The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-12

After few words by Mr.. PEARCE in opposition 10
the BILL ii was laid informally 10 take up the orders
OF the day. being
THE TEN REGIMENT BILL
The Senate resumed the consideration, It's third read
ing, of the bill TO raise, for limited me an addluohSi
MIR. JOHNSON Ihave said all that proposed to say
upon the part of the subject TO which called the aen
that in what about offer 10 the consideration q
the Senate, shall incidentally refer to it AGAIN so
rise this morning, sir, TO speak. in the first place 81 Tue
actual conduct of this under the management ol e
President of the United States The war was recosnsea
as existing The 9Th of May 1916 we are no" ~, ~
the month of January, 1913; and 10 all aPPeahe '
restoration of peace is far Off and even farther man
if seemed TO be on the 9Th of May, 1916 Inc whoie
power of the nation, far he has deemed auVsaoe
to ask to have that power devolyed upon num- mas oeeh
placed in The hands OF the Executive Not an occasion
although there have been many and such glorious
ones-has presented itself in which the American arms
have not been h.s Ana yet there has Is mo mo
il TO be referred exclusively to the want OF vigo with
which the war has been prosecuted. We have had an
ostentaous and asserted yigor but have had nothing
else, as far as the President is concerned.
| am very lar from lmpltlng-because am incapable
of making charge which do not believe 10 be true
am very far from mputng that this OF actual vgor
has been Intentional on the part of the Executive So
far from it believe that he has been deuding himself
from time to me with the idea that peace was to De OBJ
tanned without the eflsion OF blood sad deluslon-
one which must hereafter constitute great and over
whelmng account of responsibility against himself
said Yesterday, that It was the march OF our troops
from the Nueces to the Rio Grande that in my opn-
ion the immediate cause Of the war. say o-daywhat
have had occasion say other places over ana over
agan-that believe that march, OF ITSELF II II had been
made with proper force would actually have led to
such result have no doubt that if, instead of send
ing the small but gallant bandthe heroes OF Palo Alto
and Resaca de la Pama-o the Rio Grande he had sent
from 5000 to 5000 men, not drop OF blood would
have been shed, and no Mexican ever have venured
to have rodden the soil this side OF the rver IN
hostile attitude But, sir, the war commenced was
\ ,ltp,Ifa ottpt
of treasure were freely placed at the disposal OF the Ex
ecutive together with implied promise such as to give
the President the assurance (f such were needed) that
this unlimited amount could, if the expression may be
excused be made still more unlimited. And yet what
has he done Instead OF calling out twenty or thirty or
forty, fifty thousand men. as he was authorized to DO
by the OF the 18th of May 1885, he and the ofhcers at
the head of the War Department called them out by db
lets and announced TO the country from time TO time
that they had sutcency OF force to conquer peace
What has been the consequence! That which every
man of intelligence who speaks as he thinks, must ac
knowedge-that great, and mighty and extraordinary as
have been the trumphs of the American arms they have
hardly furnished anything but the glory attending
them They have TO be sure. illustrated the American
character for valor and military skill but they have
served no other purpose And Why Mr. President Pc
cause each struggle has been at such fearful Odds that
the galan officers command have been unable to FOL
low it up, or profit by the result
Sir look at the history OF the campaign on the Rio
Grande Gen. Taylor, who, with few thousand men,
marched to Monterey, and succeeded after dread and
fearful conflict carrying that almost impregnably tor-
fled town. was so far crippled that ne was unable to
hold even the prisoners that he might take. What
happened afterwards! The plan of the campaign is
changed some new light dawns upon the mind Of the
Executive, and Mexico is TO be stricken IN different
part There is point still more vital to be assaled-a
point still more certain, assailed to lead TO the resora
ton OF peace and OF the vindication OF our outraged
rights What is done' Gen Taylor i stripped OF what
enemy approached eight or ten millions OF the public
property exposed to be lost unless preserved by the
alantry and ndomtabe yalor OF the few soldiers left
Il: 81 limos txpfh xpppd
known at the city of MeXico and army. such as she
had before marched into the field. was organized,
amounting to some twenty or thousand troops
and led on by their greatest chief.
Mr.. President, much as his previous successes had
satisfied every american that Taylor and the officers aid
men under his commando were competent to accomplish
almost any triumph that human power could accomplish,
was there one who did not then tremble for their fate
And the fact that they not utterly annihlated may
be considered almost military miracle. Disparity OF
force was comparatively nothing before the ener, of
American soldiers and in the annals Of former military
riumphs, the proudest of them al! will hereafter be re-
garded as nothing IN comparison win me victories OF
brilliant light of exploit WHICH. whilst 1t electrified
the American heart, astounded the world.
Let us look now. sir, to the campaign OF last year.
Gen Scott was compelled to assai the city of Vera Cruz
with between $4,000 and 900 troops and to carry at all
hazards castle supposed to be imWegpabie; he sue
ceeded in accomplishing it but he has done little moth
ing beyond that Every battle which was fought between
Vera Cruz and the city OF Mexico was fought with dis
parity of numbers actually appalling That noble leader
was forced to march distance of $50 or 200 miles for.
get the exact disance) into the enemys country and for
great portion of the way through dense population to
assai city containing 100000 or 100000 inhabitants
surrounded by Notifications which were supposed to be
impregnabe, and without the means of keeping up
his communication with the seaboard for the purpose OF
getting supplies These supplies found their way to him
from time to time by the gallantry of the escort who
were obliged to fight foot by foot almost every mile o
their progress And at the end OF all his great and extra
ordinary riumphs, Scott finds himself in the city OF Mex
leo with only some 5000 soldiers Now, sir who does
halle hp had started with
men, although he might then have been deprived OF the
glory of his many victories, might have been pos
session OF the city of Mexico, perhaps, without the
shedding of drop of bood-American Mexican
Who can doubt that it is the duty Of Executive
gng war declared exist by Christian people, TO dc
what the honorable senator from Mississippi mir
DAyIsl said it would be the effect of this bill to accom-
plish-not to insure triumph the battlefield, but Il
avoid battle by accomplishing success by force of
conquer peace. by demonstrating to that enemy thai
resistance is in vain All at ONCE find no fault with
it; on the contrary, rejoice at 1.-THE eyes Of the FIX
ecutive have been opened All at once, il seems to b
perceived by him that the heretofore has not beer
vigorously prosecuted, except paper Well, who's
| fault is it, Mr. PRESIDENT Who would have borne TIL
dread responsibility, if gallant little army the Ri
Grande had been sacrificed Who would have ted thu
equally tremendous responsibility, if those gallant spirit
now in the halls OF the Montezumas had been sacrificed
The nations OF the world would have said with on
accord the Executive of the United States Upon hin
the responsibility for the useless and cruel expenditure
bold to say, in speaking in the presence of those wh
know infinitely more upon such subjects than do, tina
if the President had called the $4,000 volunteer
after hearing of the battles of Pao Alto and Resaca DE-