Carolina Watchman

              term of die wa.clii_.hii j-ir subscription per year two i illars — payable in idvance hut it not i>ai<_t in advance two dollars an j fifty ets will be eliarged adveetissj-ent inserted at n for te first anil 2 ets for each su'wequent insertion coort orders chnrged j per ct higher than these rates a liberal dedue lion lo those who advertise by the year ki ri:r to the ejitors must be post paid a review of iho career character and services of zachary taylor republished from the north american and v states g-zette philade continued from last week monterey g.'eat and meritorious as wove the vic tories so admirably — we might almost say so unexpectedly — won by taylor in the moment of national anxiety at palo alto and resaca de la palma the calm judg ment ofthe intelligent citizen cannot but concede that amid the circumstances fol lowing these exploits oppressed by new difficulties which they brought upon him he exhibited even higher qualities than those which had blazed out so gloriously on the lield of batile the war no long er a calamity to be prevented ; it had be gun and was to be fought ; the enemy was to be followed into his own land a ' compelled to peace ; everything was to be thought of and resolved on without delay by a victor whose gov nment had left him without sufficient si pj . and particularly without the means ol trans portation troops were at lirst wanting but they soon came pouring in enthusi astic volunteers in embarrassing numbers in numbers beyond taylor's wants and requisitions but as nothing else came tbey only made bad worse and increased the difficulties of his position 13ut in the midst of these ditiiculties his thoughts and resolutions were equallv active within nine days after the affair of la palma his hag floated over mata moros and the whole lower right bank of tbe rio grande ; and as early as the 20th of may only twelve days af:er the first blow at palo alto as we know from bis official correspondence he had already meditated the enterprise the march the very route to be pursured against the city of monterey this march in fact against monterey — made with insullicient subsist ance and ammunition ; this march which considering lhe consequences that must have flowed from a repulse timid critics would have regarded as an overdaring hazardous adventure is one of the most decided proofs of taylor's judgment as well as heroism his very destitution ren dered it necessary there were food and ammunition enough in monterey ; and with young and zealous volunteers anx ious to see the foe there was less loss to he apprehended from a hard march and a harder light than from the lining inac tivity of sickly camps on the rio grande the autumn was coming nay was alrea dy at hand ; there were pure waters and hreeze.s and mountain health at monte rey — what difference did it make if there were tremendous fortilications and the standing rule mexicans iu superior num bers '. the march was resolved on push ed in every way ; and about the same period almost the same day when santa anna was passed into vera cruz to raise and head that army which was to meet taylor at buena vista the latter advanced the lirst division of his army irom camargo to ceralvo on the expedi tion against monterey it was on the loth september that santa anna arrived at the capital and in proud array amid roaring festivities and the clamor of mex ican oaths of patriotism swore to drive the " perlidious yankees the '• barbari ans ofthe north from the sacred soil of the magnanimous republic four days later on the 19th the mexican cannon at monterey was playing upon gen taylor as with a little reconnoitering party he rode up to inspect for himself the formi dable defences of citadel redoubts forti fied heights and stone houses with para pets each a moorish fortification or a part of one great moorish fort ilication embracing the whole city which it was now necessary he should carry by storm and that too within a few days to pre vent the effects of an entire want of all the necessaries of war and of ... his own army and so he carried it what need of repeating the details of this glorious siege of which every particular has become a part of therecollectionsof every american mind — the chivalrous exploits of worth's division on the west carrying the armed heights and hemming in the mexicans in the rear and the bloody assaults upon the town itself on the east made under the orders of taylor himself on the second day the weak man had the strong man at his mercy — six thousand american regu lars and vouluuteers had wrapped in a girdle of bayonets and gtape-sliot a mex ican city of fifteen thousand inhabitants defended by a garrison of ten thousand soldiers and on that second day the city threw up its hands for quarters and the ten thousand mexican soldiers hoisted a flag of truce and capitulated this was the third glory of taylor in this war — how this nation exulted ! it was onlv the newborn malice of political jealousy — for on a sudden the wondrous popularity acquired by taylor as if by magic and the presentation of his name as a candi date for the high office ot president by vast numbers of citizens and iu particu lar by the entire whig party had render ed him an object of terror to the scheming administration which had made the war it was only the strangely unnatural and ungrateful haired of locofocoism which strove for a moment to censure that ca pitulation and to reprehend nay if pos sible to crush the brave old victor for the s*n of not having finally captured or ex terminated the whole garrison and put perhaps the whole wretched population <* monterey to the sword the carolina watchman ' driver & james ) t n ( " keep a check vtox all tocr editors cy proprietors \ rulers _._*_-____.,.___. j nev series gen'l harrison ( volume v number 17 salisbury n c , thursday august 24 1848 who forgets the attempt made so shame lessly by locofoco adherence of the ex ecutive in congress to nullify the vote of thanks to general taylor for that im mense success of monterey by a proviso censuring the capitulation granted by him to the mexicans — in oilier words to affix upon him the stigma of having failed in the performance of his whole duty as an american commander m batile against the enemy ? the attempt only recoiled with injury upon its authors the first reflection convinced every right minded american that the capitulation of mon terey was in itself the greatest of gen eral taylor's acts and that one of them all which was by far the most honorable to his country ; and in a moment the sen timent of generous pride in and lofty ap preciation of the true merit of tin mon terey capitulation became universal which in the memorable senate debate on that subject had been proclaimed by mr clay ton in tones which went to every heart in the republic " 1 say therefore said mr clayton that from the bottom of my soul i thank the brave generous and merciful com mander of the american troops i thank him not only for his gallantry and skill his conduct and bravery but eminently and above all other considerations as an american senator i thank him for his humanity ! 1 honor him because he thought of and spared feeble and unoffending woman in that hour of her utmost peril 1 honor him because he spared tottering age and helpless infancy ; and 1 glory that an american general has shown him self thus alive to the best feelings oi the human heart no iroin the moment of that debate it has been felt tbat the laurels of monterey are all the more glorious and will be so regarded forever because they associate not lhe horrid brutalities of a city taken by stick but recollections of a generous humanity worthy to be prized as the no blest attribute of the american charac ter the victor of monterey the hero of that capitulation is a true representative of the people who admire and love him the more for that reason buena vista in the last and greatest act of his mili tary life fortune seemed resolved to prove in the most unanswerable manner how much of general taylor's fame was due to himself to his wonderful resolution of character and his power of infusing his own courage into the hearts of the men under his command even when undiscip lined volunteers who had never seen a foe the fine army — the veterans of monte rey were gone — drawn away to open a new path ot glory on the route between vera cruz and mexico which taylor him self had indicated as the only suitable one on which to attack mexico with effect ; and when shorn of his strength but not his valor and strong in judgment he had gone to watch the designs of the enemy at the farthest outpost of agua nueva ra ther than shut himself up within the cita delled safety of monterey he had as the world has long known bul 1,073 men — of whom only about one-ten li were regulars — artillery and horse — not a single com pany of infantry — to meet the 21,310 men composing the mexican army these well armed and equipped santa anna had provided at san louis potosi ready for a sudden swoop upon and what he deemed an assured victory over an illus trious victim provided to his hand won derful coincidence of folly ! for we do not of course impute it to a designed guilt by the same unfortunate administration which had so foolishly sent himself to mexico to re-animate and re-organize his defeated countrymen there then lay with his feeble force the deserted hero in that solitary post among the mexican mountains entirely beyond the reach of relief or of any hope out of his own camp — or heart many a weary mile in advance of monterey — ma ny ti league from the line of the bio grande ; but calm and constant as if at the head of the proudest army on the fron tiers of his own country expecting the attack which he had already provided for even to the field of battle on which he was resolved to bring santa anna to a stand and to beat him we say to '• beat him ;" for incredible though it may seem all the circumstances prove that general taylor knowing