Mobile register and journal., 1846-12-21

 elghl years.
 The Washington correspondent of tie Baltimore Sun writes under date ofihe llth, that MT. Sevier of Arkansas will probably be the chairman of the committee on foreign relations in the Senate to he elected on Monday last.
 The rumor is revived that MT. Bagby is to go 10 France 10 succeed Col King We have no doubt he could have the appointment, but have our doubts whether he desires the place.
 It seemed to bcthought that Mr. King win certain ly succeed MT. Baghy on the resignation of the lat ter But the resignation of MT Baeby, whether to receive oficeo or not, is by means necessity 10 make a vacancy for MT. King There will be va cancy on the 4lh of March next any how. s
 The friends of Mr. Clay in Congress are 'sdif to take very different of the war from that the New England Webster anti war men-and the con- fictis likely nshew itself strong line of diylson on the war questions.
 The Advertiser refers us 10 the New York Courier and Enquirer of The llh for it's reply to the tice of the same paper of The 9th, winch we copied and recommended it's imitation as manly example of whig candor in approving of the Mexican portion $ just and honorable war
 We have turned 10 thearticle and find 1t defence of the naked right of the whigs to say what they please. The obligations of the Courier to his whig associations and his party position towards the Pre- sident have exncied from him the mainainance o. the doctrine that there is constitutional right. which he claims the liberty of speech, to do that which he nevertheless has pronounced to be anti American in spiri and that the President, in allnd- ing to such conduct, tending to give "aid and com fort'' to the enemy has exceeded his duty and at tempted to restrain the right of debating and oppos- ing his policy. sfA!s ,4.
 There is roihing in this which changes the state offacts recognized by the Courier, that the war is amply and triumphanily vindcated by the Presi- dent The shelter for those whigs who make il a party business to deny this, and consequently, to maintain the justice of the adverse cause of the public enemy, that they have he legal right to Say free ly whatever they please of the authorities of the country it's public mena its foreign relations al all times with nther governments. i-''
 We grant all this. There is license which the law protects which shall not deny, for ali men to speak their minds without any legal restraint even iftheir minds and thoughts are with tic public enemy-up the very verge of the overt act of giving him the 'ad and comfort' which constitutes trea- son. IL is unqnesonably the constitutional right of every Ann rcan to speak and write, and there is no power to con,roi or punish him, until he brings him self wthin the scope of some penalty establs he'd by law under the sanconsaf the constitution; and we have seen no sgns of any attempt to abridge that right from any quarter. Certainly it is most abun dantly exercised by whigs, and especially the anti war whigs.
 But on the other hand We claim that there is liberty of speech, as well. speak plainly for the country as to speak plainly for it's enemies There is a const tutional right call factous opposition by it's right name as well to bestow slanderous and insulting epithts upon allAhe measure ofhe govern meut, and to condoe with ihe foreign enemy as victim to eninuslicee luis, deferenaly speaking, to high whig authority at least much wirhn the spirit of Inc copatilulion f5r Americans to speak warmly for the cause fiheir own country and gov ernmeat and 10 describe with ftankness and blunt ness the conduct of iS domestic assailanis, us for those assaients suliously3o exhibit us before the world as gras' ing aiq @anlon aggressors from wicked motives upon weak nelghbor.
 If such conduct, which only not treason, because the act which laws can reach has moi been commit- ted, and winch may not be called moral treason on- l. from charity to the possible error of judgment, out orwhch t springs claims to have ihe prlvllegeoi an ualimtediicense of expression, ,-much more may we insist tn the open advocates of national quar- re-a quarrel clear in the justice ofils origin, that many of the polticai tnepies oftho government con fess may unresrrvedy stand up and freely exercise the ne liberty in rpehng these assaults aad apply ing strong names freely 10 describe their opinions O the notvss and character of such opposition. But these whizs contend thai all license offs speech should bs hmned the attack but torepy, 10 canvass their course and point out it's aniiAmerican tendencles aud assumptions, is calumnate virtue and interfere with constitutional rights We, on the contrary, have very distinct belief, that SO far itisa const tutional right for whig to help the foreign enemy by the expression of his opinions ii al least con stuional for democrat to support the public cause in reply. and to give his opinions of the men aud mo- tives as well as facts, sr .e,..s "a, ',a, .s
 So far as Mi. Polk hastreaied of this question in hls message he has only stated facts which are un. ,deniabe. Hesays that this war has been represent ed as unjust and unnecessary and as one of aggres sion on our part on weak and injured enemy"
 
 every day. He says "hese erroneous views, though entertained but by few, have been wide ly and extensively circulated--not only at home, but have been spread throughout Mexico and the whole world; and this is beyond question. And headds, "a more eectual means could not have been devised to encourage the enemy and protract the war than to advocate and adhere to their cause, and thus give them "ad and comfori;' and this proposi ton one will venturc'to contradict. It is encouragement to the enemy-it cannot but pro tract the war-i, does give the Mexicans "aid and comfort" 10 know that their has friends among us who advocate and adhere to i, as just.
 Aud it was therefore, as the President says, expe dsnt for him to enter into full detail of the causes of the war to, ,dispel these misapprehensions I They ywho believe that the war is unjust and wick ed, will not themselves deny that 10 maintain that tpnion sto encourage the public enemy to that ex tent and they cannot shrink from theleg,imaie con sequences of that position. As conscientious men they ought to take the proper responsibility for their course--not cover II from fair dscusson by subter fuees ani inconsistencies which destroy all the no ral force which it possesses of regard to con. science above all other considerations Frankly con ceding that 10 deny the justice of the war is to en- courage the party wronged, they should defend ihls position without whining or nnger because this clear consequence is used by those who deny the truth of the fact strong inducemeq for an effort to dspel the misapprehensions out of which has grown an sror critical in it's character, and carry inn if csml. II L I t N