The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-16
THURSDAY AFTERNOON, deer le, Is47.
For President ag
GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR.
MIR. cALHOUN,s RESOLVES.

Submitted in Senate this day, Dec. Is, Al.

Submitted in Senate this day, Dec. Is, al.
Resolped, That to conquer Mexico and to hold It,
either as a Province or TO incorporate 1t in our
Union, would be inconsistent with the avowed OBJ
ject for which the war has been prosecuted; depar
ture from the settled policy Of the Governments in
conflict with its character and genius, and in the
end subyersve Of our free and popular institutions.
Resolred That no line Of policy, in the further pro-
secuton of the war, should be adopted which may
lead to consequences 80 disastrous.
MR.. DICKlNSON'S RESOLVES.
Submitted in the q. S. Se,tate on the ID Dec l847l
Resolred, That true policy requires the Government
Of the u s. to strengthen its political and CONNER
cal relations upon this Continent by the annexation
of such contiguous territory as may conduce to that
ond and can be justly obtaned and That neither in
such acquisition nor In the territorial organization
thereof can any be constitntionay imposed
sisfent with the right Or tho people fisroofs form
free sovereign State with the powers and privileges
of the original members of the Confederacy.
Resoired That in organizing territor al government
for territory belonging to the United States the prin
cples Of selfgovernment upon which our federative
system rests will be best promoed-the true spirit
and meaning Of the constitution be observed. and
the conederacy strengthened by leaving oil questions
concerning the domestic policy therein to the Legis-
latures chosen by the people thereof
: More striking instances Of the abstract
and the practical cannot be found in the
history Of American Legislation, than the
above cited Resolutions afford They are
in an eminent degree characteristic Of the
modes Of thought which distinguish the in
dividual people Of whom Mr.. Calhoun and
Mr.. Dickinson are the worthy representa-.
tives The Carolina resolves might be
adopted without a dissenting voice, and yet,
when they came to be reduced to practice,
the Legislature might find itself just as far
from agreement upon the application Of the
principles avowed in the Resolutions, as il
they had not been adopted. There is no
result-producng energy in them. The con-
sequences sought by the author do not fol-
low from the premises, as effect from cause.
On the other hand, the New York Resolu-
tons carry with them necessary conse-
quences. They are fruit-bearing. Once
adopted, the principle upon which they are
based must be made the basis Of subsequent
legislation, or there can be no Legislation at
all.
That Mr.. Calhoun's Resolutions open a
wider field Of debate than Mr. Dickinson's,
we are ready to admit, but it does not fol-
low therefrom, that the harvest to be gather
ed is rich and abundant, in proportion to the
area to be passed over. The richest harvests
are gathered from the smallest bounds, where
the soil has been properly nursed. In this
last aspect we regard Mr.. Dickinson's Res
olutions as compared with Mr.. Calhoun's
The South Carolina Resolutions are abstrac-
tons leading to distractions The New
York Resolutions are practical, conducting
to practical results.
But let US examine the positions assumed
by the distinguished Senators.
If Mr.. Calhoun's means to say, that the
reduction of Mexico and the holding of it
as United States Territory are inconsistent
with the objects Of the war, which the Pre-
sident has avowed in his State papers from
TIME to time, or through the columns of the
Presidential Gazette, every man., who has
kept pace with the progress Of political
events, must acknowledge that the Senator
is perfectly right Whether he can get his
Democratic brethren to admit the fact which
he asserts, is different question. The
President, in his recent message, seems to
have anticipated the appearance Of this SEN
timent in some form or other, for he takes
great pains to prove that there has been no
inconsistency between the avowed and act
ual objects Of the war. It will be seen,
when the vote comes to be taken on this de-
claration Of Mr.. Calhoun's, how many Of the
Democratic Senators share his opinion
But if Mr.. Calhoun means to declare that
the conquest and occupation Of Mexico as
United States Territory are inconsistent
with the objects Of the war, declared in the
act recognising the war, then we are con-
strained to differ with the Senator upon the
question Of fact. The act of the 18th of
May, 1916, declares the object Of the war
to be, that it shall be waged "to speedy
and a successful termination" These terms
are broad enough to admit of the reduction
and occupation Of the entire territory OF
Mexico, il the war can be terminated in no