New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-01-19
THE TEN REGIMENTS BILL.
SPEECH OF MIR. PBARCE.
u. 5. SENATE, Jan. Is, 1919.


The Senate resumed the consideration, on IT.
third reading Of the bill to raise Tor limited time
an Additional military force.
Mr PEAncE 1t wOad have been agreeable 4
me # could have deferred for few days the re
marks which propose TO make in reference 10 th,
subiect now uuder consideration Of the Senate -
Like my colleague, however, shall be compele,
q be absent for a few days on business and nav,
therefore % throw myself on the indulgence Of IL,
Senate.
With much that my colleague has said in tia
part OF bis remarks which he addressed to the Sen
ats On the second day, | cordially agree but there
other points in dispute upon which bis opinions
aid IA nc are wholly and widely variant regret
tbs variance, not only because ~erepresent a com
mon constituency, but because have long enter
tainel tor my colleague such hishrcs add regard
t1a. 10 IL painful for me 10 diler with him here on
suy subject and particularly painful - have col
lis0n OF opinion upon question Of such iandament
ri importance.
had occasion Sir ut the last session Of the Sen
ate to present 10 this body ny views upon part Of
this subject aud Il II had been my colleagues pur-
pose % contrOve-t the position which then as
samed. and overthrow the Arguments which
dssv0red 70 sustain, he could not have addressed
himself more directly 70 the purpose than he has
dune Sir. J DO not complain Of this. But II is q
fsci which cOmpels me either 10 abandon the ground
have formerly taken, reaiifm IL and sustain IL
IS best may. Beside Sir, the Legislature Of my
State Is now IN session, my term OF service here Is
dsa wing % close, and II is right that should pos
sess that body fully with the opinions ! entertain
upon this important subject that they may be the
better enab ed u determine in whose hands 10 place
the trust with which have hitherto been honored.
Sir 10 a0t shrink from the issue and ! am con
soi "a With the conviction that In the opinions which
eniertsIn and which an about 70 express, but
reflect the sense OF those whom represent
Like my colleague, am anxious to maintain the
honor of nay country, 10 vindicate her reputation
from the least blemsh, and particularly % rescue
her from any probable charge of rapacious aygres
s,On. Ol grssging cupicity and last OF conquest
Bat iu NV opinion this cannot be done by merely
Affirming the Justice Of a war, IN the Justice and
c)nsututionaty Of which l have 40 faith much
less can Il be dOuc by sustaining the President in
a colrsc by which, Ia my opinion, we should be
practically subverting the Constitution Wrestling
from Congress, 20 whom alone the Constitution has
o0lhiei tlem, the issues Of war aud peace making
hlm Tie supreme controller Of afiairs-making him
Ia 'act II look at the matter in view Of It's con.
scqseuces, the master Of our fate, and the more
dangerously co. because he rules under the form Of
Tree tussi ution ms IN the spirit OF a despOt.
Sir ! do not pretend to deny that the United
S.ates has just claims against Mexico for indemnity
due % our citizens but do deny thstthose claims
were the cause OF this ar or that they would be
last cause OF any war. | deny that they would
have justified Congress ia declaring war with Mex
Zoo. Sir is a last and direiul alternative OF IA
.fpabcs also. Ii should never be undertaken With
our au unavoid sbie necessity. All Pubiasts tell US
this Tue laL guage OF Vattel IS, that there must
be clear right coupled with sort OF necessity aud
This Is consistent with the principles Of common
sense eDd humanity
Now, let us see what are the causes which have
prod 1ced this war The President has psraded be.
IRE Us Gu exaggerated statement OF these claims,
as II they were the cause Of the war and yet he
Alarms that Mexico brought Oh the war by her IL.
legal and unjust act 10y shedding American blood
oDOn American soil. Sir, these claims against
Mexico, ior indemnity due TO our citizens, have ex
istel for a series Of yeas, It is rue-some fJr n
longer and others for shorter time. But ask II
Mexico has resisted pertinaciousiy the payment OF
these claims ask, II the resistance or neglect 20
pay, on the part Of Mexico, is even comparable to
tbat which ~e have experienced at the hands oil
stronger nations and, l ask, il IL becomes us to
adopt rule or measure OF justice In regard to a
weaker nation aud another rule OF night IN regard
~ a strong aud naughty people trust there Is
no Senator who will not repel with scorn such al
impusarion Yet. l fear we are about to forget the
rule Of equality in regard to this particular trans
acton.
Nov. in 1892 Mexico entered into Il convention
with Us by which she agreed TO form commission
for the ascertainment of the claims due 10 our cti
zeps That commission sat, and adJudlcAted many
OF the claims. bat being limited In point oil time
they were not all decided Some OF them, not re-
ceiving the confirmation OF the commissioners were
referred to an umpire, and some were not acted
on at el Well Mexico did not withhold from u.s.
or refuse the payment OF those claims when were
admitted by the commissioners. On the contrary
she IN INFESTED disposition 10 meet the payment
bv levying forced contributions upon her citizens
f,r tnat purpose aud concluded another Convention
in ls43 providing for the organization OF another
commission for the adjudication OF the claims not
settled By the first Ia consequence OF her embar-
raised condition aud exhausted Treasury Mexico
was unable to make payment OF the adJudlcsted
claims stipulated; but she entered into an ar
raneement with General Thompson, the Minister
OF the United States, 10 pay the claims by iustall.
melts, showing that she acted IN good ialth, and
with 10 disposition to withhold the pay ment she
paid all the arrears Of interest at eight per cent
and three ius.aments OF principal nor was II until
the egotiation of the Annexation Treaty, the ex
pIsion OF Santa Anna from power, and his exile
from Mexico, that they failed to make the pay
meuts Whether annexation was the cause oil
such failure or whether II arosefrom their inability
g. pay. Cannot undertake 10 say but think' the
latter the more probable cause One tmns is Ger
tain. that Mexico made great Efforts aud ii she cld
No. make punctusl payments, it was rather TO be
attributed 10 her distressed condition than 20 any
Wt0t OF faith. Well. who is there who does not
reco.ect that We ourselves have been delinquent
IN tis way in reference 10 the claims OF treat
Britain against US ! refer TO the debts due the
British merchants recognized by the treaty of lls5'
an lot paid, believe for twenty years after that
dale. remember too Sir that our claims against
Great Britain for the negroes carried oil al the
close of the war Of 1912, were not settled finally TIL
1886, although provided for in the treaty oil peace
Who does not rccollect the claims for spOlistiOn
~ Naples and Denmark and the more reinarka-
bic case Of SpOliations by France, the most
SAtrart OF al committed in the wsntonness
O. power-in very scorn Of our ughts-with'
or. tho slightest Justification aud persisted ~
ropested, ard boldly defended with the most
o.i.ns We eiifontery, and yet endured 10y this
country through Successive ADMINISTRATION irom
1906 ultil ls3l--When a distinguished gentlenen,
who was formerly member OF this body MI
Raves oi Virginia negotiated the Treaty o. indem
nity aud ihea France, adding farther wrong u tie
heaped W iuiury which We hsd sustained 30 pa
tienty, withheld tine payment OF the money iof
four yosrs longer General Jackson did indeed In
1888 address Congress on the subject, and suggest
repfissi as proper mode OF redress and he asAea
three millions Of dollars 20 Re placed at his disposal
. eua6o him % act as circumstances might require
But Congress neither adopted bis recommendation
of feorisas. voted him the three millions, and
,ka Sonata chose rather 10 allow the defeat of the