Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-08-31
GRANT ON MEXICO.
r,. uppopuiarity of Those who Oppose
the Desire OF People for War.
chicago Times.

elections with Mexico, to persue what
Con Grant has presented In his memoirs
y. rooord "a the war with that country in
Is46' What then occurred may nave no
osnec,al bearing on the present situation,
Although that conflict, in It's lnciplency,
presents some points not unllhe snvse
which characterize the conoltson Vi analrs
az TINS time. Al that time q IeNan grew
a '.,,.,oh 10 the fact to-day. According to
Cent the uSouthern rebellion was large
-. sho ontorowth Of the Mexican war.
o.inns' u'he adds, ''like individuals, are
rnnished for their transgressions we
rot onr punishment in the most sangul-
5erv and expensive war OF modern
! tines" 10, .o torca tho |
,,,a, IN the Mexicans. 1.-THE presence"
saws Grant, 'of United States troops on
he edge of disputed territory iurtnest
s ~ me Mexican settlements was not
s,aic,ant to provoke hostllities. We,'
that 10 the army OF observation under
Cen Tavlor. awere sent to provoke
ant hnt II was essential that Mexico
s5onld commence 1t. 1t was very doubt
mi whether congress would declare war
nm, n Mexico should attack our troops the
executive could announce, whereas, war
EXISTS by the acts Of etc ETC., ana pros
ecute the contest with vigor" Al TINS
noint the general ventures some ooserva-
tions whose truthfulness was Thousand
times affirmed during the late war.
"Once Initiated" he says, "tnere were
but few public men who wouiu nave tne
courage to oppose 1t. ENperlehce plvtes
that the man who obstructs war IN wnlcn
his nation is engaged, no matter whether
RIGHT or wrong, occupies no envtable place
In life or history. Better for him, indi-
! yiduAlly, TO advocate war, pestilence, ana
4 famine; than act as an obstructionist TO q
yar already begun" And then with an
, ave 10 the political situation which pre-
vailed during the civil war, and with
possible attempt to glority the politicians
10 whom he owed his civil promotion, he
adds. UThe history of the defeated rebel
! will he honorable hereafter compared with
! that of the Northern man who aided him
' Inv conspiring against his government
e while protected by It. The most favora-
i. bile posthumous history the stay-at-home
e traitor can hope for Is oblivion"
q Apart from the evident partlsanship OF
& these remarks, there is much truth In them I;
e the man who opposes war is sure TO oe-
J. come unpopular, whether the war "De
g right or wrong" 1t was said by the late
s. editor of the Times, toward the close OF
IS the late civil war. thereafter, whenever
" there is war, shall support it, no mat.
It ter whether it is right or wrong" thus
% anticipating the utterance OF Grant, ano
II in the use of almost identical language
" The placing of an army OF Observation
% on the further side of Texas did not seen
g to have the desired result of forcing the
s, Mexicans to take the initiative, and hence
the United States had to enlarge the meas
lie ure of irritation. "MeXico showing nc
a. willingness to come to Nueces," say
ID Grant, "to drive the invaders from he
Is soil, it became necessary for the 'inva
lie ders, to approach within a convenien
lie distance to be struck" Thereupon tn
lie army of observation was move'
to opposite TO Matamoras, on tn
or Rio Grande, where it threy
Id up Notifications, and then became an al
a my of occupation. This had tne desire
he effect; the Mexicans took the Held, an
We the first "bat.len of the war occurred a
NJ Palo Alto, Tex. The result OF that sar
lie. culinary contest was the retreat OF tn
lie Mexcans and loss of nine men kille
st and forty-seven wounded on the part {
Ict the Americans. Next day followed th
ed tremendous conflict of Resaca, in whic
the losses of the Yankees did not amour
mt to bakers dozen, and which was he
nd aided all over the North as bloody an
It'll desperate combat. Immediately after tn
ok battle Taylor moved across the river int
i'm Mexico and the army of occupation b.
to came the army of invasion. In this wa
de- the war with Mexico was opened. "Tt
asst battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de
ISL Palma" says Grant, "seemed to US ei
,ril gagged as pretty important affairs, but v
at had only faint conception of their ma
md nitude until they were fought over ir u
North by the press, and the reports can
be- back to us. AT the same time, or aboI
ter the same time, we learned that WI
Mr.. existed between the United States al
as Mexico by the acts of the latter countr
nm On learning this fact, Gen. Taylor tran
for ferred our camps to the south bank
all, the river, and Matamoras was occupied
nd tits to be seer that Gen Grant was We
call polite man. He fought all through Il
'ar- conflict in which he knew he was in 4
4 OF wrong, and saved giving utterance TO b
nth opinions until almost fifty years after d
ent war had ended II tbs Northern "coppe
al heads" had been thus wise, they won
ink have escaped much abuse and obloqu
the 1t is somewhat humilating to learn tn
not the army of observation, occupation, al
ted invasion commanded by Taylor was col
ade posed, according to Grant, of soldier
ON "mostly foreigners, who had been enlist
in the large clties,n and that the tremen
and GUS conflicts of Palo Alta and ResaC
AMI q