Carolina Watchman

              .,. . d , ;> per annum in advance term 1 ''•'.'■; are for l.efin.1 j adverttseraentb inserted at jjip q 0r _ t ..-- * nt8 for eacjt subsequent insertion - - — - message j ttuoit aawmmw revresenudxoa : andot the house of n<i ' ■ r vn„r labors in the service 1 wt 8 :! a subject of congratu l th ° rt b,on no period in sooed since vour lust session no af uctia dispensation has visited our coun l general good health has prevailed bu'ndance has crowned the toil of the l0s bandraan ; and labor in all its branch ceiving an ample reward while vacation science a;;d the arts are rapid f enlarging the means of social happiness | v . progress of our country in her career f greatness not only in the vast exten di our territorial limits and the rapid * of our population hut in resour ( i wealth and in the happy condi ur people without example in the .- r \ uf nations • wisdom strength and benefi f f our free institutions are unfolded j ve rv dav adds fresh motives to content lent and fresh incentives to patriotism j on devout and sincere acknowledg ers are due to the gracious giver of til eood lor the numberless blessings notch our beloved country enjoys ll is a source of high satisfaction to enow that the relations of the united sales with all other nations with a sin r]e exception are of the most amicable vr sincerely attached to the pol v ol peace early adopted and steadily hirsued by this government i have anx , >;., desired to cultivate and cherish . j and commerce with every for jc-n power the spirit and habits of the american people are favorable to the | ance of such international harmo iy in adhering to this wise policy a pre irainary and paramount duty obviously oosists in the protection of our national nferests from encroachment or sacrifice md our national honor from reproach — ins must lie maintained at any hazard i rv admit of r.o compromise or neglect ! nd must be scrupulously and constantly j aarded in their vigilant vindication | and conflict with foreign powers i ; iv sometimes become unavoidable — iuch has been our scrupulous adherence i the distates of justice in all our foreign ; tot-course that though steadily and ra . ancing in prosperity and power ehave given no just cause of complaint am nation and have enjoyed the bless j gsof peace for more than thirty years ! rom a policy so sacred to humanity and i salutary in its ell'ects upon our politi j i system we should never be induced • iluntarily f;j depart the existing war with mexico was nei | red nor provoked by the united tates i in the contrary all honorable ere resorted to to avert it after ar of endurance of aggravated and un dressed wrongs on our part mexico violation of solemn treaty stipulations i idol every principle of justice recog eedby civilized nations commenced hos ities and thus by her own act forced ! f war upon us long before the ad • net of our army to the left bank of the i 0 grande we had ample cause of war ; ainsl mexico ; and had the united ates resorted to this extremity we might ive appealed to the whole civilized world r lhe justice of our cause 1 deem i to be my duty to present to i ml on the present occasion a condensed view of the injuries we had sustained lhe causes which led to the war and j its progress since its commencement j bis is rendered the more necessary be i tuseol the misapprehensions which have i some extent prevailed as to its origin nd true character the war has been ted as unjust and unnecessary j nd as one of aggression on our part upon j teak and injured enemy such erro '■ tons views though entertained by but w have been widely and extensively htulated not only at home but have fen spread throughout mexico and the bole world a more effectual means 3 ulvl not have been devised to encourage ie enemy and protract the war than to ivocate and adhere to their cause and misgive them " aid and comfort •* is a source of national pride and ex tafion that the great body of our people av e thrown no such obstacles in the way i the government in prosecuting the war fccessfully but have shown themselves ijp eminently patriotic and ready to r dicate their country's honor and inter nal any sacrifice the alacrity and ibmbptness with which our volunteer for es fashed to the field on their country's 5 h prove not only their patriotism but fir deep conviction lhat our cause is the wrongs which we have suffered om mexico almost ever since she be mc an independent power and patient miirance with which we have borne hem are without a parallel in the history modern civilized nations there is rea n to believe that il these wrongs had een resented and resisted in the lirst in oee the present war might have been voided one outrage however permit ed to pass with impunity almost neces sity encouraged the perpetration of an wer until at last mexico seemed to at r bute to weakness and indecision on out r a forbearance which was the off pring of magnanimity and of a sincere esire to preserve friendly relations wit sister republic scarcely had mexico achieved her in dependence which the u states were the t among the nations to acknowledge jih-t , com nced the system of insuli 1pu u ' wllich she has ever sinc «- cont ° ur citi '^ ns engaged in lawful nerce were imprisoned their vessel the carolina watchman bruxer & james ) ' ni a n . } keep a check upon all your bailors or proprietors \ is sa fe ' , ( new series kcleri do this a***t liberty < gent harrison j number 34 of volume iii salisbury n c friday december 18 1846 seized and our flag