Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1858-01-09


erauted-and if peace followed. that then, the adj
| dtonal million, million and half, was to De
| paid. Neither does he anywhere deny that at this
private conference opposed the Who'll proceeding
As dshonorsble TO army, disgrscefulto our gov
| eminent, and wrong in naorals- Neither mas NC
! anywhere denied that he requested me al IN cou
\ ference to suspend my opposition. for rehectoh,
and that in Difference to his wi-hes agreed to 90
So Nor does be deny that next day aiter the meet
ing Of General officers, went to his quarters and
| 30 earnestly opposed the whole proceeding that be
| agreed he you'll abandon the negotiation. These
facts all clearly set forth in my original address.
| and he has pointed out statement Except
that in regard to the payment of the bride 10 Sans
| ia ANNA as incorrect, by every rule of pleading
| and common sense he admits true all the other
averments. He dare not deny that his army did
| hight battle (bloody one) before the city-did
| win-that the city was in his power-tbat he did
| land without it being asked for and without any
| nag OF truce) grant an armistiee which cost the
army the blood of 1879 men. 1t will thus be seen
that after the termination of the Puebla negotia-
tons. he did in fact carry into complete effect the
terms agreed upon stated to me at the private
| conference at Mr.. Trist's quarters.
Here is coincidence of circumstances too re-
| markable to have been accidental The payment
| oil the ten thousand dollars a bride, and the
| agreement to pay the additional million, have been
clearly proven, and all the other terms of the re-
msrkable negotiation as stated in my address, and
reiterated in my subsequent letters and he wing
failed to deny any of them Except that the bride
was paid to Santa ADna) and the subsequent his
tory of that campaign having fulfilled all these TERMS
| the question recurs, to whom the ten thousand
| dollar bribe paid /!
| 1t will not be doubted ny sny that the ten
| thousand dollar bribe paid to the person to
whom the additional million was to be paid; neither
| will it be doubted that that person was the
who was engaged in the negotiation with Mr.. Trist
Nor il be doubted thas this negotator occupied
position of authority that satisfied both Mr.. Trist
| and General Scott that be had power to tredt-to
| suspend the operations of the Mexican army-to
| fix upon the terms of armistice, and finally to
| make peace. Both Mr.. Trist and General Scott
would stultify themselves by maintaining any other
| position.
| Why should they hold negotiations with any per-
son not possessing these powers? General Scott
| says the bride paid to procure peace. Why
| bride man not having the power to grant peace?
Why agree to pay an additional million conting gent
upon peace unless the recipient in condition to
| aid ia bringing about peace? Why use the word
"doaceur," proven by General Qnitms u, and why
was the money to be secretly applied, unless as
bride, and unless this important parsonage, to whom
so much money was to be paid, possessed of
authority, and was known by Mr.. Trist and General
Scott TO be possessed of authority, to grant what
they bargained for? The question again presents
itself, who Was the Degotator the recipient OF the
bride, possessing all these extraordinary powers?
Santa Anna is known to have been at that time
the President of Mexico, armed with and exercising
all the powers OF government, and to have been
in actual command of her armies. Ill was In fact
the government of Mexico for he was vested, by
the Congress, with dictatori i powers. He could
negotiate, grant armisilce, and agree upon
terms OF pesc"; and no other man living could 1t
is not material through whose hands money
passed in its transit from Scotts possession San
"a Annals. That 1t pissed from the American
Treasury, by General Scott's orders, to the hands
OF Santa Anna is thus demonstrated; and it il
insult to the public intelligence for General Scot.
hat hrih nnt
paid directly or indirectly, to Santa Anna and to
expect the American people to believe him.
1t is thus made manifest that the statements in
General Scots card, that he had paid cert lin small
sums to --- for for informal ton received
&C., had no sort of connection with this bribc of
ten thousand dollars; and the attempt his part
to impress that belief on the public is a shameless
effort at deception to lieve himself from the
fasehood Ito which he certified upon bOEOr) fixed
upon him by the crushing weight of QuItman's
and Shields testimony.
Ii will be remem De red that in 1852 the Senate Of
the United States passed resolution requesting
the President to furnish that body with a states
meDt of General SCOTS accounts, &c. In the
port OF the S cretary of the Treasury, under MIR.
Fillmore, made in compliance with this resou-
ton OF the Senate, there was deficit in General
SCOTS account OF about twelve thousand aud i've
hundred dollars. If the expenditure making this
deficit had been legal and proper one, he would
have had proper voucher for the amount, and
his account would have been credited. But if ten
thousand dollars OF that amount used as
6ri6e, being in itself illegal aud evidence of corrup-
ton, he could have no boucher; and no administra-
ton would disgrace itself bv allowing such item
in settlement Of Gen. SCOTS account.
If this ten thousand dollar bride admitted to
have been paid) be not part of the deficit of twelve
thousand hive hundred dollars in his account, il
might be well for General Scott to explain that de-
felt In his account-else it would seem that in bis
private account he is a defa.lter to the Treasury
~ Dr0S forf aio RAT
suppose to be the fact, the bribe be a part of the
deficit for which he had voucher, it (the defcit)
must stand there OF record, as Judgment for lev
condemnatory of his conduct in corruptiug the
commander OF the enemies forces, and thus 'eon-
quering peace"-for the honor of his country
General Scott, in his second card, seeks to re
lieve himself from the odium of this BRIDE and the
public condemnation of the srmistice, by referring
TO a statement of General Qutman's-to the effect
that had, at the meeting of General officers, Civ
my approval to the terms of the negotiation as
laid before that meeting.
If | had given these terms-brbe and all-mv
full approval / do not see how it would Justify him
in having previously given bride, and agreed to
fight battle, with all the chances against his sue
cess, and then surrenderng ell the advantages won
by the blood of so many brave men under his com.
msnd. 1t woul 4 only show that, acting under his
influence, had sactioned his fatal error aud his
corrupt conduct; but it could not relieve him from
the responsibility OF conduct belonging to has posi-
tion-not mins In other words it mis- ht prove
that General Scott possessed aud exercised an u1u
ence over ny opinions and Judgment inconsistent
with the proper discharge of my duties in the rea
ton bore to this mission. That such was the
fact, msy we'll be inferred from the history of the
negotiations as given by myself 10 that address.
But, however much may have erred, in agreeing
at the private conference pend my opposition
70 this negotiation for reflection, my opinions Of
the character of the transaction were not changed
by the views given by General Scott; but sppre
a Il IN am
my opposition, in the hope that the negotiation
might be defeated in some other way, and rup-
lure be thus avoided.
This meeting Of General officers took place the
night after the conference, at Mr.. Trsts quarters
/ knew nothing of the intended meeting, until |
was summoned to attend il; did know its OBJ |
ject until that was explained by General Scott to
the officers present.
TO BE CONTINUED.