Newspaper Page Text
»f adju!
»f adjusting the matter amicably, he I nor bare we ever yet teen the reply of
did not comply with the only terms up* I Geo. Taylor to that letter* 1 infer from
on which Mexico thought she could I the correspondence published that be
treat consistently wii liber honor? Why, 1 did reply to it; but,as in other matters,
in other words.” did he send an envoy , the great injustice has been done him of
and minister plenipotentiary instead of i suppressing his views; for, on the 8tb
a commissioner, according to the terms I of July, Mr. Marcy, Secretary of War,
agreed upon ? I wish to know, also, j writes to him :
where the evidence is to be found that l “ In cRrrrinz oat the instruction! heretofore ro-
«ver our minister was insultingly and ceired jroa wOl be careful to avoid any acta of ag-
indignantly rentedt And i. ST&" ££ ££££&* ~
the cveidence that even op to the lSMli region, and which have been so. will not be Sis-
March, 1846, Mexico was making any ! turbed so long as lh« relations of peace between
hostile preparations except for defence 7 I th ® Umted Sute* and Mexico continue.”
At that time your navy was hovering on * And, in answer to this Gen. Tayk
the coaai of California, whither iL hod! letter, is given; and a valuable paper
been sent the summer before, to be rca- i » l »*• 1,01 ou, y in vindication of his ebar-
dy to seize that country when the war * cler as an °®ccr, but as a patriot and
should break out, which the President
was then so eagerly striving to provoke.
A squadron was ready at any day to
blockade her ports in the Gulf, while the
army was then on its way to the Rio
Grande^ Were not all these hostile de
monstrations on our part quite enough
to provoke any nation, however pacifi
cally inclined, to resistance 7 Out, sir,
to wow that Mexico did not intend to
commence the attack, I refer to the last
letter received from Mr. Slidell on his
return home; it bears date as late as
the 2d of April, 1840. This Idler con
tained what Mr. Slidell called the man
ifesto of Parades, and he says of it:
“Thi manifesto declares that until the National
Congress shall have concluded the question, no act
•f aggression will be committed against the United
*■ ' i by the Mexican Government, but it will
. . 4 - . -i raneei
tion; for Ure advance of our troops to the banks of
the Rio del Norte can at any lime be made a ground
for commencing hostilities."
And why Mr. Speaker, did Mr. Sli
dell say that ihc advance of our troops
to the banks of the Del None could, at
any time, be made a ground of com
mencing hostilities on the part of Mexi
co, even though the Government there,
in good faith, did not intend to make an
aggression upon us? It was because
he knew, as Mr. Polk knew, and you
know, and I know, and every man on
this floor, as well ns every intelligent
man in this country knows, that the peo
ple there were Mexicans, in the posses
sion of a country where they had been
born and reared, and which had been
occupied by their fathers before them ;
that they were loyal to their Govern
ment, and attached to their homes, their
laws, customs, am) institutions; and
that resistance would have been itievi.
table. The advance, however, was
made in the very teeth of this knowl
edge, and the resistence which was ex
pected and provoked was also made.—
A collision of arms ensued. This is the
origin of the war; and who sir, is re
sponsible for it? The President of the
United Stutes, who ordered that ad
vance ; he, and he only, is responsible
for it. Was there any necessity for it ?
None whatever. There was not a sin
gle settlement of the citizens of Texas
in all that country that asked for protec
tion, as fur as 1 have overheard, against
any threatened invasion. Our troops
had been at Corpus Christi for six
months, during which time all was qui
et on the frontier. Moreover, Mexico
had just given an assurance of her wil-
lingnass to settle the matter amicably
and peaceably, if a special commission
er should be sent for that purpose. She
protested, ns late ns the 12th of March,
1846, that she did not occupy a position
oleven quasi hostility towards us. Why,
then, was the advance ordered ? Tbeie
is but one answer to this question: it
was to provoke resistance, and thereby
involve us in n war. Had the Presi
dent power rightfully, under the consti
tution, to do this? 1 answer in this
House, before tho American people, and
in the face of Heaven, most emphatically,
he had not. The war’ making power
belongs to Congress, and not to the Ex
ecutive. Neither had the President any
power to fix or determine a boundary
line which Congress had expressly de
clined to do. In this case Congress, in
express terms, and with settled purpose,
left the boundary an open question.
