Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-01-20

the very restricted limits allowed us in our
daily sheet, than when performance of the
rare merits of this effort of Mr.. &. is necessarily
excluded from its columns. 1t seems to be doing
n positive injustice to that portion of the com
mun,y among whom it circulatcs, not TO put
them in possession Of such train of fairly de-
duced inferences, as to the origin and conse-
quenccs of the Mexican war, from principles,
which have almost the certainty and cearness
of mathematical truths. Mr.. Calhoun's mind
is one of the few that can master the most
complicated subjects, and, by force of analysis,
reduce them TO propositions SO intelgible and
simple, that we wonder that the truths made
manifest should not have occurred, without eff
fort, to the most ordinary mind. 1t is thus he
deals with the problem of the war with Mexi-
CO, making its causes and consequences so
definite and so palpablc, both with
reference to the administration and the coun-
try, that we defy the most prcjudiced partisan
to follow his reasoning without yielding for the
moment his entire assent to it.
| Mr.. Calhoun shows, that the whole cXpcn-
diture of the life and money, which had been
layished in the last campaign, has failed to ac-
compish its acoccd object, viz, the procuring
/ from Mexico an indemnity for the claims we
hold on hcr,-in consequence of the wrong
policy pursued by Mr.. Polk, in seeking this
indemnity through treaty to be eXtorted from
her authorities by force of arms. This pur-
pose had been completely frustrated, notwith-
standing our series of brilliant and unintcrrupt-
dictcd, whatever be our success in the ensuing
campaign. Had the government adopted his
/ (Mr. .C.'s) plan, and determined on line,
which they would occupy and defend, until a
satisfactory treaty could have been negotiated,
the game would be in their own hands, the in
dcmnity certain, and an immense waste of
blood and treasure prevented, which, however
brilliant our military achievements, had actual
/ ly accomplished nothing. He deprecated,
| therefore, the idea entertained by the admins
traton, of another campaign to be entered up
dollars-at a sacrifice Of life which no one
could foresee, and, in the end, to be just rs far
\ from securing an indemnity, by treaty, as we
were at this moment.
\ Mr.. Calhoun considered it certain that a
mother successful campaign would put an end
II to even the shadow of a Government, which
now existed in Mexico. In that case, with
| whom shall we treat for indemnity for the
past, and security for the future! War may
be made by one party but it requires two to make
| a peace. As to the idea of the President,
/ that we are to put down all the military chief
/ tains and existing authorities of Mexico and To
| set up new ones, in order to treat with them,
and that these new authorities are to be pro-
tccted by our army,--he protested against it.
| Such Government must inevitably be over
II thrown, as soon as our forces were Withdrawn
/ from its support, and we should be compelled,
in fufmcnt Of our plighted faith, to reinsta,c
it to be again overturned, and again reinstatcd,
| until the Government and the entire country
would of necessity pass into our hands, pre-
| cisely as the English, without originally in
tending it, had been compelled to acquire the
territory, and with it, the sovereignty of all
India.
Il Mr.. Calhoun then enforced the reasons as
signed by him in his resolutions for dissenting
from the policy recommended by the President.
Disguise it as you will, the course recommend
ed by him must terminate in the conquest OF
all Mexico, and the holding of it as a subordi-
nate province, or its incorporation into the
Union as portion of our confederated States.
l. The policy recommended is inconsistent
with the avowed object of the war, which is
not conquest, but indemnity, and indemnity to
be procured by treaty. Ifthe result of another
campaign should effect what he Mr.. c., conf
dentally predicted, it would lower the reputation
of the Government for either intelligence, or
sincerity, after making these professions. And
here he was sorry to add, that whatever
might be the increase of our military reputa-
tion by recent events, we had every where, in
the eyes of considcratc men, lcsscned our char
acter for Justice, moderation, and discretion.
! ,. The holding Mexico as a province, or in
cooperating it into our Union, would be unpre-
ccdentcd by any example in our history. This
he illustrated by the history of our proceed
ings with the Indian tribes, and by the fact,
that we had never Incorporated into the Union
any other than the Caucasian race. To in
corporate Mexico would be- the first departure
from this uniform policy, for more than half its
population is pure Indians, and by far the larger
Il portion of the residue of mixed blood. He
protested against the incorporation of such a
| people into the Union. Ours was the Co
Il vcrnmcnt of the white man. And it was to
this cause we owed our undisputcd superiority
over the Spanish Americans, that the Govern
mcnt was not here, as with them, shared by
the aboriginal or mixed races.
/ 3. That to attempt TO dispose of Mexico, as
lI before stated, would be- in conflict with the ge-
MUS and character Of our government, and
| subvcrsiyc of our free institutions. There is
not an example on record of any free State