Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1882-04-14
TOWN. STUTSMAN COUNTY, d. T. DAY. IA, 1882

events which mark the progress of th
English speaking race on this continent
and which placed our nation very far II
advance Of any position she had hithert
maintained among the nations of th
world refer to the war with Mexico
| Reviewing the feeling in the south pre-
vious to this war and to the hostllltie
that had existed between Texas ant
| Mexico, SAID continued:
"Of Mexico at that period but little cal
| be said in it's praise. TO anyone who ha
read the pages of our American writer
VIM II. Prescott, and learned the char
acter of the Spanlards who behaved witt
such perfidy to the natives who received
them with open generosity, it will not bt
be sunk SO low, for what can YOU ex-
pcct of the posterity of such race? In llel
intercourse with other nations Mexico
was regarded as power of the fourth OF
fifth rate; It's government was unstable;
revolution followed revolution, and scarce
woold one chieftain be fairly seated in
power Jefore attacks would be made upon
him by other and rival chieftains, and 1t
was almost continuously in state of an
archy. Sometimes the government wonld
be kingdom and would last for several
years, then revolution would occur and
the king would be an exile. -
The speaker then referred to the annex
alton of Texas and admission of Missouri
He related an anecdotc showing that
President Tyler believed that Gen Taylor
would secure the presidency by going to
Mexico. He then continued:
In 1916 Mr. Polk, as predicted by Mr.
Tyler, refused the proffers of Mexi-
co to negotiate for the territory be-
tween the Neuces and the Rio Grande,
and ordered Col. Taylor to march to the
Rio Grande and take up his position on
its north bank opposite The town of Mata-
moras. Hostilities at once began and
war was declared; reinforcements were at
once sent to Col. Taylor, who was soon
promoted to brigadier general, and on the
Sth and 9th Of May, 1916, were fought the
battles of Palo Alto and Resaca De la
Palma. The whole country was ablaze
popular Early in the summer Mai. Gen
Winfield Scott, at the head of a strong
force and supported by well equipped
naval force under Com. ConnOr, landed
at Vera Cruz and beseiged the castle of
San Juan de Ulloa, and after few months
compelled it to surrender. Then while
Gen Taylor operated in the north Gen.
Scott took up the line of march for the
City of Mexico. At every point where
the Mexicans disputed his march, he OBJ
tanned decided victories.''
During the progress of the war the
Wilmot proviso was proposed to congress.
knew David Witmot Well and esteemed
him highly. He was member of the
Democratic party, which was in the ma
jority in congress. The proviso was to
the effect ''that in any territory acquired
from Mexico in the war neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist
in any part OF said territory except for
crime, whereof the party shall be duly
convicted 1t was not adopted. and the
war was prosecuted vigorously until Feb
ruary, lS4S, when by the treaty of Qua
daloupe Hidalgo it was closed, and Msxi-
co ceded to the United States all the teri
tory now embraced in California, Arizona,
New Mexico and Colorado" The speaker
showed that as the slave power was about
to take possession Of the newly acquired
territory the emigration to the west was
so great that new states were rapidly adj
ded to the Union. He continued:
''But Mr. President and ladies and gen
tlemen, while have endeavorcd to show
you the political events that for series of
years led on up to war with MeXi- |
co, there is yet much higher view to take
of it,"
With telling illustration the gentleman
here enlarged upon the working gs of provi-
dence, particularly in the affairs of Rome,
Greece and Great Britain, and III conclud-
ing his lecture, said:
"Mexico was conquered by Spain in the
sixteenth century, and held as one of her
dependencies The native Mexican had
become mixed with the Spaniard ana
mongrel race had risen who possessed
none Of the elements of wise government
or civilization. In 1890 the authority of
Spain was thrown off, and from that time
to the present Mexico has been the scene
of successive revolutions and anarchy
When therefore in 1916 the war broke out
between this country and Mexico it was
because the time was ripe for another
stately step in the plans of the Most High,
and in looking back after more than 81
years have passed, we see that in the short
space of five years, in the middle of the
century, the American branch of the Sax
on took stride which set themselves far
ther forward than at any time in the pre-
vious fifty years.
"The seas shall waste, the skies to smoke
decay,
Rocks fall to dust, and mountains melt
But fixed His word, His saving power re-
mains;
Thy realm for ever lasts; Thy own Mes
siah reigns,'