The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-05-14

arrogance Of her people. would submit t0tho
capture Of her great cief end the profound
humiliation Of San Jaeinto, without one more
eloTt 20 recover her lost dominion and re
establish her tariished regulations Had
Texas continued an indepeutentk Iepublic.
though believe she could never have been
permanently reconquered, because Of the
constant influx Of immigration from the older
States and from every part Of Europe, vet the
probability Is, that she would have been sub
jet, Tor years, 20 a border warfare and TO oc-
casional barbarOus invaSions. which would
have lnfenered materially in her growth and
prosperity. am not one of the few who be-
heve that annexation was 4 mistake and
blunder. i believe it was the part of states
manship, and that, under the circumstances
and in the very nature of things il was as in
evitable as il was right and proper. The great
national war, which succeeded Il, settled for
ever the question Of Mexican reconQaest. and
the Invasion Of Mexico, the overthrow Of its
armies and the final surrender Of its proud
capital, gave peace to Texas, and afforded q
glorious PREPARATION for the TnHny suiferings and
sacrifices Of her people L Is no wonder,
| then that 50 many ,of. the brave sons of Texas
were among the first 10 come forward to take
part in the great national war, which so deep
" concerned them. They had injuries 10 re-
dress, they had martyrdoms 10 revenge The
blood of Travis and Milan and Crockett
called upon them from the consecrated
grounds of Goliad and the Alamo The tor
lures and fittings of the Santa Fe and Mier
prisoners were fresh in their memories and
demanded fearful and ample atonement
No wonder, then, say, that HAYS, Nc
Culloch, Gray, Gillespie, Walker and a
Ford, and many other kindred spirits, has
tened TO the front and eagerly sought the posts
! of danger and honor. Mississippi sent for
ward her QTlitman and Davis, Massachusetts,
her Cushing Pennsylvania her CadwaIlader
and Patterson, Ohio her Hamer, Indiana her
Lane, Illinois her Bissell and her Logan, Mis-
souri, her Doniphan and Price, Arkansas her
Pike, South Carolina her Butler, Kentucky
her Mckee and her Clay, while other States
which i need not specify, furnished their full
quota Of heroes and heroism. 4
And here let me dwell for awhile on the
character of the officers and soldiers of the
Mexican war, for it is a matter of serious and
most gratifying consideration. hesitate not
to affirm that they were made up of the very
best material that any army ever had in any
country or any age. l make no exception.
Our small regular army at that time was at
its acme of material and discipline, and its
officers, from the highest to the lowest rank,
were gentlemen of education and courage
and with the most delicate sense of response
bility and honor. The names of Scott, of
| Tayler, of WORTH of Wool and of Twiggs and
| long catalogue of inferior grade but not in.
ferior abilities, sufficiently substantiate my as
sertions. There and then il was the great
generals of the late unparalleled civil
war were made-there it was they first
stained their virgin swords and learned to be
what they afterwards became-the great sol
diers of their age and times The young lieu
tenants Of the Mexican War were the Lees,
the Johnstons, the Braggs, the Beauregards
and the Jaeksons, the Grants the Shermans
the Thomases, the Meades and the Hancocks
the great leaders of the armed millions who
but lately struggled for the mastery on hun
dred battle fields Of death and carnage
The association have now the honor to adj
dress, contains the names of three Confeder,.
ate generals, who won their spurs in the
Mexican war, Walker, a Steele and Rug
giles. And if such was the material of the
small regular army the volunteer force was
In every way its equal in courage and eff
cheney. 1t was composed mostly of Young
men, who had previously occupied the best
social positions, men of culture and refine
ment, embracing all the professions and every
class of mechanical and industrial pursuits
Law and medicine, the press and the pulpit,
as well as the farm and the workshop, were
represented in the ranks of every regiment,
and often the common soldier occupied
higher position in society than the officer who
commanded him. The sons of the wealthiest,
born and nurtured in luxury and accustomed
to every indulgence stood side by side and
shoulder to shoulder with the poorest and
humblest of the land, and all were peers in
patriotism and bravery, brothers in arms, in
hardships, in privations, in battle and in glory
Such were the participators of the Mexican
war-such their character and qualities-with
few exceptions, as brave, as true, as disinter-
ested, and as noble band as ever went forth
to fight the battles of their country and re-
dress her wrongs.
The details of their services and exploits are
beyond the reach of brief address on an oc-
casion like this They must be left to the
historian, who may find among them un-
and noble daring to enrich his pages
and delight his readers. No history of this
war, such as it deserves, has yet been written,
and it remains for some future Prescott to
seize on the inviting theme and to picture with
his enchanting pen, the story of the second
great conquest of Mexico.
AS to its results-besides peace to Texas |
it gave to the Union New Mexico, Utah, Ari- |
iona, Colorado, Nevada, and California and |
prepared for the march of immigration, civil |
cation and enlightenment the whole vast re-
gion from the fruitful valley of the Mississippi
to the golden shores Of the Pacific It accele- |
rated the settlement of all this broad domain
enough of itself for an empire, with all its va |
riety of climate, soil and production-and at |
TIC SdALlC llillC, ODCuCu anu bcCuIcu TIC
now so successfully carried on with Japan, |
China, Australia the Indies, and the unnum-
bered isles of the great oceans which bound |
them. 1t is difficult for the mind to conceive |
and fully realize the immense changes and |
benefits resulting from the Mexican war. The |
discovery of the buried treasures of the Sierra |
Nevada and its parallel mountain ranges, the |
golden current, which flowed from thence to |
the remotest corners of the earth, the enlarge |
ment and quickening Of trade and commerce |
Of every hnd-tbese are but few of the |
mighty consequences which followed its ter /
mination and attended the military triumph /
OF the greatest Of modern republics
- And here, let measz, with these facts before |
us, with all these grand results which have /
attempted briefly TO, sketch and illustrate, IS |
there nothing due to the survivors of the no
bic men, by whose labors and tolls, by whose
sweat and blood all this was accomplished
Who shall say that they are not deserving of
the highest rewards Of a grateful country? |
The survivors of the Revolutionary war were
pensioned, their last days were soothed and
comforted, and they went down to their final
rest, honOred and blessed by their descendants
and successors. The soldiers Of the second
war with Great Britain, also, have received
and partaken of the bounty which justice de-
manded and gratitude delighted to bestow
Shall the survivors Of the Mexican war be
AnouC On oACcpttOuf ondh tncy De lett With
out q similar recognition of their patriotic ser.
vices, to pass along and down the dark valley
Of age and drop into their graves unnoticed
and unrewardedg Let their country answer
these questions; it cannot afford to be silent.
1t is known to you that steps have been taken
to awaken public attention to this subject and
bring Il before the Congress of the United
States for its consideration and favorable &C
ton. A National Association of Mexican
Veterans has been formed at Washing
ton, Of which the venerable Gen. Cad
wallader IS president, and various local
associations like our own, have been es-
lablished in different places TO cooperate
with this and aid in bringing about the desired
result A pension bin was drawn up and has
been presented by Gen. Negley in the House
md Is intTusted 20 Gen. Logan in the Senate.
Iut, regret TO say, it has met with some OBJ {
position, and from a somewhat formidable !
source. The Commissioner Of Pensions, Hon. /