Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1844-04-13

States or Of the People is the source OF this
measure to be foundl A search for it in
the vast field of population of the United
States would be as vain as that Of the an
clients for the true source Of the great river
of Africa. Some rills of public opinion
may have been discovered flowing from vii
lage springs, and, in very few instances,
perhaps from fountains more copious; but,
whatever may have been the casual indica-
tons of public sentiment in favor of the
measure, we had nothing worthy of being
regarded as the great current Of public
opinion. Beyond doubt, there was no such
expression or manifestation Of public opin-
ion as could induce the President to believe
that, in taking upon himself to propose an
incorporation of Texas in the United
States, he was carrying out the national
will. He might, with equal authority, and
almost equal propriety, have proposed TO
the Republic of Hayti, on the occasion of
the late revolution in its Government, or TO
the popular party in Ireland during the late
commotions there, TO be annexed" TO the
United States. He might have discovered
persons in this country in favor of even the
first of these propositions, and for the last
he would find, if we may Judge from the
public indications, warm and decided
friends, outnumbering perhaps the known
advocates Of the annexation" of Texas
So far from the public will demanding this
annexation" the question is one for the
decision of which the public mind had not
been prepared by such discussion as, in this
country, usually precedes any great meas
ure of public policy. 1t was not possible,
III .hoa al hou
been able to ascertain the will of the Peo-
pie in regard to this measure, or even TO
make reasonable guess at it.
Having established, to our own satisfac
ton, that there was neither any public ne
cessity nor any expression or indication of
the will of the People requiring the Presi.
dent TO make the advances which he has
made to the Government of Texas, ending
in an agreement to incorporate that terri
tory in the Union, we additionally object to
the arrangement, from the beginning to the
end of it, that the action of the President
in regard TO this matter, though within the
letter of the Constitution, has not been al
together in harmony with the genius and
spirit of this Government.
1t is a principle not to be questioned be-
fore such readers as ours, that Governments
are established for the national good, and
are organs of the national will.
The Constitution does ineeed declare
that "the President shall have power, by
and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, to make treaties" &c. But this
power must be exercised by the President,
on his part, with due Difference to the ma
tional will. of viii he is the organ
The power to make Treaties is, in the
hands of the President, a representative
power, and not prerogative. 1t is pow.
err which he has no right to exercise of his
own mere motion, nor for his personal graf
ification. He can exercise it only for the
national good, and in obedience to the ma
tional will, ascertained or fairly to be pre-
sumed. Admitting without hesitation, that
the President, in the case before US, inten-
ded nothing but the public good, he ought
10 have consulted also the public will, and
to have taken the time and means necessa-
ry to ascertain it. There was no want of
time, nor any necessity for secrecy, 10 pre-
vent his doing SO. In the absence of any
decisive expression of the public will, the
presumption was against. rather than ia
vorable TO, the course which the President
has thought fit to pursue, inasmuch as there
had been general acquiescence, uninter-
rupted by any audible objection in the re-
fusal by the last Administrator TO enter
tain, when offered by Texas, the very prop
osition which the President now has, for
the United States, undertaken to ask for
and accept. Under these circumstances
the President would have acted more in the
spirit of the Constitution to have RETAINED
from this negotiation, instead of pressing it.
Again: il is the most important and res
ponsble Of the Executive duties TO see that
the laws be faithfully executed. Treaties
are a part of "the supreme law Of the
land" 1t is the bounden duty of the Pres
ident to see that they are not violated or
infringed. We have a Treaty of Peace
with Mexico, which she observes with scru-
pulous fidelity. This Treaty, according to
her construction, would be broken by the
annexation Of Texas, which she has for
mally declared that she will consider, when
consummated, as establishing state of war
between the United States and Mexico
be disregarded. But being nothing more
than the annunciation of principle of ma
tional law, some respect is due to it; espe-
cially when it is supported by the recorded
declaration, by the Secretary of State Of
the United States, that the question of ian
nexation," under the circumstances, "neces
sariy involves the question of war with
Mexico" The President may have been
of opinion that war with Mexico wal
r