for he was per fectly aware of santa anna's immensely superior forces — live to one — never once had the slightest doubt that he should re pulse and vanquish him the selection of a field of conflict at the narrow pass of buena vista — a kind of thermopyhe for the americans — where a small army might best oppose a large one and the continued refusal to fall back behind the siena mad re showed this plainly enough which never however was declared in boastful words or promises though it once broke out in a hasty expression sig nificant of all the general's thoughts when an officer one day — as the anecdote has it — ventured rather freely to ask what he thought would be the result of general santa anna's making a sudden march upon them from san luis to which taylor quickly replied that the result would be — his making a " sudden march back again and so it happened ! it was on the 21st of february 1817 that taylor apprised hy his scouts of the approaching host fell back.ingood order to his intended battle-field ; where the " magnanimous benemerito or well de serving of mexico on the next day in formed him ihat he was surrounded by 20,000 men and proposed to allow him the humane privilege of surrendering at discretion here gen taylor was guil ty of the rudeness of affecting to consider santa anna's summons as a request as not deeming that a mexican general would dare make any demands on him and the further incivility of •' declining to accede to it wc captain of four thou sand men to reply in that way to the com mander of twenty thousand ! but it was on the 22d of february the birthday of washington lhe second national holy day of american freedom on such a day indeed general taylor might laugh santa anna and his summons lo scorn : on such a day young crittenden in the midst ofthe mexican host might proudly dare — " general taylor never surren ders who does not remember the first ac counts that reached the united states of the results of santa anna's attack—mex ican accounts fabulous bewildering but fearfully exciting — which represented taylor as retreating before the immense hosts of santa anna lighting his way back to monterey there lo turn like a lion at bay upon his pursuer charging in to the midst of his legions and covering the earth with the slain well — he was surrounded but he never fled ; the lion was at bay but it was the favorite lair of buena vista and it was there that the multitude of mexicans fell i ing side by side with heaps of american volunteers the day gone the night closing around the mountain peaks and deep gorges and that puny army not yet driven from its lines ! yet a second day dawned and the conflict was resumed as obstinately as furiously as destructively as ever — then came a second night and the brave old general and his brave young hoops — so raw and yetso courageous — hung them selves down exhausted upon the bloody earth beside their cannons to snatch a short uneasy slumber and then up once more lor a third day of battle the third day was soon there — but where were the mexicans ? vanquished — routed — utter ly lied their dead and wounded left like the whule exposed rear of their army — to the humanity of the general who had been so short a time before recommended to surrender at discretion ! where in modern times was there such a battle ? where such a victory ? no wonder when the news of this great field leached the country a field at once so ro mantic and so heroic — so exciting and so saddening — lor oh the dead of those two days whose blood brought us this glory — that the fame of monterey was eclipsed by the greater splendors of bue na \ ista and that zachary taylor was enshrined in the very hearts of his coun trymen ; and no wonder that the purpose ot those hearts was confirmed to call his great qualities into a new field of civil action in which it was felt that precisely such qualities were wanted — integrity and honor — a spotless life and rigid code of moral principles ; simplicity frankness kindness of heart ; moderation of views and feelings prudence excellent good sense and judgment : add to these invin cible constancy of purpose and a bravery always so calm and reflective — and we assuredly have presented to us many of those noble trails which went to compose the solid character of washington and fitted him to shine so well — so equally well — in the camp and the cabinet it is from the strongly marked analogies of character that the people of the united states have formed their opinions of the fitness of general taylor for the oflice of president ofthe united states ; to which if we can believe the signs of the times they have manifestly made up iheir minds to elect him to be continued the printer a printer is lhe most curious being living he may have a bank and coins and not lie worth a penny — have small caps and neither wile nor children others may run fast hul he gets along swiftest by setting fast he may lie making impressions without eloquence ; may use the lye without