Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-06-08

party duplicity, or the men who practised up
| on their patriotic feelings, only TO betray and
insult them.
This Oregon farce ended so disreputably that
fuss ~ another quarter was indispensable to
| the establishment of Democratic valor, and the
appetite for acquisition must have successful
the Nueces and the Rio Grande was the pre-
text; and though Thomas H. Benton declared
| that the claim set up for that country was an
| unparalleled outrage upon Mexico, yet the
claim was not only set up, but the country
| taken possession Of, by sending our army to
| the Rio Grande, and then by bringing the ar
mics oil .he two nations in conflict. The de-
cisive victories of Paio Alto and Resaca COM
PEELED the retirement of the Mexican forces
| from the country in dispute; and then, if the
Administration could be satisfied with any
! thing reasonable, was the time TO rest upon
the conquered rights of the nation. But no !!
Lured on IN the career of conquest onr victo-
| rious little army marched into the enemy's
country, and, still advancing, found rest on
] the line of operations only on the ensapguiped
| field of Buena Vista, where Taylor and his
gallant volunteers covered themselves with IN
fading glory.
| The acquisition of Texas, instead of proving
| las the Baltimore Convention adherents pre-
| dlcted) bloodless acquisition, has caused riy-
ers of crlmsoned liquid to flow along the DESC
laIing march of our victorious armies. 1t has
| filled the land with wo; it has made thousands
of widows, thousands of orphans, and sent up
the lamentations of distress from unnumbered
hearths and fresides. In battle, and by the
desolations of disease, contracted in this
'bloodless pursuit of territory, it is said, near
| ~ twenty thousand American citizens have
persisted; while the shattered limb, and no less
shattered constitution, present living memo
rails of its desolating effects. Santa Anna
(the same who had some ones "pass' to return
to Mexico) boasts, III his farewell address to
his countrymen, that .'the blood of the invad-
| 'ers, Americans and their corpses, which re-
main piled in heaps on the field of battle,
| will be so many titles of glory for my coun-
try and for my children!' This passage in
Santa Annals address must be NORWOOD TO
| the peisc Executive who sent him back to
Mexico to deal death on our gallant army.
! But, sir, this acquisition of Texas was to
cost, IN treasure, comparatively nothing And
how have these promises been realized! LET
facts be submitted to candid world" Many
estimate the cost of this war at two hundred
millions of dollars. But let us modify these
figures. Deduct Fourth, and we have one
hundred and fifty millions, and ''to that COM
plexion it will come at last" add to this the
sum of twenty millions for California and
New Mexico, and We have one hundred and
seventy millions of dollars in round numbers.
This twenty millions, | verify believe, is poor
ly spent, if the worthless territory in question
forms the sole consideration.
No other Power on earth would pay half the
money for such wilderness, consisting OF
| shrubs, bushes, and rocks, pent up between bar
rem mountains, where it scarcely ever rains
from April till December. and where the cultl-
yator of the soil is compelled to conduct the
water over his grounds by drains and bitches,
lph:n mater can be had even with this labor.-
Instead of getting indemnity for the war, lCc
purchase peace, and at price so exorbitant as
to shock every feeling of justice and fair deal
| ing, if territory be alone the object. If these
one hundred and seventy millions were in sill
yer, and placed in two-horse wagons, at one
thousand pounds 10 each wagon, it would make
ten thousand six hundred and seventy five wag-
GA loads; and ii these wagons were put in one
F., continuous line, as close as they could run, ii
would require space Of sixty-six miles to con-
tain them.
Sir, if you would divide the money expend-
ed IN this war amongst my constituents Or
your own, it would give nearly one wagon load
|
bad been judiciously expended in educational
purposes, it would have educated all the chill
dren of the country, and blessed every cottage
in the land with The benign influence of liter
AZURE and scieqce. 1t would have paid al! the
debts of the several States, and given to those
copfederated commonwealth the priceless boon
of reestablished credit. ii would have improv-
1 ed all our harbors and rivers, and dotted the
country oyer with railroads, and made many a
western evidences blossom as the rose
Yes, sir, it would have sent the self-denying
missionary to the islands of the sea; and,
/ From GreenIand's icy mountains,
/ To lndia's coral strand"
spread the gospel of the Redeeme. to millions
of the benighted sons and daughters of men!-
Il All this it might have accomplished, if direct
f cd in the channel ofan enlightened policy. gu
what has it produced? What objects have been
attained2 Absolutely but little of practical
value. 1t has enabled the President to appoint
few thousands of his partisans to Office, and
to distribute amongst them the spoils wruns
!, from the incomes of au honest people. Ii has
loaded this nation down With an enormous pub
lie debt, which, for years 10 come, will weigh
f upon our citizens like an incubus. It has en-
, gendered love OF conquest: and diverted the
minds of the people from the quiet pursuits o.
peace TO the rough and uneven clamor of war
1t has implicated the Government in the ex
tension of slavery oyer vast country, ano
: made the blood and treasure of our people thf
= cement to FiYet the chains of African serEi
tpde. It has again. in the most frightful form
: aroused the question of domestic slavery Owe
' free territory, which threatens to QpFoot tht
very foundations of our political system-anC
> all this for the melest party purpose.
] To show the reckless manner in which debt
a are heaped upon the people by borrowing mo
f ney. and the gross mismanagement of it,
e have time to refer TO bat one Circumstance
a The Secretary of the Treasury, in making hi
, report to this Congress, gave an account Q
S about seven millions of dollars less than tn
e means he had on hand. and, of course, desires
8 that amount to be added to the enormous loan
i to be made for the war. This failure to Civ
y return of seven millions is very curiou
It mistake, and shows how reckless things ar
managed by this Administration. ] do not
d Mr.. Chairman, design to impute any dishones
!" intention to that functionary in this gross blum
2 der; but it will strike the mind of every one
u that ''Uncle Sans" packets MUST be quite ca
l. | DaciOuS to leave such sum in one corner