he is faithless and therefore unworthy of confidence; and thirdly, because of the great certainty of his inability to fulfill his promises even with the desire to do it. But after all, if I should find myself mistaken; if negotiations shall he entered into with him, and all the anticipated blessings be realized; our Independence acknowledged; our national boundary settled; and our rights respected, I shall still be mortified wilh the reflection, that these ends which might have been easily achieved by our valor, have been obtained at the sacrifice of just resentment and the loss of merited vengeance. I shall cerlainly rejoice in my countrys prosperity, but al the same time shall feel, that whilst her interest was promoted, the ends of justice were perverted. Opposed, as I stand, to all negotiation with our prisoner, the question very naturally arises - Whal is the next best course to adopt after the rejection of the proposal for his execution? I answer that I am an ill adviser when I feel myself called upon lo forsake the right, lo follow the expedient; yet as I am bound officially to speak, I have no hesitancy in offering as my opinion that the first thing to which we should direct our attention is the redemption of our Fellow Citizens in captivity, by an exchange of prisoners according to rank and numbers. When this is effected, the balance of the Mexicans in our power, the officers and soldiers including Santa Anna and his suite, should remain prisoners of war in the custody of the Government during the continuance of hostilities; hostilities which I would not cease to prosecute with all the vigor or our SlTength and resources, until our national rights shall be recognized in a treaty of peace with the Government of Mexico. 1 feel that our Country is fully adequate to the achievement of this desirable end, which I doubt not will be greatly facilitated by holding on to the most influential of our prisoners, whose interest it will be to promote, as speedily as practicable, some arrangement with their government which shall give liberty to them, and satisfaction to us. If they can be of any possible use to us in bringing about a recognition of our Independence, it must be in this way; it must ~e by the lingering authority that may still attach lo their names m Mexico, together with the personal influence which they may be .ible to exercise over their friends and partizans, for their redemption. As prisoners of war, it is their interest to forward our views, and they are powerless to do us harm: but if we should release them upon the strenath of any pledges which they might make, we turn loose an invete~ale enemy, with knowledge increased by experience, and a disposition to injure, augmented by mortified pride, with no guarantee for the fulfilment of promises, except the
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