Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-12-23
The Party Issue.

ftrtN issue.
What IS the issue between the Locofoeo and Whig par.
ties, IN regard to thu MEXICAN war; l. It. as our opponents
would have the world believe, a contest bsfsssn fAs CR,fsd
and MerieO, in which the LoeCioeos arc cndesvoring to
Vindcse the rights and honor OF the former. while the
wings are srrsyed on the aide Of Mexico, giving aid"
TO her armies and comfort" to her eouneils' Far from a..
There is not a Wing within the broad limits OF the Union,
al we eIeep; a handful OF fanatics, with whom The Slave
Power" to use their own cant phrase. has become 4 6xed
idea.) Who will not go as far IS he who goes isrthssi. nov
that we are engaged in war. in ~upholding the honor OF our
hag-in seconding, both by services in the field and by
peeuuiary contributions, the most vigorous eforts 10 rem.
der The contest glorious while Il lasts, and To bune 10 10 =
successful sHd honorable termination. SO far. indeed, from
monuug the rebukc which even the Presidsri has dared
10 administer to them in his Annual Message, they de-
serve, in our humble estimation. the highest credit for
the magnanimiry and zeal which they exhibit. in every
legitimate and proper form, in the prosecution Of q con.
test which they nevertheless believe to have originated in
an act Of Executive usurpaton, and which, in their Judge-
ment, might have been altogether avoided BY a wise and
prudent exercise Of the powers condded to the President
by the laws Of the land. But while they hold themselves
ready to meet the foreig n enemy in the field, they deem it
n no less sacred duty to expose and denounee the not less
dangerous enemy at home. They would save the consutu-
ton from violation, and restrain Executive action within its
prescribed limits, while they unite with the friends Of that
Executive in the energetic prosecution Of contest into
which he has plunged the county without the consent or
tahChon ol uS PeOPlei uhoush Representatives IN
Congress.
The Wings do not defend, or even palliate, the inIuriou.
conduct Of Mexico, 80 deliberately and eloquenty expaua-
ted upon by Mr.. Polk in his late Message. On the contra
~, they say, with the gallant editor Of the (" Columbia
Chronicle" the only Wing paper in South Carolina, who
at this moment, as a private soldier, has his knapsack upon
his back, and is on the road to the scat Of war, to share in
the dangers and the glories Of the c~onfic,-they say, with
him, "wc have put up with more aggressions from Mexico
than We should like to see our government put up
with from any other nation; but we regarded her more
in sorrow than in anger, as she was our neighbor.
weak in her .esources and distracted in her coun-
chs. Mr.. PoLE, HOWEVER, HAD No RIGHT To rRE-
cIPIrArE TE WAR, by taking possession Of a territory ac-
knowledged to be in dispute and in the actual poss,s-
SION, as it had always been, OF the adverse claimant1 ..But
the war being commenced, II is the duty Of every Ameri-
can TO stand up for HIS COUNTRY, and support her with
oil his energies, until Mexico be made to give satisfaction
for all her wirkedness and folly" 1t is not a less impera-
tive duty, however, TO hold to q strict responsibility our
own Executive, ii, as we contend, ii j. by a fragrant abuse
and Perversion of his powers, that we have been plunged
into this costly and bloody contest.
What would be the consequence, we beg to ask. of a
contrary docuine 2 1t would only be necessary for an am.
bilious President to make val on a foreign power, with or
without cause, in order To silence the Press and The People.
What, in the name Of heaven, would he be, in that event.
but a Monarch, with powers as unlimited as those Of a
Russian Autocrat3 Let US suppose that, during the pen
dency OF the Oregon negotiation, Mr.. Polk had taken armed
possession OF the territory in dispute between the govern
ments of Great Britain and the United States, and had
thereby rendered war inevitable. Although Great Bi-
tain did not hold exclusive possession OF that territory. as
Mexico did OF the valley OF the Rio Grande, flor il was IN
the " Joint occupation of the citizens OF both countries
who will deny that II would have been an act of daring
usurpaton, and. that, with the exception Of the Compare.
lively ANAL band Of 4" ~ff,y-four forties," the whole coun.
Try, while, as in the case Of Mexico, it would have rallied
around the nations flag, would have held the President
responsible for the consequences OF that act of usurpanon,
by which the power to control the great question Of Peace
or War had been snatched from that branch Of the Gov
eminent with which the Consultation has deposited it, In
the event Of a conflict with Great Britain, thus precipita.
ted by the Executive, the formidable resources Of our enc.
my, whose fleets would have lined Our coasts, even If hel
armies had not occupied some portions Of our soil, would
have justified silence while the war continued bot no sucr
necessity now exists. The condemnation Of the author Of tn,
war does not imply any relaxation in the Vigor OF is Drosecu
ton. No hostile footisupon our soil, nor s there the remotes
probability that such an event will happen. II j. fortunate.
therefore, that we eaH, without giving laid and comfour
TO the enemy, or weakening he arm Of the Government
soruinize and condemn the conduct Of the President. II
IS fortunate that, while we can with one hnnd, WELD the
sword against the Mexieans. we can with the other yind.-
cate the onsdmnon from the Insidious and fatal oncfoach.
msnts Of our own Executive. BY both acts the Wings
equally vindicate their patriotism aud their love Of consul
tutonal freedom. They do not forget that they have "a
country 10 serve; but they believe that the most efficient
mode Of serving her - to defend her constitution a. well a.
her soil-because II depends upon the preservation OF the
former, in it, fundamental provisions, whether the latter -
TO be inhabited BY a race of freemen or Of slaves-a ques-
zion Of Infinitely more moment than the recovery Of in
IDENTITIES due to our citizens from Mexico, or the extern
sion Of our territorial limits to the Pacific and 10 the Gull.