Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. PROFESSIONS AND CONDUCT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN REFERENCE TO THE WAR BETWEEN MEXICO AND TEXAS. The Government of the United States has at all times been liberal in its professions of neutrality in regard to belligerents, and has on various occasions endeavored to prevent its citizens from engaging in hostilities against friendly powers. In 1793, President Washington issued his proclamation warning American citizens against " committing, aiding or abetting hostilities against any of the Powers at war," and threatening with prosecution all who should "violatethe laws of nations," with respect to the belligerents. Washington's subsequent acts abundantly evinced the sincerity of his proclamation. In 1806, President Jefferson issued a proclamation declaring, that " sundry persons, citizens of the United States, are conspiring and confederating together to begin and set on foot a military expedition against the dominions of Spain; fitting out and arming vessels in the western waters of the United States; collecting arms, military stores and other means ;" and he commands all such persons to cease all further proceedings as they will " incur prosecutions with all the rigor of the law." He moreover enjoined it upon all military officers of the army and navy of the United States, " to be vigilant in bringing to condign punishment persons engaged in those unlawful enterprizes," In 1815 a similar proclamation was issued by President Madison against persons chiefly in Louisiana, who were preparing to invade the Spanish provinces. In 1838, President Van Buren by proclamation informed the citizens of the northern frontier who were aiding the Canadian rebels, that, by compromitting the neutrality of the Government, they would render themselves liable to arrest an...