Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1847-02-17

come till 1914. was then of a rank,
and in position, to have commanded, if
we had met, every general nowin service.
Even in the regular army, in 1918, was
lieutenant colonel while most of the pre-.
sent generals were company officers, and
only one of them of the rank of colonel
Yet / scorned TO mention these things.
even 10 bosom friends, while the measure
was depending, and only 10 it now for the
purpose of rescuing the President from
the supposed breach Of military decorum
which the appointment of a citizen from
civil life (myself being that cltizen) to
the command of the army. Finally, and
to conclude the vindication of the Presi.
dent in this particular, ! can say that Mr..
Polk is not the first President who pro-
posed to give me the comm md of an army
against MeXico-that Gen. Jackson him.
self proposed it in 1886, when our affairs
with that country looked warlike; and that
then, as now, agreed to take it. And
here, Mr.. President, having fulfilled my
my task of indicating the Chief Magis
tate of the Union from the design, hypo
thetically imputed 10 him, of wishing to
by means Of this lieutenant generalshIp.
| might close my remarks but as my name
has been coupled with this business, and
as | have remained silent, and even left
my seat, while the measure was DEPEND
ing, | must now take leave. with the
kind indulgence of the Senate, to proceed
a step further, and to say word on my
own account; and to show that Seruice and
not rank, was my inducement to agree TO
the offer of the President; and that there
might have been cases, in which would
not nave accepted the office of lieutenant
general even if il had been created |
have already said that will not now show
what my own plan was; but can say of
ii that it was plan which looked 10
result, and promised an issue, and that
briefly and that would have had nothing
TO do with any plan of any other kind! -
nothing to do with any plan that compla-
ted long and moderate war. or war of
mastery inactivity, or of retreat upon the
Rio Grande, or of defending a line, or Of
attack upon the idle and solitary castle of
San Jan of Ulua--espe"iaIIy at the com.
mencement of the season for the black
vomit. ] no one of these cases would
have been lieutenant general; or captain
general, or major general, or colonel gen
eral or any other sort of a general that
ever was heard of. | know very well
that the President had no>idea of any one
of these most amIabIe plans; but there is
way o give him an idea OF them, and
even to force them upon him; and that
would be, by the simple process of deny.
ing HIM the means of doing any thing else
| shall not state my plan; bat will say
of it; that, besides intending result, it
proposed to carry on the war, while there
was war, according to the usage of all
nations in the case of invasive war-the
invaders to be paid and subsisted by the
invaded. Contributions regularly levied
duties regularly collected-would ac-
complish these objects, and leave the Uni
ted States free, or nearly free, from the
expenses of the war. can say, further,
that my plan was not limited to mere
} military view of the subject; that it com
pretended union of policy and of arms
the ollve-branch TO 60 with the sword
minister to treat, as we'll as an army tc
fight. A diplomatic mission, nationally
constituted, both IN a geographical and in
political sense, was to attend the head
: quarters; and, while the ministers stood
ready to negotiate at every step, the army
was to take an organization and an atti
tude to give emphasis to negotiation. AnC
} this combination of arms and policy wa.
, not mere guesswcrk, The idle conception
: of fancy; but the result of knowledge o
: the state of parties. in Mexico-a peace
j party, for honorable peace; war party
: for endless war-as was UNANIMOUSLY showr
Y by the senator from New York T Mr.. Dix
a few days ago. MY plan was adapted
: to both OF these parties-honorabIe peac,
o for one; the sword for the other The mill
e tary part of the plan has fallen to tn,
J, ground; the diplomatic part tails with it
l. and now 1t deyoves upon those who hav,
j. frustrated the plan of the President to pre-
! sent him a better. counted much o
Il the efficacy of the diplomatic part Of thi
G plan; tor great errors prevail in Mexic,
|. with regard to our designs and feelings to
1 wards them, and which nothing but an au
n thentic mission could remove The wa
: party is incessant in lis calumnies agains
t. us, artfuIlv contrived to operate on ever
o class of the people, and 10 render peac
e impossible. 1t has a falsehood for ever
/. class. To the religious orders the war
II represented as war OF religion-the Pre-
d testant against the Cathclic--and wa
e of sacrilege-the spoliation of the church
J. es. To the creole Spaniards and the In
i dams of mixed blood, they present it as
n war of races-ihe Anglo Saxon again: