The Arkansas banner., 1848-03-07
. C0L. SEYIKR,s StkECN.

! New York Herald, from. which paper ws have takes IL, and Co which t was sent by the reporter ss sa "imperfeet sketch" Mors than wcnth has elapsed since vas delivered, and we have as yet received no Washington report ot it. The anxiety expressed by many of our friends 10 see what our Senator has said on the important question before the Senate, has induced to present it in this form, not know
 ing hOw long t may bs before ws shall be able b Obtain fan and correct copy.
 At one o'clock the bll providing for ten regimenss oE regular infantry to serve during the war with Mexico. wns taken up agaia as the special order.
 l Mr. SxvIEH took the noog. If this discussion, Mir. President. which has been sustained foF the lest two weeks, he'd been confined to the merits Of the hill which proposes addition oT ten regiments 10 the military establishment in Mexico. should most certainly have taken no part in this debate. My want of military experience, both in practice and In theory. would have been sufficient for adopt
 ing this course. ie is not my object row, cir, to ! dwell at any length on the merits of this measure. shah vote for it, sir because il has been recommend
 ed by the proper authority 10 which Is eonGded the
 management of all our wars by the constitution; shall vote for because if has reeeiyed the sanction of the intelligent and experienced met composing l the military committee to whom the examination et such subjects properly beiosgs. shall vote inr II, sir. becaase regard 1t necessary measure 10 the attainmento of that great object speedy and per
 manent peace wih Mexico; shall vote foE 1t, be. cause regard t a a wise and expedient measure in inancal view calculated 10 relieve the iseasu- ry Co great extent of the burdens which have fallen upon it tn the prosecution of the war For all these general reasons, sir, without going into details, shaii vote for this b sir. with great pleasure. My particular obIect, Mr President, IS to yindlca,e the President of the United States. for whom have strong personal regard, and also as member of that party, of whom he Is the representative from the general attacks which have been made upon him in regard to the origin of the war, the management Of the war, and the ultimate objects of the war On each of these three points propose to submit some observations to the Senate, if my health will bear out in the examination In th ekrst place, then. Mr. President we come 10 the case of the war, and these canses were the immediate cause. and causes more or less remote. Mir. Seveir then assumed as an incispuable fact, that the immediate causes Of the war was the attack by the Mexicans on this side of the Rio Grande upon ThoInton's command, and its dscomfture capture prisoners of war. This was the canse of the Presidents g letter to Congress of the lith of May letG, and of the act declaring the war two days thereafter. The remote causes of the war lay in the cesson of Louisiana and Florida in the sroliations of Mexico, and in the resoiu- tions, independence, and admission Of Texas into this Union. fn these remote causes the Pfss;asas of the United States had agency whatever Louisiana was acquired when he was minor. He was not in our councils at the time of the treaty with Spain of 1919 nor was he active agent in the annexation of Texas, because that act was con- summated the day before he came into power by his predecessor, President Tyler. In these four then, these remote causes the President of the Unit ed States had aganey whatever. But it is true that the party to which he belongs had great deal to do with every one of these causes. It vas that party which secured the acquisition of Louisiana, in ls03: it was that party which acquired Florida of Spain, in 1879; 1t wss that party which compelled Mexico by treaty in lS29 to provide for the payment of claims due to citizens of the United States 1t the party 10 which the country indebted for the annexation of Texas, whirh we have iaiily SC. cured and which all hazards, shall keep. And, sF, If we gei any territory from Mexico, t will be due to the same party, and against the sa,1e opposition as heretofore. Before passing sentence of condem- nation upon the President it would then have been proper lor his assaants the other hand, to have looked back at the condition of country al the time he came into power. externally and internally. Externally, there were two great questions to be settled, whicL had produced high state of excite ment tn the public mind-2one was the Texas Ques- tion, and the other the Oregon QaestiAnl In the settlement of tine Texas question he hsd to meet the pride and interest of Mexlco-in the settlement of the Oregon question he had to contend against the pride and interest Of England and in the settle
 ment of both he was prompted by etery eonsidera-
 ton 10 pay every regard 10 the pride and interests of the nited States. Mir. Sevier here proceeded into precipitation of :he history of the Texas question, from the time of its colonization by ci- zehs Of the Chted States, through all the negotia
 ons and 90 forth, leading to and ending in the an- nexation of Texas 10 this Union. h this recapitu-
 ation, the description of the iu the Senae on the night that the annexation resolutions pass ed, was graphic and interesting calling up again
 the whole stirring and exciting picture before our view This resolution was ofcourse to be acted upon by the Texan authorities. The President found these difficulties around him, when he came isio power. Has he managed them with prudence and ability Has he managed them in manner worthy of tine great nation which he presides and in of Ma Mir ha had, and would endeavor to show 1t. He found Texas about 10 be invaded. The President ordeted the fleet 10 the Gulf and Gen. Taylor to the Sabine
 or some other navigabo stream iE the United States territory. He instructed Gen. Taylor however, not To go upon Texan soil until he was informed that Texas had acceded te terms of annexation. General Taylor did So; he did not go to the Sabine
 but to the barracks at New Orleans, where he re. ceived information from minister at Texas that Texas had acceded 10 our terms Of annexation. Al ter that Gen. Taylor was ordered to Corpus Christi where he stayed some time, and informed the gov. ernaeht o the United States that he did not believe thsre would be any invasion of Texas that all the threatenihgs Of Mexico but blaster and braya. do. Leaving the General at Corpus Christi, in the fuliness ot his dreams of peace. Mir. Sever turned to the fact that our government had been informed that Mexico would receive a minister from us and that one had been sent there. In December iSas
 we met in this chamber, and received the annusI message of the President ot the United States; in |, he eohSrstaiated the country upon the increase o
 our population our general prosperity and the wide extension of our territory, reaching from the Bay o Fundy on the north, round the Atlantic shore, to the Rio Grande. And in 2. few weeks after this
 we ssed an act that 4.tom house be established at Galveston and ps,re in the hands or the presi. dent complete jursdi> ..on over the whole of this territory Where, then, were our constitutional de. fenteEs' Where, then. were those who now are heard m denancaiion of the tjtutiona exer. else of power by the President. Where were YOU , theni Were you dead sick, deaf or dumb! Did il take the thunder oi the at Pslo Alto and Re- ' ssca to wake you from your slnmber. from yoau stupori Mir. S. returned to our minister al Mexico he vas refused, by the power ia Mexico, more from selhshness than any other caase for Paredes could not recognize the actions of Herrera. The news of the rejection of our minister after having been in- viied by that country, was received here the lh