The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-03-30

should never have acquired the magnificent country
Louisiana, the beautiful fields OF Florida or the glo
nous territory OF Texas. They have uniformly depre
called The value OF our acquisitions They sang The
same diy ON the acquisition of Louisiana that they are
now chanting over New Mexico and California Lou.
lsana was OF barren earth filled only with strange
animals, unfit to be the residence of civilized man. In
illustration OF this position, subon the following ex
tract from correspondent OF the last New York Evening
Post:
Zone OF the principal grounds opposition to
Louisiana was, that the sum paid greats I5 900
900; that bur small portion off ract-equalng in
extent that OF nearly the whole of the old States
was OF any value; that il filed with Indians snakes
ana reptiles; that our territory sufficiently large al
ready that had immense of wild lands vet TO be
occupied east OF the Mssisspp that the few European
inhabitants (SOOOo OF OOe) who inhabited that country
uu not assmia'e win our own people ALL they being
primo Pay OF French and Spanish origin and the idea
admitting such into halls of legislation secuted and
oicuied IN the same terms precisely the wings now
make use oil In reference to Incorporating about the
extent OF Spanish Mexican territory, containing
same number OF inhabitants But this acquisition con-
hrmed by the Senate by of "a democrats federal
sts and the money appropriated by the House by
vote OF 80 democrats % federas The wisdom the
democratic party OF that day. the folly of the ledealists
requires comments here. For what would this
and rich territory reviled the time by the opponents
ofdemocncy, be relnquished given up! Let the
whig descendants OF ederasnthose who oppose the
QUESTION of Mexican teritory-answer Those who now
speak so contemporary of the member from New Mex
Ico,' the member from California, will, when The
time arrives for such members take their seas be lit
tie disposed 10 question their right proprey they
that Of the members from Louisiana Mississippi.
All this proves two things most concusvelyhat the
present wing party the and Legitimate descendants
of the old federal party and also that they governed by
precisely the principles and prejudces their fore
fathers 1t is, indeed, curious to look the pro-
of oil Mr. Jef
frson from which the above facts obtained and
what perfect harmony of feeling and action exists between
the iedealists of that day and the wings of the present
Mexican wings is term just appropriate now as
British tories then. The latter took long lease OF
infamy the others have renewed the titles for indefinite
number of years"
Just so it now is with the territory about to
quire from Mexico The last strain we have had upon
this subject uttered in the doorous note of Lamenta
tions by the orator of Massachusetts, Thursday last
He employed the darkest hues of his easel to paint the
stery and worhlessness of the territories about
to acquire He asked what Indemnity" about
to get He said il not worth dollar Yet Mr..
Webster had attempted to purchase the Bay of San
Francisco for millions OF money-rumor sometimes says
five Millions at other times ten. The finest ports in the
world are not worth dollar The productive fields of
California-the beautiful valleys of New Mexico-are
not worth dollar This is in the chorus that we
heard in lso3-equaly true, equally deceptive. We
come forward to overthrow the assertions of his speech
of Thursday, as relates to this point Mr. Webster is
not celebrated for the accuracy OF his facts, nor of
course the fidelity of his logic Here is sample of the
first We copy these parts of his speech from the Pro
ceedings and Debates of the United States Senate" OF
Thursday LAST"
SWELL then, New Mexico there can be no more
Il, ,,,tl ,,rb, bad
map New Mexico and read the accounts of it, who
supposes there be any people there than there is
sixty seventy thousand 1t is old settled
country the people living along in the bottom of this val
ley the sides of le stream, garter of land only
side and the other, filed by andhoders and
miserable poems sustain, only under this cult
walton, but under any cultivation that our American race
should submit, people than there are now
There will then be Senators for sixty thousand in
habi,ants New Mexico the end four lives and the
md of the lives of our children"
Now, of New Mexico. OF that, forty nine teths, at
least, barren waste of desert plain mountain
There is wood, tmbe-little fagots to light fire
carried thirty forty miles mules There is natural
fall of rains, in temperate climates. The place and
scene Asstic-enormously high mountains running
up the height Of thousand feet with very
valleys their bases through which streams
trickle along-a garter winds along through the
thread of which the Rio Grande from afar in the
Rocky mountains down the latitude of about thirty three
degrees, three four hundred miles. There these
right and the left whose natural tendencies
would be lateral streams flow into the Rio Grande
and in certain Of the year, when the rains have
been abundant the mountains, of them do actually
reach The Rio Grande, but the greater part Of them, al
waysand all of them for greater part OF the year never
reach outlet the They absorbed in the sandy
and desert plains of the country THERE'S no culture any
where save that which be obtained by artificial
terng irrigation You have this along the narrow
valley of the Rio Grande in the gorges OF the mountains
where the but you cannot have it down along
the course OF those that lose themselves in the
sands.
g Now, sir, there is public domain in New Mexico
There foot OF land to be sold by the government
There that will become when the coun
try becomes ours-not But more than this the
country full of people, such rs they are There no
the least thing it, invite the settlement of planters
farmers There will go, dare say, Spectators traders
ohem Adventures tired of the good country in the
valley of the Mississippi, who desire wander; but un
dertakc to say there will be two hundred farmers OF
planters from the United State. in New Mexico in the mex
fifty years They cannot live there Do suppose they
going cultivate lands which cannot be made produc
slightest degree without irrigation The people
that are there produce little and live upon little believe
he characteristic of farmers throughout this country
to produce n good deal and consume good deal"
And then Mr. Webster proceeds to bring up his wit
nesses Major Gaines and Mr. Truman Smith, of the
House of Representatives, and extravagant English
traveller of the Trollope ORDER who signs himself "Rux
ton" and whose work on Mexico (NI Webster says) is
in the library.
We meet the issue at once and we produce, our
witness. an American officer of high character, who