The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-18
PARTY JOURNALISM IN WAR TIME.

Who can doubt that, at this junc,ure, any effort
to dissprt and to stop the volunteer movement which
is called upon to save our soil from blood, SOL
diers from destruction, and our flag from the dshon-
or of defeat is an effort, to all ntents and purposes
traitorous' Our war is altogether righteous; but if
it were wicked war, still the plain dictate Of hu
mainly and of patriotism would be, to bring it just
as soon possible to a close. Now what is the
casel No man has yet denied that we aggrieved
by Mexico. No man can read Mr.. Slidels de-
spatches without feeling that we have been most
foully asgrieved. No man with American heart
can read the news from the South, without feeling
that have been outraged, that all farther mere
discussion would be cowardice and disgrace. The
people are as unanimous about this as a people can
be.
What, then, be the intent Of the Intelligence
in its long article of Saturday, and Of other kindred
wing prints, in going out beyond the line Of their
party warfare to sgmatize this war, sanctioned
by an almost unanimous Congress, as ga Presidents
oar," and to proclaim to the volunteer, without
syllable of attempted proof that in rushing to meet
the Mexicans, he is only helping to violate and
break down the constitution of the United States2
What can sustain these prints in such nefarious
course' They cannot believe what they say, for if
they did, when defed and held to the proof they
would at least try to offer some proof They cannot
look to the country for sympathy in their course,
for Congress almost unanimously repudiates it and
the people trample it with scorn under their feet
Making all due allowance for that insane fanaticism
which prevents the New York Tribune from being
true to the constitution, and for that utter moral
blindness which prevents the Courier and Enquirer
from being true to anything, what explanation can
we find or imagine for the recent labored argument
of the Baltimore Patriot advocating priputsering
against our commerce. and the recent allegations Of
the Intelligencer that Congress and the Executive,
in recognising the boodstained invasion Of Mexico,
as an, invasion, have broken through the constitution
| of the United States' The only possible explana-
ton of such assertions is to be found in the fatal
madness of wing craftsmanship which, unre-
strained by a discretion like that shown by
most Of the wings in Congress, rushes on to
assail the administration, just when and where
every honest man of every party feels he must
support and sustain tin its honest effort,
namely, to protect the country and to right its
wrongs. The issue Of this procedure on the part of
these journals, cannot be doubtful All omens fore
bode il. They are doomed. So far as they repre-
sent their party, IL is doomed. Tho gods first
madden whom they would destroy"
Look into the Intelligencer of Saturday last; you
will there find it urged upon the reader that the ad
minisraton has "wickedly contrivsd" this war
with Mexico-that the war was deliberately begun
by the Executive of the United States in usurpa-
ton Of power which tho constitution has denied to
it, that both houses Of Congress, in recognising the
war as caused by the act of Mexico, have approved
an unsustsined pretence" that the two houses havo
together, recognised as constitutional the usurpa-
ton of the war power by the President that
Congress has now made the President a
monarch, if he was not substantially one before;''
that thus no man can tell how far the President
may prosecute the war and that, in passing their act
called for by the President, Congress has under
valued the intelligence Of the people.
The FIRST feeling with which any man reads all
this, Is Indignation; but that soon gives way to