insulted in her ports if money was wanted the lawless seizure and confiscation of our merchant vessels and their cargoes was a ready resource ; and if to accomplish their purposes it be came necessary to imprison the owners captains and crews it was done rubrs superseded rulers iu mexico in rapid suc cession but st il ! there was no change in this system of depredation the govern ment ofthe i states made repeated re clamations on behalf of its citizens but these were answered by the perpetration of new outrages promises of redress made by mexico in the most solemn forms were postponed or evaded the files and records of the department of state con tain conclusive proofs of numerous law less acts perpetrated upon the property and persons of oor citizens by mexico and of wanton insults to our national flag — the interposition of our government to obtain redress was again and again in voked under circumstances which no na tion ought to disregard it was hoped that these outrages would cease and that mexico would be restrain ed by the laws which regulate the con duct of civilized nations in their inter course with each other after the treaty of amity commerce and navigation of the 5th of april 1831 was concluded be tween the two republics but this hope soon proved to be vain the course of seizure and confiscation of the property of our citizens ; the violation of their per sons and the insults to our flag pursued by mexico previous to that time were scarce ly suspended for even a brief period al though the treaty so clearly defines the rights and duties of the respective parties that it is impossible to misunderstand or mistake them in less than seven years after the conclusion of that treaty our grievances had become so intolerable that in the opinion of president jackson they should no longer be endured in his mes sage to congress in february 1837 he presented them to the consideration of that body and declared that " the length of time since some ofthe injuries have been committed the repeated and unavailing applications for redress the wanton char acter of some of the outrages upon the property and persons of our citizens upon the officers and flag of the united states independent of recent insults to this gov ernment and people by the late extraor dinary mexican minister would justify in the eyes of all nations immediate war iu a spirit of kindness and forbearanee however he recommended reprisals as a milder mode of redress he declared that war should not be used as a remedy " by just and generous nations confiding in their strength for injuries committed if it can be honorably avoided and added " it has occurred to me that considering the present embarrassed condition of that country we should act with both wisdom and moderation by giving to mexico one more opportunity to atone for the past be fore we take redress into our own hands to avoid all misconception on the part of mexico as well as to protect our own na tional character from reproach this op portunity should be given with the avow ed design and full preparation to take im mediate satisfaction if it should not be obtained on a repetition of the demand for it to this end i recommend that an act be passed authorizing reprisals and the use of the naval force of the united states by the executive against mexico enforce them in the event of a refusal by the mexican government to come to an amicable adjustment of the matters in controversy between us upon another de mand thereof made irom on board one of our vessels of war on the coast of mex ico committees of both houses of congress to which this message of this president was referred fully sustained his views of the character of the wrongs which we had suffered from mexico and recommen ded that another demand for redress should be made before authorizing war or repri sals the committee on foreign relations of the senate in their report say : " after such a demand should prompt justice be refused by the mexican government we may appeal to all nations not only for the equity and moderation with wbich we shall have acted towards a sister repub lic but for the necessity which will then compel us to seek redress for our wrongs either by actual war or by reprisals the subject will then be presented before con gress at the commencement of the next session in a clear and distinct form ; and the committee cannot doubt but that such measures will be immediately adopted as may be necessary to vindicate the honor of the country and insure ample repara tion to our injured citizens the committee on foreign affairs of the house of representatives made a sim ilar recommendation in report they say that they " fully concur with the presidenl that ample cause exists for taking redress into our own hands and believe that wt should be justified in the opinion of othei nations for taking such a step but the are willing to try the experiment of ano titer demand made in the most solemt form upon the justice of ihe mexican go p vernment before any further proceeding are adopted no difference of opinion upon the sub i ject is believed to have existed in con ; grcss at that time the executive am i legislative departments concurred ; and | yet such has been our forbearance and i desire to preserve peace with mexico that i the wrongs of which we then complained j and which gave rise to these solemn pro j ceedings not only remain unredressed to this day but additional causes of com j plaint of an aggravated character have i ever since been accumulating shortly after these