The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-04-13

{ bring any new contribution of facts to bea
upon the questions | propose to discuss
Almost every topic connected with, or grow
!; ing out of the existing war with Mexico, ha
been alluded to and ably commented upon b,
t honorable senators, who have preceded mt
on this floor. But, sir, exhausted as the sub
ject is, cannot content myself with silen
vote on the question.
Believing, as do, thatu existing laws
J our force in Mexico has been increased tc
nearly siXty-five thousand men, and that the
moro vigorous prosecution of the war for the
purposes nOeC avowed, would be dishonorable
to the country, | shall be compelled to record
my vote against this bill But, shall do it
sir, with no view to embarrass the Executive
in his efforts for an honorable peace; but to
prevent the forcible ACKNOWLEDGMENT of a weak
distracted sister republic, and to preserve I'M
furnished the fair fame of the country, which
prize infinitely higher than any territorial
acquisitions we can make, or any glory we
can win, by the success of our arms. The
honorable Chairman of the Committee on
Military Affairs, in his eloquent remarks the
other day, in support of this bill, expressed a
desire that it might pass without opposition,
and that the discussion, which he was aware
would arise upon the war policy of the Adj
minlstraton, and which he had no desire to
avoid, might be had upon some other meas
ure, hereafter to come before the Senate
This bill, he thought, was safe and common
ground, upon which we could all meet and
act together. Sir, safe as the honorable SEN
ator may think the ground to be on which he
stands, l cannot occupy it with him, because,
in my judgment, it is dangerous ground.
| This bill is the first of series of measures,
which, if carried out to the full extent of Ex-
ecutive recommendation, must bring our free
institutions into great peril, and, l fear in the
end, overthrow them. The recommended
increase of the army, from sixty-fve thousand
to nearly ninety-fve thousand men, to be
engaged in the conquest of foreign States and
provinces, is a proposition too startling for
me to support Here, sir, must pause, and
here | must stand until am we'll convinced
that this measure is necessary to vindicate
the rights and maintain the honor of the
country.
The cry is onward and onward, at all
hazards, the Administration seems determin-
ed to go until the whole Mexican republic
falls beneath our conquering arms. We
preach the doctrine of interference in
the affairs of other nations, and still raise ar
mics to invade and conquer a neighboring
republic. We proclaim the great principle Of
selt-government, and the right of every PEG.
pie to form their own Institutions and at the
same time we send our conquering armies to
force upon distant and reluctant people,
forms Of government which they have no
capacity to maintain, and to which they are
utterly opposed. We condemn the dismem-
berment of SaXony, the annexation of the
republic of Genoa to the kingdom of Sardin-
ia, and the absorption of Venice by Austria,
and still we go on with the work of dismem-
berment and annexation ourselves. We de-
nounce Russia, Prussia, and Austria, for the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Poland, and at the same
time we are attempting to dislnember a sis
ter republic and if she refuses to submit to
our demands, the absorption of her whole
territory the honorable Chairman of the Com
mittee on Military Affairs says, may be the
penalty she will be compelled to pay for her
obstnacy.
Mexico sir, is in our powcr-she lies quiv-
ering and bleeding at our fcet-we can DIES.
troy her nationality and blot her name from
the map of nations-but such an act of inus-
tice, violence, and outrage would bring down
upon our heads the just indignation of all
Christendom, and brand US as nation of
robbers.
Mr.. FooTE. I am quite sure that the
Senator has no desire to misrepresent any
Senator on this side of the chamber Ger
tainly he has not heard either the Chairman
of the Committee on Military Affairs. or any
other Senator on this side, give expression to
the opinion that it might become polite to
absorb the whole of Mexico. The absorption
of Mexico has been uniformly spoken of by
us as a thing to be deprecated, but from which,
it forced upon US, we were to educe all the
good that was possible.
Mr. UPHAM. | have no desire to misrep-
resent any Senator, but l understood the
honorable Chairman of the Committee on
Military Affairs, in abiding to this subject,
to say that it might be necessary, in order to
bring the war to an honorable close, to absorb
the whole of Mexico. However, | have his
remarks before me, and will read them. In
the debate on the instructions to Gen. Scott
to occupy the republic of Mexico, the Scna-
to said
81 repeat what before said, that the long
er Mexico continues her obstinate rejection
of reasonable indemnity, and the greater the
eXertion she compels US to make, the greater
will be our demands and the heavier her loss
es. What we would have accepted last year,
or even at the commencement of the present
campaign, we may well refuse now; and
what we would accept now, we may well re-
fuse after few months. And how much the
public sentiment of this country may demand
year or two years hence, if the war contin-
ues so long, do not pretend to predict We
may have to make the great experiment so
dreaded by the Senator from South Carolina
and the Senator from Kentucky, and annex
the domains of Mexico to our own. This is
: the penalty which national injustice has often
been compelled to pay, and which Mexico
may be preparing for herself.
Mr., CAss. 1 have again and again been
called upon to state the purport of the re.
marks to which the honorable Senator alludes
! and do hope that it will not be necessary
to enter into any explanation with regard tc