New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-28
The War with Mexico w hat should the
Whigs i'm Congress doF

them instead OF printing us article IN iui' We
shall endeavor 70 do them justice however
l. The Courier thinks The Tribune " took the
lead in this discussion BY setting forth as long
ago as June the positions now maintained by u.s.
II this were true it would not be relevant, since
the Couriers former reference was made directly
and specifically to our recent article based that
Of the Evening Post and referring to those OF the
National Intelligencer and Evening Journal But
the responsible Editor Of this paper was absent IN
the Far West from the last Of May till late in July,
and wrote nothing for this paper concerning the
Mexican War during that interval; and we ieei
quite sure that no one Of bis associates took ground
on 80 important subject in his absence.
2 The Courier represents US as insisting that
the Wings in Congress should vote for the instant
withdrawal OF our Army from Mexico and that 70
be consistent we ought TO require its return 70
the ssbine-Itis VIGOROUSLY one OF the penalties
of wrong doing that it is very apt TO render re
tprn 20 the path Of recttude difficult and homili-
atipg The great dramstist makes great Grim
insl say in a well known passage,
81 srn In blood
Slept In SO far that should wade no more,
Ranrnfag tedlous as 60 oa," sc.
We have not insisted on the instant withdrawal
of our Army from Mexico What We insist on IS
that the Wings shall not vote men and money Tor
farther offensive operations. Let Us, so far as we
have power, stop attacking Mexican cities and
towns let US stop saughtering women and children
let us stop killing Mexicans unless they assail our
troops-And as 10 the line TO be maintained by
our forces we would in the actual condition OF
things have our troops occupy and defend just so
far as the inhabitants choose 70 be citizens of this
country rather than Of Mexico. 1t seems evident
that the People Of Texas, including those Of the
valley Of the Neeces do prefer our rule TO that OF
Mexico, while the People Of the provinces OF Ia
mauipas chihuahua and New Mexico embracing
the valley Of the Rio Grande, choose TO adhere to
Mexico in the actual complication of affairs caused
by the covering Of Annexation with all the forms OF
National assent, and with knowledge that all the
present population OF Texas, as above defined. de-
cidedly choose our alliance aud repel that of Mexi
CO. this seems TO the best that can be done Most
certainly. if we were back in 1874 again, with
blessed Peace prevailing, we should insist on the
Sabine as orr boundary, and protest against ac-
ceptiBg or covetng sught beyond 1t. In ls47, with
War actually raging, we would berate the Next
can provinces now grooming under de,ested yoke,
and defend those who, however exceptionally,
have become in verify part and parcel OF ourselves
g. The Courier thinks we ought TO oppose the
shedding of blood under any circumstances. since
we give so literal construction to the Command
,nent. Thou shalt not kill'-Whether it would
not be best 70 refrain from War and fighting alto
eether. we will not here consider Ii is grave ues
ton bat for the present purpose, we acquiesce in
the principle that me life Of The guilty may be taken
IN order TO sare the i,res Of The innocent. yet the
Divine ukase be unviolated We have no scruple
in taking the lives of murderers in case it be
demonstrated that murders are thereby prevented
Suppose it proved that, by putting murderer to
DEATH we save two innocent persons from being
murdered we should consider such execution
rather saving than taking life. Just so Of resist
ance to pirate. gang Of midnight vioators and
assassns. Just so far as the opposing of force by
force seems calculated to save more lives than it
destroys do we hold it compatible with the Divine
injunction not to kill The Courier the contrary,
holds that Armies the Police of Nations and
that
Warts jusuhabe go long and upon the grounds.
as the exercise OF any force by the civil power In vndi
cation Of law bs justified And the Divine command
against murder more prohibits than 1t prohibits
killing In selfdefence penalty for the prohibited
crime Upon this point certainly, argument cannot be
needed"
The exercise Of any force by the civil power is
justified on the presumption that its subject has
formally or tacitly cOnseAted to such exercise Of
force in contemplated contiDgency-which contin-
gency has now occurred. And if the Divine com
mand against murder not exactly, bat killing, may
be whitfield away after the fashion of the Courier,
we NAV lust as well admit Duelng and Boxing
into che category of excuses for slaughter. We
protest.
T. The Courier wastes half column in disqui.
sition upon offensive and defensive Var, intendedto
prove that we are overrunnng Mexico on the de
fensive 1t quotes Alison and Napier lever
Bonapartist at heart to prove that the icars of
France from 1898 to 1907 were essentially defen-
sive," and falls into the bunder of saying that
NAPOLEON broke 40 the peace Of Europe end put again
at hazard his position and the prosperity Of France
because England refused 10 surrender Malta ss she bad
expressly agreed II do by the treaty OF Amiens and the
whole world justified him In doing 80
How can the Courier have forgotten that it was
not Napoleon who broke up the Peace of Europe
after the treaty of Amiens, but the British Govern
ment by declaring against France And yet
we do not think he ever contended in the calm con
versations OF St Helena, that his meditsted inva.
sion of England was a dcteRsire messure-Yet
queries the Courier
Was our revolutionary struggle ofsHstre
our part because MONTGOMERY and ARNOLD led ex
p-duons against Quebeci 9r last with
Enslsnd an offensive war because Gen sooT1 Invaded
Csnsdsf These questions must admit Of but one
swerf
Well, sir. the one answer is that though our
Revolutionary struggle was defensive, the expe
dtions against Quebec were eFeHsire,-and re-
suited accordingly Ditto of our invssions Of Can
ada in the War of 1914 We have always been
successful in defending own soil while orr In
vasions of foreign territory have resulted adversely
whatever their apparent success in the outset
o thu. be II ever when Freemen shall stand
Beswixt their loved home and fell Wsrs drsolston.n
Invasion il not defensive. even though the War
in which it occurs may have originally been so.
Napoleon WAS not acting on the defensive when be
occupied Moscow, no matter if the War had bean
provoked BY his adversary. Ditto Of the Russian
at Paris 1t is high time mankind had torn in
shreds the webs of sophistry whereby they are de-
luded into butchering and destroying each other in