Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1847-09-17

justification OF the actual war. We mus,
he permitted 10 regret that he did NOT re-
fleet beforehand that, if nc plaard The
defence OF the war Oh the ground thai II
already existed hy the act of Mexico her
self, and on that ground demanded f Cor
grcss The means of prosecuting il, he VOL
In case tina, ground proved TO be untena-
bic, (aS he must have known it wonld1
have nothing 1T all to aIege in It's or his
own Justification. He should have been
Lawyer enough so have known that he
could not plead anew, after having failed
on his first issue. Ii is often hazardous
in our pieadings to plead what is not true;
and in doing so in the present case, the
President has not only offended morality.
which he may regard as small matter
but has even committed a blunder.
"The course the President should have
pursued is plain and obvious. On learn
ing the state of things on the frontier, the
critical condition of our army of occupa-
ton, he should demand of Congress the
relnforcements and supplies necessary to
relieve it. and secure the purpose for which
1t was avowedly sent to the Rio Grande;
and IT he believed it proper especially
called tor, or necessary, to have in addi-
ton, laid before Congress a full and truth
tul statement of our relations with Mexico,
including all the unadjusted complaints
past and present. we had against her, ac-
c ompanied by the recommendation of
declaration of war. He would then have
kept within the limits of his duty, proved
himself plain constitutional President,
and left the responsibility of war or no war
to Congress, the only war making power
known to our laws. Congress,after mature
delberation, might or might not have de-
clared war. most likely would not the
responsibility would have rested with it,
and no blame would have attached to the
President
Unhappily thisc curse did not occur 10 the
President, or was too plain and simple to
meet his appreciation. AS if fearful, if
Congress deliberated, it might refuse to
declare war, and as if determined to have
war at any rate, he presented to Congress,
not the true issue, whether war should or
should not be declared, but the false issue
whether Congress would grant him the
means prosecuting a war waged against
US by foreign Power. In thetrue issue
Congress might have hcsitated in the
one actually presented there was 10 room
to hesitate, if the official announc ement
of the President was to be credited and
hesIta ton would have been criminal By
declaring that war already existed, and by
the act of Mexico herself, the President
relieved Congress of the responsibility of
the war, by throwing it all on Mexico.
But since he cannot fastcn it on Mexico,
for war did not already exist, Or, if so BY
our act not hers it necessarily recoils up
on himself, and he must bear the respnn-
slblllty of doing what the constitution
forblds him to do, of making war without
the Intervention of Congress- In effect
therefore he has trampled the constitution
under his feet. set dangerous precedent,
and, by the official publication Of a pal
pable falsehood, sullied the national hon.
or. 1t is with no pleasure that we speak
thus Of the Chief Magistrate of the I'm
ion, for whose elevation to his high and
responsible office we oursclf voted. Blu,
whatever may be our attachment ( o party
or the respect we hold to be due from all
good citizens to the civil magistrate, we
cannot see the constitution violated and
the national honor sacrificed, whether BY
friend or foe, from good motives or bad
without entering, feeble though it be, our
stern and indignant protest.