proceedings a spe cial messenger was despatched to mexi co to make a final demand for redress ; i and on the 20th of july 1837 the demand was made the reply of the mexican government bears date on the 29th ofthe : same month and contains assurances of ! the " anxious wish of the mexican gov i ernment " not to delay the moment of that i final and equitable adjustment which is | to terminate the existing difficulties be i tween the two governments that *' no | thing should be left undone which may j contribute to the most speedy and equita , bie determination of the subjects which j have so seriously engaged the attention ' of the american government ;" that the j " mexican government would adopt as i thc only guides for its conduct the plain est principles of public right the sacred ; obligations imposed by international law j and the religious faith of treaties ;" and j that ** whatever reason and justice may ' dictate respecting each case will be done '. the assurances was further given that ; the decision of the mexican government • upon each cause of complaint for which redress had been demanded should be ; communicated to the government of the ! united states by the mexican minister at ; washington these solemn assurances in answer to \ our demand for redress were disregarded by making them however mexico ob : tained further delay president van bu i ren in his annual message to congress of : the fifih of december 1837 states that " although the larger number of our de ; mands for redress and " many of them i aggravated cases of personal wrongs , have been now or years before the mex ! ican government and some of the causes of national complaint and those of the j most offensive character admitted of im j | mediate simple and satisfactory replies it is only within a few days past that any < '■ specific communication in answer to our : last demand made five months ago has ! been received from the mexican minis ! ter ;" and that " for not one of our public complaints has satisfaction been given or offered ; that but one of the cases of per ■ soual wrong has been favorably consider 1 ed and that but four cases of both de j 1 scriptions out of all those formally pre \ sented and earnestly pressed have as yet j been decided upon by the mexican gov ernment president van buren believ ing that it would be vain to make any j further attempt to obtain redress by the j ordinary means within the power of the ! executive communicated this opinion to '■ congress in the message referred to in which he said on a careful and delib erate examination ofthe contents of the correspondence with the mexican go vernment and considering the spirit manifested by the mexican government it has become my painful duty to return the subject as it now stands to congress to whom it belongs to decide upon the time the mode and the measure of re dress had the united states at that time adopted compulsory measures and taken redress into their own hands all our [ difficulties with mexico would probably have been averted magnanimity and moderation on our part only had the effect to complicate these difficulties and render an amicable settlement of them the more embarrassing that such measures of redress under similar provocations com mitted by any of the powerful nations of europe would have been promptly resort ed to by the u states cannot be doubted the national honor and the preservation ; of the character throughout the world as well as our own self-respect and the pro tection due our own citizens would have rendered such a resort indispensable the history of no civilized nation in modern ■ times has presented within so brief a pe riod so many wanton attacks upon the ! honor of its flag and upon the property . and persons of its citizens as had at that ! time been borne by the united states from the mexican authorities and people but t mexico was a sister republic on the north , american continent occupying a territory ! contiguous to our own and was in a fee . bie and distracted condition ; and these t considerations it is presumed induced i congress to forbear still longer 1 j instead of taking redress in our own ' hands a new negotiation was entered up r on with fair promises on the part of mex " ico but wilh the real purpose as the e vent has proved of indefinitely postpon f ing the reparation which we demanded - and which was so justly due this nego i tiation after more than a year's delay t resulted in the convention of the eleventh s of april 1839 for the adjustment ot e claims of citizens of the united states ol r america upon the government of the mex f ican republic the joint board of com '- missioners created by this convention tc ii examine and decide upon these claims »- was not organized until the month ol s august 1810 and under the terms of the convention they were to terminate theii >- duties within eighteen months from thai i time four of the eighteen months were d consumed in preliminary discussions or , frivolous and dilatory points raised by the ; mexican commissioners ; and it was not until the month of december 1840 that they commenced the examination of the claims of our citizens upon mexico — fourteen months only remained to exam ine and decide upon these numerous and complicated cases in the month of feb i ruary 1842 the term of the commission expired leaving many claims undisposed of for want of time the claims which were allowed by the board and by the umpire authorized by the convention to decide in case of disagreement between the mexican and