Gentlemen may turn and twist this
matter as they please, for the purpose
of screening the President, but all such
attempts will prove utterly fruitless and
unavailing; the final conclusion that
he •• unnecessarily and unconstitutional
ly” commenced this war, can never be
escaped. The mark is fixed upon him
as indelibly as that stamped upon the
brow of Cain by the finger of God. He
and his friends may say, “ out foul spot,”
but it will not 41 outno, not even by
taking shelter under that of all others
the most miserable subterfugcofattempt
ing to cast the blame on the shoulders
of General Taylor.tbat gallant and brave
officer who has won such a name for
himself* and gained so much fuine for
Ilia country. Sir, I say, of all the ex-
statesman :
IlEAT-Qt-ABTEKS First Militart Departwert,
** New Orleans, Louisiana, Julj 20,1845. ,
* Sat: I respectfully acknowledge your commu
nication /(July 8, covering instructions of the Sec
retary of >7*1 of the same date, relative to the
Mexican settr*uient* on thia side the Rio Grande:
tliose inetroctk.ua will lie closely obeyed; and the
Department may/-eat assured that I will take
step to interrupt the friendly relations between the
United* States aad Me xico. I am gratified
ceiring these hutrocuons. ss they confirm my
views as previously comm anio*ted in regard to the
Z. TAYLOR.
Brer. Brig. Geo. U. S. A. commanding.
“ The Adjutant General op the Army,
“ Washington.”
From this it is evident that Gen. Tay
lor hud previously communicated to the
Department, some views in regard to
the proper line to be occupied by our
troops which*did not accord with the
* nva of the Department as expressed
the orderof the 15th June, and he
isgrntified at receiving the instructions
of July 8, which directed him to abstain
from interferring with Mexican posts
lire cast side of the Rio Grande; and he
red the Department that he should
lake no step to interrupt the friendly re
lations between the United Slates and
Mexico. With these views he look a
position at Corpus Christi, and made
that point his headquarters until he re
ceived the celebrated order of the 13th
January, 1S4G. But it is said that, in a
letter of ihe4th of October* 1845, be gave w,lncss
that fatal advice which Mr. Polk was so
innocently led to follow. Now, let us
see that letter, or that portion of it upon
which gentlemen rely to maintain this
position. It is in these words:
** It ia with great deference that t make any sug
gestions on topics which may become matter ot del
icate negotiation; but if onr Government, in set
tling the question of boundary, makes the line of
the Rio Grande an ultimatum, I cannot doubt that
ctllcment will be greatly facilitated and has-
il by our taking possession at once of one or
suitable points on or near that river.”
low, Sir, who can mistake the char
acter of this language? It is simply his
opinion, that if our Government intend
ed to make the Rio Grande an ultima
tum in the settlement of the question of
boundary, it would be as well to take
possession of the country at once. He
says nothing about the propriety of mak
ing that line the boundary, nor any thing
about the power of Mr. Polk to fix our
ultimatum a* to boundary; nor does he
recommend or advise him to exercise
any such power. In his original orders,
as I have shown, he was told that his
ultimate destination would be the Rio
Grande, which, in the event of annexa
tion, would** bd our western boundary;
and he bore says, that if such is the in
tention of the Govern met. Indeed, ii
the introductory part of this same letter
•of the 4th of October he says: “It v/ill
•he recollected that the instructions of
•June 15, issued by Mr. Bancroft, then
•actingSecretary of War, directed me
‘to select and occupy on or near the Rio
•Grande* such a siteaswill consist with
•the health of the troops, and will be
best adapted to repel invasion.”—And
the plain import of the after part which
I have quoted is, that if it is still the in
tention of the Government to make the
llio Gran<le the line, the forward move
ment might as well be made, as it might
facilitate negotiations. But, so far from
circumstances in which he was placed,
was almost a miracle in itself. It comes
from the same spirit that sought to sup
plant bim of his command by the ap
pointment of a lieutenant-general.-—
That spirit that stripped him of the main
body of bis forces and left him with a
small handful of men, about five thous
and only, and about five hundred of
these regulars, the rest all volunteers,
exposed on the frontier to an attack by
Santa Anna, that “ knight of the cock
pit,” as the gentleman from Virginia,
(Mr. Bbdincer,) might perhaps style
him, with twenty thousand of the cbo-; terey—aod
sen soldiers of Mexico. Why ibis
peating otwhich be was threatened with 1 ter Mexican ports, you will allow lain to pass free-
dismissal from
dismissal from service:
“ I do not believe the authorities at Washington
at alt satisfied with my conduct in regtrd to the
tenna of the capitulation.*
Referring to the-capitulation entered
into at Monterey. And in another place,
in reference to the same, be says:
“Jo regard to the armistice, which would have
expired by limitation in a few days, we lost nothing
by it, as we could not move even now had the ene-
my continued to occupy Saltillo; for. strange to say,
the first wagon that reached me since the declara
tion of war was on the 2d inat.—The same day on
which I received from Washington an acknowledge-
* it ol bit despatch annou nci eg the ta king of ”
hundred and
sen so,... C r, ... ••
done I know not. But I leave it fur the pc-u^ rakill - aild scrapi ng the cc
And Commodore Conner writes
the 16tb of August, 1S47 :
“ I have allowed him to enter without molesta
tion, or even speaking the vessel,as I was informed
by the senior English naval officer here Capt. Lam-
the garrisons oi
declared in his fa-
conntry to determine whether it
not an act of great injustice to him and
his men to be placed thu:
ng and scrapi
«vr mips aruind Catnargo, collect . D
mule and othtr means of transportation J could
here only eigl^y thousand rations, (fifteen day’:
hoarded the Arab,-hut I d<
to do so, allowing it to appear as if he h‘ad “entered
without jay concurrence. It is no» «••:<»
that J^e^fpole country—that ?r
every.town and fortress,—hav<
vor.” &c,
Now, is it not exceedingly strange,
past all credence, that Santa Anna,
"’ith bis suite, should have attempted^n
country j the open day, to enter a port clearly block-
before I would be coerced by any pow
er, however great and strong, to sell ot
surrender the land of. rav home, the
placed my nativity, and the graves of
mv sires ! *Sir, the principle is not-only
dishonorable, but infamous. As the
representative upon this floor’of a high-
minded and honorable constituency, I
repeat,.that the principle of waging war
against a neighboring people to compel
to sell their country, is not only
JFrom XHextco.
