Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-08-05
CONGRESSIONAL.
NEW MEXICO, CALIFORNIA. AND OREGON.

having UNDER consideration the
Of the President Of the United States relation New
Mexico and California
Mr. COLLAMER proceeded to address the House In re-
gard to deultory conversation the of business
which had taken place after he had obtained the oor said
hat under the operation Of the rules Of the House, very little
the of debate discussion took place the House
all Most of what said here except in the very short
FIVE minutes allowed to the explanation Of amendments
independent essays distinct oraons having very little
relationship to each other many OF them perhaps strictly
not oraons but in common parlance harangues
for the House, for the country of them possibly
for posterty if they lived reach posery But he intend
ed to direct most of his remarks not all to the topics Of this
message, rather, Of the two recent of the Pes
denthe peace message together with the additional
sage OF information respecting the other.
In relation this message Of peace he must say there
very extraordinary features in it, Some gentlemen
had made remarks upon those features He wished
be little PARTICULAR he wished to call the attention OF
gentlemen 10 the very terms In the first place. in
formed that had got peace that had peace What
the sensation which this intelligence produced He had
lived long enough to have such occasion before He
had witnessed proclamation OF peace and he had wit
nessed too, the enthusiasm which it had excited not
merely confined to few cities, to the illumination of cities
and towns but went back into the Of society every
little village hamlet cottage, echoed with the reverberaions
of peace But where sensation, where the umi
nations of and Cities and where the proclamation for
day Of Thanksgiving Almighty God for having relieved our
nation from war Where they Who had heard of
them Oh, had peace Why, the making Of the
peace, which the President and his friends claimed much
glory for had dsgraced the who made it he hardly
permitted to be seen he had been home from foreign
Government after making this peace, by military authority
One Of the distinguished generals who had conquered this
peace he believed, pretty much in the condition.
far it in the power of the Executive affect him
That the peace and what peace And what did the
Executive inform was the great value Of the treaty peace
Why, he told the country he had got indemnify for the past
and security for the future He would first speak of the
latter. The President in his message, says:
The extensive and valuable ceded by Mexico to
the United States constitute indemnify for The pas, and the
brilliant achievements and signal will
guaranty of security for the tre by convincing ma
tons that rights must be respected The results of the
character abroad which country before enjoyed Our
have become known
throughout the world and shall probably be saved from
the necessity OF engaging another foreign for long
ries OF years.
So we had gotten by this war character which we had
before enjoyed Now, owing his age perhaps he
(Mr c. had heard good deal about certain war Of the
Revolution if the Executive had heard Of
when three millions OF people, scattered all over this
try had warred with Engndwaed alone several wears
with Great Britain Had the Executive heard in Of the
battle Of Bunker Hill of the terrible fight Long Island
Of the battles Bennington Saratoga, Brandywine Ger
mantown when we had no aid from the French Had he
forgotten that had captured whole British army the
first time in the history of five hundred years that that nation
had surrendered an army Nor had they down to this
day, surrendered army except the American Amy In
the progress Of that memorable struggle had established
character abroad and received slight aid which
he wished always TO be sufficiently grateful And then those
terrible battles at the Souh-of Kings Mountain, Eutaw,
Cowpens Guord and the surrender of CoinwalIs-had
Cured But the President told us had character until
this Mexican commenced and prosecuted All
these bloody battles and glorious victories with Great Britain
in the very infancy of country, nothing They
nothing at all though engaged, in war
whose very gave importance but fighting
for national existence, foi esides and homes
and all the invaluable blessings of liberty which now
enjoy.
Passing ON to the next war What was that We had
succeeded in asserting rights home had again to
them the broad ocean, and for that again to
with the powerful naton standing at the head of
the Governments Of Europe. Bot that nothing Had
the President and gentlemen who sustained his views on
this point forgotten the awful battle fought in the night
tme within sound of the Of the cataract Of Nagaa-the
battle Of Brdgewaier, where single regiment, om his own
State, had marched upon that field full five hundred srong
and but officers left standing lead of the scanty
remnant that survived But il all OF consequence-t
did not gorify politicians
Where The battle of New Orleans which distinguished
Gen. Jackson That too had done nothing establish the
character Of the country We had had any character
until All terrible fights upon the ocean, in which
had bearded the lion in his den; in which had
and vanqushed that Power which had bOasy claimed that
90 Her march was o'er the mountain wave
Her home was on the deep,"
we had fought that Power on the great highway of nations
yet had had any reputation until acquired by
conendng with poor, weak, distracted Mexico where
officers and had not thought consideration enough
10 get pfopOfiionOi
Mexicans that unless there immense dis
parity Of forces against could acquire military glory
Where the public receptions given the body Of
returning from the war He did not attempt declare
his responsibility, but he than suspected that
when Gen. Butler had got into difficulty with his be-
he would dsband them New Oreans-and that
the the Of the similar trouble which had
at other ponts-the that the ragged
destitute disheaened, and unwilling be exposed public
inspection by being marched into the cities in their present
condition, and desrous 10 get home quickly and
privately possible. This the glorious peace This
the security we had got for the future!
But he the other point set forth in the message
that the indemnify for The past" That consisted in
the acquisition Of territory. How this In the first
place. he wanted call the Of the House and the
country the extraordinary impression which seemed to pre-
vail with the Executive in relation 10 the power which he
possessed in acquiring and governing territory. Nothing
better settled by the laws nations and decisions of the Su
preme Court than the rights Of conquest What was con-
quest II the subugating Of the ,chok nation Il
when they sub ga, when they under the yoke
that they conquered and until they were conquered
had right but the right Of possession power was
found 10 with and treaty made by which host-
ties terminated IL be either on the basis Of u
possidtis, Of status quo ante beu. Therefore no title
exists by military occupancy Title acquired only by treaty
unless the whole nation s subdued and none left to make
treaty. These views perfectly familiar 10 every man
who had examined the subject And yet how had the Admin
srstion conducted year ago December because our
armies bad raised flag in New Mexico and California the
Executive had congratulated Congress and the country upon
the erenson Of territories and had really seemed to sup
pose that owned them and he (Mr. Cl did not doubt