495
PAPERS OF l\fmABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
Shall the consent of the enate to the release of Santa Anna be dis- pensed with? to this question I answer no. Shall he be set at liberty forthwith and sent to tl1e United States? to this question the pres- ident an we1 affirmatively; he says yes-and, his reasons for this vote I now beo-leave to weigh, and I think after a fair examination they will be :found wanting. I have no land mark to sail by except the vet-0 me sage; and since his excellency has had this l1is favorite project under long consideration and has delfoerately written out hi views, it is to be presumed that he has embraced in this document if not all, at least some of the strongest reason in support of the measure. After conde1m1ing the previous administration for entering into a treaty with our captive general, and attributing all the pre ent wants of our army to the policy of hi predece sor toward the Mexican pri oners. . His excellency proceeds to assign as one of his reasons, for wishing to relea e Sauta Anna, "that the expen c of clothing, feeding and guard- ing him, is too burthensome to our country." Now for aught I know the expense may be very great, so burthensome .as to embarrass the operations of ,var, perhaps brin(J' on national bankruptcy, were it so, it ,would be truly alarming l Mr. president, I apprehend no such alarming .con equences, the support and guarding of a few l\Icxicans, cannot involve any va t amount, unless his excellency should be de- siron for the great glory and honor of his country, to entertain the chief pri..oner in the style of a princely guest. I do not know his ideas on this point; .but if they are anywise moderate, if he will be satisfied to furni h only what is required for his comfort; on a imilar scale with that which he himseli enjoys, I can hardly think the debt incurred would he very alarming; and I am -almo t certain that there are many patrio:ic citizens, who would willingly defray it out of their own priva.te funds, rather than see the executive measure adopted against . ound JlOlicy, merely to save so trifling an expenditure. Equally forcible but more pathetic is that aro-ument of his which jg tased upon the insalubrity of the climate. He gravely tells us that Santa Anna ought to be sent to Washin°ton City, because the present location i not congenial to his health, the air and climate <Jf the Brazos m,(ly be pecnliarly deleterions to the exquisitely delicate health of our worthy OAPTIYE. But I am not aware of it being so particularly pestileutial a to require a precipitate translation to a purer climate, and even if it were it is donb:ful whether Washington city would af- ford a greater degree of either moral or atmospherical salubrity. 'l'hat his excellency bonld desire a finer region or more delightful climate for hi p1:isoner than for himself, affords another instance of that lofty benevolenee, which makes many forget bis owif wants in a zeal for the welfare of others. Santa Anna, I hope will be duly ensible of the affectionate solici- tude of the executive, and be swayed by it influence when he issue his next order, for the butchery of defenceless pri oner . But the presi- dent/ seems no lcs concerned on the score of diet. In his mes age he -says that the general's "mode of li.fe is . o different from that to which l1e has been accustomed, that it mu t have a decided influence upon his health andr constitution." This is his very language; and he concludes the same pathetic sentence, with this most soul subduing question. ' ls it not possible .or even probable that he rnay die within tlte coiirse -0f the present season? Such are his word , arguments directed to the sympathies of the human 11eart are always difficult to combat; that the
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