Page:The War with Mexico, Vol 2.djvu/307

Rh, "rolling this war, as a sweet morsel, under its tongue," was detected in wilfully doing. "everything in its power to prevent" the energetic operations upon which, as any one could see, its financial, peel and personal credit vitally depended.

In November, 1847, Henry Clay, the plumed leader of the national Whig party, celebrated also as the man who elected Polk, after taking even a longer time than others to consult the omens, gave out a speech and a set of resolutions. These were intended as a chart for the party to be guided by under the' pilotage of that distinguished though unlucky navigator. The author forgot having said in 1813, "an honorable peace is attainable only by an efficient war," but he remembered to condole with suffering Ireland. He forgot that a country engaged. in hostilities of uncertain duration and cost cannot wisely bind itself to specific terms of peace, but reiterated the favorite Whig taunt that it was a blind war, without known aim. Historically too, he wandered a little, for he charged the President with ordering Taylor to plant cannon opposite Matamoros "at the very time" when Slidell was "bending his way" to Mexico; but Polk was unpopular, and few thought it necessary to speak the truth about him. We oppose the annexation of Mexico, Clay proclaimed, which, on the other hand was perhaps too true to be interesting; and we demand only a proper boundary for Texas, which bore him a long distance toward Berrien.

But here was the master stroke: We desire to acquire no foreign territory "for the purpose" of extending slavery to it. This had the threefold merit of completely "dodging" the great question of principle, giving the northern Whigs a graven image to worship, and conceding to their southern brethren a full privilege to do anything possible in the acquired territory, after it should be ours. But unfortunately for his party the Navigator admitted that Congress had made the conflict a national war, that a long series of "glorious"' victories had been won, and that since Congress had formulated no declaration regarding the objects in view, Polk — frequently accused by Whigs of carrying on the war for diabolical purposes both abhorrent and fatal to the Constitution — had been free to use his judgment. In Mexico Clay's speech was widely circulated, and a competent observer thought it might delay peace one or two years. Such