The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-09-04
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
SATURDAY NIGHT, SEPT. A, Is47.
The War and the wings.

4 We copy from the New York Courier and Enquirer 0
tuesday last the following passage. to put upon record it
Ong language relation the duty Of the wings in tn
ext Congress to vote whatever supplies may be needles
the due prosecution of the war;
The President and his cabinet it is apparent ia
ore desrous end the than they the outset
mmence 1t /; they bound, however, to end II honon
y and in such way shall protect the rights, redres
wrongs, and promote the interests OF the country An
he termination would the just indignation of TN
american people. War, the best is gigantic evil am
on be justified excused except under circum
ances Of stringent necessity and when 1t is followed b.
suits maniesty and greatly advantageous to the counu
Ind to the world Unless results of signal advantage hi
kountry are secured by the with Mexico unless II
sue shall place this nation half century ahead OF its or
nary growth, in the path of development and nationa
eaness, it will overwhelm its authors with the blasting
Bndignstion of the American people. 1t is not enough
therefore, that the administration end the There mus
compromise of the honor and welfare Of Tue country
the stipulated peace They cannot and will not be SUI
red to dsgrac eluy from the responsibility winch
has thrown upon them and sacrifice the country
Nae hope of preserving the party. If they make peace al
An be peace with full redress oil wrongs ana entire
demny for the costs of war To this duty they VIII be
d by the people, and especially, trust, by the wings
Congress They would doubtless be glad to evade the
sponsiby and would rejoice heartily to have it taken
ON their shoulders by the wings. vote refusing them
urher supplies, and thus enforcing them to prompt close
the war, without regard to terms, would relieve them
Non
e time, sacrifice the interests and the honor of the
country We confident the wings in Congress will pur-
[ue no such disgracef ulund suicidal policy.
We fully agree with the Courier that refusal of such
kuppes would be in the wings a" dsgraceiul and sui
dal policy" We leave the Courier TO settle with its
living friends the consistency of their past course, Tin
abusing the and encouraging public enemies
with the vote of supplies which that journal calls
IN undar If m iaor,ca nd rn
he wings now recognise the duty OF furnishing means
carry on the war. Very well. They are doubtless
ight in that though somewhat late in the day But be-
ing right in determining that they will now help to fight
out the war; how they have been right heretofore in
Ealing the war all sorts Of abominabe names? They
,eem to have come to their senses at last on the
subject, and their present rational state of mind
only shows the clearly how very crazy they
nave been. Surely they must be in bad position, if they
ind TO be their duty at TO abuse the war and to
import it. Or is that they to offset one of these
party positions against the otherand so vote men and
money oc, for the purpose of subdung Mexico just be-
cause they themselves have heretofore put into the
mouths of the Mexican rulers the very preences upon
which offers of peace have up this time, been re-
ected Wequite agree with the wings that they would
ind it to be political disgrace and suicde to refuse the
supplies But if is odd policy for great party to labor
with might and main for eighteen months to make our
enemy obstinate against us, simply in order that they may
afterwards grant the means to thrash him out OF his OBJ
anacy.
But there is another point in the above extract which
requires word OF notice. AT the eleventh hour it ap
ears that the wings taking 1t upon themselves to be
alarmed lest the "honor and welfare" of this
y may be compromised" by our government grant
Inc to Mexico too favorable terms of peace. They
are taking it upon themselves to be scared lest 'the
redress of our wrongs" should not be "full' enough
and our indemnity" not sufficiently 'entre." They
even hint their fears of dsgraceu retreat on our
part
Well, this is the right spirit in the wings and are
|sad to it at last Let them, however, calm their
newly sprung and sudden apprehension No peace will
be made with Mexico by this administration, on terms
10 compromise the honor and welfare of this country
any terms those OF just and honorable redress
and =" indemnify"
But surely this is very new tone on the part of the
whlg leaders and journals. When-how lately-on what
very recent dayhave they just learned forsooth, that
the honor of this country demanded vigorous prose-
uon and successful termination of this war; Have
I'VE not frequently seen it set down in their leading
organs, that the vigorous prosecution of this war;
on part, even with the most splendid success,
was not honor, but dishonor to usi Have not
the whig leaders maintained this as their party po
Ntion, and given, withal, very sonorous and high
sounding for it, and among them that Mex
leo was right in this controversy and wrong
that the war on our part was monsrous outrage the
avs of God and man. and fatal breach of our constu-
lion, to boot These things we have heard not only
from Mr. Corwin, and Mr.. Berrien, and Mr.. Schenck,
and Mr. Hudson but from the whole cry of the wing
ournas-National Intelgencer, New York Courier, and
all. And having been for year and half saying, in
Congress- and out OF Congress- all these pretty things
about the war-havng said them in every form, by
nons in Congress, in State legislatures and otherwise
having said them quite loud enough for Mexico overhear
them and Mexico having overheard them, and that to
some purpose of "aid and comfor'--havng acclaimed,
quite at length about the duty OF withdrawing our troops
with the least possible delay-lo these same men now
turn round and tell government not to "retreat dis
gracefully" not to make peace too easy terms, and
not "to compromise the honor of the country,p Such
would be sublime if it did not happen to be
udcrous. If the whg journals do really desire to give
the administration lessons about the "honor" and
the rights OF the country they may WELL all things con-
sldered take other topic than this Mexican war.
But not content with expressing its very laudabe de-
sire that its wing friends should now see the error OF
their former ways and escape the sucide" of refusing
means to prosecute the war; the Courier goes in the same
article to confess, and to philosopher in the following