Tri-weekly journal. (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1847-188?, 1848-01-18

provinces
Well, the President is right. II in the Wig
oreus prosecution Of the war, as the President
proposes, the contingency should fail, and the
chances OF its failure are many, there will be no
retreating. Every argument against calling
back the army, as they designate it--against
taking defensive line, whichis now advanced.
will have double force after you have spent six
~ millions of dollars, and have acquired posses
sion of the whole of Mexico. The interests in
favor Of keeping us there will be much more
influential then than now. The army itself
will be larger. Those who live by the war---a
large and powerful body-ihe numerous con-
tractors, the suffers, the merchants, the specu-
lators in the lands and mines OF Mexico, and
all enaged every way, directly or indirectly in
the progress of the war, and absorbing the whole
expenditures, will be all adverse TO retiring,
and will swell the cry in favor of continuing
and extending conquest. The President talks
sir, of taking indemnity into our hands, then;
but. why not take indemnity now? We are
much nearer indemnity now, than we will be
at the end of the next campaign, when we
shall have sixty millions added 10 the expendi-
ture of the last forty, What Will you then
have to indemnify you7 Nothing but Mexi-
can population, on whom you are to impose
taxation in all forms and shapes; and amongst
which you will have to maintain an army oil at
least forty thousand men; according TO the Sen
ator from Mississippi, (MT. DAVIS, mot
very large number, for he says, that the seven
ty-three thousand men now there are in dan
ger. That there is no indemnity at all. You
will never get enough in that way to meet your
expenditures. 1t with all have TO come out OF
the pockets Of the people Of the United States;
and after all, the talk Of indemnity, of pushing
on this war vigorously TO success, at the end of
the next campaign, instead of indemnity, you
will have a heavy pecuniary burden i'm
posed upon the present and succeeding gen.
Grafton.
J Well, Mr.. President, we have now come TO
the solemn question proposed by these resolu-
tons. have shown where his line OF policy
will, in all probability, lead you'll may say,
will inevitably lead you, unless some unex.
pected contingency should prevent. II will
lead TO the blotting out OF the nationality oil
, Mexico, and the throwing Of eight or nine
millions of people without a government on
your hands. 1t will COMPEL you, in all prob
ability, TO assume the government, for, think,
there will be very little prospect OF your retlr-
I, ing You must either hold the country as
province or incorporate il into our Union
) Shall we do either? That's the question. Far
from us be such an act, and for the reasons con-
= tanned in the resolutions.
The first of these reasons is this: 1t would be
inconsistent with the avowed object for which
: the war has been prosecuted. That needs no
: argument after what has been said. Since the
commencement of the war till this moment,
! every man has disavowed the intention Of con
e auest-of extinguishing the existence Of Mexico
h as q ,,a,,,ia- ~ ~ 49, -,ls- s.---i-:...
ca that the only object was indemnity. And
I, yet, sir, as events are moving on, what we dis
: vow may be accomplished, and what we have
avowed may be defeated. Sir, this result will
= be dark and lasting imputation on either the
sincerity or the intelligence of this country; on
ITS sincerity because, so opposite TO your own
avowals; on your intelligence, for the want of
clear foresight in so plain a case as not TO
I, discern the consequences.
: Sir, we have heard how much glory our coun-
, try has acquired In this war. acknowledged il
TO TIE tnll amount, Mr.. Presiden.. so far as mill
tary glory Is concerned. The army has done
nobly-chivalrousl have conferred hon
or on the country, for which sincerely thank
: them.
Mr.. President, believe all our thanks will
be confined TO our army. So far as | know in
the civilized world, there is no appreciation of
the conduct Of the civil portion of our power.
On the contrary, every where the declaralionis
made, that we are an ambitious, unjust, hard
: people, more given to war than any people of
modern times. Whether this be true or not,
1t Is not for me to inquire. ] am speaking now
merely of the reputation which we bear abroad.
!, Every where, believe for as much as we have
gained In military reputation abroad, | regret
to perceive, we have lost in our political and
civil reputation. Now, sir, as much as regard
military glory-much as rejoice to behold our
people In possession of the in1omitable energy
and courage which surmount all difficulties, and
which class themamongst the first military peo-
pie Of the age, would be very sorry indeed
that our government should lose any reputation
for wisdom, moderation, discretion, Justice and
those other high qualities which have distin-
guished us in the early stages of our history.
The next reason which my resolutions as
ign, is, that 1t is without example or prece-
cedent, either to hold Mexico as a province, OF
to incorporate her into our Union. No exam
pie OF such line of policy can be found. We
have conquered many Of the neighboring
tribes OF Indians, but we never thought Of
holding them in subjection--never of moor
porating them into our Union. They have
either been left an independent people
amongst US, or been driven into the forest.
know farther, sir, that we have never
dreampt OF Incorporating into our Union any
but the Caucasian race-the free white race.
10 Incorporate Mexico, would be the very first
instance of the kind of incorporating an Indian
race, for more than half of the Mexicans are
Indians. and the other is composed chiefly of
mixed tribes. protest against such union
as that! Ours, sir, is the government of the