The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-31
The Union Of last night contains letter


The Union Of last night contains letter
from Mr.. Cass to Mr.. Nicholson, Of Ten
nessee, under date the oath December, 1S47.
1t is purely political episte, gotten mp for
the purpose Of defining the writer's position
upon the subjects of the Mexican war and
the Wilmot Proviso
He occupies the Administration ground
upon the war queson--that is, he goes in
for holding such parts of Mexico as we now
occupy, under military domination, and for
continuing the occupying policy until, the
whole country is reduced to actual military
possession. Such is the true meaning Of
the policy Of prosecuting the war to an
honorable peace That Congress ought,
at once, to arrest this policy, we have re-
peatedly urged and demonstrated, but, from
present appearances, we much doubt whether
that body will do anything to assert its pow
er over the subject Miserable partisan pur-
poses seem to govern the councils Of the
Legislature of the Republic. The country
falls a prey to the wicked designs Of the
men in possession Of the Executive power,
because the men in possession Of the Legis-
lative power cannot agree upon policy for
the benefit Of the. whole, That the admin
istration policy is plunging the nation into a
despotism, we have, day after day, shown,
but no argument appears to have any weight
that is not hot out Of the crucible Of fanati-
cism. However, we hope for the best, and
trust that Mr.. Polk may yet be arrested in
his high-handed tyranny by such measures
as will command the sympathies and com
mon sense Of theacountry. 1t can be done,
it ought to be done.
! With Mr.. Casss views upon that infer
nal engine Of discord, the Wilmot Proyiso,
we agree in every particular. They are
identically the same as promulgated in this
paper few days ago, even down to the ar
guments by which they are sustained, 1t
is law Of nature, that where there are
two lights of unequal intensity, the larger
absorbs the rays Of the lesser 1t is upon
this principle, we SUPPOSE that our argu-
ments have been appropriated without credit
by Mr. Cass. We are content, In our
humble capacity as "a journalist we have
striven 70 be always on the side of truth and
and our country, and it is with no little gra-
tifcation that we have seen our ideas upon
public questions, on more occasions than one,
occupying high places in the State papers Of
our public men. Mr.. Cass's arguments up
on this Wilmot Provso are lelicitously man
aged, merit that he very seldom attains to
in any of his efforts. We think that the
points of view, in which the question is pre-
scented, are destined to exert a decided innu-
ence in bringing Congress to speedy dec
laration Of the true relation which the Con-
stltution and Congress bear to the power of
our State and Territorial Governments over
the subject of personal rights. We have
argued that Congress has no power either to
confer personal rights or to take them away.
IT has no power either to establish in the
territories Of the United States the system of
apprenticeship or to prevent its being esta-
blished 1t has no power either to establish
slavery or to hinder it from being establish
ed The Missouri Compromise was a vio-
lation Of the Constitution. 1t was a usur-
patton by Congress. The ordinance of 1887
was a creation prior to the Constitution, and
the power to create similar ordinances is no.
where conferred on Congress in the Consti-
tuition. But, well as the question is man
aged by Mr.. Cass, it is capable Of still clear
er calculation, and we hope that the minds
Of Calhoun, Webster, Benton, Berrien, Clay
ton, and their able fellows, may be speedily
turned to the elaboration Of the subject for
the purpose Of eliciting the truth in regard
to it. It is time that all our public men
should occupy the same ground in relation to
the power Of Congress over the fundamen-
tai local institutions Of the territories of the
United States.