The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-11-12
ii TACTICS.
eft is good to be merry and wise,
1t is good to be honest and true"

Scotch Song.
Since the time the fourteen ,chigs in Congress
committed the tsun pas, of voting against giving
the Government the means of relieving Gen.
Taylor, and the little Army of Observation -
from the presumed Inevitable massacre to which
1t was thought they were doomed, at the hands of
the Mexicans, the wing presses have been cautious
of committing themselves against ,hs war, but we
are forced 10 smile at their ouire efforts to " damn
with faint praise" the cause they SO heartily hate
while at the same time they seize upon every
thing by which they can hope 10 weaken the
Adminlstrat ton. Their columns are filled with
graphic descriptions of the sufferings of our armv
In Mexico, and doletul %jeremiads are poured out,
because some times our troops have no "sugar to
mix with their beams" or "whiskey 10 boil with
their coffee" (See letters from the Army,
passim.) The dreadful cruelty of killing men in
battle, and the enormous expenses of the war are
continually dwelt upon, and duly paraded before
their readers, as though men were never killed in
battle, and money was not before expended for
the purposes OF supply. All their wits are nut to
work 10 annoy and embarrass the Adminis,ra, ton.
Their last efforts were to depreciate the credit of
their Government, and these patriotic presses
sounded the glorious news throughout the coun.
try that the Secretary of the Treasury had failed
In eftecting exchanges, and that his offer for a
loan of fue million would not be taken. AS
usual, time and the facts have proved the worth
lessness of these wing We COPY a
paragraph from a Washington letter published in
the Baltimore Sun, which gives the true state of
this latter case =
"There is now no longer any doubt, as to the
five million loan. Not only have sealed proposals
poured in upon the Secretary of tho Treasury
from all the large cities Of the Union, but gentle
men from New York have come down here. ready
to act in the premises. 1t was in vain to cry
down the Government credit by representing the
finances of the country in a shattered condition.
and line war against Mexico interminable. There
never was, from The commencement, any doubt as
to the safety of the investment; but the banks
wanted to makes pretty penny out of the matter,
and were not troubled by Conscientious scruples
as 10 the tax which their proceedings were sure
TO impose upon The people. They first attempt
ed TO frighten off the patriotically inclined. by
representing the war against Mexico as minus,
and baTbarous, and then to create a panic among
the money dealers by giving a melancholy picture
of the state of the United States Treasury. and
presenting the hideous prospects of a second, a
third, perhaps a fourth and a fifth loan at a dis
lance. All this, however, was merely done in
hopes that some good natuIed 1" Merchant Prince
might abstain from
81 Bringing down the rate OF usance."
Now that the Government has stood firm, the
competition OF The bidders seems To increase, and
there is no doubt, whatever, but that the whole
sum will be offered at reasonable rates.