Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-01-20
"Mr sLIDELL's LETTER OF CREDENCE.
JAMES X. POLK,

''Mr sLIDELL's LETTER OF CREDENCE.
JAMES X. POLK
President Of the United State of .4me,icd.
"GreGt and Good Friend-I have made choice of
john SLIDELL one Of our distinguished citizens, to re-
side near the Government of the Mexican Republic in
the quality of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plen-
ipotentary Of the United States of America. lie is
well informed of the relative interests of the two coun
tries, and Of sincere desire to restore, cultivate,
and strengthen friendship and COOL correspondence
between us, and, from a knowledge of his fidelity and
good conduct, have entire confidence that he will
render himself acceptable to the Mexican government,
by his constant ende0vors to advance the interest and
happiness of both nations therefore request your
Excelency to receive him favorably, and to give full
credence to whaever he shall say on the part of the
United States. And pray God to have you in his
safe aud holy keeping.
"Written at the City of Washington the tenth day
of November, in the year of your Lord one thousand
eight hundred and oryiive, aud Of the independence
ofthe United Suites the Seventeen. Yonr good friend,
BY the President: JAMES X. POLK.
JAMES BUCHANAN, Secretary Of State.
TO his EXcelency, Don JOSE Joaquin HERRERA,
President Of the Mexican Republic"
"And pray God to have you in his holy care and
keeping" How pous the President isl He prays for
his enemies. This was written on the 10th Of Novem
Der. Now want to read another document, to show
how MIR Polk was treating his good friend on the 18th
OF June preceding. In COllueUlial communication
from the War Department, dated June Is, 1915, to
Gen Taylor, find the the following
"The point of your ultimate distinction, in the west
ern frontier Of Texas where you will select and occu
Ply, near the Rio Grande del Nore, such a site
will consist with the health of the troops and will
be best adapted to repe INVASION and to protect what
in the event of Annexation will DE our western border
You will limit yourself to the defence of the territory
of Texas, unless Mexico should declare against the
United States.
"Your movement to the Gulf of Mexico, and your
preparations to embark for the western frontier of Tex
as, are to be made without any delay"
WE'LL now, what do you think of this pious President?
On the 18th of june he ordered the troops to be ready
to embark for the coast Of Mexico and five months af
terward he sends messenger to Gen Herrera, and by
the hands of this messenger, supphcaton to Almigh
ty God, "to have him in his safe and holy keeping"
lest this prayer should fail he had taken the precau
ton to send Gen Taylor with his army five months
BEFORE to take him in his care and keeping. Well,
will not detain the Senate long on this part of this mat
ter 1t seems TO me it is too plain for cayil; and if
had the issue to be tried before twelve good men and
true the first witness would call would be James X.
Polk-for never knew witness who was conscious
ottellng the truth, who found it necessary to repeat
so often the same assertion Why does the President
60 into so long and labored an effort to prove that we
had good causes of WARP If this were the case, and
we had not commenced it, instead of being to our
dit it would have been disgrace to us. 1t would
have shown pusilanimous nation. 1t is, therefore,
a JeCO de SC his argument. Because 1t this were the
case, it shows that we should have done what the
President has labored to show have not done. The
President may conquer Mexico, but he can never sue
coed in conquerng the truth. He may direct as many
guns to bear upon would require to silence
Mexican battery, but he will not be so successful.
Well, if this was the cause of the war-if this was
the manner in which the war commenced, what we
carrying it on for now? What do we propose? What
do we want? Why, in the message of the President
to Congress in 1916, he tells that it not
quest that he desired but in the message of this year
he modldes little. Now the conquest he disavows;
that is, he does not to take the whole Mexico.
suppose that he means to divide it very much as Lord
Aberdeen divided Oregon with him, to take what he
wants and leave the rest. He says
at was never contemplated by me to make per-
manent conquest Of Mexico, or TO destroy her national
ity"
We'll, sir, actions speak louder than words, and
need not admonish gentlemen this floor of this fact
for have proof In my hand. What does the PresI-
dent tell you? ! heard it asserted by Senator the
other day, that Senators voted for the appropriation Of
the under protes-that they did it for nothing
else than to relieve Gen. Taylor from the critical posi-
ton in which he was placed The President came and
made the thrilling announcement that American blood
had been shed on American soil. And while every
heart papitated at such an outrage Senators anxious
to relieve Gen. Taylor, wiling to vote the
supplies required, though the bill for raising them
was accompanied by the declaration which, at that
time they believed to be untrue, that "war existed by
the act of Mexico" They gave their votes under the
protest that 1t was expressly for the relief of Gen
Taylor And what docs The President now say to
those Senators? Why, he says you did not mean any
such thing. You could not have meant it. You knew
that indemnity must beacqured. Senators, when you
passed that vote, you all meant to get territory. The
surely he ought to know; and the President has a
right to says because actions speak louder than words
You voted him the men and the money; you gave him
the sword and the purse, and you gave him unlimited
license to conduct the as he pleased and now YOU
must pass this Di-glve him the ten regiments of reg
ulars and atterward twenty regiments of volunteers
anc let HIM thus, according to the Senator from Ken
lucky, increase his available forces in Mexico to nine
ty thousand and 60 on, subugating that country; and
what will he tell you at the next session? He now
tells you:
Congress could not have meant-when in Nav,
1916, they appropriated ten millions of dollars, and
authorized the President to employ the military and
naval forces Of the United States, and to accept the
services Of fifty thousand volunteers to enable him to
prosecute the war; and when at the last session. and
alter our army had invaded Mexico, they made add-
uona appropriations, and authorized the raising of
aaollona troops for the purpose-hat no indem-
MY was to be obtained from Mexico at the conclusion
vi to war; ana yet 1t was certain that if no Mexican
tained 0'"4' W W
at is farther manifest that Congress- contaminated