New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-02-26
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
History yIndicnted.

fair l2mo Of $50 pages Just Issued by Cady Bur.
sess. co Johns ST. This work is illustrated by good
Maps and is generally instructive. The opening
chapter on American Antiquities is very good the
next on Indian History is fair. We presume the
general course OF the narrative is correct and i'm.
partial In treating ofrecent events, however, Mr..
Guernsey, while apparently endeayoring TO steer
his bark skfolly between direct falsehoOd and un-
palatabie truths nas not succeeded He is not even
accurate when be might safely be so. For instance
speaking of the Annexation struggle Of l'ii he
says The Wing party strongly opposed it, as a
measure tending to increase the limits Of the Slave
territory, and 10 perpetuste in the country what
they considered a foul blot on our National
escutcheon" Now this is true only Of the Wings
OF the Free Stafes snd should have been SO stated
The general grounds Of Wing anita gonism % An.
nexstlon were fairly set forth In Mr. Gays Raleigh
letter also in his last from Lexington to the Nation
Al Intelligencer and were briefly, that it would be
40 &C, of bad faith toward Mexico, and Of virtual
Var upon ber-she claiming TO be the riehtiul
owner Of the Texan territory, and being then al
open War with Texas this very question, lSee
also Mr. Van Buren's letter. Theodore Sedgwicks
pamphlet &c taking the same view "A gain, this
History saws. "Alter long and bois,erous discus
fested by a large majority Now there was no
LH discussed but a treaty. and this Of course IN the
Senate only Such matters should be stated &c
ourately, If at all SO, page 42o. we are told that
MIR. Polk was chosen Speaker in 1885, and ogain
tue following year and in 1888 elected Governor Of
Tennessee by large msjonty-sll wrong. but the
: fact that he chosen Speaker in 80. lie was
reelected in 81 only, and chosen Governor not in
% but in 80, and not by large but by very
moderate ms ority-the vote standing-For Polk
54,Gs0; For Newton Cannon, Wing, 52,ll4; Folks
majority, 2,536.-Two years aiterward, Polk was
Jeaten for Governor by James c. Jones, who had
33s4 majority and again beaten 1888 votes by
Gov Jones in '43-facts which seem to us as much
p part Of his history as his single triumph over
Whig who could not match him on the stump,
though bis superior every where else. But MI.
Guernsey is silenton ali his oanyasses except those
in which he triumphed
Bat we complain more emphaticaly OF his &C
count Of the causes &c Of the War with Mexico.
We have first formidable and sided account
Of Mexican Spoations our citizens which may
be &c for ought we know, but certainly was not
among the causes. Nobody will pretend that
our Government annexed Texas or sent our Army
10 Corpus Christi or directed Gen. Tayors march
TO the Rio Grande, because of thoscSpollations, or
that the hostilities which followed were at all ntiu-
encea in the smallest degree by those Spohations'
Then why are they lugged in as a pretext where
they surely were lot a cause Is not longsui'
fering public dosed with enough OF this by Loco
Foco speech makers and editors without having II
nut forward in what would iain be History
But Mr.. Guernsey fails to state all the material
a. -
n 42l. of second convention for the settlement OF
our claims though he has suned over that which
preceded it by come three years. He goes on TO
state that the claimants have only received the IN
terest due them up to si3 with three installments
Of the principal, and gravely adds" Mexico has
thus shown want OF good faith IN the repeated
violation of treaties when he must know but sup
presses the fact that she gave us fair and seasona
bic notice that any attempt on our part to annex
Texas would be regarded by her as an act oil nos
tility and resented accordingly and our most emil
nent civilians of all parties adudged that she was
psrfectlv yiglt in so doing See the Letters OF
Clay, Gallstin, Sedgwck, &c. @o)
Mr. q. goes on to say that at the time OF Annex
alton. Mexico had long manifested h0stifeteciHgS
rolcard Teras and had threatened to send troops
- reduce her to submission &c. Why conceal
the fact that they two were at open Var? and that
bv the upouestioned laws of Nations, as Gen sam
Houston declared in the o. S. Sepstel we aanered
and adopted that War IN annexing Texas
We are soon after told that, while Gen. Taylor
lay quiet at Corpus Christi
aour Government had been informed that It was the
Intention Of PaTedes 70 assemble aIse amy ~, S sS
cen Taylor to advsoce and occupy the east bank Of the
Rio GT.nde, opposite MatAmoi0''
.roftb ais Ian
Corpu. Christi covered and protected the extreme
Western settlement ofTexas. There was no lex
an village postofice, constable nor even GROCERY
west of his position In his front lay al Gn'nhso"
ed desert or msrshy plain one hundred miles WIDE
covering the whole Texan border There is ho'
military man in the world not sober graduate OF
any Military Academy. who will not decide "unes
itstirgly that for all defensive purposes MS posi-
ton at Corpus Christi was immensely superior 20
any that could be taken on the Rio Grsnde-'hat
an army Of 900 at Corpus Christi could more sure
ly withstand and repel any conceivable Mexican
army than one twice as strong on the Rio Grande
in the midst Of hostile population, with great
river in front and az inhosptabe desert in the rear
Gen. TAYLOR said Ifin making Treaty. yon AGke
the line Of the RiO GraE9e Az ULrIMArUh' II might
be advisable TO advance 70 that river.-Here was
the true and sole reason for that march Mr. Sh-
den was in Mexico, medtating Treaty rok
Co. were resolved on extending Texas TO the mo
Grande and even they could not but feel tha' 'u''
claim was simply impudent while not leA@n SCI
tier post or oonstsble-not U. ;. sentlnel Ps0cu
or flag waved in any part OF the valley OF that NV
sr tbrou sbout its course Of 600 miles while Mex
leo had ever maintained her custom house on the
east aide and alone collected duties on every YES
sci entering the river, and her people her officers
and Der laws were in unquestionei possession on
both banks The sovereignty Of the United States
advanced on the tumbrils Of Gen. Taylors cannon.
Mr. Guernsey tries to be fair in his accoun, Of the
actual breaking out of bostilties but he omits the
important fact that forces blockaded the mouth
Of the Rio Grande, cutting Oft the supplies OF tie
,,-,o.o Army before any overt act was com