The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-01-20

ol us cOnqucrOr. L can well see how an arlS
tocratlc, or despotic government could be thu
= formed; but how a free government can,
cannot see. had always understood such
government must spring from the hearts o
the people; but, sir, see these notions are
antiquated, and we can now make free re
publics. The people Of Mexico do not wisl
it. The great body Of the intelligence ant
wealth is concentrated in the clergy, and they
are disinclined to it. The other large body
the owners of the haciendas, in other words
the planters, might, perhaps, favor it; but
they are scattered, without the means OF
forming firm government, and if put up,
would tumble down in day, the moment
our troops should be withdrawn. The only
other course, then, would be to support and
foster the existing government But it is
SAID that would be useless and it would fall
the moment our troops were withdrawn.
MIR. President, protest against building up
any power in Mexico, for we shall thereby
be obliged to support it again and again, un-
til we would be compelled to take it ourselves.
The conquering OF Hindoslan, which we
have so long deprecated, came on i'll this
very way. There was no intention at first to
conquer it. That came on by degrees, till
last it appeared a matter Of course. So it
would be with Mexico, if that government
should agree to make a treaty Oh such terms
as we ask. The President himself agrees we
shall take the very course have foreshadow-
ed. He says in so many Words if all meas
ures fail, we must enforce terms which the
honor Of the country demands. Is not this
an acknowledgement, that if the factional gov
eminent is not built up, we must conquer and
occupy the country, thus enforcing terms, not
upon the government, but upon the people ?
Well, the President is right. This will be
the result. Every argument against taking a
defensive line, will have double force when
we have spent sixty millions Of dollars more,
and occupy still greater extent Of territory.
We'll, sir, now that we have added sixty
millions Of dollars TO the former amount eX-
pended, what will you get to indemnify it ?
With the population which you will have to |
sustain, and the army of forty or fifty thou |
sand men, as the Secretary Of War says, you |
will never get enough to pay it; and it will |
have to come out Of the pockets OF tie people |
Of the United States. This and the next gen
Grafton will have to bear this burden. We |
now come 10 the solemn consideration pro-
posed by the resolution. | have shown the |
course proposed by the President. 1t is to
blot out the nationality Of Mexico and throw
seven or eight millions Of people on your
hands, either as a province or incorporated |
into our Union. Shall we do either? No,
Mr.. President, neither; and for these rea-
sons: First, it will be against the avowed |
object of the war. Nomcs4age has been sent
to Congress which has not distinctly denied |
the object to be the extinction of the nation
atty of Mexico and yet, sir, what we disa-
vow will have been accomplished, and what
we avowed will have been defeated.
If we shall attempt to hold Mexico as a
province, or incorporate it into this Union,
we shall find it utterly impractcable. We
had never assimilated any Of the Indian tribes
with our people when incorporating their ter
ritory into our Union. We have removed
them farther away. We have never incor-
porated any people into this Union but the
Caucasian r0ce-the free white man; and
shall we now corrupt this free white popula-
ton by introducing into our confederation the
Indians and the mixed races Of Mexico? He
protested most earnestly against any such a
policy. Our government is for tie free white
man. This feature was the secret of its sta
blity. He came next to consider the two
points in one; that the holding Of Mexico in
subsection would, in the end, be subversiye of
our free Institutions, and that no such line of
policy ought to be adopted 1t would be a
waste Of time to argue that the incorporation
of Mexico would be dangerous to our free in
stltutlons
In all the examples of such interpretations
of the territories Of foreign people, bearing
anything near the proportions which Mexico
bears to the United States, the end had been
the downfall Of the conqucring party. With
us, Mexico would add so much to the patron
age Of the general government, that it would |
absorb all the powers Of the States; it would !
become imperial it would usurp the powers |
of the legislative department; all the powers |
Of the government would fall into the hands |
Of the Executive, and with the prevailing |
rule Of party prescription, and the increasing |
patronage of the Executive, Our institutions |
would not be able to combat the Presidential |
elections; they could not resist the check.
Let US, now, consider the incorporation OF
Mexico into this Union. There are twenty |
States in Mexico these we should have first |
to initiate as territories. The governors, the +
magistrates, the justices, would all have 10 be |
appointed by the Executive, as in our own
territories, made up Of our own people, or
from the same foreign stock as ourselves.
We have in this first formation Of 4 government to
take care of thcm and they glad Of it; but when
they reach the age of twenty-onc; when they come
to years Of maturity, they come in among MS as our
equals, and in all respects the same. Not so with |
Mexico, Ioumay call it annexation; but it will be
forced annexation. You will be compelled, what
ever form of government You may establish to hold
it as province; and it will be but provincial gov
eminent ut last. How long will you have to hold it
in subsection before it is reducedto obedience; be-
fore it is in truth and in character part Of this
iederacy? 1t will take long time, England has
held Ireland for some several hundred years past,
and still thcy are a hostile people Canada has been
in the possession of the British government for one
hundred years past, and still the Canadians arc a
hostile PEOPLE Never will the time come, from al!
examples when Mexico will agree to be blended |
with the laws and people of this Union. We are
under great mistake, if we suppose all this popu-
laton are ready for our peculiar institutions |
heard gentleman Of high character say, but the |
other day that he believed it our appointed |
I.nIi1