The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-08


which commenced the official action of the present ad
ninistraton in the matter, testified most sgnay and
both the moderation of government in
the selection of ITS POSITIONS and its unsurpassed and
victorious ability in their defence 1t was this corr
labored in vain upon the subject, first impress
ed the most eminent European statesmen with the
conviction that our rights, SO indicated, could no
longer be withheld, and, in connection with the subse
quent steps of the administration, caused in the French
Chamber of Deputies Berger make, and Theirs sp-
PROVE the remarkable declaration 'The United States
will not yield; England must yield; and the question
will be settled the 49h parallel" But the crisis was
yet to The graspng diplomacy of England only
to be moved from its traditional demands before sterner
argument and stronger necessity Had the action of the
administration ceased with the correspondence OF the
State Department, the verdict OF the civilized world
would indeed have been in favor; but
our controversy would yet have stood open. In
this state of facts, the President and his cabi-
net, in full view of all their responsibilities, and
against the opinion of many of their friends, who
feared the consequences of such STEP resolved to bring
the whole subject before Congress- and the
Notice for the termination of the Joint Occupancy. In
dom, forecast and irmness--ths great measure must
stand side by side in history with the nobes deeds OF
national diplomacy-wh the Proclamation of Neutrality
in 1894, and the Declaration of War in 1872 1t settled
the Oregon question: when nothing else could have settled
it. produced treaty. which secured to all the territory
that any previous administration had even
attempted secure Had the patriotic mness of the Ex
ecutive in this been met by corresponding
firmness and patriotism in both houses OF Congress
had not the whele wing party there, with their associ
ates Messrs Galatin and Rives, and even some disn
guished statesmen from own ranks been betrayed
into vehement opposition to the policy of the admins
ationhad not the false policy of maserly inactivity"
been thrown down stumbling block in the path Of
governmental far advantageous treaty might
PROFESSIONALLY have been obtained AS it was the
question trumphanty and honorably settled; the
panic clamors Of war; which had been raised by faction
to ntmdate the President from his staesmanke resolve,
proved futile; and by the removal Of all causes of
controversy peace has been permanently secured between
two OF the most powerful nations of the earth
Meantime, during the same summer Of Is45, the an
nexaton of Texas, already resolved upon by our Con-
gress came before the Texan people, amid all the SIMS
influence of transatlantic intrigue and Mexican rage
Through the wachfu and udcious policy of the admin
straton, these formidable difficulties were overcome
and on the 4th of July of that year, intelligence was re-
ceved of the full and formal consent of the people of
Texas through their Congress and Convention to the Act
of Annexation upon the conditions we had prescribed
and in December following. Texas, by the free will Of
her people and ours became State Of Union. This
was sublime spectacle. 1t event, perhaps with
out parallel in the history of nations!
Mexico was blind to its moral grandeur She made il
the pretex for perfdy and wrongdong and she pro-
claimed and levied war against us. Our government,
true to its policy OF peace forbore long and patiently;
sent minister to terminate all disputes between the two
countries by negotiation and not until he had been in
sungly rejected by Mexico, and her army, long before
collected on our frontier, had invaded territory and
shed the blood of citizens soil, did the
President recommend that war part should be
cognsed and sanctioned by Congress The War Act of the
18th of May, 1916, was passed. The two great cam
pagns that followed two separate lines OF operations,
are well known to the country, and will be memorable
in history for ages to come. In them were at once
eloriously demonstrated the military foresight and
resources of our government, the unequalled Prov
ess and skill of our gallant armies, and the rrepres
sibe patriotic ardor and enthusiasm of our people.
Between May and November, two mighty and conquer
ing armies were created mostly out of the ranks of
peaceful citizens and placed in the field fully
gained and supplied with all the military means and
munitions that the exgences of war waged by sea
and land at distance of three thousand miles, and des-
tined to result in the subugaton of half continent,
could require They marched steadily on from victory
to victory The Oldest and abest soldiers of Europe
looked with admiration upon their exploits The wis.
dom of our policy, which rejects large standing
army, and trusts to the armed valor of patriotic
people to maintain its rights and honor both at home
and abroad was placed in new and splendid light
by an exhibition OF prowess and energy in war, which
those who have most admired the growth OF our
public in all the arts of peace perhaps the least
of all prepared to expect The moral power among the
nations Of the world which have gained by the Mexi
can war; is worth to us, in this age of political convul-
sions far more than the war has cost.
Did the fame of this administration solely upon the
administrative vgor and ability thus sgnally displayed
by it's War Department. in the prompt creation and organ
zaton of armies and military adequate to produce
results so memorable and in its conception and execution
of whole war policy vast and complicated, these
achievements alone would insure it most honorable and
commanding position in the history of the country Eng
land looked upon them with admiration and astonsh-
ment AS early as June, ls45, the London Times had
tainted us with our national inability to wage distant
and victorious war; That journal proclaimed that we
had not regular troops enough to garrison Atlantic
frontier and that not alone, but all the apparatus OF