Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-02-24
From the townsville Courier.
GENERAL TAYLoR'S LETTER.


The letter recently published by Gen. TAY-
LoR to the War Department, admirable alike
for the dignity of tone and force ofexpression,
remarks the Baltimore american, contains an
allusion which at first sight may not be obvi-
GUS. The apparent determination of the De-
partment.p says Gen. Taylor, "to place me m
an attitude antagonistical to the Government,
has an apt illustration in the well known Fa-
BILE of Esop.' The Fable referred to, d, no
doubt, the following:
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
One hot sultry day, a Wolf anda Lamb hap
pened to come just at the same time toquench
their thirst in the stream of a brook that fell
tumbling down the side of a rocky mountain.
The Wolf stood upon the higher ground. and
the Lamb at some distance below him. How
ever, the Wolf, having a mind to pick a quar-
rel with the Lamb asked him wha. he meant
by disturbing the water, and making il SO mud
dy that he could not drink and, at the same
time, demanded satisfaction. The Lamb, fright
ened al this threatening charge, told him in a
tone as mild as possible, that withhumble sub
mission, he could not conceive how that could
be, since the water which he drank ran down
from the Wolf to him. and therefore could not
be disturbed SO far up the stream. Be that as
it may, replies the Wolf, you are a rascal, and
have been told that you used i'll language con-
corning me behind my back, about halfa wear
ago. Upon my word; avs the Lamb, the time
you mention was before | was born. The Wolf
finding it to no purpose to argue any longer
against truth, fell into a great passion. snarling
and foaming at the mouth as if he had been
mad; and drawing near to the Lamb, sirrah.
says he, if it were not you, it was your father,
and that is the m So he seized the poor
innocent helpless thing, tore it to pieces, and
made a meal of it.
The moral subjoined to this Fable goes on to
say; that "when cruelty and injustice are arm
ed with power, and determined on oppression,
the strongest pleas of innocence are preferred
in vain, and nothing is more easy than finding
pretences TO eliminate the unsuspecting vic
Tins of Tyranny" This is e~xcellently in point.
Again: Chow many of the degenerate, cor
rupt, and arbitrary governments" exclaims the
moralist. ''with which the civilized world has
been %disfigured, have exercised their vengeance
upon the honest and v%irtuous, who have dared,
in bad times, to speak the truth"
Any one who calls to mind the course of the
Administration towards General Taylor, from
the time when an effort was made 10 censure
the %capitulation of Monterey to the present
moment, including the withdrawal of his best
troops from him and his subsequent exposure
to an overwhelming force Of the enemy, bis
long continuance on the line of the Rio Grande
doing garrison duty, in a state of dull inactiv-
ity; calling TO mind all these and other partic
ulars, any one may see that the occasion which
called forthG General Taylor's letter ofreply ant
his ~allusion to Ksop, was one of a series of di
rect or indirect attempts to put General Taylor
in the wrong before his countrymen; to show
him at variance with the Government, and suf
fering under its condemnation; and, if posi-
bic, to rob him of his well earned glory, ant
cover him with disgrace. With a man les:
cool, less determined, less firm in the con.
seriousness of duty, this insidious policy nigh
have prevailed. 1t has not prevailed agains
General Taylor; but, on the contrary, the per
secutions he has suffered from the Government
which ought TO have sustained and strengthen.
ed him against the enemies of the country
5 have the more endeared him to the people
With a profound admiration of his great
!, achievements there is mingled a powerful sym
pathy, which, inspiring Indignation against
those who have wronged him, fills the heart o.
the people with a determination to have justice
, done to the hero who has exalted the natsoSal
renown so gloriously, and who, under all the
adverse visitations to which he was subject,
invariably showed himself patient, enduring
and calm, as well as courageous and indomita-
, BILE.