the New Orleans Delta.
I*atcst from Vera Cruz.
The following we gather from the Free
American of the 15th inst.:
.The mole presents a singular and
striking appearance at present; from
crane to crane, a strong piece of rigging
stretched, exciting the enquiry, “ what
dishnno aWe L and i„li j* We ans^-Cap. Mas-
--- - . ga j ( j ih at ' ten, A/Q. M. at this place, will. fX.* »L**
ply,)
the odds against him w
retreat, if not defeat, seemed inevitable. Uiew comfouVand in some instinct
Bui. sir. the same great spirit which ; •tyrpenmal b. E g.ge.
marks his every act did not fail him on j * n another place he say-
that occasion. The resources of a keen ! , wc |^ een P at *°.
him to be not only equal but superior to j probability
the perils of the crisis. The ever-mem- j in killed,'
! flag ship of the blockading squndri
that the vessel life was in could have
r the
there appeared I
native of taking
U no doubt we
we should in all
a hundred men
mnded, which I wished to avoid,
i be a prospect ol pc;
c fifty c
sily been boarded, without some under- j the world.
What, shall it 1’
American honor aim:
than land—than the
we tread ? Do we look no*
our inspirations for honor, than tio
soulless brutes? Shall we disavow
similitude of our Maker, and disgi
of man ?
Speaker, must have been one of the most: ol women andfchildrenu which i
intense suspense to that small Spartan ; great had the i
band of devoted spirits who spent its j jj ut p Cr |
sleepless watches resting on their arms. J to the ro j ai
Contemplate them for a moment, arix- j White Houj
iously waiting the coming dawn, when! “if we am
life and fame and every thing dear to J Scotty under]
each, were to be determined by the fate j » n<i t 5 '* 1 *
aid dest
standing with Mr.Polk, “either direct
or indirect, or some other person,” that
he could pass freely ? Is it not strange
that Mr. Polk should have sent such an
order without “ some understanding, ei
ther direct or indirect, with Santa An
na or some other person,” that it was
his intention to return? And how could
Commodore Conner have known that
the Arab had Santa Anna on board, nn-
procesa been resorted to.” less there was “some understanding,
ps the part most offensive either direct or indirect.” between them
of the inmate of the upon this subject? The tail will not
where be says : bear telling. It is one of those gross
the language of Mr. Polk and Gen. fabrications that carries its own dctec-
3S2& ysSKsrS ?»«•}“«!■*. *» ■>» .he
i>fuue day’s bloody action. Whateroo- j MwicT tTj’ol.i.1" probabililiSsTlhe ImncstTnq^htT'Xr
lions of apprehension must have mo\eu < other direction, I evnaufer out of the question. But, truth is compelled to pronounce it whol-
in llio breast of the most dauntless when Wnq»cr.pe.«bydoi DE ro,,.y ) v incrc( lil>le and perfectly mendacious.
'I,» m “ 5, - C . and ” u,l,n = shou,s P e President is also quite unfortanate
.pated victory ever and anon nro..c fr m doinggobecon)J<>nsatet]btftIicgame „ in the reason which he says induced
the immense hosts encamped m hos.de Thjs u do l lleM , |]c , that woan(l . bim to permit Santa Anna to return.-
array agat.ost them. But the prose] ng , ed dce|)cst wcre ' ever llelic For this he refers to Ins message in De-
genius of ou. country was there, the , words spoke* more truly ? After going cember, 1S46; and the reason there as-
guardian angle ^h.ch, one hundred and | Vera Cru j and maru f li lh ° ° signed is, that Santa Anna was known
fifteen years before;, rulcil the clcstmy j imli and Iali l g lhal pl:lcPi at thec . nd „ f to he opposed to monarchy, and in la-
ofem pjrCs at the Girt It o n g * | ^ ncxt twelve months, is the amount! vor °l restoration of the constitution
was over and a round t.at^army, guar- f jjj 00( j andltreasure expended in the 1824. Now, nothing is more notori-
ding the fortunes ol her j‘Y°t\ e j enterprise corbpensated by our victories, ous ‘ n relation to Mexican affairs and
and the next day dawn* 5 ® \ u ° | as glorious aad brilliant as they have i Mexican history than that Santa Anna
ss one of the greatest achieve- been ? Are \e any nearer a peace?—’ ....
