The National tribune., 1880-05-01

Senator Vorhees on Mexican War Pensions
Among the champions of the soldiers in Congress
none more deserving of the regard and gratitude of
our heroes than Hon. Daniel W. To1hees of [ndi-
ana. Whoever else may be faithess to them, he
can be relied upon to vindicate their rights and
redress their wrongs. The following is an extract
from a speech recently delivered by him, in the
Senate, on pensioning the soldiers in the Mexican
war:
The veterans of the Mexican war are not askn charity
they not pleading for support of the hard earnings
of Others they simply desire an ninesimal Der cent
per small that it be designated of that
vast domain and meXhauStble treasure which they Sc
cured to their Government by their exertions Such
conquest of arreachng boundaries and of present and
arms has, perhaps parallel in human history. The
ephemeral conquess of Alexander the Great in the East
the subugaon of extensive portions of Europe by Caesar
and afterwards by Napoleon, the Norman conquest of
England by William the Conqueror of these achieve
equal in their effects progress of the
world to those which were ACCOMPLISHED by the war he
tween the United States and Mexico Does this statement
appear extravaganza Let the cold facts of history speak
for themselves condition precedent to the war was the
annexation of Texas State larger in extent more fertile
in natural resources and capable of sustaining more
population than many of the leading powers of
Europe settlement of the proper boundary between
that State and Mexico followed the and secured the
disputed territory between the Nueces the Rio Glande
territory large and rich the State of Ohio The
Union composed of States when the war
closed and by the treaty of peace more extensive coun
try than them all put together brought under the a,
thory of the American flag and under the protection of
American law. The boundaries of the American Repuc
were than doubled and fountains of wealth were
secured which have evoltonized the commerce of the
seas and the traffic of the civilized parts of the earth
California. the queen of the Pacific with her dover of
gold marks in the activity and advancement of
the human Enough of the precious metals have
beer taken from her mines alone coined in this country
and taken to Europe for coinage pay national debt
She has caused this continent TO be spanned by an iron
thoroughfare for the travel ard transportation created by
her 1ltiaS
the Federal Government at her ports any period of five
years since her admission into the Union has been s
cient to defray the entire cost of the with Mexico
Nevada Utah. Colorado, portion of Wyoming Arizona
and New Mexico with their tremendous capacities for fu
ture development also stand TO the credit of those who
fought at Ccrro Godo and in the Valley of Mexico under
Scott and at Monterey and Buena Vista under TAYLOR
The imagination of man can hardly grasp the reality
of those regions fifty years hence Ii statue of the
precious metals erected to-day to each surviving
OF the Mexican war instead of the enactment of
law giving them IS month for their lives and their wild
after them the expense would be but barren pit
comparison with what this Government has re-
Sir why further delay this act of Justice? 1t has al
ready been far long delayed for the honor of this Gov
ernment. There is but of these heroes left
Their ranks growing thinner from year to year like
the gray locks their honored heads Those batteelds
which they startled the world with the constancy and
daring OF American volunteers are beginning be
through the haze of long intervening time Let us not
wait until all who made these fields ustrous have gone
to their graves before recognize in slight degree
the debt them.
Congress is far in the of grateful public opinion
this subject When last considered il on this floor
less than year ago. the Legislatures OF twenty States had
instructed their Senators and requested their Representa-
tves in Congress TO pension the of the war with
Mexico Now the Legislatures of twenty five States
have made similar instructions and preferred similar
requests There fifty Senators instructed and more
than hundred Members of the House requested by
their States 10 pension these surviving veterans without
further postponement Ohio, Pennsylvan Illinois, Ind
ana California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon Nevada