The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-11-25
.THE WAR AND ITS OBJECTS"


pecaIly note worthy by the course which thai Jour
n,l has recently seen fit to adopt We have already
.,ossd TO the south the desperate game which the
In,egeacer has OF late attempted to play In IT'S To-
direc, and insidous endeayors TO defend or )usuiy
the abooniss Of the north, through the entre per-
version Of Mr.. JefIerson's opinions and example ~
.~.,;oa 10 the subject Of slavery. This hopeful be-
ginning, the Intellgeucer now follows up by ut
tempting TO cast odium and reproaeh upon the Mex
lean war through the allegation that IL Is waged es-
p,eiallv with view 10 the promotion Of southern
interests and the extension of southern sentiments
sod institutions To sustain this allegation the In
teligencer cites passage from an article which APP
peared in southern paper and then proceeds to put
forth perversion ofis meaning more deliberate ana
systematic than we remember even the lnelligencer
IN any similar case 10 have attempted before This at
tempt of the Integencer to array one section OF the
Union against another-to make the war odious al
the north, by holding out the idea that it is prosecu
tad to favor southern interests rather than to uphold
,bs rights and character Of the whole nation-we do
mt now propose to comment upon. Every man
can see the nature and the bearing OF such course
on the part of the central organ of the federal party
We have already repealed as utterly false the accu.
.s,ion that the war is waged for the extension OF
slavery and that il is in any sense to be regarded as
=. sectional measure We have shown again and
again that our government was forced into this con-
aict upon ca uses in which every part Of our whole
country has an equal concern. We have shown,
too that as the war national in Its origin, so too
i, is entirely national in the great objects of peace,
indemnity, and safety from future outrageto secure
which it is prosecuted. Without going over this
ground anew at the present moment, we content
ourselves with holding up to the mind of the south,
and Of the whole country, the fact that the national
organ Of the federal party now ventures openly to
attack the war with Mexico being southern Wn,
Truly the plot thickens. First, we have the fede-
raj organ attempting to prove that the north
ern " liberty" men are no worse than Mr.. Jetfer-
son; and now it Indirectly puts forth the doctrine that
the Mexican war is carried on to aggrandize the
south sin territory and in trade,n at the ex-
pense of ruin to the north This is the bold
est step which we have yet known the federal or
gan to take in its advocacy Of Mexican interests.
Mr.. Webster's Impeachment" proposition seems
to have given his friends new courage.
1t is, however, with the opening paragraphs Of
the lntelgencer's long article that we have now
mainly to do. % We cite them at length:
at is now six months since the nation found it.
self involved in war without the consent Of the le-
gislave authority, and to the surprise, not merely
Of the great body Of the people, but also of the
parativey few who had reason to suppose them
selves pretty thoroughly informed Of the state Of
public affairs. This stale Of war was, as every one
knows brought on by the march of our army into
the territory west Of the Nueces, then wholly in
possession Of Mexico, posting that army in front Of
a Mexican fortress, and erecting battery within
gunshot oft. The Executive is, therefore, I'M
doubtedly responsible for the existence Of this war;
and for all the consequences which may grow out OF
it-a responsibility which the administration
cast off, if il would, and which, in truth, ii has
shown disposition to enlarge rather than to shrink
from, by its avowal Of designs of conquest, and by
already establishing civil governments within the
Mexican territory-acts not less against the con-
stution than was the first inception Of the war.
"When, although without the consent of Congress
the war-making power, this country found itself at
war, and its small but gallant army already in con-
flct with Mexican troops, il was no time for Con
gress or the people to hold back. Nor did they.
Congress, with bounteous hand, placed abundance
of means, men, and money at the disposition Of the
executive to carry on this war; and all the people
approved that action. There has been, in any
quarter, murmur Of disapprobation of the appro-
priaton of men and money thus made.
"Whilst, however, Congress thus provided for
the rescue Of the army from unprecedented danger,
and to guard the flag of the United States from hui
initiation by defeat, there was no thought on the
part of large portion Of both houses of Congress-
or of still larger portion Of the people of the United
States, of releasing the President and his advisers
from their Just responsibility for the measures which
led to this state of things. The right of inquiry
how this calamity of war, with oil its eoncomitants
was brought about, WINS indeed postponed, but not
renquished. The conduct of the Executive, in
seeking and contrivng this war, in contraventon Of
the very terms of the act of annexation, ar
kssned by number of speakers in both houses Of
Congress. 1t was also condemned by many public
journals, and amongst others by this press, decided
ly enough, but briefly, and with no more Of HARSH
ness than was unavoidable in speaking the truth.
:, .The government paper, intolerant as ever ma
king no allowance for honest difference Of views
Upon public affairs, fell furiousy dpon the National
lnteligencer, if it thought by coarse abuse and
alevolent asperson to que in the spirit of free
men. But ii may be recolIec,ed, in the very article
IN which il threatened to brand this paper for de-
claring the war to have been unnecessarily and
lawfully induced the official paper itself plead guilty
10 the impeachment, by making the point that the
Official statement of the facts which led to the war,
and compelled il, and justified on our part--the
case, that is, of our government-hos (had) not YET
for liant Of time alone, been fully made knopn TO The
couufru' Nor has this statement of the case yet
been made known to the country. To this day,
whatever was then unknown, which justified the I'M
dertaking Of this wa, by the executive rs still un.
know The whole county, is yet unenghtened
as to the reasons why army was marched by the
executive into a territory which was, by the terms
othe act Of annexation Of Texas admitted 70 be al
least doubtful ground, and ordered to be made the
subject Of negotiation with Mexico. No sufficient,
or even plausible reason has certainly ever been
given either officially unofhcialy for this resort
10 arms as substitute for the negotiation directed
by law" a,a
The main allegation of the first of the above
paragraphs is, that "the Executive is undoubtedly
responsible for the existence Of this war, and for all
its consequences, because II was brought on by the
march Of our army into the territory of the Nueces,
then wholly in the possession Of Mexico" or q
surety, un,ruth may be closely packed. Hardly
any equal number OF words could by possibility
contain greater number Of distinct false state
ments than are contained in these. The war brought
on by General Taylor's march beyond the Nuecesl
Why evervhodv knouva that Alrnonts In tina N .r,e