by the valorofarnis—” a i t j g truc t!mtk> ur army has done every-
the language of a res- ^hing that meh could do, and more than
it w’isexpecte|l that they could do ; they
have gained for themselves imperishable
fame. BAt htive they brought us any
nearer a pea.^* ? And yet, for uttering
this prophetic kontence, for writing the
letter which cclitaiV 1 ^ it, General Tay-
and
Let not such s
eh rest upon
nothing higher! Ffservatfon of the
)und on which ■ < ' e P a riinetRon the mole, during the sick-
hichor in ^ scason * shelter them from the sun by
in do the stretching and awning clear across the
Now, by my soul, we’ve been mista
ken all the while. Hear him t
From El Liberia! Guanajuato, Jan. I3th.
In a letter from Mexico, we have the
heard of nations whose honor! blowing : “ Be assured, my friends,
would be satisfied with gold—that glit-: laat ,4 l,ut a s »8“ l resistance is madetof 4
udetstngor recommending the President
to exercise such a power, lie expressly
says in the same letter that he should
not do so without positive orders, par
ticularly under his instructions of the
8th of July. But, sir, after Gen. Taylor
had been there a few weeks longer, and
had become better acquainted with the
state of things, he changed his opinion
us to the tendency of a forward move
ment of the army to facilitate negotia
tions. And on the 7lb of November,he
wrote that while negotiations were pen
ding, the position at Corpus.Christi was
the best one to be occupied. This is
his language:
“The communication from the Secretary of War,
dated October 16, was received and. acknowledged
on the 1st and 2d instant. I purposely deferred a
detailed reply to the various points embraced in
that communication, until 1 could receive an answer
to mine of October 4, which covered (al least in
part) the Ame ground. The intelligence from Mexi
co, however, tends to modify in some degrei
meats ever w<
victory which,
olution on your table, is unsurpassed it
ilitary annals of lire world. It is
true it cost us dearly. Many gallant
hearts poured out iheir life-blood on
that eventful day. Some of them, known
to members of this House, I may be
permitted to name. There was a Yell,
frank, bold and generous; a McKee,
of Kentucky’s most aidcnt, accom
plished, and chivalrous sons: a Clay,
with a heart as pure, stern, inflexible,
and patriotic as the great sire from
whom be sprung; and a Hardin, Mr.
Speaker, well known to you and me and
many of those around me, and of whom
I lake ibis occasion to say I never knew
a truer, firmer, and nobler men. These
all fell in sustaning the flag of their
country against the fearful odds brought
against them on the field of Buna Vista.
And it was here that gallant old officer,
who bore our flagon that occasion, not
withstanding he was left with such a
handful of men, gained such undying
honors for himself and his country.—
But no thanks to the Administration for
it. By them he was stripped of his
men and crippled in his means ; and
what lie did was the more glorious as it
was done in spile of their neglect. But
another act which deserves the indig
nant rebuke of the whole country re
mains tb be mentioned. I refer to the
reprimand he received for writing the
well-known letter to Gen. Gaines, and
the revival of the old order No. 650,
which had been obsolete for years, and
by wfiicKbe' was threatened with dis
missal frjbm service for the repetition of
a similar offence.
I must ask the indulgenceof the House
while I read a portion of the letter of the
Secretary of warto him, enclosing a copy'
of his letter to General Gaines ; and I
affirm it to be the most insolent ontrag
upon the character, motives, and patri
otism of a high-toned, chivalrous officer,
that was ever committed in this or any
other country. Hear what Mr. Polk,
through his Secretary, says:
Sir : 1 deem it proper to send yon a letter, (ta-
lor received tip ioso. ,ent and insulting
reprimand I Have read under the pre-
postcrous pretence that fie was giving
valuable inlbrrrjation to the etferny. The
real burden ofthe grief was, that was
giving valuable information to the people
of this country touching the mischievous
schemes and reckless policy of their own
Executive, wHo is at this time the great
est enemy th^y have. I repeat it, sir,
the present “Executive is the greatest
enemy the people of this country have
at this time : for he was waging a war,
of all others the most dangerous to a free
people—a war against the Constitution
of the country. But why should we
have been so particular about valuable
information getting to the ears of the Mex
ican commander ? Under whose aus
pices but his own was thai commander
permit! cd'Ta^WRer freely into that coun
try? Was the insolence of place
and power even more audaciously ex
hibited than in this instance ?
Sir, I will here say a word or two on
the message of the President in relation
to the return of that Mexican command-
, and the instructions to Mr. Slidell.
