The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1860-05-31
LINCOLN AND THE MEXICAN WAR.

LlNCOLN y Nd The MEXICAN W AK
The Ohio Statesman comments as fol
t lows on the vote Of Lincoln during Iii
term in Congress. Is such man pa
a t'iat to say nothing about his being th,
> right man for the Presidential Chair
f And are the people of this country read,
to place such sacred trust in the hand:
of 4 man whose acts in the councils Of tn,
nation so 20 prove that his sympathies. il
times Of trouble, have been with our enc
miss?
Altho' uniform and constant. office. seeke
the people of Illinois have not thought fit
% bestow many honors, in that way. on
Abraham Lincoln. Many years since lie
obtained a scat in the assembly Of the
State, but his official conduct was such
that his cOnstituens soon discharged him
flom service. and it was a long time be
fore he again succeeded in obtaining suf-
fcient number of their votes TO lect him
to any office. By sort Of accident he
was returned to Congress during the Mex
lean war /; and early in his term cast a
vote which caused his constituents to de-
cline his services ever aftarward When
he took his seat in Congress the country
was involved in the war with Mexico, and
our hardy and patriotic sons were in the
midst of the cnemv's country, hearing aloft
oar national flag, and making a series Of
most heroic and extraordinary Efforts to
sustain the honor of the American arms
This they had noblv done. although far in
the interior Of hostile country and this
they continued 10 do until the term nation
of the war, Notwithstanding the hostility
to them and the sympathy manifested for
the Mexican cause, by such mer as Abra
ham Lincoln.
During the war, George Ashmun, of
Massachusetts, the same Geor e Ashmun
who presided over the Chicago Conven.
ton introduced resolutions into the Con-
gress Of the Un'ed Safes. declaring that
the war with the Republic Of Mexlce was
unconstitutional. unnecessory and unjua
These resolutions received the prompt
and ardent support OF Abraham Lincoln.
and from that tine to tits the people of
Illinois have placed the seal Of their con
domination upon him. Such has been the
effect of this vote in Congress upon Mr.
Lincoln. that his own county (Sangamon)
which has been auniform Wig and oppo.
siiion county, returned representatives to
The legislature in the fall of 1865 against
Lincoln and in favor Of Douglas
The rcS3lu ions Of Ashmun were defeat
cd in Congress, but they were not without
4
discussion they aud The speeches made
upon them. were promptly transferred to
Mexico and published in the newspapers,
read at the head Of the Mexican army, os-
tentatiously displayed in the pulpit, and
Otherwise ed 10 prove to the Mexicans that
the party In The L ; that sympaiized with
them WAS powerful. and that i would soon
overthrow The Democracy. and thus the
cause Of Mexico triumph in this country.
These proceedings which had the hearfv
support Of Lincoln, enc outraged the Mexi
cans prolonged lie war. and cost this ma
ton the lives Of thousands of our volunteer
soldiers, then in tie service Of tie coun-
cry. Lincoln's conduct in this great
emergency proved him an enemy to his
own government and TO his own land, to
such an extent that in order to exhibit his
hostility TO The American cause, he was
willing to assume an attitude. which by
It's encouragement Of the Mexicans.
prolonged the war. and cost the United
States the lives of thousands of noble and
patriotic citizens, who had gone forth at
the call of their country to meet its enc
n,ias IN ,he het,la fall
For this conduct. Illinois faithful to the
Union, and full of patriotism rebuked
Lincoln and drove him from public life.
He has never been able TO remove the con
demna ion of bis own people. for Ibis trai
torous conduct, and never will be- Those
who support him for President. in the
face of his vote on Ashmun's resolutions.
must be regarded as sustaining and APP
proving of his conduct in that trying hour
of our country's history. and they will be
judged by their peers according to their
conduct.
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