Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-09-16
WHO PROLONGS THE WAR?
From the New Y ork Herald.
The Wings and the Administration I'm.
SeaSOnable Party feeling

There never was a more mischievous
mistake than that committed by the wings,
in not sustaining the administration in the
prosecution of the war against Mexico, and
inits endeavors to bring that war to an hon
orable termination. Nothing tends so much
tolessen a nation abroad, as want of una.
nimity athome, particularly in time of war.
At the commencement of the war, the en-
tire press of the country, with some miser-
abl exceptions, united in praiseworthy sup
port ofthe government. But no sooner
did our arms triumph, and the prospect of
a cessation Of hostilities occur, than the whig
press again gave tongue, ''the little dogs
and ALL" from the deep bay of the mastiffs
Of the Wall street press, to the discordant
snarl of every abolition paper throughout
the country.
We believe it to be the duty of the press,
without distinction Of party, to sustain the
existing administration in time of war. All
partizan feeling should be forgotten, and
nothing thought Of but how the administra-
ton can be assisted to bring the war to a
speedy and honorable termination. We
should present united front. All should
be harmony at the end of the war; then if
the administration have erred, let it be call.
ed to an account. 1t is amenable to the tri-
bunal Of popular opinion. But let it not
be called off from the prosecution of the
war, whilst it is engaged in carrying on
active operations against the enemy, to
give premature and incomplete account
Of its stewardship. Above all let not its
operations against the enemies Of our coun.
try be crippled BY petty, factious, illiberal,
narrow minded, short sighted, party opposi-
ton. To pursue such course is to inf1ict
wound upon the country. Whatever
weakens the power Of the administration,
strengthens that Of the enemy.
We are sorry to find that the whig press
is again actively engaged in assailing the
administration. The wings are evidently
afraid that Mr.. Polk and his cabinet will
Come out of our Mexican difficulties with
honor, and therefore wish to detract as much
as possible from the credit to which the ad-
ministration will be entitled for bringing the
war to successful and honorable termina-
ton. They are afraid Mr.. Polk and his
cabinet will entitle themselves to praise,
and they therefore abuse them before hand.
This course is inexpressibly contemplate.
Il affords remarkable instance of the
degradation to which party politics reduces
men, otherwise respectable.
We may mention in this connection the
defeat Of the millions appropriation bill,
by John Davis Of Massachusetts, in the SEN
ate ofthe United States. Mr.. Davis was a.
ware that the appropriation was necessary
Tor bringing about peace. He was a.
ware that on the passage of the bill hung
the lives of hundreds and thousands, the con.
tingency of sacrificing which lives he rash
ly hazarded, merely because the measure
had proceeded from democratic admins
tration. When he defeated the bill, ii was
in the face ofthe direct probability Of need
lessly protracting the war. Had the admin
istration been whig, nobody will maintain
that Mr. Davis would have acted IS he did.
So that his assumption Of that awful respon-
sibility was solely dictated by party feeling.
II has been said that Mr.. Davis did not
intend to defeat the bill, and thai it would
not have passed even If he had not adopted
tho coufse no did. The bill was first sub,