Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-01-20
a clear foresight in so plain a case as not t


discern the consequences.
Sir. we have heard how much glory our coun-
try has acquired in this war. acknowledge 1t
to the full amount, Mr.. President. so far as mill
tary glory is concerned. The army has done
nobly-chivalrously-the have conferredhon-
or on the country, for which | sincerely thank
them.
: Mr.. President, l believe all our thanks will
be confined to our army. So lar 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 declaration is
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,
it is not for me to inquire. | am speaking now
merely of the equation 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 indomitable energy
and courage which surmoun all difficulties, and
which class them amongst 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.
IN l4SAk 4(a9Ol4 III IL 49,
ign, is, that it is without example or prece-
cedent, either to hold Mexico as a province, or
to incorporate her into our Union. No exam
pie of such a 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 incor-
~porating them into our Union. They have
either been left as an independent people
amongst us, or been driven into the forest.
l know farther, sir, that we have never
dreampt of incorporating into our Union any
but the Caucasian race-the free white race.
To 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 a union
as that! Ours, sir, is the government of the
white man. The greatest misfortunes ofSpan-
{ ish America are to be traced to the fatal error
of placing these colored races on an equality
with the white race, That error destroyed the
social arrangement which formed the basis OF
society, The Portuguese and ourselves have
escaped-the Portuguese at least to some ex-
tent-and we are the only people on the con
!, tinent which have made revolutions without
being followed by anarchy. And yet it is pro-
, fessed and talked about to erect these Mexi
cans intoa territorial government, and place
: them on an equality with the people of the
: United States, protest utterly against such
a project, r5
, Sir, it is a remarka Bile fact, that in the whole
r history of man, as far as my knowledge extends
there is no instance whatever of any civilized
colored races being found equal to the estab
. lishment of free popular government, although
+ by far the largest portion of the human family
is composed of these races. And even in the
savage state we scarcely find them any where
with such government, except 1t be our noble
: savages-for noble will call them. They TO
the most part had free institutions, but they
9 are easily sustained amongst a savage people
3 Are we to overlook this tact2 Are we to as
. sociate with ourselves as equals, companions
and fellow-citizens, the Indians and mixet
n race of Mexico? Sir, | should consider sucl
a thing as fatal to our institutions.
The next two reasons which | assigned were
: thatit would be in conflict with the genius anC
! character of our institutions and subversive o
our free government. | take these two togeth
f er as they are so intimately connected; an(
now of the frst-to hold Mexico in subsection
, Mr.. President, there are some propositions
too clear for argument; and before such a body
as the Senate, l should consider it a loss of time
to undertake to prove that 10 hold Mexico as
+ subjected province would be hostile and in con
: fict with our free popular institutions, and in
> the end subversive of them. Sir, he who knows
the American Constitution well;-he who has
duly studied its character;-he who has looked
at history and knows what has been the effect
: of conquest of free states invariably, will re
: quire no proof at my hands to show that /
# would be entirely hostile to the institutions O
the country, to hold Mexico as a province
: There is not an example on record of any free
+ state even having attempted the conquest o
q any territory approaching the extent of Mexico
xrithO,t dicoStrOus cOnSpuupncec The DatIOr
conquered have in time conquered the conquer
ors by destroying their liberty. That will b.
our case, sir. The conquest of Mexico woult
add so vast an amount 10 the patronage of this
government, that it would absorb the whole
power of the States in the Union. This Unior
would become imperial, and the States mere
subordinated corporations. But the evil will
. not end there. The process will 60 on. Thu
! same process by which the power would b.
transferred from the States to the Union, will
! transfer the whole from this department of tn,
\ government speak ofthe Legislature tothe Elk
~ecutive. All the added power and added pat
ronage which conquest will create, will pass II
the Executive. In the end you put in the hand
of the Executive the power of conquering you
You give to it, sir, such splendor. such ampl
re- means, that with the principle of prescription
which unfortunately prevails in our country
e that the struggle will be greater at every pres
i idential election than our institutions can pos
n sibly endure. The end of it will that tina
branch of the government will become all pow
erful and the result is inevitable-anarchy an
despotism. 1t is as certain as that am thi
at day addressing the Senate.
4 Sir, let it not be said that Great Britain fur
a nishes an example to the contrary-that sh
4 holds provinces of vast extent of populatio
without materially impairing the liberty of tn
~ citizen, or exposing her to anarchy, c~onfusio
or corruption. 1t is SO. But what is the ex
of planation? Of all governments that ever ex
S; listed, a~ffording any protection whatever to Ii
berty, the English Government far transcend
Of them all in that respect. She can bear NOR
~ patronage in proportion to her population an
n wealth than any government of that form tina
ever existed, nay, to go farther, than can des
potism in its most absolute form. | will no
to go into the philosophy of this. That woul
take me farther from the track than | desire
cv Butt will say in a very few words, it result
v from the fact that her Executive and the Hous
: of Peers, the conservative branch of the govern
m ment, are both hereditary. The Roman go,
Of eminent may have exceeded and did exceed tn
ne British government in its power for conques
but no people ever did exist, and, probably, ne'