The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-02-23
CONGRESSIONAL.


have been honored for the last two or three weeks
had been confined to the merits OF the Dill which,
proposes TO add ten regiments military establish
ment in Mexico, 1t is very certain that should nave
taken no part in this debate. MY nexPerehSe, practl
my apology for my silence. II Is not my purpose now oI
dwell at any length upon the merits OF this bill shall
vote for IL because has been asked OF
bv the proper constitutional authorities of country o
whom belongs the management of all wars; and be
cause it has been favorably recommended by the expe
renced and intelligent gentlemen OF the Military Com
mittee whom the investigation of such subject prop
erly belongs | shall vote for it, because regard il al
essential measure to obtain what we all profess sol
much to desire-a speedy and permanent peace with
Mexico; and until that peace shall be had, wise
financial arrangement by which treasury will be re.
eved to sensible extent from the burdens which .hi'
avoiding all details, shall vote for the bill with great
pleasure.
My chief object in addressing you to-day, sir is to de
fend the President, for whom feel high personal rel
gard and the party of which he at present the repre-
sentative, and to which belong, from the unmerited
which have been cast upon both IN reference h
the origin of this war, its mode OF prosecution anu III
ultimate objects. Upon each OF these three points uponI
which we have had such eloquent and elaborate DIS
courses, purpose my health and strength VIII SUSTAIN
me, to make some observations
The causes which led this war have been properly
described as being immediate and more OF less remote
President, if the report OF General Taylor, and our own
journals to be credited, is 10 be found in the attack
made by the Mexican army upon the commands OF Cap
tains Thornton and Hardee the oath of April 1896 on
the east side OF the Rio Grande, about fifty miles above
Fort Brown in which sixteen soldiers OF the army OF
United States killed wounded and the residue OIL
the detachment consisting IN all OF sixty three men and
officers captured by the army of Mexico, and
RED off by their eaptors in triumph to the city Of Ma,a
under date of the 26h of April the President predcae
his message of the lth of May; and upon this mes
sage, accompanied by this report passed the act OF
the 18th of May, recognising the with Mexico
The remote of the war have been traced TO the
acquisition of Louisiana in ls03o the cesson OF lexas
10 Spain in lsl9to the violation OF the treaty OF 1899
the part of Mexico, which provided for the adjustment
and payment of the claims Of our citizens by Nlexco-
and 10 The colonization of Texas its revolution indie
pendence and finally its admission into this Union I'M
any of these causes whatever may have been their in
uence sngly collectively, in producing this the
President had not the slightest agency When louisiana
was acquired, he was a Minors when Texas was coded
to Spain, he was very young man. and notin coun
ellis; when the treaty of 1889 was violated by Mexico
he was acting as the governor OF distant State and the
resolutions for the annexation of Texas were passed n
the time of President Tyler, and before he into
power
longs have had their day and generation, good deal
to DO with all OF those questions The party to which
tanned the treaty for the settlement of the claims Of our
citizens by Mexico; and finally, for good for evil, the|
same party have brought Texas back into this Union
where at all hazards and at any sacrifices, they intend
10 keep her. and every and parcel of her And while
upon this subject, may add that if any territory is &C
qured Of Mexico as the penalty of this war, the coun
ty it is already indebted for every territorial addtion
which has been made to the country since the of in
dependence and that these acquisitions have been made
in the face of opposition violent the opposition
which is encountered, and against objections very
similar to those which are now made
Sir before passing sentence of condemnation upon the
policy of the President and particularly upon those gravel
questions upon which we have had such merciless re-
views think truth and justice alike require that should
reference to these great questions the time that the
President came into power, the 4th of March, 1915
On that day it was his fortune to inherit from his pre-
decessors the settlement of grave questions, in which
other countries than own claimed interest One
OF these was the Texas question: and the other the Ore
Mexico and the other the pride and interest of England
and both, the pride and interest of the United States
After all that has occurred, hope shall be pardoned
twin sisters, and of their influences in England and in
Mexico and of both against the United States, until the
amicaby settled by the treaty of June 1851
and until the other involved in the in which wei
Sir, we all know that, after the successful revolt of
1s n E
of Iubde her emperor, and afterwards at the instance
OF the republic OF Mexico. This policy of colonization
and France when those powers held possessions on this
continent We all know that the course of events in
that country of which need not speak, Texas revoted
from Mexico, and that her revolution successful
that her independence followed and that that ndepend
ence was afterwards acknowledged by England France,
Belgium, and the United States. We all know that. af
she had achieved her independence Texas twice APP
piled, first under the administration of President Jack
and afterwards under that of President Van Buren,
Tor admission into Union; That eaCn Oh those
plcatons, out of Difference TO Mexico and out of defer
to the opinions of the world refused In lS43
for which need not fully go into, Texas
vted by the government of the United States to into
this Union Security southern institutions OF
the inducements the part of the United States Trade,
commerce, navigation, the extension OF our territorial
domain in desirable direction, security to the Union in
its vulnerable point, and the monopoly of southern
products upon which the chief powers of Europe de-
pended and which dependence regarded eff
Gent and cheap and safe for the preservation OF
peace than standing armies, were the other inducements
to that measure
Texas came upon our invitation, and, IN 1914 entered
into treaty with the government OF the United States by
which she agreed to give up her sovereignty and nde
pendence, and TO become OF the States of this
1ederacy That treaty submitted to the Senate for
its ratification and met with very determined and Jealous
opposition in this chamber-he entire voice of one party,
then in the majority, and respectable portion of the
other, against it, The conflict of opinion between
the advocates and opponents OF the treaty created good
deal of excitement In the midst of discussion
upon it, copy of that treaty. with the documents accom-
panying it, without the sanction of the Senate found its
way into the columns of the public press of the country
The publicity of that treaty, with the documents which
belonged to it, carried into the country the excitement
which had been created in the Senate in regard to IT.
The time of these occurrences the spring OF 1874
and but few weeks before the assemblage OF the two
conventions at Baltimore of the two great parties OF thus
country for the selection of their candidates for the
offices of President and Vice President of the United
States Cotemporaneousy with these occurrences, the
two distinguished and acknowledged leaders of these
great parties simultaneously out against the treaty
and the immediate annexation of Texas to this Union
These letters added the excitement then prevailing
the The conventions met The wing COnven'