Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-12-12
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

The extreme length Of the Presidents message
compels us to defer to our next the debate upon il
which sprung up in the House Of Representatives on
esting articles prepared for this paper. OF this do
cument we now proceed TO give the review which
our readers have right to expect of us. This
task has, on this occasion, been made an imperative
duty by the attempt Of the President, in the outset
OF that Message, to stgmatize reasonable the free
discussion OF measures Of his which have filled the
minds OF thinking and reasoning men with doubt
at least il not with just apprehension, Of their final
consequences, of which the claim of Kingy prero-
gative for himself now put forth by the President
is an augury uniavorable of itself to invite
more jealous scrutiny Of the rest of the contents Of
the Message
The subject which is naturally most prominent,
and is made more SO by the very large space which
it occupies in the Message, is
THE MEXICAN WAR.
Nearly three-fourths Of the Message is devoted to
justification of this war; and of the part which the
President has acted in relation TO it. Ofths elabo-
rate defence, applying the old adage, Qui sercuse
s'accuse, we might perhaps content ourselves with
saying that such defence is of itself confession of
error. But, when this vindicaton is put upon the
ground of correcting intentional misrepresentation
of the conduct of the Executive, charged to have
been made with intent to give " aid and comfort"
to the enemy, we are Obliged to enter into a more
particular examination Of the points of this Defence
and to show Wherein they are erroneous, illusory,
or deceptive.
No one can have perused this long defence Of the
conduct of the Executive, partaking more of the
character of one-sided argument by professional
advocate, than the calm, fair, and frank exposition
of an important subject by the Chief Magistrate Of
great People to their Representatives, without re-
marking that there is in it systematic attempt to
bring up new issues, in order to Withdraw the pub
lie mind from the stand main one.
On the 18th of May last, the President, by his
Message to Congress, proclaimed that w ar existed
between Mexico and the United States. Congress
is the only power which can rightfuly and consti-
tutionally put the United States at war that body
had made no move towards establishing that rea-
ton between the United States and Mexico; and
yet, before this Message was penned, the thun-
ders of the cannon of Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma had announced it to the world. As Con-
gress certainly did not begin this war, the question
is, Was it by Mexico or by the President of the
United States that it was brought on! This is the
important question which the President would elude
in his elaborate enumeration of wrongs inflicted by
Mexico upon the United States, which he concludes
sufficient TO have authorized the United States
to declare war against Mexico. Grant his concu-
sion, and whose business and right was it to make
this war II beonged to Congress only, not to the
President, or any other authority on EARTH Grant
that there existed sufficient cause to require the
United States to make war upon Mexico the Presi-
dent himself has, in referring to the example and
message of President VAN BuREN, informed us what
was his own duty in such conjuncture. He says:
President Van Buren,, his annual message to Congress
Of 5h December, 1887, states that although the larger
number Of demands for redress, and many Of them
aggravated Of personal wrongs have been now for
years before the Mexican Government the causes
Of national complaint and those of the offensive cha
racter admitted of immediate simple, and satisfactory re-
plies is only within few days past that any specific
Communication in to last demand, made five
months ago. has been received from the Mexican Minister
and that for not Of public complaints has sasac-
ton been given offered that but Of the Of per-
sona wrong has been ayorab considered and that but
four of both descriptions, out of all those formerly pre-
scented and earnestly pressed have yet been decided
upon by the Mexican Government" 81
President VAN BuREs, believing that it would be
in vain to make any further attempt to obtain re-
dress by the ordinary means within the power of
the Executive, communicated this opinion to Con-
gress in the Message referred to, in whichhe said:
"On careful and deliberate examination of the
contents ofthe correspondence with the Mexican
e Government, and considering the spirit manifest
ed by the Mexican Government it has become my
painful duty to return the subject it now stands
to Congress, 10 whom IL belongs to decide upon
the time, The mode, and the measure of redress"
Such was the course of President Van Buren, as
now shown by President Polk himself. How
pointedly does it not rebuke his own course under
circumstances not materially different! Mr.. VAN
buren, did not deem himself authorized by these
considerations, in the existing state Of things in Mex
leo, to " recommend to Congress to declare war
against her; nor did Mr.. Polk think at the begin
ming Of the last session, that the injuries which he
now enumerates authorized that extreme measure,
or he would have sent in such recommends
ton himself.
Being convinced that war was a." necessary and
expedent MEASURE il was his constitutional duty
to recommend il to Congress; and, failing to do