The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-04-12

1os Jvwrrr Rhode Island
Hon X. ID. JOHNSON, (of Galveston,) for Texas
DAVID H. HANLoN, for Maryland.
CoRNrLIUs GLxN, for the State of New York,
The Last Federal Joke.
II u.s. perhaps almost too late now to quarrel with III,
National lntegencer for expressing its grief and ndig
nation that the administration should have found ou
any suitable method OF making our Mexican enemies
bear part of the burdens and expenses of the war
Since that Journal from the very OF hos
Titles has openly sought sgmatze the cause of its
country to dampen the spirit of soldiers, and to al
lude, with evident exultaon the prospective embar
easements of our treasury. decent regard Tor
consistency in the shameful course it has chosen,
appears to demand from that journal protest against
any measure of military contributions which may
cripple our foes and strengthen ourselves But in its
article OF Saturday morning. the Integencer quoting
the language in which we referred to these protests as
being reckless efforts aid and encourage Mexican
enemies" and, such, likely to be attended with Sin
evtable odium and reproach, proceeds to amuse its
readers by reference to the opinions of the Sarts and
Tutors Of England concerning the right OF the subject to
question the extent the exercise OF the royal peroga-
tive in that monarchy And remembering that the face
tous sayings of wag made more effective by his
preserving the gravity of his countenance the federal
organ goes far quote Blackstone very socia
bly, by way of keeping up its joke King James, it APP
pears held that at presumption and sedtion in subject
to dispute ,hat king maydo IN the height Of porer;
and because this is doctrine fit only for slaves to hear
and tolerate therefore, (such is the Integencers infer
ence when we see the federal presses constantly max
ing RECKLESS efforts aid and encourage Mexican
enemies" mott say that they do under penal
ty Of appearing the preachers of high "Tory doctrine %
We leave the logic Of the lnellgencer to sustain this
inference. and meantime, when we see federal journal
in the spirit Of faction openly espousng the cause OF
Mexico and undertaking to cripple the military powers Of
government against her, shall surely exercise the
"prerogaive Of adopting the Integencers chosen
for such dongs. and shall call them "morai treason"
But since the Intelgencer has deliberately elected this
course, and now undertakes to deny the right of
ecutive government to levy military contributions upon
Mexico while her ports in military possession il
is both fair to that Journal and perhaps useful to
own readers that should permit it to state all the
pretences OF argument which ii muster to sustain
its position Here then, is in its words the whole
argument upon which ii relies to Justify its course:
is NOT this doctrine to schh raised an objection
but to che assumption of the President TO exercise this right
css1 e rs, TO the 70 i b S9 r
assumption the President considers himself and not the
Here IS his vital error Were lie King instead Of Prds"
and aodpg all the Of h and , by MS pre-
any soon DS e iol f Ss
sion he might even then perhaps make out his
eissd BY the President. no such power as thai
which he claims President be found in the con
which pferogave in the British crown, such thai
Of receiving foreign minister's that Of
the army and navy, &c, does not contain the right to
raise fleets and armies to make and peace make
treaties leagues and alliances with foreign powers
irssas eosfdsa 70 he legislative asparISen a. 70 ereae
States to srerei arg po,rsrs eogare in other gorern
nsni.) bx those expressly conferred organic lar upon
the Chief Magstrate
We ask the attention of readers to the distinct and
unqualified admission OF the Federal organ which con-
tanned in the first of the above passages that we have
marked with italics. This passage admits in terms that
the right to levy military contributions upon the enemy
if it belongs to government at all belongs 'to the
,car. making power" Now, by the terms of the con-
stituton, as is well known. it belongs to Congress
to declare war-that is, to establish or recognise
state of war between our government and any 9TH
er But after the war has thus been declared, to
what department of the government belong the duty and
the power OF carrying it on-tha is of makingit What
departmental government in pursuance OF such dec
laration of war; issues the orders directing the move
ments of fleets and armies to make the carry
on against the enemy Surely there be- and there
no doubt about this These powers and dutes and the
responsibilities involved in them clearly belong to the
President the Chief Executive of the nation, and the
Commander chief OF its forces By the nature of his
Office as thus defined in the constitution, he is to conduct
and make the which Congress has declared and
sanctioned An of by the foreign enemy or an
act of Congress declaring recognising war; Gas in this
case Of Mexco both of these acts together have made
this government bcllgerent; have thus Weakened into
existence all the military rights which, under the law of
nations, belong to this government as against enemy
government and then the of the rights, the
command and direction of the army and navy against the
enemy, and the employment Of such other forces as
Congress may authorize the President to call into the
field belong, by the constitution to the Executive Of the
nation II is as incidental to this direction and employ
ment OF forces in the war, that the military rights OF
government against the enemy government to be
exercised 1t is in this direction and employment of
forces that the war is carried on conducted or made
This very distinction, upon which insist between the
tcar declaring power and the irdr-making power,
taken and insisted upon in the debates Of the Convention
which framed the constitution When the 18th article of
the constitution, which proposed invest Congress with
the poiper to make Uar," was under consideration in
the convention Mr. Pnkney opposed the vestng this
power in the Legislature" and gave his for OPP