american commission ers amounted to two million twenty-six thousand one hundred and thirty-nine dol lars and sixty-eight cents there were pending before the umpire when the com mission expired additional claims which had been examined and awarded by the american commissioners and had not been allowed by the mexican commis sioners amounting to nine hundred and twenty-eight thousand six hundred and twenty seven dollars and eighty eight cts upon which he did not decide alleging that his authority had ceased with the termination of the joint commission be sides these claims there were others of american citizens amounting to three million three hundred and thirty six thou sand eight hundred and thirty seven dol lars and five cents which had been sub mitted to the board and upon which they had not time to decide before their final adjournment the sum of two million twenty-six thou ! sand one hondred and thirty-nine dollars j and sixty-eight cents which had been a warded to the claimants was a liquid ated and ascertained debt due by mexico about which there could be no dispute and which she was bound to pay accord ing to the terms of the convention soon | after the final awards fortius amount had been made the mexican government ask ed for a postponement of the time of ma king payment alleging that it would be j inconvenient to make the payment at the i time stipulated iu the spirit of forbear j ing kindness towaads a sister republic ! which mexico has so long abused the u ', nited states promptly complied with her j request a second convention was accor i dingly concluded between the two gov ernments on the thirtieth of january ; 1843 which upon its face declares that " this new arrangement is entered into for the accomodation of mexico by the i terms of this convention all the interest i due on the awards which had been made , in favor of the claimants under the con j vention of the eleventh of april 1839 was to be paid to them on the thirtietn of april 1843 and " the principal of the ■ said awards and the interest accruing thereon was stipulated to be paid in i five years in equal instalments every three months notwithstanding this new con vention was entered into at the request \ of mexico and for the purpose of reliev j ing her from embarrassment the claimants have only received the interest due on i the thirtieth of april 1843 and three of j the twenty instalments although the pay : ment of the sum thus liquidated and con fessedly due by mexico to our citizens as i indemnity for acknowledged acts of out \ rage and wrong was secured by treaty i the obligations of which are ever held sa i cred by all just nations yet mexico has violated this solemn engagement by fail ing and refusing to make lhe payment the two instalments due in april and ju ly 1841 under the peculiar circumstances connected with them have been assumed ! by the united states and discharged to j the claimants but they are still due by i mexico but this is not all of which we have just cause of complaint to provide \ sl remedy for the claimants whose cases i were not decided by the joint commission under the convention of april the eleventh 1839 it was expressly stipulated by the sixth article of the convention of the thir l tieth of january ls33,that a new con ven tion shall be entered into for the settle j ment of all claims of the government and citizens of the united states against the republic of mexico which were not final \ ly decided by the late commission which j met in the city of washington and ofall claims ofthe government and citizens of mexico against the united states in conformity with this stipulation third convention was concluded and signed at the city of mexico on the twentieth of no ! vember 1843 by the plenipotentiaries of the two governments by which provis ion was made for ascertaining and paying i these claims in january 1944 this con s vention was ratified by the senate of the . 1 u states with two amendments which ', were manifestly reasonable in their char acter upon a reference of the amend ments proposed to the government of mex : ico the same evasions difficulties and delays were interposed which have so long marked the policy of the government to ' wards the united states it has not even yet decided whether it would or would ; not accede to them although the subject has been repeatedly pressed upon its con sideration mexico has thus violated a second time the faith of treaties by failing or refusing ■ to carry into effect the sixth article of the convention of january 1843 such is the history of the wrongs which we have suffered and patiently endured : from mexico through a longseriesof years i so far from affording reasonable satislac tion for the injuries and insults we had borne a great aggravation of them con sists in the fact that while the u states anxious to preserve a good understanding with mexico have been constantly hut vainly employed in seeking redress for past wrongs new outrages were constant ly occurring which have continued to in crease our causes of complaint and to swell the amount of our demands while the citizens of the united states were con ducting a lawful commerce with mexico under the guaranty of a treatv of " amity commerce and navigation many of them have suffered all the injuries which would have resulted from open war this treatv instead of affording protection to our citi zens has been the means of invitin them into the ports of mexico lhat they°mhit be as they have been in numerous instan ces plundered of their property