The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-12-26
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,
THE POLK POLICY.

| three fourths of the document; and the render
will find that portion TO he very much Ike
political speech which Secretary Buchanan
would deliver upon tho subject, were he IN
the Senate. II is an interesting, plausbe'
and partial view ofthe question: such as will
for time serve TO convince persons who arc
not themselves conversant with essential
facts, that are either entirely omitted or in
| geniously perverted. We think renders gen.
orally will he disposed TO rest satisfied upon
the false issue made, until the question is
presented in different light-when the hitll-
erto generally pervading opinions will pre-
vail as strongly ms ever, that this war with II
weak and semi-barbarous people is unworth-
V ofa magnnnimous and powerful Christian
nation-that il is a war fraught with terrible
evil to the Union-that il is an Executive war
that had President'Polk accepted the offer
of Mexico, in terms, for commissioner TO
settle the boundary question:, mot minister
OVERWHELMINGLY or had he subsequently con-
fined our army to the banks of the Nuecesr
either the war would not have ensued at all,
or for il Mexico would have become clearly
and solely responsible. In the first point
named-to wit, the offer ofMe1ico-the au-
thor of the Message descends to n trick com
mon enough with pettiioggers, but which n
statesman--and much more man who is
from lis station made a chief among states
impression conveyed by the Message Is, that
Mexico was soleD,nly Pledged 10 receive Min
lister plenipotentiary inlthe autumn of1S45,&
in violation of that pledge refused to receive
! Observation-Disclosures the correspondence shows
that Mexico made no such pledge, and that
President Polk deliberately sent this Minis.
ter, when the identical letters from Mexico,
then in his hands, indicated that such Min
lister would not he received! This is dishon-
est, in our Judgment, and warns us TO take
Executive declarations witha wide margin
for discounts. five have not read the pub
lie documents in vain, the Message is equal
| " contemplate and equally dishonest in re-
laiion to the territory between the Nueces
and the Rio Grande. Thatterritory was al
| most entirely within the possession of Mexico.
! She there had no less than three Suites, rep
resented in the Mexican Congress, and two
ofthem actually recognized as Mexican by an
act of our last Congress. And well they
might he so recognized: Texas indeed claimed
to the Rio Grande, but she never captured
this territory-she had barely taken posses
sion of Corpus Christi, little village on the
west bank ofthe Nueces. and perhaps had II
plantation or two further up the river-all of
them some one hundred and fifty miles from
the Mexican states on the Rio Grande, which
Polk so bravely claims 10 be ours! This act
ual possession by Mexico of territory which
Texas never conquered, constitutes her title
She claimed it us hers, and when Polk order
ed our army to march into it, Mexico consid
cred herselfinvaded. But this is the Mexican
side of the question: now let us remind the
reader of the views of our own government.
On the goth ofJuhe. 1874, our Secretary of
State MIR Calhouu) expressly instructed the
U. s. Minister to say to Mexico that are re-
garted Hris qstestion ofboundUy as an open
gtteSlion-a matter TO he settled by negotiation.
| In the very resolutions of our Congress for
annexation, it was expressly provided that we
should annex no more Than tchdt rghttihiy be-
ICngedto TerGs, and declared rs expressly thar
the United States should settle this boundary
question. In the annexation letter of AN
| DREW JACKSON, he fixed the .Nueces as
the natural boundary line, and argued that 1t
WIS necessasy 10 have the broad desert be-
tween the Nueces and the Rio GrundG, as an
eternal barrier to separate us from Mexico "
defend the South from invasion. by an act
of our Congress, a little more than one year
ago, Santa Fe and Coahuila Estates in this
very territory were actually recognized as
Mexican possessions, and finally, since the
war has been commenced, our army has been
compelled to capture and wrest from Mexico,
by force, The very territory which Polk would
| have the people understand was clearly ours!
Because Mexico defended these possessions
of hers, Polk says she began the war, because
Polk sent our army into these Mexican pos
sessions and posted It opposite Mexican
town OH the West side of the Rio Grande, in
unquestonahIe Mexican terrirory-MeXico
saws that he began the War. Such is Il brief
but fair view ofhoth sides of the question:
This point is all important: for If the terrific
nv between the Nueces and the Rio Grande
was not ours, this was on Our part. at the be-
tginning, what It has since become, war of
dggression-a war abhorrent TO both God and
man. The truth appears TO be, that the law
vers. in the Cabinet have sacrificed the cam
dor and dignity which belong 10 statesman
ship, for the sake of deceiving and mslead-
ing the people, who constitute the Jury IN tins
case. There is need ofan able and impartial
iudne to clear up and sift out the grain from
the chaffin which the testimony i'll the case
has been ingeniously buried. The country
needs Daniel-apd we expect he will be
found.
The author of the Message labors hard to
show that the war is unsuitable by the laws
: of nations. Grant il: it is still war in viola
ton of the Constitution ofthe United States;
it was begun without declaration. and with
out the authority of law. But in this part OF
the Message lies false issue. We suspect
there would be universal concurrence IN
the opinion that the violation oftreaties and
the neglect by Mexico to pay her debts. con
situte LEGAL causes for war; but il is not legal
itv merely which sanctifies or iustifies war.
Within fifteen years past the man who penu-
|, ed the message could, under the laws of ma
!, lions. make ont causes for war with France
: and with Great Britain, to say nothing OF 9TH
er states of far less consequence. Why did
:; not our government rush Into war with these
|. noweriiil nations and DANGEROUSLY urge tho
;. people to sustain them on the grounds ofjns-