The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-03-03
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1s4s.

in the opening OF his remarks.
THURSDAY. MARCH 2. 1s4s.
I'm eontinuation
Mr. THOMPSON, of Indiana, would not he said, have
risen 10 address the committee but for the remarks oil his
friend from Baltimore, [Mr McLAsE,] made yesterday,
and applied personally to himself lbs OBJECT IN taxing
seat here was not TO enter into held OF gadatonai
controversy but to his efforts 10 put stop to mser
able war which had been brought upon us by an am
and mbeee EXECUTIVE Aea 1om
INF Mc aNE,1 Mr. T. entered into an argument 10 suS
tain his pos,on of former day, which, ne commended,
had not been shken Sy ,e Iaa been informed by
he President thai ral Taylor had been assigned 10
the defence of the valley the no uIande WIN a'sSTe
ton to take his own course The Secretary OF war
communicated that fact, as he tMr had admitted
But there nothing in the docuD. ems SHOWING ,a .n
order for General Taylor to march to e SESSION. of lsas
communicated to Congress prior TO The SooJ 20
General Taylor himself said, in o. ms oesPatcness
that he would not take upon himself the resp Gl
marching to the ho Granae without oraeIs A. con-
tinue to occupy the valley OF the Rio Grande and &au
not communicated it to Congress. Congress had passed
no act he commended prior to the order OF 18th Janu
ary to march to the Rio Grande which rendered
sary that the President should take OF the Rio
Grande. The act OF annexation had no reference TO
boundaries Gen Taylor did not recommend to the tx
ecutve of political acton there was no pohti-
cal connexon between them.
He had (Mr. T. said) been asked by the gentleman
from Baltimore whether he Clay wing or Tayl
wing. 1t not important to state which OF them he
should vote for But the gentleman was right IN sup
posing that he a whole whig 1t not necessary
for him defend the acts and opinions of Mr. Clay or
Gen. Taylor. Their history was well known to the
country; But il came with bad grace, from the
other side to make this unknd cut at old hero who
had so long served his country with honor and glory.
General Taylor had been bufeted about enough by this
administration He went to refer to various clrcum
stances in support Of this charge He proceeded TO reply
to various other points in the argument of Mr. Mclane,
sustaining his previous views.
In the course of Mr.. T.'s remarks, ne replied to some
suggestions of Mr. McLANE IN regard to dlssensions IN
the wing party and declared they would be found uni
ted in the day of trial He pointed to difficulties in the
the supposed TO have some ASPIRATIONS but
his party would not take him. because was alleged that
he had crcumyented his cabinet by sending orders ,s to
Trs conclude treaty. while he told the CABINET that
he had revoked his powers and recalled him.. ;,
Mr.. STANTON asked if the gentleman from Indiana
intended to assert this as fact'
Mr. THOMPSON No; state it as rumor II is
mentioned in French paper published in New York.
Mr.; STANTON said, that he could state on authority
that the charge absolutely and entirely false.
Mr.. TRUMAN SMITH rose, he said, to address the
| committee upon subject which had not hitherto at
tracted so much attention from the public as 1t de-
| served-to wit the objects Tor which this war was
waged Admitting that the attack on Ihornton's cav
airy had been made on American soil, ought not to
have been content with repeng the aggression an; and
the Mexican race, cowardly and -organized as they
were would have repeated the aggression 1t was
evident them that the object of the was not to repe
invasion. But the Executive had gone on to invade
Mexico, and prosecute the in the heart of her terri
tory. 1t difficult for him to treat this subject with
out allusion to the treaty OF peace now pending IN
the other wing of the Capitol But he wished it to be
understood that he shou Id make of any informa
ton connected with what was considered as confden
tal and that in whatever he said he should speak Tor
himself alone He proceeded to argue that the
of the had resulted in good whatever This House
might soon be forced TO vote on an appropriation to car
would bring into this Union foreign territory and for
egn people, differing from us in language race and rell
gion We were without any information on the sub
1Ipctf q De
ed to give votes upon It, We might give our nay
to the appropriation but question whether this
into effect duly executed treaty The President
commenced the war. first to acquire peace next he
nee ne Now e
with boundaries giving us line along the Rio Irande
including New Mexico and thence running to the head
waters of the CHA and down it to the place where il
emptes into the Colorado, and thence across to point
south of San Diego We to pay twenty -one mil
lions for this territory besides having expended hundred
for expanse of mountains, rocks, and deserts and
for the extension of our jurisdiction over hundreds OF
thousands OF the wild savages OF that country, which
would also in future involve upon the necessity OF
maintaining army in addition to our old peace estab-
shment, and mourning an expense annually of SIX or
millions of dollars in addition to the ordinary
penses of the government.
Mr. S referred to the distinguished dplomast, Nicholas
P. Trst clerk in the State Department. and said that
take all the territory which he had mentioned, and with
it cape of land-no not land; that would be perver
the truth II not error OF history, al
least error of geography-bu cape OF rocks, noun
tans, and sandy deserts, running away down back OF
Mexico to the equator.
The President then commenced the war, appeared,
and brought about this expenditure of a hundred mil
ons and many lives, for the purpose of enabling him
to drive good bargain with Mexlcoto force her to sell
her territory. The Yankees had character for driving
good bargain, but Mr.. S. conceded that this
specimen OF Tennessee ingenuity which disanced them
altogether Mr. S. argued that the acquisition of terri
tory contemplated would be disastrous in the highest de-
gree in breaking up the Missouri compromise by destroy
ing the foundation upon which that compromise rested,
and thus introducing dsunion among ourselves twould
give birth to evils 1t might involve in
with several other powers The result might be, that gen
temen at the other end of the Capitol would be forced
take their choice between bad treaty and
He did not wish to be understood expressing opin
but he would insist that if we made the treaty, the
territory of New Mexico should never be brought into
this Union Its population would ever be small, and
was improper that it should sit side by side, and have
equal voice. with New York and Ohio, in the Senate.
He would insist that the country not worth five
millions, and he considered it as worth nothing at all
Mr. FICKLIN in the course of his remarks before the
committee, showed that when this question of annexa.
ton was up before the last Congress- it had been said in
terms of the most burning eloquence that the Ration
of Texas war per yet now in these later exam
nations of the question, these same wing gentlemen
forget their former declarations and affirm that the order
of the President produced the war The mutform
charges against the President were most amusing At
one time he tyrant that could fiddle while this
Capitol might be burning; and at another time, he was
airy struggle of Texas. there question but Texas
VhOut The