Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1847-03-03
to execute that law Of treason upon one At least
90. h.,,abis myself, 10 emernher Pees,dsnf


So humble as myself. I do remember, President
! Won will remember, Mr. Preside nt-your
| objection of history will furnish you with n case
| which will. think, operate in my favor in .
question of that sort.
| Some time in the history Of the royal TudOrs
Yin England. when poor Engli.hman. for differ
ing from His Majesty, Her Majesty, some
sub ect-it might be religious faIth-was con-
drIned to be hanged and quurtered and embow-
eled out OF special grace. In a particular case
/ where pentenCe expressed. the hangman
was adl,onisod to give the culprt tame TO choke,
before he began to chop up his limbs and take
out his bowels.
/ Now, Mr.. President, l have already stated
That do not intend to occupy the Senate with
a discussion of those varieties OF topics which
naturally enforce themselves upon my attention
in considering this subject. 1t must have occur
/ red to everybody, how utterly impotent the Gen.
gress Of the United States now Is for my pur-
pose whatever, but that of yielding to the Presi.
dent every demand which he makes for men and
money, unless they assume that only position
which is left-that which in the history Of other
countries, in times favorable to human liberty,
has bee SO often resorted to a check upon
bitrary power-withholding that money, refusal
TO grant the services of those men when de-
mandod for purposes which the Senate Of the
United States do not deem TO be proper.
will ask any Senator here to furnish me with
any means of escaping from tho prosecution Of
this war for an hundred years to como. if it SO
please the President Of the United States to
cupy this while. Ho for that time. Furnish mo
with possibility OF getting away from Shio
war; connecting to him, AS you have the power
to command your army wherever no pleases,
and then granting to the Administration, you
call 1.-THE President-every dollar in money,
and if need be every able bodied man capable Of
bearing arms, i'll the United States, to prosecute
that war--tel! me-, you who say that being in q
war, and concedng as the Constitution has con-
coded 10 the President the power to command
your armies 10 the field, to send them no
pleases. to Monterey, to Mexico. to Yucatan. to
Panama, to China, if you plcase-under the PEN
atty, too, of death, denounced upon the officers
that shall disobey that COMMUNICATES him that
power, and then concede ii to be the duty OF
Congress--being thus engaged without your
consent at first, without appealing to you to give
him that power-to leave him tho whole conduct
of the war, and AS many men ana AS much mon
ey, as may crafty to the full, his schemes of am
btion avarice, whatever else You attribute
to him--and then tell me, what is tho Govern
ment of the United States. but one of tho blank
est, levelest, most odious, and most hateful Des-
potsms. that it has pleased merciful God.
to allow nation to be afflicted with on the face
of the earth?
have looked at this subject with painful on
deavor to come to the conclusion, II possible, that
it was my duty a Senator Of the United States
finding the country in war. to fight it CUT" ~
we say in the common and popular phrase Of
tho tmes--to Just and honorable peace. I
could very easily conceds that to be my duty if /
found my country engaged in . just warm .
war necessary even to protect that fancied hon
o Of which you talk much. l should have
men, in the determination Of my console nce. and
in an appeal which you and l, and all of must
soon be required to make before tribunal, where
this Wanted honor of the Republic, fear mo,
will gain but little credit defence TO any act
we may be guilty Of here in the Senate Of the
United States.
Bat when l am ask ed to say that will prose-
cute war, cannot answer that question yea
nay, until have determined whether that was .
necessary war; and / cannot determine whether
it necessary until know how it was that
my country was involved III il. And il is to that
particular point, Mr.. Presidont-wthout read
ing documents, but referring to a few facts which
| under tand not to be denied on either side Of
this chamber-that wish to direct the attention
of the Anne ricau Senate, and SO far as may be-
that of any of the humble and honest constitute ns
whom represent here know, Mr.. President.
the responsibility which assume in under ing
to determine that the President Of the United
States has done great wrong to tho county,
whose honor and whose interest he was required
to protect. l know, Mr.. President, the denunci-
atoms which await so humble individual
Is myself, when he shall dare TO put himself in
opposition to that high power--that idol god
which the people of this country have made to
tn emse Ives and called 4 President.
But it is my very humility which makes me
bold know, sir, that he who told in oden
time how to govern a turbulent people, was az
vised to cut off the talest head Mine will o.
cape Still, holding seat here, Mr.. PFesidents
and finding it written in the Constitution Of my
country that had the power to grant to the
PRESIDENT, at his bidding not AZ pIea9o0, men
and money, did conceive that it became my du-
ty to ascertain whs ether the President's request
was a reasonable one-whether the President
wanted these men and this money for q pr(peTs
and laud able purpose not; and with these ~
fashioned ideas-quite as unpopular. say IN
this side ofthe Chamber we find them to b on
the other-I set myself to this painful investiga-
ton, and fonnd not quite enough along with
me to have saved that city in olden time. "a
laugh.)
There wore not five Of US, but only three! "A
Iaugh.) looked around and allusion was
made by the Senator from Michigan yesterday
/ in a very Singular and conspicuous manner that
in my desolation finding myself only with I've
other mon on this important occasion, did 70 20
that book to see if / could not find some eonso-
/ lation in my despair; and when these otes wero
called and was compelled to separate myself
from all around mo could have cried as did the
man Of Uz in his affection in the olden time
"What times my friends waxed warm. they van
isl1.'' "a iaugh.) "Whe it il hot they
consumed out Of their places.'' (Renewsd laugh
/ teri
Well, I could not leave the position in which
il had pleased the State Of Ohio to place me. and
1 returned again and again to the original and
primary and important inquiry-how - It thas
my country is involved in this war! Hooked to
the Presidents account Of it, and he tells me it
was a war for the defence of the territory Of tho
United States found it written in that mes
sage. Mr.. President, that this war was not
sonph. nor forced upon Mexico by the people Of
the United States. l shall make question Of
history or the truth of history with my master,
the Commander n-chief, upon tina. particular