Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1846-12-24
REVIEW
OF THE
Presidents Message,
AT THE OPENING OF THE

i AT THE OPENING or THE
Cd SESSION OF THE Goth CONGRESS.
.... From the National lntelligencer.
Our columns have been so occupied
for some days with matter Of too much
consequence TO be postponed to suit our
own convenience, that we have not un-
ill to-day been able to command the
space required for the review, which
our readers have a right to expect al
our hands, Of the contents Of the Presi-
dents late Message to Congress. This
task has, on this occasion, been made
an imperative duty by the attempt Of the
President of the u. States in the outset
Of that Message, TO stigmatize as treason
able the free discussion Of measures o.
his which have filled the minds OF think
ing and reasoning men with doubt o.
least, if not with just apprehension, o
their final consequences, OF which the
claim Of Kingly prerogative for hims ell
now put forth by the President is ar
augury so unfavorable as Of itself to in.
vite more jealous scrutiny Of the res
of the contents Of the Message.
The subject which is naturally mos
prominent, and is made more so by the
very large space which it occupies ir
the Message, is
THE MEXICAN WAR.
II Nearly three -fourths OF the Message
is devoted to a justification Of this war
and OF the part which the President ha.
acted in relation to it. OF this elabo-
rate defence, applying the old adage
| Qm s'ercuse s'dccuse, we might perhaps
content ourselves with saying that such
a defence is Of itselfa confession of error
But, when this vindication is put upon
the ground Of correcting intentional mis-.
represe nations Of the conduct of the Ex
ecutive, charged TO have been made
with intent to give ''aid and comforr' tt
the enemy, we are obliged TO enter into
a more particular examination OF the
points ofthis defence, and to show where
in they are erroneous, illusory, or de-
ceplive.
/ No one can have perused this long
defence ofthe conduct Of the Executive
partaking more OF the character of q
ones sided argument by a professional
advocate, than the calm, fair, and frank
expositIon Of an important subject by
the Chief Magistrate Of great People
TO their Represent atives, without re.
marking that there is in it systematic
attempt to bring up new issues, in orde
TO withdraw the public mind from the
first and main one.
On the llth of May last, the
President, by his Message TO Congress
proc laimed that War existed betweeI
Mexico and The United States. Con
gress is the only power which can right
fully and constitutlonalIy put the United
States at war that body had made nc
move towards establishing that relation
between the United States and Mexico
and yet before this Message was penned
the thunders of the cannon Of Palo Alto
and Resaca de la Palma had announced
it to the world. As Congress certainly
did not begin this war, the question is,
Was it by Mesico or by the President
Of the United States that j, was brough,
on +? THIS is the important question
which the President would elude in hi.
ed by Mexico upon the United States,
which he concludes were sufficient tt
have authorized the United States {,
declare war against Mexico. Grant hi
conc luson, whose business and rlgh
was il 10 make this war' 1t belonged tC
nIu IN hn N
any other authority on earth. Grant tha
there existed sufficient cause to requir,
the u. States TO make war upon Mexi
CO, the President himself has, in refer.
ring to the example and message o
President VAN BUREN, informed VI
what was his own duty in such con.
juncture. lie says:
! "President Van Buren,, in his annual mes
sage TO Congress of 5th December 1877, states
that, although the larger number of our dc
mands for redress, 'and many of them az
gravatcd cases of personal wrongs, have beer
now for years before the Mexican Govern
! mcnt, and some of the causes of national con,
| plant, and those of the most offensive charac
! ter, admitted of immediate, simple, and salts
factory replies, il is only within a few day
| past that any specific communication in an
| sw cr To our last demand, made five month
! ago, has been received from the Mexican Min
/ lister : and that 'for not one Of our public com
| plants has satisfaction been given or offered
! that but one of the cases of personal wronl
has been iavoraby considered and that bu
! four cases Of both descriptions, out of all thos
| formerly presented and earnestly pressed, hav
as yet been decided 'upon by the MexcaI
I Government
II President Van Buren,, believing tha
il would be IN vain to make any iurihe
attempt To obtain redress by the ordinar
means within The power Of the Esecu
tive, communicated this opinion to Con
gress in tho Message referred io,in whicI
he said "On a careful and deliberat
examination Of the contents Of the cor
rcspondence with the Mexican Govern
ment, and considering the spirit nan
tested by the Mexican Government,
has become my painful duty TO retur
the subject as IT now stands to Congress
10 whom Il belongs TO decide upon ,h
time, the mode, and the measure Of r.
dress" Such was the course of Pres
dent Van Buren,, rs now shown by Pre-
, 7 N A