The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-02-19

Icuse, wlthout Patliatlon, given them 10 the
} sword-slaughtered them by hundreds and thou
sands, and driven the survivors away. Sir,
would not such tale Of wrong, Of itself, cover
our country with ignominyi But il Is not vet
half told. What else have we done2 We have
seized upon Il a. pretext for other, and, II
possible, yet deeper enormities. We have pub
lished to the world q falsehood. We have en-
deavored to conceal the true character of our
outrage We have stated that the contest was
OF their own seeking--not ours; and upon this
Il degrading Perversiou have pursued them with
still more frightfuI outrage. We at once called
into the field $4,000 soldiers-placed the whole
naval power Of the government at the disposi-
ton OF the observation-disclosures him with ten
millions of dollars, and carried on the war tbus
lbegun-took possession Of their towns, bonn
barded Montefey-carried il almost by storm,
slaughteFing men and women by hundreds and
thousands Still the story is not told. The
tanning dishoner 10 not yet as dark as the
truth. Another Congress assemblsd-we Of the |
Senate composing it in part We authorized
additional troops to be raised-ve uaced addi-
tional funds in the hands Of the President.
We hear Of an intention to strike outraged
Mexico IN yet more vital points; we do not ar 4
rest il. We suffer the expedition to 90 on be-
fore the Mexican blood is vet dry upon the fields
of Palo Alto, Ressca dc la Palma, Monterey,
and Buena Vista. Vera Cruz is bombarded. Her |
churches fall under the dreadful aim of the NOR
| tar the blood of her women and children runs |
in streams through her before peaceful and hap |
Ply streets her almost every thoroughfare is OBJ |
structed by the mangled bodies Of her slaughter
ed citizens, until at last her valor can hold out |
no longer before the mighty and crushing pow |
or oil our arms She sIrrenders yet still, our 1
vengeance is not glutted. Innocent, unofend- |
ing, outraged, Mexico has yet more cities to be /
laid waste or conquered-more hearts to be 1
wrung--more gallant blood to be shed-more
women and children to be saughtered-more /
| agony in every form to suffer. We have not vet \
had our fill Of blood. We march on in fendish \
progress. At Cerro Gordo, Churubusco, Cha
paltepec, Moline del Rey, our march Of slaugh-
| ter is renewed, and goes on with ~ more fear
full violence. Mexican blood wsnb every plain.
The cries Of Mexican agony startlo every ear,
and still the work goes on. We lay siege to the
city Of Mexico itself-bombard its peaceful !
dwellings-make her streets TO run with human /
blood, and slaughter again women and children,
until resistance becomes uRavailing. We get
possession of the capital, and yet carry on the
contest Sir, can our country have done such
deeds Is she so deeply STEPPED in crime Has
she no honor left Are we Christian and civil
LIKED men, or are we robbers and murderersl /
hope she will pardon me thelnquiry and vet, IL
the war was unlust-if il was not provoked-ifI
il was our act, and not the act Of Mexico-every /
human heart, animated by single human feel
ing can but answer in the affirmative.
But no, sir-no, sir-it is not she is high i
minded, Just, and honorable she is civilized,
not savage her citizens are moral and Chris
tian. Those scenes are, in the eve of God and
man, 10 be justified, because necessary to our
honor, and forced upon US in vindicatiOn of our
violated rights. Mexico is snswerable for ali
these sad and sckening results. The war is
Just, because she commenced it, IL does exist
by her act and, so hep me God, but for that
conviction, as | reverence truth and detest false
hood, would never have voted for the act Of
the 18th May, lSI6.
"Who can doubt that if the Executive Of the
United States had announced that the purpose
Of the war was merely TO procure indemnity for
wrongs, and TO vindicate outraged character, and
TO maintain the honor Of our flag, and had placed
fifty thousand troops in Mexico, as he might /
have done, il would have led TO a Cessation Of
hostilitiesl Sir, | think We have no peace, be-
canse the President of the United States has not
exerted the power which Congress placed in his
hands, and which was intended to be exerted.-
i think, and | therefore charge upon him, that /
] the American blood which has been freely |
poured out, was poured out because of his error
| think, and l therefore charge upon him, that /
the millions Of money which have been spent, |
and have yet to be spent, have been, and are to |
be, spent because Of his error"
"And this leads me to consider very briefly \
what should be, in my judgment, the mode of
its further prosecution There only three 4
modes to be resorted to. The first is, 10 with
draw the troops altogether--if not to the Nue.
ces, to this side Of the Rio Grande. The second,
to withdraw them to what 10 termed defensive
line; and the third, to carry on the war in the
heart of the Mexican territory, until Mexico /
agree TO terms Of peace. prefer the last.
Mr.. President, in saying that prefer the last,
! I do not wish 10 be misunderstood. l prefer /
the last, if the end to be obtained is not one i
which, in my Judgment, would tarnish the
American name prefer the last, if the object |
| TO be accomplished is merely the vindcation of |
our violated honor, and indemnity for our here |
tofore violated rights. But if the purpose of
this war with the President of the United States
is to annihilate the nationality of Mexico-if it
is the forcible ACKNOWLEDGMENT of her territory
then | say, on my responsibility as Senator
| and a man, would not give him a dollar.
When say, Mr.. President, that | am for
/ fighting the war out mean that | am for
fighting il out in order 10 accomplish the pur-
pose which we seek to have accomplished-that
is, to have American rights recognized, and
American honor indicated; and recognized,
and so vindcated as to furnish full and complete
security against any subsequent violation"
| Indemnity, not because he is opposed TO IL
on principle, not because he does not wish addi-
ton to our territory, but because Of the agitation
of the great disturbing question which must fol-
low any accession.
"Sir, | am not to be driven into different
course by being told that such course leaves US
pecuniary loss. With me, Mr.. President, loss
Of money is nothing, to loss Of character. With
me, the boundless acquisition Of the world would
be nothing, compared with what i should es-
TEEN the incalculable loss attending the destruc
ton of our national character. But, Sir, IL 10
not true that peace accomplished on the terms
TO which have referred would leave US without
indemniry-Sir, We have Indemnify in tho HE
tory of this war. 1t is to be found in the many
glorious battle fields it has presented to aston
ished world. Ii is to be found in the delight
which electrified every American heart at tho
result Of every battle. II is to be found in the
security which il furnishes against the disturb
ers of our peace hereafter. A few hundreds Of
millions-sven if it should 90 TO hundreds-thst
may be expended, will be forgotten while spoken
of while the glory and renown which it has
heaped upon the American character will be
remembered as long as time itself shall endure.
am not, therefore, to be told that peace on such
terms would leave us losers, in the true, high,
and moral sense Of the term"
ii TO BE CONTINUED.