Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-08-29

as are 70 carry his own purposes into effect-the
Tariff bill, for example, or the Mexican war BILL"
But whati u, the President in the habit of such
strict, snch rigid investigation, before he acts Let
us see little:
what's the main thing we are about, just now!"
Why, to be sure, war with Mexico
And, pray, what are the grounds for that war r.
"Why one Of them and conspicuously presented
as such in the proclamation prepared for Gen. TAY-
LoR, that of our citizens have just such claims
against her as these others had against France"
aWel, who got us into this war;!
Mr.. Polk, indisputably."
"Of course, then, he had examined all the de-
tails Of those claims, thus gone to for, had he
not r'assi6 Ns
"Not at all. How was he to do it! He had
not me.' A few of the claimants may have stated
their oWn cases to him /; but that's no evidence !;
It's only the beginning Of inquiry. Our life on
it, many of these French claimants have told him
their cases; and he is, he must be, just well in
formed as to the justice and the amount of each par
ticuar claim for French spoations prior to 1900 as
of those against the Mexicans."
:. In truth, it would seem SO still, he vetoes the
French claims and he plunges the country into an
unnecessary and most costly war with our compa-
ratiyely weak neighbor about the Mexican ones ~
But let us proceed to his further " reasons and
objections - the next that come are as follows
"For the satisfaction Of the claims provided for it pro-
posed to appropriate five millions of dollars can perceive
legal equitable ground upon which this large appopra
ton rest portion Of the claims have been than
half century before the Governments in its Executive Lee
gislaive Departments and all of them had their origin in
events which occurred prior 1900. Since they have
been from time time before Congress- No greater neces
sy propety exists for providing for these claims this
time than has existed for half century during all which
period this questionable has until present
time received the favorable consideration of Congress 1t
scarcely probable, if the claim had regarded as obgato
upon the Government constituting equitable demand
upon the Treasury, that those who conemporaneous
with the events which gave rise it, should not long since
have done justice to the claimants The Treasury has
been in condition enable the Government to do SO with
out Inconvenience, if the claims had been considered Just
Mr. Jeerson who fully cognzant of the early dissen
slons between the Government of the United States and
France out Of which the claims in his annual
in 1908 adyeed to the large surplus then in the Treasury
and its probable accumulation and inquired whether il
should lie unproducve in the public vaults and yet these
Claims though then before Congress- not recognised or
paid Since that the public debt of the revolution and Of the
war OF 1919 has been extngushe and periods
the treasury has been in of large supuses
the demands upon In 1896 the surplus amounted to MANY
millions OF dollars and for of proper objects which
70 apply it was directed by Congress be deposited with
the States"
Well: first of all, the President is alarmed at an
appropriation OF FIVE millions for peaceful object
m object that he does not know to be otherwise
than just; which Congress has, after repeated in
vesgations, decided to be but appropriations of
twenty or thirty millions towards war, likely to
cost at the rate Of sixty millions of dollars year
while it lasts, and which every body, even the Pre-
sident himself, knows might have been easily avoid
ed, startIe him not in the least!
He can perceive no legal no reputable ground for
the appropriation. That, however, is by no means
unaccountable; since he has just assured us that
he has not been able to make himself acquainted
with the grounds of the matter-its " Details" by
which alone the justice of each case could be learnt
The claims are DID, and therefore worthless. But
they are younger than either or Mr.. Polk and we
should unwillingly believe that either Of us grows
less respectable with every added year of life!
The remainder Of the paragraph is little else but
an argument to prove that debt no matter what
its justice, should NOT be paid for the admirable and
moral reason that IL has not been paid! 81 did
not pay you yesterday therefore / ought NOT TO
pay you today" Exquisite logic Most inge.
NOUS ethics ! at cannot be necessary that you
should be paid: for, 10! you have not been paid -
Probably, then, if these poor people had been paid
forty-four years since, that would be conclusive
reason for noW paying them 1t is bad rule,
they say, that won't work both ways. Our Gov
eminent of the time when the treaty by which the
Government took upon itself these claims was con-
cuded did not discharge the obligation and there
fore INSISTS he) their ought not to dis
charge it. II is clear, then, that, as Mr.. Van Bu-
ren's Administration left behind it some twelve or
eighteen mi lions OF. unpaid debt, Gen. Harrison's
ought not to have provided for liquidatng it and
clearer still that, the Revolutionary Government
could not meet its engagements, nor Mr.. Madison s
the loans of the of 1872 all these great and old
amounts never settled till about 1894, should have
been repudiafed! For what is all such doctrine as
this but the most arrant reputation
| The Presidents next sentence contains an asser-
ton to fact just about as authentic as these rea-
sonings are respectable:
"Durng this extended OF time, embracing periods
emnenty favorable for satisfying all jus, demands upon the