Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1848-02-10
MIR. THOMPSON'S SPEECH.
THE MEXICAN WAR. &C.

rouse q representatives, january II, 1915.
The House being in Committee Of the
Whole on the Presidents Annual Message
| MIR. THOMPSON, of Indiana, addressed the
committee during the allotted hour.
He did not know, he said, that he should
have felt himself al all called upon to address
the committe on the several subjects towards
which its attention had been directed for the
last week ten days, if il were not that he fell
a kind OF necessity for doing what he had ne
yer done before in his lfe---ihai was, 10 define
his position About four weeks ago he was
represented by anewspaper in New York as
having made speech oil some hours length
upon this floor, advocating the entire conquest
and sublugaiIon of Mexico. On the day be-
fore yesterday he was represented by the
i.Union" OF This city as having made another
speech Justiying the entire course OF policy
pursued by the present Administration in the
origin, prosecution, and objects of the war
with Mexico. For lear, therefore, that some
body should suppose he might possibly have
made speech Of this kind, he deemed il ex-
pedent to take this opportunity TO declare
wha, were the sentiments he really entertained
upon this question; and he thought he should
convince gentlemen before he got through that
he had never made the one or the other OF
those speeches.
His chief purpose in now rising was TO no
tice several of the positions taken by gentle
men upon the other side OF this chamher--po-
snons which he thought they had taken with
great care and great reflection. with view 10
defend the Administration, not only in Tie or
IGN. but IN the progress OF this war and
more especially TO notice some Of the remark
able features which he found in the speech
made several days ago by the gentleman from
Maryland, from the Baltimore district, (Mr
McLANE.) he did not hesitate to character
! lie this as remarkable speech, not only be-
j cause il was delivered ON this floor with great
ingenuity, with great power, and with great
eloquence, but because II went bow shot--a
hundred bow sho,s--beyond all the speeches
which had been made on this floor in the as
sumption Of positions which be (Mr. t. con-
sldered erroneous, and which not only did In
justice TO the Congress OF the United States
and the people of the United States, but man
lfest marked injustice TO the distinguished COM
mander OF our army, Gen. Taylor. The gen
tleman, in his conception, had entirely mlsla-
ken the great questions OF history which were
involved ID the origin and prosecution of the
war, and had made these questions, thus mis-
stated by hlni. subserve what he thought he
should be able to show were exclusively and
entirely this party purposes of this Admins
traiIon.
The gentleman's speech. as originally writ
ten out by himself, he presumed, and publish
ed in the .'Unon," contained the assumption,
IN order 10 justify the President Of the United
States IN the issuance Of the order Of 18th Jan.
uafy, 1916, Tor the march of the army 10 the
valley oil the Rio Grande, that the President,
IN his message OF December, ls45, had com
municaied TO Congress the fact that General
IaVinr had baap al, AZ,
TO the valley of the Rio Grande MIR Il. read
this passage of MIR. McLANE's speech. /
Now, he had carefully looked into the his
tory OF this thing he had examined all
the public documents upon which he could
lay his hands, and nowhere did he find, from
the beginning to the end of all the communi-
cations which had emanated from the Presi.
dent OF the United States IN December, 1915, !
or prior to that time, the declaration that Gen. I
Taylor had been ordered TO march the troops
under his command to The Rio Grande.--
There was no such message, no such docu-
ment 10 be found, no such political fact recor-
ded in the history Of the country. The Presi-
dent of the United States did communicate 10
Congress. in December, lS45, thai lie had as
signed General Taylor 10 The command ofihe |
army, and that his position was 10 be taken !
bet,ceen the Nueces and the Rio Grande; but |,
not that he was 10 march 10 the Rio Grande |
The Secretary Of War, al the commencement
OF that session, communicated TO Congress in !
telgence Of the fact thai General Taylor had !
been assigned TO the command OF the country
between the Nueces and The Rio Grande, with |
the ultimate destination" to the Rio Grande,
with a purpose of ultimately occupying the
valley OF the Rio Grande but nowhere, eth
er IN the message of the President, or in the
report OF the Secretary Of War, was there any
communication made 10 Congress that General
Taylor was assigned to the command OF the
army, and ordered to march 10 the Rio Grande.
But, the published speech of the the gentle
man, IN pamphlet form, he found much
greater mistake upon this subject. Ii was
there declared tina, the President, in Deem
Der, 1919, gave notice to Congress that Gen.
Taylor had been assigned to the defence OF the
country 'west Of the Rio Grande."
Mr.. McLANE explained that this was mis-
print. II should have been "west TO the Rio
Grande." He requested the gentleman from
Indiana TO read from the document which he
handed hun.
Mr.. THOMPSON read as follows from the
Presidents message of 3lst December, 1915:
sour army was ordered to take position
in the country between the Nueces and the
Del Norte, and TO repe any invasion OF the
Texan territory which might be attempted by
the Mexican forces"
Also, the following, from the despatch Of
Mr.. Bancroft Of June Is, 1915, TO General /
Taylor:
"The point OF your ultimate destinationis !
the western frontier OF Texas, where you will I
select and occupy, on or near the Rio Grande |
del Nore, such a site as viii best consist with |
the health of the troops, and will be best adap- |
ted TO repel invasion, and TO protect what, IN !
The euent Of annexation, will be our western /
border"
MIR. THOMPSON (continuing) said neither Of |
the positions was true, so far as the history Of
the country was concerned. There was no
such order issued to Gen. Taylor, no such fac,
communicated TO Congress. He was order
ed TO take position bet,ceea the Nueces and
the RIO Grande, with the .'ultimate" object Of
protecting the Rio Grande valley and the
extracts now read at the request Of the gentle.
man proved this beyond controversy. and pro-
we'd nothing more. The last extract he had
read proved nothing in the present controversy.
II rs part OF an order issued before the annex
alton OF Texas, and under which Gen. Fay
Tor took position at Corpus Christi, and re-
named there many months.
But the next position, erroneous as he con-
celved IL to be, INFO which the gentleman had
fallen, was the assumption that, by the act OF