offending and be telling truth ; while others cannot stand when they set ; he can set standing and even do both at the same time may make furniture and yet have no dwelling ; may make and pul away pi and " never sec a pic much less eat it during his life — he a human being and a rat at the same time — may press a great deal and not ask a favor — may handle a shooting iron and know nothing about a cannon gun or pistol — he may move lhe lever thai moves the world and he as tar from moving the globe as a hog with his nose under a mole hill — spread sheets without being a housewife — he may lay his form on his bed and yet be obliged to sleep on the floor he may use the f without shedding blood and from the earlh may handle the *** ; i.e may be of a rolling disposition and yet never desire to travel ; he may have a sheep's foot and not he deformed ; never be without a case and know nothing of law or physic ; be always correcting his errors and yet glowing worse every day have em-braces without ever having the arm of a lass around him ; have his form locked up and at the same lime be free from jail watch house or other confinement mr cass's extra allowances we invite the attention ofthe people of north caro lina to the following aceount from the correspondent of the baltimore patriot of the resolution offered in the house of representatives on the 5th instant by mr stewart of pennsylvania and the evasive expedient re sorted to by mr cass's friends to defeat the examina tion it proposed and to withhold the vouchers called for now what reasonable object could the friends of mr cass have had to the resolution unless they find the awkward disclosures which these vouchers or the ab sence of them might and probably would have elicited as the writer shrewdly remarks if these vouchers could be produced and would satisfy the people would they not be called for and produced with alacrity by his mr cass friends ? corre.tpoiidvnre of the baltimore patriot washington august 6 1848 mr stewart in the house yesterday produced a re solution specifying the many numerous charges made against iie government in the shape of extras for al leged extra services which have been allowed and paid and pocketed by gen cass with the proper dates and documentary references and calling upon the secretary ofthe treasury to communicate to the house forthwith the vouchers for said accounts as rendered by gen cass the following is a copy ofthe resolution resolved that the secretary ofthe treasury be di rected to send to thi house forthwith the original let ters and vouchers in support of ihe claims and extra al lowances paid to lewis cass over and above his regular salary of jftjouo a year ns governor and ex-olficio su perintendent of indian affairs for the territory of mich igan to wit the letters and vouchers in support ofthe extra allowance paid lo him 1st — for clerk hire oflice rent c from the 9th of october 1813 to the 31st of july 1831 nt 1500 per annum as per docu ment xo 2-15 3rd session 25th congress page 2 2g,g15 00 2d — for rations to wil : ten rations a day at 20 cts each from the 9th oct 1813 to 29th of may 1822 as per same document and page g.g10 00 3d — for services as supeiintendent of indian affairs said to have been rendered out of the territory of michigan from the 29th of may 1822 to 31st of august 1831 at 1500 per annum as per document no li 3d session 27th congress page 11 14,375 00 4th — for aiding in the negotiation of sundry treaties whilst governor and ex officio superintendent of indian affairs as afore said 772 at 8,00 per day and 40 cents per mile travelled same document page 11 and 12 9,744 00 5th — for attending at washington city to settle his own accounts for extra pay sec 208 days to wit from the list of october 1821 to 29ih of may 1822 for mileage ten rations per day sec as per document page 11 1,448 00 gtb — for alleged services whilst governor and superintendent of indian affairs " in preparing a code for the regulation of in dian affairs 111 days to wit from the 22d of october 1828 to 10th of february 1829 as per same document page 12 1,520 00 7th — for extra pay whilst governor as a toresaid as deputy quartermaster gen eral in the army for one year as per document 18 first session 28th congress page 28 1,001 80 bth — for extra pay and allowance as a cap tain in the regular army whilst governor as aforesaid to wit : from the 12th of may 1817 to the 28th of june 1821 same doc ument same page 2.42g gg 03,048 46 9th — letters and vouchers filed in support of the following items in the accoun render ed by gov cass against the united slates the 21st july 1832 about one year after his appointment as secretary of war and said not to be embraced in any ofthe pre vious quarterly settlements of his accounts wiih the government to wit for alleged balances and overpayments made by him as superintendent of indian affairs on the following accounts as per document 112 3d session 25th congress page 16 to wit : lsi — for overpayments on ac count