF a
this country is annexed, upon what terms and a
will it be annexed? VIII the
new States thus acquired viii the South ii
To hot