The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1847-12-15
The Presidents Message

may be construed into falsehood, and which
can be shown to be wilful misrepresentation
and especially should we suppose he would
refrain from stating any thing that may con-
Wet him of deception, in his annual message,
which is to be preserved and read when he
will have no hireling press, no venal band to
defend him and gloss over the misrepresenta-
tons he may utter. But James X. Polk seems
alike destitute of foresight and candor; he
shows as little sagacity as principle hence we
tions, wore thread-bare by their frequent rep
etition in the papers of his party, and which
have been shown to be false, over and over
again. The following extract will serve as
specimen of these assertions, and show the
reader how much confidence is to be placed in
the statements and the veracity of James X.
Polk:
son learning that hostilties had been COM
menced by Mexico, promptly communicated
that fact, accompanied with a succinct state
ment of our other causes of complaint against
Mexico, to Congress; and that body, by the
act of the 18th of May, 1916, declared that
by the act of the Republic of Mexico. state
of war exists between that government and
the United States this act declaring the
war to exist by the act of the republic of Mex
leo. and making provision for its prosecution
ito speedy and successful termination was
passed with great unanimity by Congress,
there being but two negative votes in the Sem
ate, and but fourteen in the House of Repre-
sentatives."
Now, we have no need to say to those who
recollect the proceedings of the House on the
occasion referred to, and the circumstances
under which the vote, to which Mr.. Polk al
ludes, was given, that this is a wilfnl, base,
miserable misrepresentation, unworthy even
a street loafer, or pothouse politician, much
less the President of the United States. 1t
will be recollected that sirty- seven members of
the House and eighteen members of the Senate
voted against the preamble containing this as
sertion, that war existed by the act of Mexico,
and when they voted for the Bill, to which it
was attached, after having in vain attempted
to strike it out, they did it with a protest de-
claring that they did not believe war to exist
by the act Of Mexico. They were unwilling
to refuse supplies to Gen. Taylor, but could
afford them in no other way than by voting for
that Bill; they chose to do this, rather than
withhold the supplies, yet protested against
the very declaration that Mr.. Polk now brings
base effrontery to claim vote, given under
snch circumstances, as proof that Congress
was nearly unanimous in the opinion that Mex
leo commenced the war.
We ask any man, if an individual, who can
stoop to such meanness as this, can be guilty
of such an attempt at deception, 1--WE say at
tempt, for only the ignorant can be deceived
by it,) a man who will condescend to use an
artifce in a state paper that the lowest politi-
cal hack would almost be ashamed to use on the
stump, We ask, we say, if such an individual
is worthy of the least respect, notwithstand
ing the Office he holdss Has he no, disgraced
the Office, and should not the scorn of every
honest man pursue him into retirements
The rest of the remarks of the President in
relation to the war are about on par with the
extract we have given, though the fallacies
and Misrepresentation of facts may not in
every case be quite so apparent
In his remarks on the Tariff, Mr.. Polk saws ::
"While the repeal of the prohibitory and
restrictive duties of the act of 1912, and the
substitution in their place Of reasonable reve-
nue. rates levied on articles imported accord
ing to their actual value, has increased the
revenue and augmented our foreign trade, all
the great interests of the country have been
advanced and promoted.
"The great and important interests of agri-
culture, which had been not only too much
neglected, but actually taxed under the pro-