Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-18


This L. the honor Of my admiration, and it is
made Of Steiner, purer, nobler stuff than that
aggressive and degrading yea, odious principle
now ayowed, of waging against neighboring
people to compel them TO sell their country Who
Is here so base 10 be wiling, under any crcum-
stances, TO sell his country For myself can
only say If the last funeral pile of liberty were
lighted, would mount ii and expire in its flames
before would be coerced by any power, however
great and strong to sell or surrender the land Of
my home, the place of my nativity, and the graves
Of my sires! Sir, the principle is not only dishon
cradle but infamous. As the Representative upon
this floor of a high-minded and honorable constit-
uency, repeat, that the principle of waging war
against a neighboring people to compel them to
sell their country is not only dishonorabe but dis
graceful and Infamous. What shall it be said
that American honor aims at nothing higher THAI.
land, than the ground on which we treade Dove
look no higher In our aspirations for honor, than
do the sodless brutes? Shall we disavow the 81
Multitude Of our Maker, and disgrace the very name
OF man? Tell il not TO the world. Let not such
an aspersion and reproach rest upon our name. i
have heard OF nations whose honor could be salts
fed with gold that glltterng dust which is so pre-
cious in the eyes of some; but never did expect
to live to see the day when the Executive of this
country should announce that our honor was such
loathsome beasty thing, that it could not be sat
iShed with any achievements in arms, however
brilliant and glorious, but must feed on earth,
gross, vile dirt; and require even PROSTATE foe
to be robbed of mountain rocks and desert plains.
/ have no such notions of honor; and have quite
as little opinion Of that policy which would spend
fifty or hundred millions Of dollars in compelling
the Mexcans to take fifteen or twenty millions for
New Mexico and California, on the score of public
interest"
Further back, in the gentleman's records,
VoL 10, p. $50, Cong. Glo6e,) we find the
following pertinent suggestions in relation to
the acqus ition of territory:
. We can only properly enlarge by voluntary &C.
cession, and should only attempt to act upon our
neighbors by setting them good example"
Now the gentleman is in favor of repeating
the laws, which declare ,tSli6ustering to be a
crime Is this the good example the gentle
man would set the oppressed" Cubanss viii
the forcible acquisition of Cuba be "volun-
tary accession?"
Again, he repudiates filibustering for other
nations territories
g Fields of blood and carnage may make men
brave and heroic, but seldom tend to make natious
either good, virtuous, or great"
Doubtless the gentleman, when he gave ut
terance to the above, had just returned from
prayer meeting, and felt in rather pious
mood. Since then he has abandoned all such
means of making nation either good virtu-
Gus, or great" He goes now for repeating the
laws against filibustering.
Still further back, in relation to the annex
alton of Texas, (0ong. Globe, Vol. IA, p. 1907
he said:
Much as he regarded the lustre of the lone
star, land he would let 1t CLEAN on,) he admired
the brilliant galaxy of the present Confederacy of
our glorious old twenty-siI, they now existed,
more.- And rather than that STAR shooting from
its orbit and coming into ours, should produce
confusion, he would say let it CLEAN on alone and
remain where it was"
He was opposed to the peaceable annexation
of Texas, but is in favor of the forcible seizure
(even though it be contrary to the law of the
lanO of the "Queen of the Antilles" What
a strange political contortion!
During the tendency of the Mexican war;
the question arose in Congress whether we
should exact any of the Mexican territory as a
condition of peace He offered the following
resolution, Gong. Globe, vol IL, page 240)
"Bs IL therefore resolved By the Senate and
House Of Representatives. of the United States Of
America ia Congress assembled That the present
war with Mexico is not waged with view to con-
quest, or the dsmemberment Of that republic by
the acquisition of any portion of her territory"
And prior to this resolve (June Is, 1916,
Cong Globe, vol. To- p 9s2) he denounced
acquisitions of territory:
CAS- to the objects of the war, he inquired what
1t was the intention of the administration to dc?
| Was it to pursue the conquest of Mexico? Was
it that soldiers might revel in the halls of the
Montezumas" Was it that we might acquire the
CALIFORNIA; and all the mining districts, as well as
the capital of Mexico? If so, he was opposed to
| it,
He was opposed to the acquisition of Cali
fornia by treaty, but he is in favor Of filibus-
tering Cuba. 1t was unconstitutional to annex
Texas and acquire California by treaty, but It
is perfectly constitutional to plumber Spain of
the "gem of the Antilles" What sapient
statesman
The genteman's pertinacity against the &C
QUESTION of territory was most remarkable. In
reference to conquests and war with Mexico
Gong. Globe, vol II, page 4ol) he said
"If there were any other object, it was for the
direct and settled purpose Of conquest, and that
he believed to have been It's main object. He de.
clared himself opposed to the conquest and dis
memberment Of Mexico, either for the expenses Of
the war; or for the satisfaction or indemnity Of our
citizens
He was opposed to the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of
Mexico" but is in favor of the dismember-
ment of Spain, and of the violation of sol
emn treaties with that country. He even ad-
vocates the repeal of the laws of the country,
so as to permit the filibusters to aid the OPP
pressed Cubans." There never has probably
haoy a turo tho, c. A,A A H.