and de prived of their personal liberty if they dared insist on their rights had the un lawful seizures of american property and the violation of personal liberty of our cit izens to say nothing of the insults to our flag which have occurred in the ports ol mexico taken place on the high seas they would themselves long since have consti tuted a state of actual war between the two countries in so long suffering mex ico to violate her most solemn treatv ob ligations.plunderour citizens of their prop erty and imprison their persons without affording them any redress we have fail ed to perform one of the first and highest duties which every government owes to its citizens ; and the consequence has been reduced from a state of affluence to bank ruptcy the proud name of american citizen who ought to protect all who bear it from insult and injury throughout the world has afforded no such protection to citizens in mexico we had ample cause of war agaiust mexico long before the breaking out of hostilities but even then we forebore to take redress into our own hands until mexico herself became the aggressor by invading our soil in hostile array and shedding the blood of our citi zens such are the grave causes of complaint on the part of the united states against mexico — causes which existed long be fore the annexation of texas to the amer can union ; and yet animated by the love of peace and a magnanimous moderation we did not adopt those measures of re dress which under such circumstances are the justified resort of injured nations the annexation of texas to the united states constituted no just cause of offence to mexico the pretext that it did so is wholly inconsistent and irreconcilable with well authenticated facts connected with the revolution by which texas be came independent of mexico that this may be the more manifest it may be prop er to advert to the causes and to the his tory ofthe principal events of that revolu tion texas constituted a portion of the an cient province of louisiana ceded to the united states by france in the year 1803 in the year 1819 the united states by the florida treaty ceded to spain all that part of louisiana within the limits of tex as and mexico by the revolution which separated her from spain and rendered her a independent nation.succeeded to the rights of the mother country over this ter ritory in the year 1824 mexico estab lished a federal constitution under which the mexican republic was composed of a number of sovereign states confederated together in a federal union similar to our own each of these states had its own executive legislature and judiciary ant for all except federal purposes was as in dependent of the general government and that of the other states as is pennsylva nia or virginia under our constitution texas and coahulla united and formed one of these mexican states the statr constitution which they adopted and whicl was approved by the^mexican confedera cy asserted that they were " free and in dependent of the other mexican united states and every other power and domin ion whatsoever and proclaimed the great principles of human liberty that " the sov ereignty of the state resides originally \ and essentially in the general mass ofthe individuals who compose it to the go i vernment under this constitution as well as to that under the federal constitution the people of texas owed allegiance emigrants from foreign countries inclu ding the united states were invited b the colonization laws of the state and oi the federal government to settle in texas advantageous terms were offered to in , duce them to leave their own country ant beome mexican citizens this invitation was accepted by many of our citizens in the full faith that in their new home thej would be governed by laws enacted by their representatives elected by them selves and that their lives liberty and property would be protected by constitu tional guarantees similar to those whicl existed'in the republic they had left un der a government thus organized they con tinued until the year 1835 when a mili tary revolution broke out in the city o mexico which entirely subverted the fed eral and state constitutions and placed i military dictator at the head of the gov ernment by a sweeping decree of a congres subservient to the will ofthe dictator th several state constitutions were abolishe and the states themselves converted int mere departments ofthe central govern ment the people of texas were unwil ling to submit to this usurpation resis tance lo such lyrany became a high du ty texas was fully absolved from all allegiance to the central government of mexico from the moment that government had abolished her state constitution and in its place substituted an arbitrary and despotic central government such were the principal causes ofthe texan revolution the people of texas at once determined upon resistance and flew to arms in the midst of these im portant and excited events however they did not omit to place their liberties upon a secure and permanent foundation they elected members to a convention who in the month of march 1836 issued a formal declaration that their political connexion with the mexican nation has forever ended and that the people of tex as do now constitute a frue sovereign and independent republic and are fully inves ted with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to independent nations they also adopted for their government a liberal republican constitution about the same time santa anna then the dic tator of mexico