I shall not moot the question of his pow
er to withhold these instructions from
this House and the people. I know we
have no power to compel their produc
tion. But I submit it to this House
and the people, whether it is not the
ercise of Executive power bordering
on royal prerogative,” as the eloquent
jentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Tomp
kins) said the other day—to withhold
from them and their representatives *
a cxprereeJ in that communication.
cu»c*, apologias, subterfuges, and pan-
texts resorted toby the advocates of the J rale untH ad »p^ u «n *hall be Manifested by M. 7
President, this will nnbrri hira the least I CO to protract them unreasonably."
an who overthrew the consti
tution of 1S24, and was at the time this
order was given in exile for bis lawless
usurpations and abuse of powers. Sir,
whoever will take all these facts into
consideration—the condition of Mexico,
the exile of Santa Anna: the date of his
permission to pass our blockade ; the
the date of his return; the circumstan
ces of that return, and the request of
Mr. Polk for a certain extraordinary ap
propriation of two millions of dollars,
cannot fail to come to the conclusion
that there was some “ understanding,
either direct or indirect, between him
and Santa Anna, or some other person,”
ytHi some 11 mystery of iniquity" in this
bu’sii.'ess, which has not yet seen the
light, anri which he would sooner sec
his grave than see published to the peo
ple of this country.
But, sir, I said upon rising that I had
a motion to make before concluding,
and that is, to amend the report of the
committee by striking oui the amend
ment of the gentleman from Pennsylva
nia (Mr. Wilmot) proposing to raise fiv
millions of dollars per annum by a di
rect tax on the personal property of the
country so long as the war continues.
I do it to let this House know; that for
one, Ido not intend to tax my constitu
ents to carry on this war for the objects
now avowed for its prosecution. After
the war was recognised, and as
the proposed objects were peace antf an
amicable settlement of the matters of
tering dust, which is so precious in the
eyes of some—but never did I expect
to live to see the day when the Execu
tive of this country should announce
that our honor was such a loathsome,.
beastly thing, that it could not be satis
fied with achievements in arms, howev- ,
er brilliant and glorious, but must feed j
on earth—gross, vile, dirt!—and require i
even a prostrate foe to be robbed of
mountain rocks and desert plains! 1
have no sotdi notions of honor; and I
have quke’as little opinion of that policy
which woflij spend fifty or a hundred
millions 'oTcTollars in compelling tfit?
Mexicans to take fifteen or twenty mil
lions for New Mexico and California, on
the score of public interest. And, I re
peat, I shall vote to tax my constituents
for no such purpose. You already have
a debt of near sixty millions of dollars,
and a loan bill on your table for eigh
teen millions, and another one coming,
according to the request of the Secreta
ry of the Treasury, of tvtenty millions
more. It may be that under this accu
mulated pressure the public credit may
go down. If so, all 1 can say is, so lei
it be. Perhaps, when the business of
ntry begins to suffer, as it must,
and the people of the country begin to
feel, as they surely will, the ruinous ef
fects ofthe policy of this administration,
they will rise in their majesty and send
up a rebuke to their rulers in such tones
as will make them feel some ofthe con
sequences of an abuse of power, and
from which there will he no escape, no
shelter, not even in the dark vaults that
contain the hidden instructions of Mr.
Slidell. Indeed, I have very little hope
for the country until the people begin to
feel; they will then reflect, they will
then speak, and they will then act.
Mr. S. concluded by moving the pre
vious question ; but as some gentleman
expressed a desire to speak, he with-
Mcstiny.
Dr. Collamer of Vermont, in his speech
in the House of Representatives on
Wednesday, expressed the following
sensible views in relation to the con
quest and subjugation of Mexico by the
United States:
“But it is said, it is our ‘destiny’ to
go. Why, ^jt seems to me, if such a
thingis deitimhf to lie done, Tt Soes^rTof
require much aid from us. If I
destined to have my ncigbor’s horsi
1 therefore destined to go and steal him?
It seems to me I would let ‘ destiny’
work, and I should get him honestly by-
and-by. This pica of* manifest destiny
*. T — . . , was first avowed i:i this House in re-
d'spute. l was fbr us prosecution, and ferencc to lhe Oregon question by a
from Illinois, (Mr. Bal
cady to vote any and all neces;
ry means to bring it to a speedy and
honorable termination; even taxation,
if it should have been required, and I
am so yet. But this war is now waged
for conquest; the object can no longer
be disguised. No man can be mistaken
after reading the ultimatum in the in
structions to Mr. Trist. The President
| says it is waged for indemnity. Every
i relation to the
shelter; and the attempt to throw the re
sponsibility of this war upon him, is but;
a pari and parcel of that spirit of gross
injustice with which he has been so
shamefully treated by this Administra.
tion and Ynany of its advocates. It is
said that he advised the removal ofthe
troops* and that the advance was made
in pursuance of his advice. Now, let
us see how this position is sustained by
the record. The first order to Gen.