of contingencies for in dian department 3,398 55 2d — for overpayment to indian sub-agents 3g3 15 3d — for overpayments on ac count of presents to indians 416 80 4th — for overpayments on ac count of annuities under the appropriation act of the 15th of may 1820 5,370 15 5th — for overpayments on ac count of annuities under lhe act of 2d march 1828 245 43 6th — for overpayments on ac count of annuities under the appr ri_tion act of the 25th march 1830 32,711 27 t til — for alleged balance on ac eount of the treaty at prairie du chien 4-10 00 8th — for alleged overpayments and balances due him on ac count of indian department prior to 1829 10,1*^3 41 amounting in all as per docu ment 112 3d session 25th congress page 16 53,128 96 1 17,01)9 40 10th — the requisition drawn on the treasury in favor of gov cass no 206 dated the 21st of july 1832 about a year after his appointment as secretary at war to settle the balance alleged to be due him on account of the overpayments c aforesaid same document and same page 35,075 11th — the endorsement on the said accounts by gov cass then secretary at war after the issue and pay ment of said requisition of 35,075 for the balance alleged to be due him by which the final settlement of his account was suspended owing to " the peculiar position which i gov cis stand with relation to the department until the 5th of december lf37 when his account was finally closed as appears by the letter of wm 13 lewis 2d auditor of that date as per document 112 3d session 25th congress page 16 according to this resolution giving facts dates and figures carefully hunted out and arrayed in order gen cass received his 2000 per annum as governor of michigan territory for some thirteen years and besides some sixty odd thousand dollars for other services and moneys alleged to have been paid out of his own tunds for the government during the same period of time after he had made these charges and received his pay the regular salary as governor and 60,000 and upwards in the shape of extra allowances he was made secretary of war it appears that when he enters on the duties of the chief officer ofthe war department he found himself indebted to the government 18,000 what course did he pursue i why according to mr stewart's resolu tion of facts dates and figures he made up a new ac count during the first year be presided over the war de partment in which he charges lhe fresh sum of 53,128 96 against the government for past extra services ren tiered running back through ten or twelve years luring a period in which all of his own accoust were or ought to have been rendered nnd settled in quarterly re turns ! this account of 3,li_s 95 made oui while he he was secretary of war under his potent influence and direction or otherwise was audited and agreed to by the subordinates which brought the government ia debt uo gen cass some 35,075 in addition to the majesti sums he had before charged and received a warrant was drawn for its payment he received the money pocketed it and wrote upon the amounts as audited that inasmuch as he was secretary of war he would defer the settlement of the account to a future day to be approved by his successor after lie left the war department and on the eve of his leaving the country for france he got the then second auditor william b lewis to put the old account in proper order an.l have it endursed by the then secretary of war i'he work was done tbe date of the warrant by which general cass pocketed the 35,075 was juiy 1st 1.3 : the number of the warrant 2956 objections being made to mr stewart's resolution he moved to suspend the rules ihat he might oiler it on this motion the yeas and nays were ordered am ihey stood yeas 87 nays 61 ; not two-thirds voting in th af firmative the motion failed you will see when the yeas and nays are published irho vol i io gel rid of the call for lhe vouchers if these vouchers could be pro duced and would satisfy the people would they not be called for and produced with alacrity by the friends of gen cass ? does not the general in his book written in france in praise of king lotus phillippe and his monarchy now overthrown contrast the small salaries of our govern ment officers with those ofthe officer of european go vernments and refers to what had been said that our officers frequently make up by stealings for the small salaries they receive ? if so does he not discourse knowingly on the subject ? if he does not know all about the system pray who does ? and is ibis man to be made president no old zack who never charged or received a cent in the shape of an " extra is the man chapter of secret history from the xew york evening post the two letters which are subjoined form an important passage in lhe secret history of lhe annexation of texas our readers are aware lhal several democratic members of lhe uni ted states senate strove to induce congress lo adopt such a method of annexing texas as would avoid the danger of a war with mexico and satisfy every part