invaded texas with a nu merous army for the purpose of subduing her people and enforcing obedience to his arbitrary and despotic government — on the twenty-first of april 1838 he was met by the texan citizen-soldiers and on that day was achieved by them the mem orable victory of san jacinto by which they conquered their independence con sidering the numbers engaged on the re spective sides history does not record a more brilliant achievement santa an na himself was among the captives in the month of may 1836 santa anna ac knowledged by a treaty with the texan author ities in the mist solemn form tho lull eniirr and perfect independence ofthe republic of tex as it is true he was then a prisoner ol war bul il is equally true that he had tailed lo recon quer texas and had met wilh signal defeat ; that his authority had not been revoked and that by virtue of this that he obtained his per sonal release by it hostilities were suspend ed and the army which had invaded texas un der his command returned in pursuance of this arrangement unmolested to mexico from the day that the battle of san jacinto was fought until the present hour mexico has never possessed the power to reconquer texas in the language ofthe secretary ol state of the i niied slates in a despatch to mir minister in mexico under date of the eighth of july 1842 '* mexico may have chosen to consider and may still choose to consider texas as hav ing been at all times since 1835 and as still continuing a rebellious province ; but the v,>rld has been obliged to lake a very different riew of the matter from the time ofthe battle of san jacinto in april 1836 to the present moment texas has exhibited the same external signs of national independence as mexico hersel and with quite as much stability of government — practically free and independent acknowledged as a political sovereignty by the principal pow ers ot the world no hostile foot 6nding rest wilh in her territory lor six or svven years and mexico herself refraining for all that period from any further attempt to re-establish her own au thority over that territory it cannot but be sur prising to find mr de bocanegra ihe secre tary of foreign affairs of mexico complain ing that for that whole period citizens of the l states or its government have been lavor ing the rebels of texas and supplying them with vessels ammunition and money as if the war fur the reduction of the province of texas had been constantly prosecuted h mexico and her succes prevented by these influences from abroad in the same despatch the secretary of state affirms that since 1837 the u srates have regarded texas as an independent sover eignty as much as mexico ; and that trade and commerce with citizens of a government at war with mexico cannot on that account be regar ded as an intercourse by which assistance and succor are given to mexican rebels the whole current of mr de bocanegra's remarks runs in lhe same direction as if the independence of texas had not been acknowledged it has been acknowledged — it was acknowledged in l"'.i~i against the remonstrance and protest of mexico and most ofthe acts of any impor tance of which mr de bocanegra complains flow necessarily from that recognition he speaks of texas as still being an integral pad of the territory of lhe mexican republic but it cannot but understand that the united states do not so regard it the real complaint of mexico therefore is iu sudsistance neither more nor less than a complaint against the recognition of texas independence it may be thought rather late to repeat lhat complaint and not ipiite just to confine it to the i slates to the exemption of england france and bel gium unless the u states having been the tirst to acknowledge the independence of mex ico herself are to be blamed for setting an ex ample or the recognition of that of texas — and he added that the constitution public treaties and the laws oblige the president to regard texas an independent state and its ter ritory as no part ofthe territory of mexico — texas had been an independent state with an organized governmeot defying the power of mexico to overthrow or cotupier her for more than ten years before mexico commenced the present war ajrainst the i stales texas had given such evidence to the world of her ability to maintain her separate existence as an inde pendent nation that she had been formally re cognised as such not only by the f states but bv several of the principal powers of eu rope these powers had entered into treaties of amity commerce and navigation with ber they had received and accredited her minis lers and other diplomatic agents at their re spective courts and thev had commissioned ministers and diplomatic agents on their part to the government of texas if mexico not withstanding all this and her utter inability to subdue or conquer texas still stubbornly re fused to recognize her as an independent na tion she was none ihe less so on that account mexico herself had been recognised aa an in dependent nation by the i slat and by oth er powers many years bef.re spain of which before her revolution she had been a colony would agree to recognise her as such ; and yet mexico was at that time in the estimation of the civilized world and in fact none the less and independent power because spain mill claimed her as a colony if spain had con tinued until the present period to a**-.ert that mexico was one ot her colonies in rebellion a gainst her this xvould not have made her so or chan"td the fact of her independent existence