Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1847-12-04

II was C0TltneEfed or mas u gu since pFnseeu
> | ted, and in cases Of au, h omission he presi
DENT, being ch,rRcd W th ihn mp oyfucpt and
directi n Of The national IL. co Is recrssatfIy
left to his own judgement TO deCid uron thu
y objects, to the attainment If which thai fore
shall be applied. But, whenever Cong, eps
snail think proper % declare, by some aushGn.
= tic act Tor What purposes a war sh-lI bc com
, menc"d or continued, it il thp duty Of a. 9
u President to apply the n%ati0naI force 10 the
attainment Of those purposes. In the a.
I lance of the last war wi h Great Britain, the
! act If Congress by which IL " ra DE rtared una
/ preceded by a rnessage Sc President .Hadipon
enumsratlng the wrongs ard injuries oC v hich
we complained against Great Britain. TIL :
message therefore, and without it the we'll
known objects Ut the war, which vas a war
purely Of defence, rendered it unnecessary
I at Congress should parltcularize, in the act.
the spectfii ohjerts for which ii waa proclaim.
ed. The whole world knew that IL waa a
War wagad for Free T'rRAe and Ss,lurs'
Rlghts.
II may 10 urged That the PrsBnjcn, and
Sen 10 possess the t~Featy-maklpu pov-
tr, without an express limitation ah to its CT.
etctse; that the natural and ordinary term
ination Of d war is by a treaty Of peace; and.
therefore, that the President and Senate
must possess the power t0 decide what slip-
~ulatI0ns and conditions shall enter into euch q
treaty. But il lie not more true that Al.
President and Senate possess lhg treaty
ntsing power, without limitation, than thu,
Congress possess the war. making power.
without re- strlction, these two pogers then
ought 10 be go interpreted a. to reconcile the
one with the other; and. in expounjing tho
constitution, we ought TO keep conrtantiy in
view the nature aud structure Il our rpe
government. aid especially the great object
OF the Convention IN taking the war~tnakinV
power out Of the hands Of a 8nlRIo man and
placing it in he safer custody e the Fepre-
sentatIVts o. the whole milton. The desira-
bic efonc''iatIor between the ia o pow crf il
erected by attrlbuting 10 Congress ths tivht
TO declare what shall be the objects Of Tho var.
and to the +, esident The du y Of ondcavo,inv
to obtain those objects bv the direction If he
national force and by diplomacy.
! am bFoachiug no new aud specnlztiye
theory. The statute book Of the CniteA
States 10 full OF examples Of prior declarations
by Congress Of the objects to be- obtained ?
negotiations with foreign powers, and Ill.,,
archives OF the Executive Department furn-
ieh abundant evidt nee OF the accomo,tahmets
Of those objects, or the attempt to accomplish
thela, by subsequent nc collation.. Prior T.
the declaration Of The last war ayajn-f
Great Brlt IN, IN ali the restrictive mglpurea
which Congress adopted, against lhr two
great beliigerept powers of Eufop~, e Ausrn
were inserted rn tho several acts Ct, bliah-
ing them, tending for both or OF her sf the he
hgt4GHts the abolition Of those restrictions il
Cney would rcpel their hostile Berlin and Mi.
Ian decrees and orders in council, operating
against our commerce and navigation. And
these acts or Congress, we g invariably com.
municated, through the Executive, by di0lo-
matte notes, to France and Great Britain. IA
The basis upon which it uas proposed 10 re-.
stole friendly intercourse with them. 30.
after The termination of The war, various
acts Of Congress were passed, from time 10
time, oferingf r fo1 aign Power the principle
Of reciprocity in the aid naviqa.
ton Of the United States With them. Out Of
these acts have sprung H class, and a large
class, of treaties flour or five Of which were
negotiated, " hilst was in the department
Of state commonly called reciprocity trea-
ties concluded under all the Pres sden.s, from
Mr.. Madison TO Mr.. Van Buren,, inclusive.
And, 81 it'll regard to com merciai treaties, mr.
gotiated without the sanction Of prior acts
Of Congress, Hhere they contained either az
preparations or were in coBhiet With nm
repealed statutes, ii has ever been held a.
the republican doctrine from Mr.. jays trea-
ty down to the present time, that the pass
age Of acts Of {, ngress was necessary 10
secure the execution Of those ~sveaties. Hin
she matter Of foreign commerce, in respcrt
10 which the POWER vested IN Congress 10
regulate IL and the treaty making pow err may
be regarded as concurrent, Congress can
previously decide the objects 10 which ne
R~otlation shall be applied, how much asron-
ger is the case of war, the power TO declare
which is con6ded eEehAsiUey to Congressa
/ conclude, therefore, Mr.. President and
fellow-citizens. with entire confidence. that
Congress has the right, either at the be
ginning or during the prosecution ofany
war, 10 decide the objects and purposes FIR
which it a proclaimed, or for which il
ought to be- continued. And | think it is
the duty Of Congress, by some deliberate
and authentic act. to declare for what oh.
lects the present war shall be longer pros. q
ecuted. ] suppose the President would mot
hesitate to regulate his conduct hy the pro-
nounced will Of Congress, aud to employ
the force and tho diplomatic power Of the
nation to execute that will. But if the
President should decline or refuse to do 40,
and, in contempt ofthe supreme authority
Of Congress, should pers"vers in waging
the war for other objects than lhoss pro
claimed by Congress, then it you'd be The
imperative duty Of that body TO vindicate
its authority by the most stringent and ec
fectual and appropriate measures. And if,
on the contrary, the enemy should refuse
TO conclude q treaty containing stipulntions
securing the objects designated by Con.
gress il would become The duty ofthe who'll
Government to prosecute the war with ell
the national energy until those objects
we're obtained by a treaty Of p"a@ There
can be 40 insuperable difficulty in Congress
making such an authoritative declaration.
Let it resolve, simply, that the war shall
o. shall not be a war of conquest, what is
TO be conquered. Should a resolution pass
disclaiming the design of conquest, peace
would follow in less than sixty DAYS, If the
President would conform 10 his constitution.
al duty.
Here, fellow. citizens, I might pause,
having indicated a mode by ~hich the ma.
ton, through its accredited ard Legitimate
representatives in Congress, can announce
for what purpose and objects this war shall
be longer prosecuted, and can thus lea H.
people of the United States know for what
e I'd their blood il to be- further shed and
their trea sure further ex. ended, instead oF
the knowledge Oft being concluded and
locked up in the bosom Of ono man. We
should no longer perceive the o~tjects If
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