Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-01-05
Correspondence Of the Bali. american.


WAsHiNGToN, December so.
The Mexican war was incidentally the subject
OF a spicy debate in the Senate to-day, upon the
motion of Mr.. Cass to take up the Military Bills
reported from his Committee.
Mr.. Calhoun, in some pointed remarks, advoca-
ted previous action upon his Resolutions. Ii was
due to the country that the policy of the Admins
tration-that the intention of Congress in regard
to the war-~should be known before voting further
supplies for the increase of the army.
1t had been said that his resolutions were oppos-
ed to the Administration. 1t mattered but little
whether they were not. They proposed some
declaration of oplnion-some proper ground work OF
action in regard 10 the objects of the war, before
passing upon such bill as this.
Mr. Hale, of New Hampshire, entered with
warm feeling into the subject, though promising
more elaborate speech in regard 10 the war hereaf-
ter. The war, he said originated in falsehOod and
fraud, and In desire to perpetuate the institution
of slavery. The Presidents conduct was like the
practice of the Spanish physican-''blood letting
and warm water" The patient was dying under
the treatment, and the physician continued to pre-
scribe more letting OF blood.
He could not give up his practice, for he had
written book upon it. The President, too, has
written book, (aughter) and the people, though
they die, are called upon TO follow his Prescriptions
For one ne would not consent, and he would not
vote dollar for the further prosecution of the war
He talked orthe danger which attended Next
can institutions, but he believed much more danger
threatened our All the money he would
consent to vote would be 10 bring our armies out of
Mexico by the Aarest'and cheapest route, and as
soon the President would tell us the cost of this
supply, he would vote the money. He hoped the
resolutions of the Senator from South Carolina
would be considered before those of the Senator
from New York
He first proposed to consider how much we
should steal, and the latter what we should do
with the territory after it was stolen. Both, he
thought, therefore, ought properly to prccede ac-
ton upon this bill.
In regard to the war, Mr. III. said that the coun-
try regarded ii as ofcrime and robbery, and if
any of us Were opposed lit, let not be guilty of
the miserable inconsistency of voting supplies for
lis further prosecution. His view of it was that it
marked the age rs barbarous in which we lived
and such, i'll his Judgment, was the sentiment of
the nation.
MIR. Hale was quite severe upon the Senator
from Michigan, Mr.. Cass, and some side sparring
occurred as TO the capacity of the one and the intel
ligence OF the other.
Ali this debate upon motion TO take up the
Bill of twerty regiments, and the yeas and nays
were ordered. The vote was tic one, 10 TO TO-
the Vice President voting in the affirmative.
Mr. Mangum said he presumed there was a ma
Jority or the Senate willing to vote whatever the
eN'SciClcS vi 'uc country required, out ne llad no
ped the policy of the Senate and of the Adminstra-
ton in regard TO the prosecution OF the war was to
be made known before further action was had
He hoped, at least that there need TO be no hur-
ried action upon bill of this Importance This
suggestion had It's effect, and the Bill was post
poned until Monday, TO which time the two Ho uses
have adjourned.
o. The Washington correspondent of the Balti-
more American says that the Committee on Claims
in Congress are crowded with business and among
the scores of petitions already presented are thirty
and more growing out of claims incident to the war
with Mexico. Some of these are nearly one hun
dred thousand dollars in amount, and many of them
are very large.
One is for horses necessarily taken for the pub
lie service by Colonel Doniphan while on his
march to Chihuahua, and the claimant alleges that
this seizure of his horses was the cause of still
further loss Of property in goods which were also
taken.
Another claim is for the horses taken from the
Encarnacion prisoners, OF which C. NJ Clay and
John F. Gaines were parties. These claims are
but the beginning of the end. If there were many
growing cut of the Florida war, they will be le-
gion as the consequence of the war with Mexico.