Taylor* directing him to enter Texas*
bears date at the War Office here on the
15th day of June* 1845* and contains
this language:
ami occupy, on or near the Rio Del Norte,
Ate as trul consist with the beahh of the troop*,
and will be beat adapted to repel ianuioa and to
protect what, in the event of annexation* will be
our western border.”
This was the order of Mr. Bancroft,
the Secretary of War, in Jane, 1845,
directed to Gen. Taylor, nt Fort Jesup,
in Louisiana, and before the army en
tered Texas, telling him his ultimate des
tination teas the Rio Grande? and direct
ing him to select and occupy a site on or
near that rivcr r a3, in tho event of an
nexation, it would be the western border
or boundary of this Government. This,
sir, was the first order given, and be
fore Gen. Taylor bad given any advice;
And now, who from all this can say
that Gen. Taylor ever breathed one
syllabic to Mr. Polk by way of advice
to him to exercise the extraordinary
er—that power which does not bo-
j to him—of determining what shall
lie the result of the ultimatum of an unset
tled boundary. Thai is the point: show
that he advised the President no longer
to consider the boundary line between
Texas and Mexico an open question*
where Congress had left it* but to make
the Rio Grande the line by his own exe
cutive edict, and to defeud it with the
arms of the country without ever consult
ing Congress on the subject; and then,
aud never till then* may he be brought
in to share some of the blame .in ibis
matter.—But, sir* this never can be done.
And tbe attempt to cast the censure of
this movement upon the head of that
gallant old chief is ah act of tbe grossest
injustice* and is but a part and parcel
ol lhal spirit of opposition and persecu
tion witb which he has been pursued by
this Administiation almost ever since
the commencement of this war. It is
akin to that spirit which kept him “crip-
S iled” in the summer of 1846* on the
tioGrande, withoutthe necessary means
<>ftransportation; and then found fault
with his couduct at Monterey, where
the victory he achieved, considering the
formation so important
origin and cause of this war
mit to them, also, whether the reason as
signed for withholding them is anything
hut a pretext 9 If they contained noth
ing but what was honorable,just, honest,
and right,as they should, how could their
publication injure our interest or cause
.with Mexico, or any body else ? It
w’ould rather have the contrary effect,
by placing us in the right and them in the
wrong before tbe civilized world. The
secret of this matter, I apprehend, is the
fear of personal exposure. And he has
a much better protection, 1 doubt not,
than the precedent which he quotes af
fords him, in that clause of the Consti
tution which provides that no person
“ shall be compelled in any criminal case
. ,0 ^ 1° . ine e ??"! to be a witness against himself.” I had
And who is it, sir, that brings this yer y j; tt | e when the resolution pass
ed calling for those instructions that we
should get them. I believed then, as 1
do now, iSoI lhey contained secrets con
nectcd with-lhe origin of this war that
he dare not publish—not from any fear of
Mexico; that is idle, absurd, and prepos
terous ; Mexico is prostrate ; she is at our
mercy—but from a fear of the American
people. I had quite as little hope, also,
of getting the facts in relation to the
man of sense knows it i
rspaper,) which first appeared i
New York Morning Express, and has since
ler of course, been transferred to many ot
nals. * * * It will in a short time bo in pos
session of onr enemy; and, coming as it does from
the General to whom the conduct of the war on our
confided, it will convey most valuable In
formation to the Mexican commander.”
I have not time to read all the letter;
but can you imagine a more wanton in
sult to a brave officer, who had done
such service to the country, than this
letter contains? It charges him with
having given valuable information to the
Mexican commander; in other words,
of giving “ aid and comfort” to the
my. And who is it, sir, that bring.'
accusation ? .The same man that c
meuced this war in violation of the Con
stitution of his country ; thy same man
those friends now seek to throw the
odium of it upon General Taylor ; the
same man who himself gave a free pass
to that same Mexican commander to en
ter that country to take command of her
armies. And against whom is it brought ?
