The Congressional Globe, Volume 14: Twenty-Eighth Congress, Second Session Page: 50
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CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
ident, appeared below the bar with a message from
the President of the United States, which was deliv-
ered to the Speaker.
Mr. DROMGOOLE rose, and intimated to the
House that if the motion of the gentleman from Ala-
bama [Mr. Houston] should prevail, he should
move the committee to take up bill No. 216, which
had been on the calendar since the last session, enti-
a " bill to provide for the collection, safe-keeping,
transfer, and disbursement of the public revenue.
Mr. WENTWORTH hoped the House would
hear the message which had just been received from
the President.
Mr. J. R. INGERSOLL. I hope so.
And there were in other quarters cries of "Read,
read."
Mr. HOUSTON withdrew his motion, that the
message might b« read.
Mr. WENTWORTH. That is right. Let us
have the war 'message.
The Ck'rlj accordingly read the message, as fol-
lows:
To the Senate and House of Representatives:
I transmit herewith copies of despatches received
from our minister at Mexico since the commence-
ment of your present session, which claim from
their importance, and I doubt not will receive, your
calm and deliberate consideration. The extraor-
dinary and highly offensive language which the
Mexican government has thought proper to employ
in reply to the remonstrance of the executive,
through Mr. Shannon, against the renewal of the
war with Texas while the question of annexation
was pending before Congress and the people, and
also the proposed manner of conducting that war,
will not fail to arrest your attention. Such remon-
strance, urged in no unfriendly spirit to Mexico,
was called for by considerations of an imperative
character., having relation as well to the peace of
this country and honor of this government, as to the
caus^ of humanity and civilization. Texas had
erHered into the treaty of annexation upon the invi-
tation of the executive; and when, for that act, she
was threatened with a renewal of the war, on the
part of Mexico, she naturally looked to this govern-
ment to interpose its efforts to ward oft' the threat-
ened blow. But one course was left the exe-
cutive, acting within the limits of its consti-
tutional competency; and that was, to protest,
m respectful, but, at the same time, strong and de-
cided terms against it. The war thus threatened
to be renewed was promulgated by edicts and de-
crees, which ordered, on the part of the Mexican
military, the desolation of whole tracts of country,
and the destruction, without discrimination, of all
a ~es, sexes, and conditions of existence. Over the
warmer of conducting war, Mexico possesses no ex-
clusive control. She lias 110 right to violate at plea-
sure the principles which an enlightened civilization'
has laid down ,for the conduct of nations at war, and
thereby retrograde to a period of barbarism, which,
happily for the world, has long since passed away.
All nations are interested in enforcing an observance
jji'those principles; and the United States, the oldest
of the American republics, and the nearest of the
civilized powers to the theatre on which these enor-
mities were proposed to be enacted, could not quietly
content themselves to witness such a state of things.
They had, through the executive, on another occa-
sion, (and, as was believed, with the approbation of
the whole country,) remonstrated against outrages
similar, but even less inhuman than those which,
by her new edicts and decrees, she has threatened
to pe'petrate, and of which the late inhuman mas-
sacre at Tabasco was but the precursor.
The bloody and inhuman murder of Fannin and
Irs companions, equaled only in savage barbarity
by the usages of the untutored Indian tribes, proved
how little confidence could be placed on the ftiost
solemn stipulations of her geiterals; while the fate of
others who became her captives in war—many of
whom, no longer able to sustain the fatigues and
privations of long journeys, were shot down by the
way side, while their companions who survived
were subjected to sufferings even more painful than
death—had leftan indelible stain on the page of civili-
sation. The executive, with the evidence of an in-
tention on the part of Mexico to renew scenes so re-
volting to humanity, could do no less than renew
remonstrances formerly urged. For fulfilling duties
no imperative Mexico has thought proper, through
her accredited organs, because she has had repre-.
ser.ied to her the inhumanity of such proceedings,
So indulge in language unknown to the courtesy of
diplomatic intercourse, and offensive in the highest
degree to this government and people. Nor has
she offended in this only. She has not only violated
existing conventions between the two countries by
arbitrary and unjust decrees against our trade and
intercourse, but withholds instalments of debt due
to our citizens, which she solemnly pledged
herself to pay, under circumstances which are fully
explained by the accompanying letter from Mr.
Green, our secretary of legation. And when our
minister has invited the attention ofher government
to wrongs committed by her local authorities not
only on the property, but on the persons, of our fel-
low-citizens engaged in prosecuting fair and honest
pursuits, she has added insult to injury, by not even
deigning, for months together, to return an answer to
his representations. Still further to manifest her
unfriendly feelings towards the United States, she
has issued decrees expelling from some ofher prov-
inces American citizens engaged in the peaceful
pursuits of life, and now denies to those of our citi-
zens prosecuting the whale fishery on the north-
west coast of the Pacific the privilege which has,
through all time heretofore, been accorded to them of
exchanging goods of a small amount in value, at her
ports in California, for supplies indispensable to their
health and comfort.
Nor will it escape the observation of Congress,
that, in cohducting a correspondence with a minister
of the United States, who cannot and does not know
any distinction between the geographical sections
of the Union, charges wholly unfounded are made
against particular States, and an appeal to others far
aid and protection against supposed wrongs.
In this same connection, sectional prejudices are
attempted to be excited, and the hazardous and un-
pardonable effort is made to foment divisions
amongst the States of the Union, and thereby em-
bitter their peace. Mexico has still to learn, that,
however freely we may indulge in discussion among
ourselves, thcAmeiican people will tolerate no inter-
ference in their domestic affairs by any foreign gov-
ernment; and in all that concerns the constitutional
guaranties and the national honor, the people of the
United States have but one mind and one heart.
