The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1847-03-25

"hhe VIC American PRESIDENT can con-
mand Tie army, thank Heaven / can COM
mand The purse. While the President.
under The penalty Of death. can CON-
lnand your officers 10 proceed. can tell
mem 10 ro;ne bark, or The President can
suppl; them as he may. lie shah have
30 funds from me in The prosecution Of a
war which ! cannot approve. That l
conceive 10 be The duty OF Senator. |
am no. mistaken in ihai. II il be my du.
~ tograni Whatever the President demads.
for what am herel Have | no will up.
on the subject! Is il not placed At my dis
erection. understanding, judgment! Have
an American Senate and House Of Repre-.
sen,alives nothing TO do but obey the bid.
ding Of the President. as the army he com.
mands is compelled to obey under penalty
Of death! No! The Representatives Of
the sovereign people and sovereign States.
were never elected for such purposes Us
that.
! Have Senators reflected on the great
power which the command Of armies in
war conIers upon any one, but especially
on him who is at once the civil and mill.
lary chief Of The government! II is very
well that we should look back TO see how
the friends Of popular rights regarded this
subject in former times. Prior 10 the rev.
olulion Of 1855 in England, all grants Of
money by Parliament were general
Specific appropriations before that period
were unknown. The King could, out Of
the general revenues. appropriate any or
all Of them 10 any war, or other object, as
best suited his own unrestrained wishes.
Hence, in the last struggle with the first
Charles, the Parliament insisted that he
should yield up the command Of the army
raised TO Quell the Irish rebellion. TO such
person as Parliament should choose
The men Of that day saw that with the
unrestricted control Of revenue, and the
power 10 name the commander Of the az
my, the King was master OF the liberties
of the people. Wherefore, Charles, after
he had yielded mp almost every other
kingly prerogalive, was. lin order to Sc
cure Parliament and the people against
military rule, required 10 give up The com
mand Of the forces. II was his refusal to
do this, Marlborough his head 10 The block.
"Give up the command Of the army "
was the last imperative demand Of the
foes of arbitrary power then. What was
the reply Of that unhappy representative
Of the doomed race of the Sluarts! "Not
for an hour. by Cod" was the stern an
swer. Wentworth had always advised his
royal master never 10 yield up the right 10
command the army ; such too was the
counsel of the Queen, whose notions Of
kingly power were all fashioned after the
most despotic modes. This power over
the army by our Constitution is conceded
to our. King. Give him money at his
will, as we are told we must, and you
have set up in this Republic just such a
,yrant as him, against whom the friends oil
English liberty were compelled to wage
war. Ii was hard necessity, but still II
was demanded as the only security for
any reasonable measure Of public liberty.
Such men as Holt and Somers, had moi
We, taught the people Of England the Sc
cret of controlling arbitrary power by spe'
ci6c appropriations Of money, and with
holding these, when the King proclaim'
ed his intention 10 use the gran. for any
purpose, not approved by the Commons
the true representatives Of popular rights
in England.
When in 1888, this doctrine of specific
: appropriations became part Of the Brit
v ish Constitution, the King could safely bt
C trusted with the control of the army. i
war is made there by the Crown, and The
Commons do not approve Of it, refusal tt
grant supplies is the easy remedy-one
| too, which renders it impossible for ;
c King of England 10 carry forward any
|, war which may he displcasing TO the En-
: gIish people. Yes, sir, in England, since
1888. il has not been in the power Of
British Sovereign 10 do that which, in you
boas,ed Republic, an American President
under the auspices of what you call de
J, mocracy, has done.-make war, wlthou
!. consent Of the legislative power. IN I'm
/. gland supplies are at once refused, u far
n Lament does not approve the obJecls Q
i the war. Here, we are told, we must no
l. look TO the objects of the war. being II
the war-made by the President--w
mus, help him to fight it out. should it c
y ven please him to carry it TO the utter ex
termination of the Mexican race. Sir,
believe it must proceed to this shocking
t. extreme, if you are by war TO "conque
J. peace" Here then is your condition
Y The President involves you in war with
Of out your consent. Being in such wal
re it is demanded as duty, that we gran
to men and money to carry 1t on. IN
V President tells us he shall prosecute thl
r. war, till Mexico pays us, or agrees to pa
us. all its expenses. am not willing
r. scourge Mexico thus I; and the only mean
W lel, me i. 10 say 10 the commandment