Against the old soldier, who has devoted
a long life to the service of his country
in the field ; who was engaged in the
last war with England ; who gained the
victories of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Pal
ma, aud Monterey ; a man whose every
act was glorious, and every throb of
whose heart was patriotic. Ransack the s , ances a „ cndinR a secrct transact*
annals of your country, and show me if, so|i|[le cre jj it as tIlis ilUfigue w ,
you can, an act more scandalous than
this outrage upon the integrity nnd pa
triotism of that gallant chief. I want,
sir, to see his reply to it. We have not
yet been favored with it, but it has been
called for by the resolution offered by
the gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr.Dun
can,) and I hope we shall have that at
least, if we cannot get the secret instruc
tions to Mr. Slidell. And what was that
“valuable information” which had been
given to the Mexican Commander, or
rather which gave such offence to our
Executive? Here it is, every sentence
bearing the unmiStakcable stamp of
truth, honesty, and patriotism. I wish
I had time to read the whole letter. I
suppose these are the parts considered
particularly obnoxious, and for the re
turn of Santa Anna. I had no idea that
a man who had so repeatedly outraged
and insulted the intelligence of this coun
try aud this age by the misstatement and
distortion of facts well known,-would
make a full disclosure of all the circum-
iransaction
with
Santa Anna. Who
this House,
believes the President in his message
upon this subject? He says lhe order
to let hith “ pass” was issued “ without
any understanding on the subject, direct
indirect, with Santa Annaoranyoth-_
person.” I do not intend to rely up- j JJj® 1
ged for
I such tiling. The sine qua non for peace
in the instructions to Mr. Trist was to
take New Mexico and California and
pay $15,000,000 or $20,000,000. No
be mistaken. The reason
peace was not made was because Mex
ico was unwilling to sell a portion of
her country; and the avowed object in
continuing it now is to compel and force
her to .make the surrender, or lake the
whole of it.
Sir, I take this earliest opportunity of
saying that I shall never tax my con
stituents for any such object. If they
wish to contribute their substance to
sustain a policy so odious and detesta
ble, so entirely at war with all the most
sacred principles upon which their own
Government is founded, they must send
some other person here to lay the taxes.
I never shall do it.
The President assumes (if I under
stand his position) that the honor and
interest of this country requires us to I
make this demand of Mexico. Sir, I j
wholly dissent from any such doctrine.
The honor of this country docs not and
cannot require us to force and compel
the people of any oilier to sell theirs.
I have, 1 trust, as high a regard for na
tional honor as any man. It is the
brightest gem in the chapter of a nation’s
glory and there is nothing of which I
am prouder than the high character for
honor this country has acquired through
out the civilized world—that code of
honor which was established by Wash
ington and the men of the Revolution,
and which rests upon truth, justice, and
honesty, which is the offspring of virtue
and integrity, and which is seen in the
length and breadth of our land,
At that time it produced general laugh
ler; it was matter of general derision
through the House. Now it is adopted
as one ofthe popular issues of party !
It was our ‘destiny* to go up to 54 40.
Well, the President settled the question
upon a line some five degrees lower,
and did not the people acquiesce?
But it is said, in behalf of the con
quest, that thereby we should do good
the people of Mexico ! A doctrine
of this kind was the doctrine of the
•usades ; it is the very doctrine with
Inch Cortez disgraced the Christian
ized world when he overrun Mexico
before. It is the plea which has been at
the foundation of every conquest and
crusade which has disgraced the world.
It will not do for a people to adopt the
idea that their itrstituiions arc better
than any body’s else, and undertake to
force them upon others at the point ol
the bayonet. Much less docs it become
the people of the United Stales.”
the evidences of art and civilization and
moral advancement, and every thing
that tends to elevate, dignify and enno-
‘.he notorious rumors of the day-ifl blc ” an ‘ lhc >‘ on " r " f "V «t
Ike visit of John Slidell Mackenzie m.rat.oo, and t.s made of -sterner,
Havana-but I undertake to say that P. urer > " obler ‘ than that aggre
the papers accompanying this message s, . ve and ,Ic 8 rail,n S’ J ca - odlou3 I’ r “' c ‘-
carry^upon their face internal evidencei P e . naw av ".";f„ d . of wa f”S a ,
asb T," ins> under r
m, J . - ,u 0 - a • j circumstances, to sell his country?—
The order ut rn thee, word,. | For Iny3clr , i can only say> jf lhl ? last
s I ranerol pde or liberty were lighted, I
“Commodore : If Santa Anna endeavors to ea- 1 would qtouiU and expire in Us flames
mob, a triumph will be in time ac-f
knowledged. One can sec what they
are from their boasting. They’ alleg '
that with 30,000 men they can rout^
an army of 300,000 Mexicans,
a lie. With 10,000 soldcirs we can dfl
sttoy them. They have no other ad
vantage over us than their barbarity.—
So far as concerns discipline and valor,
they arc insignificant. 1 have examined
them, .and, for the most part they are
not fit for afandango. The Regulars say
they are the only ones who can compete
ith a free Mexicaja'aoldier. The Vol
unteers liavfr no instructions whatever*
they rush to the combat as the savage
docs upon a wild beast; but if the wild
beast turns upon them, they retreat in af
fright. They did not enter Mexico on the
20th of August, because the resistance
of the handful of men at Churubusco
terrified them. Neither did they enter
the Sth Sept., because a small num
ber at Chapultepec compelled them to
retre.-ft.”
The writer of this bombast then com-
res the Mexicans, and goes on to state
that the Yankees have grown bolder,
and now commit depredations in day
light; they formerly only ventured’, un
der cover of night. He says ** they cry
for liquor, and would murder their moth-
forgrog; all commerce is at an end;”’
The American star cries mentira! men-
tira! and we reecho the cry.
