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Hudson, Charles : Speech of Mr. Hudson, of Massachusetts, on the Cost of the War and Finances of the Country. Delivered in the House of Representatives of the U. States, February 15, 1848

Printed by J. & G. S. Gideon, Washington, D.C., 1848

Original publisher's beige paper wrappers. Text printed in black ink. 5 3/4" x 9." Sixteen pages, complete. Pages are very clean and intact overall except for light age toning, a few light spots of foxing, some chipping and splitting along spine, two chips limited to margins of top fore-edge on Pages 3-6, and light offsetting extending throughout pamphlet about center. Text is still very readable. A Very Good copy. A speech originally delivered before the United States House of Representatives on February 15, 1848 by Charles Hudson (1795-1881), an American minister and politician. Hudson was ordained as a Universalist minister and served as a pastor in Westminster for about twenty years. As a politician, Hudson served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1841-1849. He was a Whig. In this speech, Hudson adamantly opposes the Mexican-American War and additional funding for it. The speech is a response to a proposed loan bill that would allow $16,000,000 to be used for the war. Hudson clearly voices his opposition to President James K. Polk as well. On the first page, Hudson says he wishes not to examine the causes of the war as they have been previously examined by his fellow Congressmen, but he states, "[The Mexican- American War] has already sent to a premature grave many thousands of our citizens, involved us in a heavy national debt, filled our people with a thirst for conquest, degraded us in the eyes of every civilized nation, and brought us to a point where the consummation of our ambitious designs may prove the prelude of internal dissensions, more to be dreaded than foreign war itself." He also argues briefly on the first page that because "revolutionary Texas" was annexed and "her boundary was marked by the sword," Texas's claim to the Rio Grande was invalid. Most of Hudson's speech is his argument against the loan bill and further funding of the war. He explains that financial estimates for the war have been inaccurate and actual spending has exceeded those estimates. He also discusses a variety of financial matters including trade between the U.S. and other countries and recent national expenditures, imports, and exports. His perspective is that the national debt is far too high and criticizes Polk's lack of transparency regarding further funding for the war. Hudson posits that Polk is not telling the American people about additional war funding or potential taxes that would help with this funding because he wants to preserve his public image for the upcoming presidential election. Hudson concludes, "Our fathers bestowed upon us, their children, the rich inheritance of freedom; but the present Administration will, I fear, leave their successors nothing but tarnished honor and a heavy national debt.". Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Soft cover

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