The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-18
TUESDAY, JANUARY IS, 1913.

Inc House then duJouIHeu-
TUESDAY, JANUARY IS, 1913.
The journal having been.read--
REFERENCE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
On motion of Mr.. VINTON, the House resolved itself
into Committee of the Whole the state OF the Unlon
Mr. j. INGERsoLL in the char) and resumed the con
sderaon of the resolutions referring the Presidents
message to various standing and select committees.
Mr. JAMESON, after referring 10 what he had Of
ered for the consideration of the committee when ne last
had the floor, would start upon text, or what he
preferred to call question, in these terms Will our
country be in the right we had never yet been
in the right during the threescoe and ten OF our natona
existence he desired to inquire whether there could not De
vet devised some getting right He referred
to the of the fathers of the revolution, the ground
taken by the authors of the Declaration OF independence
and of the Federalis and to the gentleman from Massa
chusetts Mr. ADAMs,] who were all wrong then IN slis
tanning the of the revolution and the war OF Aladi
sons administration and with respect to the latter gen
teman he only wished that he had continued IN that
wrong 1t wickedness in President Madison TO de.
clare that mpressment OF seamen was good cause OF
war; and even now Mexico had done nothing provoke
war Oh! no Mexico had only committed one hundred Of
the fragrant outrages citizens ranging through
several years past down the year 1S5 This was all that
Mexico had done and though in 1887 General Jackson
and Mr. Forsyth considered there cause of war
against that people, General Jackson and Mr. Forsyth
were wrong and Mr.. Polk was wrong for taking the
view in ls45 and even the twenty, ninth Congress
had vo,ed lie" by setting forth declaration OF the
same fact He referred to the annexation OF Texas, with
her defined limits Nothing but the treaty power could
tory. Texas received on the same footing as to
boundary that other new States were received !,
C. ae 10 he o anas
The President had done this, following out the ex,
ecutive power ntrused to him for the protection OF
u, d b ol would ne a seod himself to
Just charge of perjury Yet this was most auda-
cious and unconstitutional act But did not the Presl-
missioner, this question of boundary might all be set
tied Instead Of this, however, that administration OF
Mexico overhrown and succeeded by the war party
under Paroles, claiming Texas to the Sabine The
Mexican General Arsta tells General Taylor that he
must retire to the Nueces. Mr. j. reced the history OF
that correspondence between the armies, showing that
the object OF the Mexican general to break up the
camp of Taylor without any pledge. on his part that he
would not Immediately take advantage of his retirement
from Fort Brown TO invade the border settlements, as had
from which he drew the conclusion, that the President
was bound direct the march OF the army to the Rio
| Grande
Mr. j. proceeded with his supposton, and would state
his case by the rule of three: II have always been
wrong-if we have jumped from weakness and poverty
if we have been all along wicked, yet able to resist the
world in combination against us-what would nave been
power if we ever could have been right n one SIN.
gle instance If these two wars-the war OF President
Madison and the war of President Polk-have been
brought on by wickedness; and if we have stood up
successfully four to one in an unjust cause, ana under
the frown Of Heaven, what could we not have done IN
lust cause and with the appreciation OF the God oil bates
Mr. J. drew no invidious distinctions between those
citizens who had stood b up G our G s ood
bravely TO at Buena Vista, receiving twenty-one
rounds from the enemy and suffering heavy loss before
they retired q their oaggag ana ae same son e bovs
Sacramento, where as great work OF slaughter was
accomplished in thirty minutes as required three hours
to another field on which the Missouri regiment though
ahead OF the regulars and fighting like heroes, yet like
the Indanans compelled to retire to their baggage
To the opposers of this war, Mr. } would say, You
may show your consistency by denouncng these feats OF
arms as murders but will maintain ours, by according
to our fellow citizens who have given themselves to tins
conflict the need of nations admiration. he took the
ground that it could have been debaabc ques-
ton with fathers in time OF war, whether the coun
try right wrong. The worthless OF the revolution
would sustain their country right or wrong and II they
have waited till the close of the war The motto OF De-
catur was the principle which HI, approved
In conclusion he would say, il any were disposed to
take sides against the country let them come out and let
the issue be joined before all and he would venture to
assert that their political burial would be deep, that
would require nothing less than the sound of the arch
'' Mr JOHN JOHN W. JONES addressed the committee at
length in relation to the origin Of the and the pres
ent situation of the country in regard TO it. That war
was just that originated in Just cause and was prosecu
ted in just manner, and to just extent Our present
unhappy conflict he considered resulting from the obstl
macy Of Mexico. the impotence OF this government and
the blunders of this ADMINISTRATION The people OF Mex
co it was not to be denied, had committed depredaons
on the property of citizens and 1t was also true that
their government had shown some disposition to make
restitution and she had actually paid considerable sum
on that account. The annexation OF Texas was also
one of the causes The rejection OF Mr. Sldel had also
some influence the matter but all the facts connected
with that transaction had not yet come TO light he had
no doubt that the proxmate and direct of hoses
was the removal OF Gen. Taylors command from Corpus
Christi 10 the Rio Grande what he would call the
Mesopotaman desert That the browning act of the
folly Of this Administrations the Pandoras box
which let out so many evils upon us.
Mr. proceeded to argument for the purpose OF SHOW
ing that the country between the Nueces and the kio
Grande was in dispute, and that the removal OF the
troops the act Of the President, and precptaed us
into n war This House, few days ago, announced
solemny and under the highest sanctions, that the war
was brought on unconstitutonally and unnecessar
w. The war-makng power was not IN the Pfes
dent and the time had not come when he could at ms
will, plunge the country into war. Whenever a Pres
dent should per Sc. undertake to make war, IT would
be triumph of the principle over the rights oil
the people He would not say that this was the intent
bat il was the tendency of the pursued by the
present Executive.
Should we contemplate such state of things, without
attempting arrest their progresss If there facts
the possession of this government important to cor
rect knowledge of the origin OF the war he, Tor one
would insist upon their revelation tie drew picture OF
the present miserable condition of Mexicotoo proud to
Weld and too feeble TO resist He declared his purpose
ed the hone that no efforts would be wanting obtain
early peace That the wings had administered aid and
tomfoft to the enemy, he denied II was disproved he
said by the gallant deads of Scott Taylor and host of
other officers He opposed TO the abandonment of the
war, and to the withdrawal Of the troops to line. We