The Free American, ofthe 14th. says :
Mr. Henderson arrived here on Sat
urday, with despatches from Gen. Scott
Washington. Mr. H. came through,
we understand, in 44 hours. The
contents of the letters are not Known :
but they arc said to be veryjmportant,,
could ascertain is ; that in Mexico**
speaks of peace. That in Quer- V
ctaro tbe government is as usual inac
tive : and that our soldiers are almost
s happy as if they were at home.
We are informed by Mr. Finney, of
San Juan, that on his way to Vera Cruz,
they found an American with his throat
cut, he was known to be unarmed and
without money to tempt a robber. It is
a coldblooded butchery, withoutonc pal
liating circumstance. The body was
brought to this city, and deposited at
camp Belgara. We do sincerely hope
the perpetrators of this inhuman act will
be discovered and punished.
iantaT Anna was ;
Tchuacan, in the State of Puebla. He
has with him a large number of chiefs
and officers, and appears to lie awaiting
the action of the Mexican Congress- A
soldier belonging to the first Dragoa
was hung on Wednesday, at the PeJ
gate, for the murder of a Mexican,
murder was unprovoked, and there is*
doubt he deserved his fate. He died in a
s ate of half insanity, raving and cursing*
A new paper made its appearance this
morning entitled El Eco del Comcrcio.—
It is to be national in its character.
I-ate From ITIcxico.
The following letter was brought
over by the steamship Globe, the arri
val ol which we noticed in our edition
of yesterday:
Vera Cruz, Feb. 16,1848.
Sir—The steamer Edith arrived last
evening, bringing dates from your.city
as late as the 10th.
A train of forty waggons will leave
early to-morrow morning for Orizaba,
under the command of Major Mani-
gault, with, the 13th Infantry, and a
company of mounted men under Lieut.
A. J. Dorn, 3d Dragoons.
A letter was received this morning,
at the Assistant Quartermaster’s office,
from a Quartermaster in the city of
Mexico, dated 3d inst, staling that a
treaty of peace has been concluded on
the part of Mexico, and that nothing
now will be wanting but the concurrence
of the United States Government, and
to withdraw our troops from the country.
The Collector of the Port also received
a letter from a distinguished officer of
the army, corroborating the fact; but
asserts confidently that the terms will
be rejected by the United States Gov
ernment. i,
In a former note I mentioned that the
Quartermaster’s Department al this
ofthe largest depots on
Correspondence of the PI.iladelpf.ia Inquirer.
A Fatal l>ucl.
Burlington', N. J., Feb. 23.
Dear Sirs: We have just received authen
tic accounts ofthe duel between Joshua
Wallace Collet and Alexander Wilkins,
Captains in the 10th Regiment of Infan
try,on tWmorningof the 21st of Jan. last,
Camargo; which resulted in the death
of Capt. Collet by the first shot, the ball
passing entirely through his body. He
lived three hours, and died on the spot j _
where he had fallen, a temporaiy tent the line of operations, &c. There is
having been placed over his body. He J more business performed here in one
perfectly calm and resigned to his j day, than at the Department in New
fate, and gave directions about his af- Orleans in a week. In a few weeks
fairs. Captain Collet was a native of there will be a railroad constructed by
this place, nnd under thirty years of age. j tho Assistant Quartermaster, to run
lie*! entered the army in the winter of j from inside the city gate about 120 yar^s
1847. Ho had been a lawyer before out on the inole. It will be a great sav-
joining the army, having read law with ing to the Government, particularly if
'el Haines, the present Governor of; one or more steamers of a very light
State; nnd also with Garret D. draught were placed in the harbor, and
Wall. Yours, &c. J. IL S', j employed in the capacity of lighters to
| the U. S. transports that cannot Renter*
Hungry Printer.-—One of our western from a want of water within Wrcfo
exchanges concludes a pathetical appeal of either beach or mole, causing the
his subscribers by enumerating what destruction of much property in lat^ling-
a printer wants. He asks for 40 bush- it, principally horses, which are <
els of potatoes, 100 of corn, 50 head of ed in a vessel after some day
cabbages, some linen to make np shirts aud are drowned swimming a.
and emmisetts for himself and better; I visited a cemetery the other day tp
half, half a dozen pigs, cotton flannel see a Mexican buried. The bo3yof
for under clolhes, children’s night caps, the deceased was carried to the grave-
and all the cash they can spare. He yard on a litter, and attended only by
says without the latter indispensable the bier-bearers. After the grave was
article, he cannot keep the wheels in dug sufficiently long and wide, the body
motion. _ ! was thrown in head foremost, without a
What an unconscionably avaricious coffin or covering of any kind,
fellow. How dare a printer aspire to The train was to have left the city of
potatoes, or think of wearing a shirt? Mexico, for this place on the 15th inst.