The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-03

by the act OF Mexico" because that declaration was
falsehood They claim further, that when II was found
impossible strike out the preamble. the same whgs-ai
but fourteen OF them house, and eo in the other
voted for the bill false preamble and ALL rather than
cord their names against the bill This, MIR Clay says,
mo earthly consideration eould have tempted or
provoked" him TO do because Of the paipabe faehood
stamped upon the face" OF the bill in It's preamble.
Now what was the BILL to save which, and TO vote for
which, the wings consented this paipabe false
hood7 1t a bill to wage OF invasion upon
Mexico 1t a bill placing the disposal of the
President the whole army and navy of the United
States and fifty thousand volunteer soldiers besides, to-
gether with ten millions of dollars, "to prosecute the
war with Mexico to a speedy and successful termination"
In voting this bill, with without the preamble, the
wings voted the invasion of Mexico with great force.
Nay more they actually voted what they themselves
call ga paipabe aisehood" of voting such
an invasion of Mexico! There is preenoe in any
quarter that anybody thought many and so
much money needful merely to protect Gen Taylor from
the Mexican army mustered the Rio Grande or that
the force voted for any such sole purpose But this
is not left to conjecture Inference however certain for
in about week after the vote given, intelligence
came of the victories of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, showing that Gen. Taylor was safe. And what
then Not finger did the wings lift TO stop him the
Rio Grande stay his nuaon of MeIieo with the large
force they had voted him, just il could be
tered into service For months he the Rio
Grande, organizing and pressing forward his preparations
to invade Mexico; and during those months only did
the wings make movement in Congress to forbid him
to proceed, but their journals loud in charging the
delay a fault and bunder upon the administration
Now, in this state of facts, what do the wings gain
for themselves party, by procaimng the preamble
the bill falsehood If it be falsehood much the
for them, every way; first because they voted it
while declaring it to be false and secondly, because
they voted it for the sake of voting, at the me
what they call 'an unjust and aggressive war of nva-
son," standing upon that very alleged fasehood as
main justification We find these views very ably and
clearly set forth by writer in the Richmond Enquirer
in an article elected by Mr. Clays speech, and which we
commend to the attention of our readers:
From the Richmond Enquirer
The Course of the Wing Party at the Origin Of the
''Thus the war commenced. and the President after
posed 10 raise fifty thousand volunteers and in w order PRO
commit all who should vote for it, preamble insert
Mexico. have doubt the patrstic motives of
those who after struggling to dvest the bill of that fragrant
say that earthly conside ration would have
tempted provoked for bill with palpable
do never never, could have voted for that bill"
! Mr.. Ctay's Lexington Speech.
is the object OF this article offer any extended
marks the matters connected with the origin of the
present war We desire to present but single view. Mr.
Clay for the sake presume, of those of his friends who
unfortunately committed by having voted merely
for the preamble but for the itself which recognised the
war; endeavors make distinction between vote for the
act with and without the preamble In point OF fact that
distinction does not exist If the preamble conveys false
hood the ought have passed the war did not
hnr
have been invaded with army of 900 If the re-
moval of our troops from Corpus Christi and the much
taked-of"panng ofcannon opposite Matamoras an
UNJUST aggression upon the rights OF Mexico, her resistance
to that perfectly justiabe, and did not de-
the penalty which the of Congress authorized the
President to inct 1t is but indifferent mora-
y that while it inlicts and unjust punishment
contents itself with refusing declare its victim guilty Of
the offence for which he suffers But it is this
much credit that Mr. Clay allows his friends in Congress
In addition the unjust nicton upon innocent Mexico
the horrors of an invasion with the large force authorized
by Congress- he charges them with uttering palpable
sehood in declaring that Mexico deserved the infection
On the 18th of May, 1885, President Polk, by message
communicated to Congress all the facts connected with the
removal of the troops from Corpus Christi that Gen. Tay
lo had been instructed to regard the relations of the
nations peaceful unless actually attacked that the Mex
lean forces Matamoras had assumed beligerent at
tude and Cen Ampuda had notified Gen Taylor break
his camp and retire beyond the Nueces if he wished
avoid actual hosties and that, the 9th of April,
party of dngoons sent up the Rio Grande to ascertain
whether the Mexican forces crossing that river had
been intercepted by large orce and after loss had
been compelled to surrender Upon this information, the
whole action of Congress predcaed On the very day
that this Congress- the House Repre-
sentave with only fourteen dssentent voices passed the
referred by Mr.. Clay After preamble declaring
he exist by the act of Mexico, the President
thorized employ the militia the military and naval forces
and call so 900 volunteers Ten millions of dollars
the time placed under his control. The
passed the Senate with only dissentient voices In
me the battles of the 9Th and 9th of May 1876 had
occurred, and the army of Mexico annhilaed After
those battles army remained the Rio Grande await
ing the accumulation of forces and matere necessary
the invasion of Mexico until August
Now, if this march the Rio Grande unjust ag.
erosion upon Mexico it the duty of Congress mmed
atey it, far it practicable TO do They
should have taken recall the the
earliest that it could have been done. They
should, all events, have forborne aggravae this
rage, which, taught, had been unconstit-
onaly perpetrated by usurping Executive. Did the
wing party in Congress pursue any snch course BY no
means They not only acquesced in the of the Presi
den, in directing removal of the troops but they author
arrestng ibis ncipent invasion of Mexican territory they
authorized its prosecution much larger scale Instead
Of recalling little army from the Rio Grande they en-
powered the President send 10000 the city of
Mexico, to bring rapne and dcsoation upon a nation
whose whole offence, according their present account
consisted in resisting the unjust aggression President
If the march OF the troops to Matamoras wrong,
either in prncip pie policy, it perfectly compc