The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-10-05
SPEECH OFDrR. nVNTOS,
or MISSOURI,
ON THE CALIFORNIA CLAIMS.
In SENATE, ArRm IL, 1913.

ON THE CALIFORNIA CLAIMS.
In SENATE Arm ii, ls4s
The bill for ascertainng and paying certain claims in
California beng under consideration III tue oena1-
Mr. BENTON said:
Mr. PRysIpENr These claims grow out OF the conquest
Of California and supported by mass of depositlons
taken by the Military Committee of the Senate and printed
hv its order These dispositions constitute document OF
sh.y pages and full Of MATERIAL valuable to the public
history Of the country well to the private rights of the
claimants The Senate on the application Of the commit
roe have ordered twenty thousand extra copies Of this doc
nmen to be prnted-a fact which sufficiently announces
,S public and national Importance for no extras, much
less twenty thousand, ever printed OF merely private
Ii requires public interest TO be concerned before
urb thing can be done and that is einenty the in
the present instance. These dispositions concern public
history and understand the history Of the Uni
led States connected with the conquest of California;
without understanding them
The conquest of California commenced, and its first
act finished before the existence Of the Mexican war was
tesably among the of the times, and presenting
presumpve of aggression against the United States
erv naturally attracted the attention of the committee and
commanded their searching and thorough examna
ton The result is before the Senate in the dispositions
red to- and may be examined in detail by every senator
For myself propose only to make BRIEF connected story
from their ample contents rebut in the first place in
furious presumption, and to exhibit afterwards in lucid
order the summary of events which gave rise to these Cali
fornia claims and show that they ought to be paid
In the month of May l845 Mr.. Fremont, then breve
captain of engineers his third expedition of
graphical and scientific exploration in the great west War
had not then broken out between the United States and
Mexico but affairs critical between them, and Mr.
Fremont determined, by act of HIS to increase the
difficulties any cause of complaint to the Mexican
government His line of observation would lead him to
the Pacific through Mexican provncethrough the
desert parts FIRST and the settled parts afterwards, Of the
Alta California Approaching the settled parts OF the prov
ince at the of winter he left his equipment
of sixty and hundred horses the frontier and
proceeded alone Monterey to make known to the COVER
the object Of his coming and his desire 70 pass tse
uninhabed parts Of the valley of the San Joaquin The
persson granted but revoked under the pretext
that Mr. Fremont had come into California, not to pursue
science excite the American settlers to revolt against
the Mexican Upon this pretext troops were
raised and marched attack him. Having notice of their
approach he took position the mountain, hoised the
aug of The United States and determined with his sixty
brave men, defend themselves to the last extremity
Waiting there four days, and not being attacked ne quit
his position descended from the mountain, and set out for
Oregon that he might give further pctext for complaint
by remaining in California
The United States consul at Monterey, Mr. o. Larkin,
gave official information of these the Secretary of
State Mr Buchanan and from these will read what is
necessary to verify the statement which have mades
"Captain J. c. Fremont, of the United States army
the 9th of January, 1916 Being very anxious to join his
party of fifty at the second place OF rendezvous with
mistake he remained but days. in which time, with
myself he visited the commandment general preiecto, al
vevnr the route from the United States to Pa
cfc ocean This information and that his men were not
- do nrafco U,ving obtained fnnds and supplies from
vsf he retnmed 10 his cnmn il being well known in
Mnaev thai he was 10 return when he collected his men
save Seen or twenty DAYS after tbis Captain Fremont
c,nian Eshe, Iabout ninety miles from here to recrnit
~; ,op and animal. From there he eeded iowa
Santa Cruz makjny short Journeys On the Sd OF March
he encamped on Ire rancho of Mr. E. p Hartwel where
him of he country and 10 obey the order without any
preteSt whutever or Immediate measures would be taken
70 compel him to do So This not corresponding with assn
RANGES received Monterey it not answered. and he
gaze orders to hoist the United States flag The nsr morning
as the only projection ms men .rere TO oos TO- FROM me TN
lIe i9n Oh warren .ey or',s S h;
i'm; W. no,n no conn,r ,hev could see with the
e or svlasses the General and his Toons Numbering
about Two hundred men at their camp in the mission
St. Johns, preparing their cannon On the 9th instant
sent duplicate lettersone by Anne ican who lost bis
papers, and the other by Caornan-.to Capt FREMONT
informing him OF the movements OF the Caoinans ine
californian courier Ietuheu 70 'ue cois"a,e III auo,..
OF ~ ,bat inv siTtv niles liz reported being well
treated bv CAPTAIN Fremont and his men and
Thousand Of his counf,y,em ,coud be sufficient compel
him to the couwtr1, although his party small
Letter. 9th March, 1915.
captain Fremont was well received ~ ths place. ahd
to the astday we heard OF NM py ihe natives
VINO sol n, ISL; TN. ras fo, ~ Sarn asno,cbass
us .;iIad i'u tIa .on,m,andnn, General lose Castro
,i'a of Monterey from Mryico ordering him 10 drive
Cantain Fremont gu of this de which ORDER with
hundred and seventy hundred men present. and
hundred more daily expected he pretended TO ex
Captain Fremont left his camp lew hours after ne
received the ndersgneds letter OF the YIN OF March, lnot
from fright OF Gen. CastroO as he had been preparing
the week before to travel IT Is supposed he mas gone 10
signed in February with funds and provisions Tor ms use
The undersigned has not supposed, during the woie