Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-12-24
THE COURSE OF THE WIG PARTY AT TIKI
ORIGIN OF THE WAR

Nc, ~ ssd r,seIy aributnc the comme Of
the war TO the act Of Mexico have II" doubt oil the
patriotic motives OF those who, after struggling 10 d.
vest the bill; of that fagiant error found themselves
constrained Ia vote Tor II. hut must say, tEat no
earthly consideration would have tempted or pro-
voked me to vote for bill with palpable 1alsehood
stamped on its face. Almost idoIizng truth, as do,
never, never, could have voted for that bill"
Mr.. Ciay's Le1ingion Speech.
II is not the object OF This article TO offer any
extended remarks upon the matters connected
with The origin Of the present war. We desire
TO present but single view. Mr.. Clay, for line
sake. we presume, OF those nt his friends who,
unfortunately, are committed, by having voted MOI
merely for the preamble but forth act itself which
recognized line war; endeavors TO make a dlstnc-
ton between a vote for The acl with and without
the preamble. In point OF FACT that distinction
does not exist II the preamble conveys false
hood the act ought not 10 have passed. II the
war did mol exist in consequence OF her conduct,
Mexico ought not TO have been invaded with an
army OF $4,000 men. II the removal OF our
troops from Corpus Christi and The much talked
of "planling Of cannon opposite Maiamoras," was
an unjust aggression upon The rights OF Mexico.
her resistance 10 that movement was perfectly
UNSUITABLE and did mol deserve The penalty winch
the act OF Congress authorized The President 10
inaci Ii is but an Indifferent SOFT of morality
that, while il nfics a severe and unjust punish
mcnt, contents itself with refusing 10 declare us
victim guilty Of the offence TOR which he suffers.
But il is no! even This mnch credit that Mr.. Clay
allows his friends in Congress. In addition TO
The unjust infection upon innocent Mexico OF inc
horrors Of an invasion with the large force au-
,horized by Congress, he charges them with utter
ing palpabe laIsehood, in declaring that MEXICO
deserved The infection.
On The lllh OF May, 1876, President Polk, By
| message, communicated 10 Congress all the lac's
connected with The removal o! the troops Ifoip
Corpas Christi; tha, Gen. Taylor had been IN
structed 10 regard the relations OF The Two nations
as PEACEFUL uoless actually atacked hat lie
Mexican forces al Malam0ras had assumed btl-
ligereni attitude, and Gen. Ampudla had noIlileu
Gen. Taylor to break up his camp and retire De-
yond The Nucces, il he wished 10 avoid actual hos
liies; and that On the 9th OF April party o! ORA
soons, sent up the Rio Grande 10 ascertain wbe-
Their the Mexican forces were crossing that river,
had been Intercepted by a large force and al er
some loss had been compelled 10 surrender. Upon
this information the whole action OF Congress
was predicated. On The very day that This message
was sent to Congress, the House OF Representa-
tivcs, with only fourteen dssenlent voices, passed
the act referred 10 by MIR. Gay. After pream-
bic declaring the war To exist by Inc act OF Mex
ico The President was authorized to employ Inc
militia the military and naval forces, and 10 call
were al me sa me time placed under his CONTROL
The act passed the Senate with only Two dIssen-
lient voices. In the mean time, the battles OF Inc
Sih and 9Th Of May, 1916, had occurred, and the
army OF Mexico was annihilated. Alter nose
battles, our army remained on the Rio GRANGE,
awaiting the accumulation of forces and male
riel necessary to the invasion OF Mexico until Au.
gust.