The subject of annexation addresses itself, most
fortunately, to every portion of the Union. The
executive would have been unmindful of its
highest obligations if it could have adopted a course
of policy dictated by sectional interests and local
feelings. On the contrary, it was because the ques-
tion was neither local nor sectional, but made its
appeal to the interests of the whole Union, and of
every State in the Union, that the negotiation, and
finally the treaty of annexation, was entered into;
and it has afforded me no ordinary pleasure to per-
ceive, that, so far as demonstrations have been made
upon it by the people, they have proceeded from all
portions of the Union. Mexico may seek to
excite divisions amongst us, by utteiing un-
just denunciations against panicular States;
but when she comes to know that the invi-
tations addressed to our fellow-citizens by Spain,
and afterwards by heiself, to settle Texas, weie ac-
cepted by emigrants from all the States; and when,
in addition to this, she refreshes her recollection
with the fact that the first effort winch was made to
acquire Texas was during the administration of a
distinguished citizen from an eastern State, which
was afterwards renewed under the auspices of a
President from the southwest, she will awake to a
knowledge of the futility of her present purpose of
sowing dissensions among us, or producing distrac-
tion in our councils by attacks either on particular
States, or on puisons who are now m the letirement
of private life. Considering the appeal which she
now makes to eminent ci'iz.ens by name, can she
hope to escape censure for having asenbed to them,
as well as to others, a design (as she pretends now
for the first time revealed) of having originated ne-
gotiations to despoil her, by duplicity and falsehood,
of a portion of her territory? The opinion then, as
now, prevailed with the executive, that the annexa-
tion of Texas to the Union was a matter of vast
importance. In order to acquire that territory be-
fore it had assumed a position among the independ-
ent powers of the earth, propositions were made to
Mexico for a cession of it to the United States. Mex-
ico saw in these proceedings, at the time, 110 cause
of complaint. She is now, when simply reminded
of them, awakened to the knowlege of the fact,
which she, through her Secretary of State, promul-
gates to the whole world as truej that those negotia-
tions were founded in deception and falsehood, and
superinduced by unjust and iniquitous moiivts.
While Texas was a dependency of Mexico, the
United States opened negotiations with the latter
power for the cession of her then acknowledged ter-
ritory; and now that Texas is independent of Mex-
ico, and has maintained a separate existence for
nine years—during which tithe she has been re-
ceived into the family of nations, and is represented
by accredited ambassadors at many of the principal
courts of Europe—and when it has become obvious
to the whole world that she is forever lost to Mexi-
co, the United States is charged with deception and
falsehood in all relating to the past, and condemna-
tory accusations are made against States which have
had no special agency in the matter, because the
executive of the whole Union has negotiated with
free and independent Texas upon a matter vitally
important to the interests of both countries. And
after nine years of unavailing war, Mexico now an-
nounces her intention, through her Secretary of
Foreign Affairs, never to consent to the independ-
ence of Texas, or to abandon the effort to recon-
quer that republic. She thus announces a perpet-
ual claim, which, at the end of a century, will fur-
nish her as plausible a ground for discontent against
any nation which, at the end of that time, may en-
ter into a treaty with Texas, as she possesses at tliis
moment against the United States. The lapse of
time can add nothing to her title to independence.
A course of conduct such as has been described
on the. part of Mexico, in violation of all friendly
feeling and of the courtesy which should character-
ize the intercourse between the nations of the earth,
might well justify the United States in a resort to
any measures to vindicate their national honor; but
actuated by a sincere desire to preserve the general
peace, and in view of the present condition of Mex-
ico, the executive, resting upon its integrity and not
fearing but that the judgment of the world will duly
appreciate its motives, abstains from recommending
to Congress a resort to measures of redress, and
contents itself with reurging upon that body prompt
and immediate action on the subject, of annexation.
By adopting that measure, the United States will be
in the exercise of an undoubted right; .and if Mex-
ico, not regarding their forbearance, shall aggravate
the injustice ofher conduct by a declaration of war
against them, upon her head will rest all the respon-
sibility.
JOHN TYLER.
Washington, December 18th, 1844.
Mr. C. J. INGERSOLL moved that the message
just read, and the accompanying documents, be re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and be
printed.
The motion was agreed to.
THE PUBLIC LAND BILL.
Mr. HOUSTON renewed his motion to go into
Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union;
which was agreed to—the vote in the affirmative be-
ing 85, taken by Messrs. Haralson and Grinnell
as telicis.
Mr. C. Johnson took the chair.
Mr. DROMGOOLE then made the motion of
which he had thrown out an intimation.
The CHAIRMAN stated that the usual practice
was to take up the bill which was pending when
the committee last rose, and that that must be laid
aside before any other motion could be entertained.
Mr. DROMGOOLE moved to postpone the bill
before the committee, being a bill to reduce and
graduate the price of the public lands in favor of ac-
tual settlers.
Mr. R. CHAPMAN said the gentleman from II-
Itnois [Mr. Ficklin] was entitled to the floor, and,
unless he yielded it, the gentleman from Virginia
[Mr. Dromgoole] could not obtain it to make such
a motion.
The CHAIRMAN said that was a correct view
of the subject.
Mr. FICKLIN (who was entitled to the floor
from the last day on which this bill was considered
in Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union) then proceeded to address the committee.
He said:
Without indulging in any formal or elaborate
apology, I will proceed at once with the discussion.
The graduation bill, now under consideration, is one
intended for the benefit of the great agricultural inte-
rests of the country. Those who cultivate the soil,
whether in or out of the United States, should feel
a lively interest in its passage, because it multiplies
their chances for becoming landholders; and the
people of the new States are peculiarly anxionS for
the success of the measure.
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United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe, Volume 14: Twenty-Eighth Congress, Second Session, legislative document, 1845; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2366/m1/66/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.