of lhe union j he plan of ivlr benton proposing to arrange by ne«o tialion the terms on which texas should be ad mitted into lhe union had these objects in view if it had been adopted we should have acquir ed texas without war blood lied or a national debt the democratic senatoi s who support ed il had it in their power to compel congress lo adopt iheir method or none how thev were induced to consent to a measure which put it in the power ofthe president to annex texas and the war at once is related in lhe letters they were betrayed into the step it seems by an act of the grossest perfidy which is disclosed in lhe letters of mr tappan and mr blair which we publish to-day we think for our part ihat this fraud should have been disclosed the moment il was consum mated — the moment that mr polk after his solemn promises — after all his pretences of hasle to recall mr tyler's clandestine messen ger aud to revoke the offer of which he was the bearer declared in his annual message that he had ratified mr tyler's proceedings an confirmed his offer to annex texas and the war a regard lo their own reputation it seems to us should have led ihem lo make a frank antl full disclosure of the treachery and duplicity l«y which they were made involuntary accomplices in lhe guilt of precipitating the country into a war they seem on their part to have thought therwise the only important point however is the truth of the narrative mr tappan and mr blair agree in its circumstances and if more testimony were needed there are other sena tors who if ihey ever speak on lhe subject will tell the same story we are sorry for the pre eminence in trickery which it gives mr polk over mr tyler in all future histories of the annexation of texas this story of a promise solemnly given and deliberately violated will form a part letters of messrs tappan am blair steubexville jii'.y 21 1849 to the editor ofthe ev pusl : dear sib : since ihe admission of texas into lhe union was consummated i have thought with you that my vote on that occasion requir ed explanation i was in favor of receiving that state into the union as soon as it could be done on fair and just terms antl with lhe consent of mexico ; and i believed from all i could learn that this might be accomplished at a less expense lhan it would cost lo wage a war of one year's duration for obtaining it so lis po^ed i had not only voted against mr tyler's ireaty of annexation because it was exception able in its terms but iu violation of a rule of llie senate from an imperative sense of public duty had published il and the correspondence with whicli it was accompanied because it ap peared tn me thai the whole affair afforded evi dence of a daring conspiracy lo iliii/lf i lie i n'um by arraying the free and slave stales against each other ; evidence which considerations en tirely paramount to all senatorial formulas re quired to be immediately divulged the inquiry is a very natural one — how men who desired lhe admission of tex is ami v led against the treaty of annexation could after wards vole for the resolution brought into the house of representatives b_y mr milton brown which was more exceptionable in its terms than the treaty now that the war with mexico is , ended and the public interest cannot be injured v answering lbla -,„-,„• , ;„ „,_ fj ng utente premising ha the public history t his transaelion is i the 6«i«*3 l-lobe v,,l 14 .,;,„,, 350 . .. , - "" sional globe f*h^ulf££qm*m when '!'« joint resoluii.'n decvari lhe terms on which ( ongress will admit tex2 into the union as a state was he re ibe senate it was soon found thai a number of the demo cratic members who were favoral.le lo the ad mission ol texas would vote against that reso lut ion i was one of them in this stage of the matter it was proposed that instead of re jecting ihe house resolution ire should amend it on adding as an alternative proposition the substance of mr benton's bill to obtain trias bv negotiating \ ad s,ron objections to this plan tor i did not see the necessity or propriety uf passing the house res..luti m either wiih or without ibe propos i amendments bul it was urged tbal the sessi 11 was so near its close that ( th measure would be defeated if we mbstilo led mr benton's plan for ihe other whereas if w made it an additional article il would readily pass the house in lhal form this rea soiling did nut satisfy me bul iin ling thai mr friends were all satisfied with such proposed arrangement i acceded ic it — pr led lhal i could have satisfactory assurance lhal lhe plan proposed in such amendment would be the only one used and submitted lo texas mr folk was in the city it was understood that he was very anxious congress should acl un the subject before he came into office ; ,; was also understood that the proposition to amend the house resolution originated with mr polk it had been suggested that if we did so amend the resolution mr calhoun would send off the house resolution to texa and si endeavor to forestal the