Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-12-18

[Clark Us. The U. States, Wash. C. C. X. l0l.
"A territory, conquered by an enemy, is not to
be considered as incorporated into the domnons
OF that enemy, without remuneration in treaty
OF peace, or long and permanent possession.
Y. States u.s. Haywood, Calls C. G. X. sol.
Meanwhile, the Government of Mexico having
declined to accede to g the equitable and liberal
terms proposed by the President, he recommends
to Congress to prosecute the war with increased
energy and power in the vital parts of the enemy's
country"
These recommendations of the President to Con-
gress, IN regard to the prosecution Of the War, are
perhaps, all things considered, not inconsistent with
the spirit in which the President entered upon the
discharge of his Executive duties and the objects
which he sought to accomplish by marching an
Army into the territories of Mexico, whether his
intention was to force her into war or merely to
intimidate her into humating concessions. I'M
appeased by the slaughter and devastation with
which he has already visited her borders, since he
has not yet forced her to voluntary surrender of
her coveted territories, the President proposes not
only to continue the war in savage and vindictve
spirit, but to annex the provinces above referred
to--the acquisition of which is now avowed to have
been the object of the war-and to conquer and
occupy all the rest of Mexico, should she not
meanwhile fall upon her knees, confess her fault,
and mplore our pardon for having given us the
trouble Of invading her! That is about the amount
of the Executive recommendations in regard to
the future of this war.
In what manner Congress will respond to these
recommendations our readers will learn in due time.
What ace think Of the design of conquering all
Mexico cannot be more forcibly expressed than
in the language of Mr.. CALHOUN, in the resolution
which he has moved in the Senate. We hold, with
that eminent statesman, that " to conquer Mexico
and to hold it, either province or to incorpo-
rate it in our Union, would be inconsistent with
the hitherto avowed object for which the war
has been prosecuted departure from the settled
policy of the Government, in conflict with its
character and genius, and in the end subversive
of our free and popular institutions" But we
go further: We believe that to conquer aay part of
Mexico, and to hold it by conquest as proposed by
the President, would be in conflict with the charac-
ter and genius of our Government, and most dan
gerous to our free and happy institutions.
Will not the PEOPLE at length awake from their
sumber on the brink OF fearful precipce? Are
they content to depart from that hitherto settled
policy of our country which has taug ght us to avoid
all sorts of aggression on neighboring Powers! To
depart from the policy ofpeace and content within
own borders in pursuit of foreign conquest and do
minion Is there SO little of patriotism and pride of
race among them that they can tamely consent to
see our own nationality degraded, our flag dmmed
and blurred by the accession of motley stars, and
whilst they will contribute little or nothing to the
common stock, will, besides filling our council-has
with many-colored representatives, add immensely
to the expenses Of our Government
If the People prepared to submit to these
things-the necessary results of the policy recon-
mended to Congress by the President-have they
seriously thought of other inevitable consequences
of the career of ambition and conquest in which we
are embarked How few of them have ever re-
hected, for instance, that of these consequences
is the establishment and perpemation of
A GREAT STANDING ARMY!
The first condition of all conquest upon large
scale is, we need hardly tell any body, the raising
and keeping permanently on foot of numerous and
wellappointed public force, Naval or Military.
In the Message which we are now considering,
the President calls upon the country to grant him,
for his proposed plan of conquering all Mexico,
(for such it really ISL additional troops and further
loans The numerical amount of the former is not
specified except in the Secretary of Wars report
but that of the latter is at least named with an as
sumed precision We look on the estimates of both
as exceedingly fallacous; designed by their ap-
parent lowness, to lure the public on to further
prosecution of the war; entirely inadequate,
I however, to that which it is known must be done
as merely enough to make the war, upon lis pre-
sent scale eue,a, live from hand to mouth in
stead Of giving it any fresh "vigor;" and, finally,
we see not the slightest sign Of that which is the
duty of all republican rulers, when they engage
their country in Nar-not to shift off the debts of
/ that war upon men unborn; but to bring the war,
its adequateness of cause, all its merits, and all its
realities at once to the of taxation by laying
burdens enough the people to defray the ex-
penses of the whole business. Whether not the
good people of these United States fond of the
costly diversion of running or enslaving great re-
gions in their neighborhood, can only be told by
asking them TO pay for the amusement out Of their
own pockets and not by drafts upon posterity.
But the President requires more troops, more
/ md hofb