Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-05-17

has ITS horrld croak been heard erst during tn
quasi war of 1898, and last in the epoch Of 1912
when-though in the midst Of the excitement of
raging war-even then, il was fairly hooed out 0
the House of Representatives the author of il lyin.
before the storm which he himself had raised Ii
a free government, the term Treason can hav,
no application whatever, as we have shown, excep
during war nor even then can it have any ratona
application 10 the freest of speech or printing
II such an epithet as Moral Treason y could eve
apply, when could it apply with more propriety
than to those Democratic Reviewers, and their cbo
rus OF echoes, proclaiming deadly war against the
most sacred principles of the Constituion-those
which protect the freedom of speech or Of the press
These are principles which none but an anti Re.
publican, or zealot intoxicated with the fumes Of
power, would ever think of openly assailing.
Treason" indeed If the Review and the GO
vernment paper insist on the applicability of this
term to existing circumstances we will tell those
organs of the democracy who, in time of peace, are
the real traitors. Not they who endeavor, by such
means truth and reason afford them, to restrain
wicked wilful public servants, of high or low de-
gree, from breaking the national faith from nterfer-
ing in the intestine bros of other nations from court
ing and fomenting war, with all its train of horrors,
sufferings, and corrupions; but those very public
servants who exert themselves to accomplish these
purposes, and such abettors as the writer for the
Democratic Review and other organs of the Admi-
who .'cry havoc, and let slip the dogs
OF war;" The country can have no greater or
more dangerous enemy than he who would wick
edly avail himself of political power to involve il
IN war. He who during peace comes nearest to the
fef'ntion of "evying war against his country" is
ne who designedly and needlessly places his coun-
ny In position which he knows will make war in
,vtable. He is the moral traitor, could such an
'pithet applied to any body excite any other emo
ION than the scorn and contempt to which, after
saying thus much, we willingly consign it.
But whom, in this more than semi-oficial denun-
'lahon of all who, contendipg against annexation,
n It's origin and progress, as a measure disgrace
ul and impolitic, must continue to oppose it to the
End; in this hurting upon them, almost from the
Presidential seat the foul and monstrous epthet of
moral traitors y that is of traitors in every in
ention-in all the feelings and purposes of men who
ire bent on betraying their country and have only
not yet arrived at the occasion Of the overt acts that
make legal treason-whom, in effect, does the
Review adopted by the Administration stigmatize
1t stigmatizes, first of ALL nearly one-half of both
branches OF the Legislative power coordinate with
that of the Executive, and barely carried to vote
the measure by the application of all the influences
OF party, and the expectation if not the direct pro-
mise, of Executive boons to members who would
violate the known wishes of their constituents. In
the Senate, eleven lit may be said) who had, by
their action some eight months before, condemned
the whole plan and project of annexation as dis
graceful in its conduct corrupt in its motives mpoli-
tic and wrongful in its objects, and against the Con-
sntuton even in the more legal form then attempted
came over to that side several Of them against the
known wishes of their people. But two in partcu-
lar, as if to make signay ridiculous their own ia
vorie party doctrine of the sanctty of Legislative
instructions TO Senators, vehement and fierce
against annexation ,ohiie mainsfrucfed, and rofed
for as soon as. formally directed, under the seal
Of their Legislature 10 continue heir opposition!
Now, if they who respected their own pledges and
opinions, and held to their convictions or the wishes
Of those for whom they spoke, are traitors for
the fact, then Messrs. Allen and Tappan and all
who could sacrifice every thing TO party or to the
hope of personal advantage, are the sole true ne,
For, of opposite actions, if is signally bad, the
ether must be as admirably good.
OF what happened in the other House-the pro-
igate accession of whole delegations of Democratic
members, who had originally sustained Mr.. Van
Buren,, the Instrumentation candidate for the Presi-
dency, or the shameless wheel of many who had,
in the debate itself, bitterly opposed the whole
thing, the same mustbe said They, too, would have
been traitors, had they persisted in consulting either
conscience, or constituents, or consistency but,
disregarding all these at the whistle of party or the
beck of personal interest they became, in common
with the original projectors patriots the most
shining!
But upon what great public body must this at
tainder Of treason next fall! Upon that very as
sembly, to the intrigueborn distractions of which
alone The President owes the very elevation which
gives consequences to these declarations in his name
A popular nomination TO the Presidency had never
been thought Of for him, by any local circle
clique. The suggestion Of his name even for the
honor (now so cheap Of the vice-Presidency had
been treated with exceeding disrespect. Need We
repeat the story or recall the scenes Of the Balt
more Convention, or say how at astthere-with Mr.
Van Buren, nominated by seventeen States, incu.
ding the four largestwith nearly two-thirds of al
II II - - \ Z a r.
question was used by what can be called only