The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-03-06

Ineio perhaps has never happened, IL tho an. |
nails oil nations, such a singular confederation oil
circumstances as have met together In the all Ar
of this treaty with Mexico and yet neither
party dare defeat it. A mere enumeration OF all |
these circumstances, without any comment or
remaIk-wlthout any attempt to analyse or ex- |
anime thcm-without any effort to extract an !
issue, and to pronounce u true verdict upon the |
whole complicated affair, would be almost anus |
ing, so strange and heterogeneous is this COM
pound of circumstances; yet neither party dare
defeat il.
Let us give brief enumeration, catalogue
but not a catalogue raisonne-of some of these
things.
Here we have conquered nation on the one
hand, a victorious people on the other; the
conquered proud, and breathing the defiance of
war ;the conquerors repentant, and suppliant for
peace the conquered powerless, and able to do
nothing the conquerors powerful, and not
knowing what to do the conquered spurning
peace the conquerors begging and coaxing, and
anxious to get peace (; nation unterrlhed by
lis defeats and ruin, and refusing to organise a
government with which to conclude peace a
government terrified at its successes and con-
quest, determined to make peace, and no one to
make it with a commissioner sent to treat tor
peace-a willy pretence of treating for peace
the commissioner and the conquering General
hoaxed bloody battles unnecessarily fought,
and brave men sacrificed through this hoax
the commissioner recalled in disgrace
the victorious general suspended and disgraced
"a treaty then Matched up by those two dis
graced and unauthorized persons-a foreign
power joined with them in connecting volun-
teer act of unauthorized diplOmacy-the once
duped hasting to be a second time duped-thls
no-treaty springlng from no-authority, made
with no government, sent on to the executive
which had disgraced the volunteer negotiators
this executive Immediately jumping at the
treaty and accepting it-a party in the nation
clamorinY for the instantaneous ratification OF
it-a Senate solemnly celebrating upon the &C
ceptance Of this treaty-a tribute of many mil
lions to be paid by the conquerors to the con-
quered barren regions of wild land offered in
return, as payment for our glory-no possible Sc
| curity for peace in this treaty-no indemnity,
but reversion of claims, the conquering nation
paying indemnity, and the conquered people re-
ceiying lt-British claims guaranteed by this
treaty-the British stepping in and getting the
| fruits of American blood and valor-the Ameri-
cans paying the expenses and receiving terri
| tory, the chief part of which is already given
| away to the British and others-cities, mines,
fortresses, castles, sea ports, revenues, all the
substance and security we have got in our hands,
to be hastily abandoned for the shadow and Sc
curity of an invalid piece of parchment-and
yet neither party, whig or democrat, have cou.
rage to defeat it.
| Here is partial enumeration of simple facts
| ~ sc to1o rs oil
stances 1t requires merely to look at these facts,
simply to hear them-the trouble of thought may
be spared-it wants no deep argument or we'll
poised debate, or solemn deliberation, to see at
once through all the maze of this chaos, of this
mal.adroit Encouragement and preposterous
confusion of underlined purposes. Then to re-
fleet that we have party of persons in this ma.
ton, esteemed, and esteeming themselves, rea.
sonable beings, actually eager and jealous for
the instantaneous and unhesitating acceptance OF
such treaty! Solemn journalists putting forth
long and elaborate articles to prove the immedi.
ate desirability of taking up such treaty and
such peace! 1t almost passes credit. Will pos
terity believe 1t 4? And yet neither party dare
defeat this awful treaty.
| 1t would carry us far beyond the due length of
an editorial, were we to continue our observa.
lions, and to take up and examine, In any detail,
the questions which present themselves on TIL: 8
dense and complicated array of strange and pi.
table circumstances. We will, therefore, for
the present, confne ourselves to brief view of
the nature and character Of the Mexican parties
! with whom this volunteer piece of verdant d.
plomacy has been negotiated.
The three Mexican commissioners who
themselves also as well as the American side,
without any legitimate or valid commission
have thrown together this batch of incongruous
articles, which they and the wings call a
"peace," are Snr. Mora Vilamil, Bernardo
Couto, and Snr. Atristain. The latter Of these
persons Is well known a skiful, deep, intri-
guing banker and broker, long connected. and
almost a partner with the English agent, Mr..
Mcintosh. His character is sinister and void OF
confidence. Couto is man of sagacity and in
tellgence, but said to be most bitter against the
Americans-an astute, cunning and tortuous
negotiator, with all the treachery, faithessness
and dupicity of the Mexican character. Villamil
is known IS good-natured, tractable man an
easy tool in the hands of his more artful coadju-
tors. These individuals, it is to be believed, like
their countrymen in general, are ready, if neces-
sary, to break a condition within an hour after
they have made it, and would think 1t not dis
honorable, but rather the contrary, to keep
no good faith with Americans. These Mex
lean negotiators had, and have, no more
actual power and authority to make a va
lid treaty than any three boys in our Office.
The members of the Mexican Congress at Quere.
taro are not sufficient in number to form a quo
rum, consequentlythers isno government at Que.
retaro. Those individuals who call themselves
for the present purpose Of duping " los Yankees
by pretended treaty, "the government" are
denounced throughout all Mexico as traitors to
their country, and almost every State of tue
Mexican confederacy has openly disavowed their
acts, and pronounced against them. Public opin
ion, such as IT is in Mexico, is universally
against them while the prests-the potentia
| off uhlic---aye led al M,