Now, if this march TO the Rio Grande was an
unjus, aggression upon Mexico, it was the duty
of Congress Immediately 10 arrest it, so far as 1t
was practicable 10 do so. They should have Ia
ken measures 10 recall the movement al the ear
Iesi moment lhat il could have been done. They
should, at all events, have forborne to aggravate
This outrage, which, as we are now taught, had
been unconsliulionallyp erpelrated byan usurpins
executive. Did the Wing party in Congress pursue
any such course2 BY no means. They not only
acquiesced in the act OF the President in directing
a removal of the troops, but they authorized a
vigorous extension Of The same policy. Instead
Of arresIing this iucipient invasion OF Mexican
territory, they authorized its prosecution on a
much larger scale. Instead OF recalling our lit
lie army from the Rio Grande, they empowered
the President to send $4,000 men 10 the city OF
Mexico, to bring rapine and desoaion upon ma
ton whose whole offence, according to their pre-
sent account, consisted in resisting The unjust ag-
erosion OF our President. If The march OF The
| troops 10 Maiamoras was wrong, either in prin-
cip!e or policy, it was perfectly competent tor
Congress 10 correct it. Ii was peculiarly so alter
the battles OF the 9Th and 9th OF May, when The
Mexican army was annihilaled. The Withdraw.
al ofour troops 10 he Nueces would have been al
tended with no immediate risk, and The prospect OF
avoiding future hoslilies was al least as fair af-
ter those battles as before the march TO The Rio
Grande Does not The fact that no such policy
I'd N,yt bo NJ hprc
| Congress, indicate that there was al that time
general approval OF the course OF the President,
and that the outcry about il has been since started
| TOR sinister and rarizan purposes2
So eager were The Wing party in Congress to
authorize an invasion OF Mexico with an army
Of SO, 600 men, that, according TO Mr.. Clay's &C
count, they did not scruple 10 uer fasrant and
papahle alsehood in order to effect that Object
But if the reason for the act stated in the pream-
| bic be false, we cannot conceive what other rea
son could have operated with that party in voting
tor il. II we are 10 believe their present account,
that party in Congress have authorized the inva
sion OF Mexico, not for her asgressions upon US,
! but for ours upon heI-not because The war existed
by her ACT, bnt because the act of an usarping de-
| partmcnt OF our own Government had brough;
war upon her. II this be so the utIeraEcc u' pal
| pabe asehood is comparatively venial offence
| Of that party.
The enacling clauses of The &C, of Congress
speak more strongly than The preamble aud
ii is difficult 10 perceive how the preamble could
commit any one more fully than those enacting
clauses. Those who idolize Justice as much as
! MIR. Clay PROCESSES 10 idolize Truth, could never
support Iha, bill, unles, they believed that MexI-
co was responsible for the war. They might
consistently support temporary measures 10 with
| draw the army from any peIils 10 which they
might be exposed. No such object was contem-
plated by thai bill. A war OF inpasion was 10 be
commenced ard prosecuted and for that purpose
an addition Of $4,000 men and SIC, 100000 was
10 be placed at The disposal of the President
Could any preamble declare more emphaicaly
than those provisions The sense OF Congress, that
Mexico was responsible for The war-lhat il eI.
listed by her own ACT And can any one who
voted for that bill stand up unblushing before The
world and in effect say that he was but pandering
TO Executive nsurration, in thus empowering The
President to chasise foreign nation for resist.
ing his wicked and unconstitutional conduct2
The army of Gen. Taylor remained several
months on The Rio Grande after the battles of the
9th and 9th of May. During all this time the
Wing party slumbered at their posts; they stood
unmurmuring BY and witnessed The consumma.
ton ofths great outrage. The only genera COM
plant al that time was, that the work did not go
on fast enoush-,hat Mr. Polk was loo dilalory
in preparing The invasion. MIR. Clay himself al
one time expressed desire 10 60 down and "slay
Mexican" II was al first generally thought
that The war would be as short as ii would be glo-
rious. The popular feeling ran too strongly in
favor oflhc war for that patriotic party TO venture
upon opposition. But in few months the pros.
pect Of an early peace seemed 10 be postponed.
A somewhat prolracled and expensive war be-
gan 10 be anticipated. Some capital might be
raised for party as bankrupt n hoPe as in pre-
sent fortune The war, authorized and support
ed by both parties in Congress, mus, be de.
nounced as The Presidents war-,he insults and
injuries inflicted upon our Government and cii-
zens we're TO be forgotten amid the fresher sym
pathies for outraged Mexico which parIizsn elo'
quence was TO excite-,be Notifying spectacle
was to be exhibited Of party turning from the
support which their hrs honest impulses had 81.