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Element; and on the part Of the United States the
claim TO the Del NOrle was recent as iI 10 novel.
Il was not known before Mr. Polk. Old Texas
did not extend beyond tho Nueces, and east of
the Del Noue there were Mexican custom houses,
Mexican people unmolested, and territory ad-
mlusd, over aud over again, by our own Gov
eminent agents, and by friends Of the Admins
tration. to be Mexican. We give three extracts
in their order 10 prove this:
From Mr.. Donaldson, Charge d'Affaires Of the
U. States in Texas, and others.
This gentleman, June %. Is45, writes TO Gen.
Taylor that "COrpus Christi is the most IVES
rERLY point nov occupied BY Teras." Mr..
Charles Jerad lngersoll, as chairman of the Com
miIee Of Foreign Relations, spoke Of the coun-
try beyond the Nueces as "the natural BoUNDA-
ny across which was marked in the confguration
of this continent by an Almighty hand-,he stu
pendous deserts between The rivers Nueces and
the Rio Grando'-thai boundary which, while
pence is cherished will be sacred. Not till the
spirit Of conquest rOges will the people on either
side modest or mix with the olher.'"
The spirit Of conquest has ragged, and we be-
hold iu fruit in that bloody war which has ab.
sorbed the Legislation of the country TO the ne.
! gect Of almost every question Of domestic JUS
tice and need. Mr.. Benton, the great Ajax Tele.
mon of the Administration, used still more earn
est language when he said the incorporation Of
tho left bank Of the Rio Del Nore into the Union
| (lhe country between the Del Nore and the
! Nucces,) "woud be an act Of direct aggression
on Mexico, for all the consequences of which,
the United States would stand responsible. -
/ Whether, then, il be the annexation of Texas
as the remote cause or the occupation of disput-
ed territory as the nearer cause, the Executive
consummated the one, and ordered directly the
other. We must say, now, that this advance Of
troops to the Del Nore, and this occupation of
disputed or Mexican territory, was not neccssa-
ry. The order was given on the 18th Of Janua-
ry, GAG, and had the order never been issued,
who believes there would have been war, and
had the Government sent out a commissioner in
stead Of Mr.. Slidell as Envoy Extraordinary, who
can doubt that we should now have had peace!
On the l2lh Of March, Mr.. Slidel himself
wrote:
"The Mexican Government offered to admit
the Plenipotentary, clothed with special pow
ers, TO treat on the Tcxian question:"
Because the Executive of Mexico would not
receive Mr.. Slidell as full minister, just upon
the heels of annexation, the Government was
fierce for war. Now mark the contrast of one
short year and little more. The President
and Secretary Of State ten days before the close
OF Congress, wished for fifty thousand dollars;
nnd in order TO obtain it; Mr.. Buchanan writes
thus to the acting chairman of the committee Of
Finance:
"ShouId tho Mexican Government consent to
open negotiation, before the meeting Of the next
/ Congress, they might, and probably would prefer
to treat of peace with one or more Commission
ers on the part of the United States, rather than
with an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plen.
ipotcntiary, for whom an outfit and salary have
already been inserted in the civil and diploma
tic bill now before the Senate. would there
fore respectfully suggest to you the propriely Of
making all appropriation 10 meet such contln-
gcncy."
= This was precisely what Mexico did prefer
: before tho pdr commenced, as we have already
! shown from Mr.. Sidell himself; and thus MIR.
Buchanan asks Congress to do that, in March,
I847, which tho President refused TO do in 1916!
) But in March, 1916, there had been no conquest,
no war, and hence the cause Of the proposition
= now coming from the Secretary of State, and
which was rejected with so much scorn year
ugo, when the same request was urged by the
Republic of Mexico. 1t is among the admissions
Of the present year, though strenuously denied
through the whole Of the first session of the 29lh
I Congress, that the war was one of conquest
The ialsehood became too glaring to be persc-
yered in, and at the second session il was aban-
doned in both Houses of Congress. Every at.
tempt made by the Wing members 10 bring the
friends Of the Administration 10 declaratory
VOTE that they meqnt neither the ultimate con-
quest of Mexico, nor the dismcmberment Of that
country, failed. Thus on the Esd of February,
l047, Mr.. Winthrop Of Massachusetts, offered
the following proviso 10 the three million bill:
"Prorided, further, That these appropriations
are made with no view of sanctioning any prose.
cuton Of the existing war with Mexico, for the
acquisition of territory TO form new States TO be
added to the Union, or for the dismemberment
IN any way, the Republic Of Mexico"
This provso was rejected by strict party vote
yeas 76, every Wing, north aud south, save
one, voting for the proviso, nays 1874, every Adj
mnslraon man, north and south, against it,
Resolutions Of asimar character, introduced by
Mr.. Stephens Of Georgia, were also thrown out
Of the House by party vote.
On the 2ed of January, l847, Mr.. Stephens
asked the general consent of the House TO offer
preamble and resolutions, relating 10 u subject
which of all others, was now most absorbing of
public interest. His object was not to ask the
action of The House upon the subject to-day, or
to debate the merits of the question, but barely
to have the resolutions received and referred TO
tho Committee of tho Whole on the State OF
the Union, to be called up at some subsequent
I day
The resolutions wero read for information
and are us follows:
I "Whereas is no less desirable that the inter-
esls aud honor Of our country should be cordial
" sustained and defended, so long as the present
war with Mexico continues TO exist, than the con.
Aict should not bo unnecessarily prolonged, but
should be terminated rs soon as an honorable
,,ooo ,,,, ho nhtoined, and whereas il is believ.