Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-17
The Presidents Message.

We issued Mr.. Folks Message in an Extra,
on Monday of this week, and sent it TO most Of
our subscribers. We do not therefore. deem it
necessary to cucumber our columns with it.
Those of our readers who have read it have
undoubtedly judged Of it according to its mer-
its and have, we incline to think, placed it, in
the category of State Papers, where it belongs.
In our judgment, it is creditable neither to the
Officer nor TO the Country. About nine Of the
sixteen columns it occupies in our Extra are.
devoted to the topic of the War with Mexico.
The War; therefore, may be called the staple of
the Message. All other state interests are made
subordinate to it, And the reason is obvious.
The War is lac Measure Of this Polk Al" his
tration-Mr. Polk was elected as the Texas
candidate, and consequently is bound to respon-
sbty for the consequences, mediate and imme-
date, of the annexation of that sister to our
wide spreading Republic. War with Mexico is
one of those consequences, openly and plainly
foresecn and predicted by Mr.. CLAY, Mr. Ben
TON and other distinguished men. The War;
then, is a Polk war and Mr.. Polk feels him
self bound, by all his party obligations, TO defend
it; and it is, therefore, the great topic of the
Message.
| Now we have no pleasure in finding fault
with the Message Of the President Of the United
States. We had much rather feel at liberty to
accord to it unqualified praise and admiration.
Though we have less to say perhaps, about pa
triotism, &c. &c. than our Locofoco contempo-
raies, we yel claim to feel quite as deep an in
tere>t in the honor, the welfare, and the good
government Of our Country as any other Amer
lean. The true glory of the American name is
quite rs dear to us, we feel at liberty to say, as
it is 10 the most vociferous of our political oppo-
nen's and when we say that that truo glory,
so far from being advanced, has been overshad.
owed and dmmed by the Administration of Mr..
Polk, we say that which has to us no recon.
mendation but its truth. We seriously believe
that the election of James X Polk to the Presi.
dency Of this Union will be seen to have been
bitter curse to the Republic, and detriment
to republican principles. We believe it because
we think he has neither heart nor an under
standing that elevates him above the rank of the
mere partisan. nor patriotism that embraces
more than sectional interest of his country.
1t is not our purpose to go into an extended
review of the Message. Even if we had time
or ability for such an examination of it as its
official Importance, lis gross and deplorable mis-
statements OF fact, and its of principle de-
serve. we should be saved the labor it would
cost, by mastery and noble exposition which
appears in the National Lntelligencer Of the llh
inst, and which we shall publish entire next
week. We content ourselves, on the present
occasion. by saying that before God and man,
we hold the Message, in every respect that con-
Germs this odious, wicked, cruel and abomnable
war; that is filling with morning and sorrow
two Republics, and demoralizing their citizens,
to be "a tissue Of false statements, bad politics
and bad morals, set forth with appropriate con.
sistency) in bad English. The latter would
occasion modification, if it were not that the
| former awakens a deeper sense of Indignation.
We know no terms Of condemnation too Sc
! we're to be used in characterzing the course o.
Mr.. Polk touching the War. 1t is certain thai
there is not material affirmative statement re-
spectng the origin and commencement Of i
that is not materially untrue. 1t is moi true tina
c the War was declared by Congress in any sens'
h that is above the smallest pettifogging. 1t il
u not true that Mexicans "shed the first bloc,
upon American soil" as we showed year az,
@ by quotations from official documents of TIN
d American Secretary Of State, and Mr. Donel
n son, the American Agent in Texas, and others
!. The region of country between the Nueces am
4 the Rio Grande was disputed territory" t
which our title was no better than that Of Mex