The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-09-14
MEXICAN

From the Odessa Democrat.
The Hon. John G.. Tarsncy dcliv-
cred a most appropriate address to the
handful of veteran soldiers OF the Mex
lean war, at the iiigginsvilla fair
grounds, Thursday, Aug 20.
The many, as his honor, the mavor,
beautifully expressed il in his address
OF welcome in Il quotation from the
words OF Theodore O'llara are:
son fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread.
And glory guards with solemn round,
The bivOuac of the dead"
Col. Tarsney commenced his address
by thanking the association tor the
honor conferred upon him in being
selected as the orator of the occasion
lie was surprised at the paucity OF the
material furnished by history of Il war
SO far reaching i'll its consequences to
the people of this nation. There were
histories in abundance of all other wars
in which the nation has been engaged,
but in the war with Mexico, we were
left to grOpe, we may comparatively
say, in the dark.
reference was made to the opposi-
ton made to the war with Mexico, and
he celebrated sentence in u speech
made 10y Tom Corwin in opposition TO
the war, which is as follows:
"Ifl were a Mexican, as | am an
| American, | would welcome them (the
American sOldIers) with bloody hands
to inhospitable graves"
The writer well remembers the great
Indignation the above remarks created
at Saltillo, when the papers arrived
containing them. Ii we remember cor
rectly, it was shortly after the battle
of Buena Vista, when Gen. Taylor's
army was naturally grieviug at the loss
of comrades and friends.
Mr.. Tarsney, continuing, said that
Texas had gained her Independence
and had been annexed or received into
the American union, claiming to the
Rio Grande as her western boundary.
Mexico claimed that the Texas boun-
Diary extended only to the Neuces river,
leaving a large strip of country be-
tween the two rivers claimed by both
nations. Mexico in sending an army
into the disputed territory had COM
mitted all act of war that the United
States was iustiiiable in repelling.
A glowing description was given of
Col. D0niphan's march from the Mis-
souri, rlver to New Mexico, TO Chihua-
hua, and to Camargo via Saltillo, the
camp OF Gen. Taylor's army. A Just
eulogy vas accorded to the Missourians
who routed five times their number at
the battle OF Sacramento, and made
comparatively easy work i'm conquering
and holding the states of New Mexico
and Chihuahua.
The speaker said that the services of
soldiers of the war with Mexico was of
of most inestimable value, out little less
indeed than that OF the soldiers of the
revolutionary war.
In speaking OF pensions Mr.. Tarsnev
said that the soldiers of the Mexican
var were not beggars. They had u
right to be pensioned and to be put
upon an equality with the soldiers of
all other wars in which the country
had been engaged, and he intended to
do what was in his power to see that
Justice was done for those who had
added SO greatly to the of the
country.
In the above imperfect sketch we
have not pretended to give the Ian
guage of the speaker or present all
the points of his speech. The speech
was like all the speeches that Mr.. lars
ney makes-a good one.
AT its conclusion the old soldiers
were called upon by Comrade Smith,
president of the association, to give the
speaker three cheers-and a '.tiger."
The cheers were given, but the tiger,
whatever that may mean. was omitted.
We should have stated in its proper
place that Col. Hoy, of Sedalia, secre-
tary of the association, responded in
a most feeling to the address
OF welcome by Mayor Branch.
After the speech making Capt. Hi
ram Bledsoe uttered the command to
''form iine," and a march to the din
ner table was made.
Dinner over and after a short rest
the association left the grounds for
to wn to transact some routine business,
a part of which was to select the next
place OF meeting, the lot falling to Fay
cite, Howard county, the time being
Sept. 10, 1890.