The State guard., 1848-08-22
SPEECH
or THE Hon. Sampson w. Harris.

Whole on the state of the Union, and having under consideration the Bill to
 establish the Territorial Government of Oregon
 MIR. HARRIS addressed the Commit. tee as follows:
 MR. CHAIRMAN When this bill was before the Committee, my object in seeking the floor was to reply to the remarks which had just fallen from my friend and colleague, (MR. HIfL1ARp,) relative to the purposes and conduct of the war with Mexico. The bill proposes the enact- ment of that principle of restriction which now so fearfnlly agitates the public mind :; and which, while it degrades the State, which has honored Us alike, threatens the very integrity of the Union itse1f Against this measure of wrong and injustice had hoped to have had his cooperation. But, sighting this question of paramount digni- ty, he was pleased to expend his hour in d bitter and acrimonious partisan attack up. on the Chief Executive of the Union, and the measures adopted by him in the man. agement of the war.
 Since then Mexican relations have changed. The blessings of peace arc once more restored to the belligercnt par ties, and the successful termination of the war, with all its gratifying results, affords ample vindication of the wisdom, fore sight, and prudence of the Administration. And, although it is not my design mnutc- ly to follow my colleague through his re- marks made at that time, still, his reiter- alton of some of the charges on yesterday, and the respect I entertain for him, will not permit me to let him pass altogether unnoticed.
 To make the President the responsible author of this war, which the whig party, with such singular unanimity, have de- nounced as Unconstitutional and unjust" the gentleman, on the occasion all ided to, charged. that ''thc President, in ordering the army to position on the Rio Grande, clearly usurped powers not conferred on him by the Constitution" Sir, it is not denied that the territory lying on the eastern bank of the Rio Glande was in dispute between the Governments of the United States and Mexico. The very re- lation III which it stood 10 us implied, at least, color of title in us. Representing, as did tho President, the whole American people, he was bound to regard that title as perfect until, by negotiation, the method pointed out both by the act of annexation and the laws of nations, it was otherwise determined. Neither sir, is it denied, that every measure of cancellation was attempt cd on the part of the President, and by Mexico rejected with every demonstration of contumcly and insult. Added 10 this, it is admitted, ''that there were hostile threats and warlilc demonstrations on tho part of Mexico towards this nation. In the face of these admitted facts and obvi- ous principles, l ask, docs il not sayor of the very extremity of partisan r cludice 10 charge the President with anact of ''usur- patton he has sworn to support, he is bound to call out the aimy and navy to "repel invasion 2"
 Something may be pardoncd to the un. rchecting prejudices which spring up in periods of high party excitement; and just conclusions must not always be counted on from plain premises. But justice to the character of public man for consistency would seem to require at his hands some- thing like uniformity of opinion upon the same subjects. especially when he enters the lists as public accuser. l call the attention of the committee to my colleag- ue's opinion, as expressed on this subject, in speech delivered by him during the last session of the 29th Congress:
 "What is the object of the present warl The mriobilay of our soil, and the redress of past wrongs. Whenever Mexico shall be disposed to yield these, we arc bound to accept them. Till then, we ought not to hesitate moment, not only to hold what we have obtained, but to make, if necessary to the attainment of these ob- jects, still stronger demonstrations"
 In that speech nothing is said to quali- fy, in any respect, the truthful and patriotic statements thus quoted. And is it so, that the eastern bank of the Bravo was "our soa," when, with hostile banners, the ar- mics of Mexico crossed it in eighteen hun dred and forty-sx! Was it our soil that she 'riolatedT' And if so, how can the gentleman, in justice either to the Prcsi- dent or himself now charge that the President acted the part of an usnrper in ordering our own army upon our oun soil, to protect it against the ncursions of an invading foe2
 But again-the charges that "when a minister was sent to negotiate (with Mex ico) an army was ordered .o take possess ion Of the very territory which was to be the subject of negotiation" This accu- sation, MT. Chairman, has gone forth un. der the sanction of my colleagues name, to mingle with the thousand falsehoods and misrepresentations which the inventive genius of whiggery has scattered through the land to form welcome auxiliary in that system of party tactics which hides from the public eye the light of history, while it gives to error the coloring of truth. had supposed that this old explo- ded blunder could hardly have found pa- tron on this floor. My colleague should have known, that one like Henry Clay, its great originator, who has achieved a claim to infallibility, may bl,mder at