The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-09-03

SN1 IACf(A aAh(N
able, as he must have known it would,
have nothing VIII atever to allege in It's or
his own justification. He should have
been lawyer enoughto knowtbat he could
not plead anew. after having failed on his
first issue, II is often hazardous in our
pleadlngs to plead what is not true, and
in doing so in the present case, the Presi.
dent has not only offended morality,
which he may regard as a small matter.
but has even committed a blunder.
"The course the President shoeld have
pursued is plain and obvious. On learn
ing the state of things on the frontier, the
critical condition Of our army ofoccupa.
ton, he should have demanded Of Con-
gress the reinforcements and supplies
necessary to relieve it and secure the
purpose for which it was avowedly sent
to the Rio Grande; and if he believed it
proper or necessary, to have in addition
laid before Congress a full and truthful
state ment of our relations with Mexico,
including all the unadjusted complaints,
past and present, we had against her, ac-
companied by the recommendation Of a
declaration of war. He would then have
kept within the limits ofhis duty, proved
himself q plain constitutional President,
and left the responsibility of war or no
war to Congress, the only war making
power known to the laws. Congress, az
ter mature deliberations. might or might
not have declared war-most likely would
not; but whether so or not the response.
bility would have resulted with ii, and
no blame would have attached to the
President.
"Unhappily, this course did not occur tc
the President, or was too plain and simple
to meet his appreciation. AS if fearful,
if Congress deliberated, it might refuse
to declare war, and as if determined to
have war at any rate. he presented to
Congress, not the true issue, whether wal
should or should not be declared-but
the false issue, whether Congress would
grant him the means of prosecuting a war,
waged against US by a foreign power. In
the true issue, Congress might have hes.
%itated--in the one actually prese niet
there was no room to hesitate, if the off
cial announcement of the President was
to be credited, and hesitation would have
been criminal.
By declaring that the war already ex'
listed and by the act of Mexico herself. the
President relieved Congress of the res,
possibility of the war, by throwing it OF
Mexico. But since he cannot fasten it OF
Mexico.-for war did not already exist, Oh
if so. is our act, and not hers,-itnecessa
rily recoils upon himself, and he must beaI
the responsibility of doing what the con
stitution forbids him to do,-of making
war without the intervention of Congress
In effect therefore, lie has trampled I'll
constitution under his feet, set a dangerou
precedent, and By the official publication
eta palpabkf alseAoOd, sxllied the nation
al honor.
1t is with no pleasure that we speal
thus Of the chief magistrate of the Union
for sohose elevation to his high and respon
sible office, zoe ourselves voted. But what
ever may be our attachment to party, O.
the respect we hold to be due from al
good citizens to the civil magistrate, W,
cannot see the Constitution violated, ant
the national honor sacrificed, whether b,
friend orfoe, from good motives OR bad
without entering, feeble though it be, on
stern and indignant protest.