action of mr p ik ; but mr me duffie his friend having met this suggestion by the declaration ihat he would n..t bare the au dacity to do such a thing i wis no more though of one difficulty remained and ihat was the danger of putting it im t!,p p,,wer of mr folk o submit lhe h..u»e resolution to texas we understood indeed that he intend d lo submit ihe senate proposition lo that gov ernment but without being satisfied thai he would do this i would not vole for the rcsolu tion and it was well ascertained that without my vote it could not pass llr haywood who had voted with me and was opposed lo lha house resolution undertook to converse with mr folk on the subject and cl i.l so he after wards told me lhal he was authorized by mr folk lo say lo myself antl other senators hat it we could pass the resolution with i amend ment proposed to be made he would submit iho senate amendment as lhe sole proposition to fexas upon this assurance i voted for iho amendment moved by mr walker containing the substance ol benton's bill and voted for lhe resolution as it now stands on the statute book it is matter of history that mr calhoun did have the •• audacity " to send oil a special mes senger with the house resolution to texas on the 3rd march a few minutes before he went out of office ; and that mr polk adopted ami confirmed this act of mr calhoun's so admit ting texas into the union and placing the u slates in a state of tear it ith mt 1 ten knowing that my esteemed friend f p blair had taken a deep interest in this subject while it was before congress i addressed a note lo him requesting a statement of his recollection ofthe way lhe fexas question was got through the senate the following is his answer i am sir yours benj tappan silver spring july 7 1848 hon lienj tappan sleubenvdle ohm ; dear sin : — you letter of lhe 1st instant asks me to state what i know as lo ihe way the texas question was gol through the senate " i comply anil will not encumber the narrative with immaterial details when the resolution passed by the house of representatives for the annexation of teias reached the senate it was ascertained that it would fail iu that body benton bag by dix haywood and as i understand 3011 also were absolute in opposition othis naked proposition of annexation which necessarily brought wiih it the war in which fexas was engaged with mexico all had determined to adhere to lhe bill submitted by col benton f,r the appoint ment of a commission lo arrange ibe terms of annexation with texas and to make the attempt to lender its accession to our union as palata ble as possible to mexico before its consumm 1 lion it was hoped that this point might have been effected by giving as has been done in the late treaty of peace a pecuniary conside ration fully equivalent in value for the leniloi ,• desired by the united states and to which fexas could justly assert any title the sen ate had been polled and il was .. ccrtained that any two of the democratic senators who were opposed to brown's resolution which bad passed the house could defeal it the whole w ing tatty preferring annexation l.v negotia tion upon jul benton's plan to that of brown while the question wa tin pending i net mr blown late governor of tennessee then a member ofthe house who ■ tggesled that the resolution of lhe house ami the bill of col benton preferred by ihe senate might be blended making the latter an alternative and leaving the president elect who alone would have lime lo consummate the measure lo act under one or the other at his discretion i lold mr brown that i did not believe that lhe dem ocratic senators opposed to the resolution of the house and who had had its fate iu their bands would consent lo this arrangement un less they were satisfied in advance bv mr folk that the commission and negotiation contem plated by mr benton's plan would he tried be fore thai of direct legislative at :.<■*: ion vvas resorted to he desired me io see col benton and the friends of his proposition suuiuit the suggestions he had made and then confer with mr folk lo know whether he would 1 t their views i complied : and alter several inter views with messrs haywood benton and others mr allen of ohio using hi influence in the same direction finding that lhe two plans could be coupled and carried if it were understood that the pacific project was lirst to be tried i consulted ihe president elect on the subject in the conference i had wiih him he gore me full assurance thai he would appoint a com mission as contemplated in the bill prepared bm (',,!. benton it passed in conjunction with ihe house resolution as an alltrnalive fn the course of my conversation with mr folk i told him that lhe friends of this plan were solicitous th it the commission should be rilled by distin guished men of both parties and that col ben ion bad mentioned to me the names of ciilien ih'ii and wrighl as ot ihe class from which it should be formed mr folk responded by de daring with au emphasis '* that tiie iirst