Wabash express., 1860-05-30
Position Of the Whig Party on the
Mexican Extract from Lin
coin Speech in Congress July
9th. l64o.

But General Taylor -. par excel
lence. the hero Of the Mexican war:
aud as you Democrats say We Wings
have always opposed the war. you
think IL must be very embarrassing for
US TO 90 for General Taylor The de-
claration that We have always opposed
the war is true or false. according as
one may understand the term "oppos-
ing the war" IL to say "the war was
unnecessary and unconstitulionally
commenced BY the President, be op-
posing the war. then the Wings have
very generally opposed Il. Whenev
er they have spoken at all. they have
said this. and they have said IL on
what has appeared good reason to
them. The marching Of an army into
the midst Of peaceful Mexican settle
ment, frightening the inhabitants away
leaving their growing crops, and 9th
er property 10 destruction, To YOU may
appear perfectly amiable. peaceful.
unproyokiBg procedure; but " does
not appear so to Us. 50 to call such
an act. 70 US appears no other than a
naked. impudent absurdity. and We
speak Of It accordingly. But if. when
the war had begun. aud had become
the cause of the country. the giving OF
our money and our blood. in common
with yours. was support of the war.
then it is not true that we have always
opposed the war With few indiyid-
ual exceptions, you have constantly
had our votes here for the necessary
supplies. And, more than this, YOU
have had the services. the blood. and
the lives of our political bretheren in
every trial and on every field. The
beardless boy. and the mature man
the humble and the distinguished. you
have had shem, and in battle they have
and fought. and fell with you.
Clay aud Webster each gave a son,
never TO b. returned. From the State
Of my own residence, besides other
worthy but less known Whig names,
We sent Marshall. Morrison, Bakerand
Hardin; they all fought. and one fell, |
aud In the fall OF that one, we lost our /
best Whig man. Nor were the Wings 1
few in number, OF laggsrd in the day /
Of danger. In that fearful, bloody, /
breathless struggle at Beuna Vista,
where each mans hard task was TO 1
beat back five foes or die himself, of I
the five high officers who perished.
four were Wings.
In speaking of this. | mean no obi
Gus comparison between the lion
hearted Wings and Democrats who /
fought there. On other occasions,
and among the lower officers and pri-
Yates on that occasion, doubt not the I
was different. wish to do I
Justice 10 all. | think of all those
brave men as Americans. in whose +
proud fame, as an American, | too .
have share. Many of them. Wings /
aud Democrats, are my constituents T
and personal friends: and | thank them
-one and all. for the high imperishable /
honor they have conferred on our COM
mon State.
But the distinction between the
cause Of the President in beginning
the war. and the cause Of the country
after 1t was begun. is distinction
which YOU cannot perceive. To you,
the President. and the contry. seem TO
be all one. You are interested to see
no distinction between them: and /
venture to suggest that possibly your
interest blinds you n little. We see
the distinction, as We think, clearly
enough. aud our friends who have
fought in the war have no difficulty in
seeing 1t also. What those who have
fallen would say. were they ahve and
here. OF course We can never know
but with those who have returned
there IS no difficulty. Col. Haskell f
and MAJOR Gaines, members here.
both fought in the Meucan iwar
and one OF them underwent extraordi- +
nary perils and hardships still they. /
like other Wings here, vote on the re-
cord that the war Was unnecessary.
and unconstitutionally commenced by
the President. And even Gener,.i ,
TAYLOR himself. the noblest Roman Of
them All. has declared that. as cili-
Zen. and particularly as a soldier, it IS .
sufficient for him to know that his
country is at war with a foreign na- 4
ton. TO do AL IN his power 10 bring Il
to a speedy and honorable termination.
by The most vigorous and energetic /
without enquiring about
its justice. or anything else connected
with il.