Arkansas Intelligencer

From Col. Ashley.

The following is an extract of the Helena Journal, and published of a letter from Mr. Senator Ashley, of 28th ult.

After mentioning the excitement in Congress produced by the alarming intelligence received from Gen. Taylor's army on the Rio Grande, the passage of the act appropriating $10,000,000, and authorizing the raising of Volunteers—and of the passage of the bill making the rank and file of the regular force fifty thousand by the passage of the bill to raise a regiment doubling the regular forces—and the increase from 42 to 100 in each company, thus adding mounted riflemen—Col. Ashley says—

In two days Congress has done its duty, and to punish the outrageous proceedings committed by the power in the hands of the administration upon [illegible] by Mexico, which we have borne with such unexampled patience... for [illegible] shedding the blood of American citizens on our own soil, has filled the cup to overflowing—forbearance was no longer a virtue—justice demands/forbids a further delay, in our faith—impossible reconciliation, I have said, shedding of our citizens, upon our own soil, and [illegible]. The Rio Grande was the boundary defined by Texas for herself, and one that has for ten years thus exhibited; third during the session of Congress: we have admitted this to the Union under resolutions passed by [Texas?], in which the power was reserved to Congress to fix the boundaries between her and foreign governments as she might deem right, without consulting Texas on the; yet we had never exercised that reserved [power?] and when a minister was sent to Mexico for that purpose, he was contemptuously rejected by Mexico; and thus, until Mexico should have been invited by us, the boundary claimed and established by Texas, was the boundary of the United States, and Congress also determined so when they passed an act establishing collection districts in that State, and a custom house at Corpus Christi—west of the [Nueces?]. If this is not admitted, (the correctness which I believe can be demonstrated,) yet we had previously taken possession of the whole country up to the east bank of the Del Norte, and Mexico claimed this; also, she had no right under laws of nations, to have resorted to force—it was a subject of diplomacy merely, and until she has met it, it was unjustifiable war to have used force for the possession of the country she had no first claim to it. I hope and trust the large means placed at the disposal of the [administration?] will enable the President to prosecute it to a successful termination at the very period for it is not to be disguised, that a fear justly entertained that Mexico, with expectations of foreign aid, would scarce have dared thus to attack this powerful nation, in limited means and distracted condition.