Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-06-12


rid of them by strnging them up the gaowsee in the
presence of their counmen, stripping them OF their gar
mens and upping them IN The Pube Streets as an exam
pie to others bear the yoke OF oppression without resistance
without murmur And in this way 1t Is expected
that the people will concaed and assassinatons and IN
surrections, and Of Americans be prevented
Oh this Mexican war; undertaken without sufficient cause,
will long be remembered We have yet got through the
first chapter in the history Of its evils We fear there
other and fearful ones TO follow.
"An elective despoism is not the Government fought
or."-Jefersu,s Notes
The press gives detailed and varied of every
bate and depicts in glowing coos every brilliant exploit Of
the and every deed Of reckless daring performed by any
Of troops And thus the young and the thoughtess
often brought unconscousy, to the opinion that nothing
is glorious but war, and nothing patriotic but fighting.
While the young spirit of the country misled by the
slant exhibition of these brilliant sPectaces, the public is not
warned of the real danger which threatens not put upon
guard against the encroachments Of official power upon the
principles of the constitution and upon the peaceful law abd
ing spirit institutions War the natural enemy and
destroyer of written constitutions and liberty established
and guarded by law The very principle of is brute force
and all its rights but the rights of the strongest He who
has the supreme command in necessarily despot He
is not adviser, governor presden-he is commander,
and the first duty and highest virtue Of soldier is obe
dience, the commanders will becomes the only law. And
hence always !" the laws silent amidst arms.
Has not this evil practically and in fact upon
say nothing for the present about the conduct Of the Pre-
sden in bringing this without consulting the Congress-
then in session. his conduct prosecuting it dangerous and
alarming in the extreme. By his single authority,
mande of the amy he has assumed the power and delegated
his subodinates incorporate with country
quered foreign st tes and has by military proclamation, i'm
posed code Of civil laws erected courts and appointed officers
for the government of the conquered people has declared
those people citizens Of the United States, and with the insult
ing forms Of judicial justice, has tried and executed some of
them for pretended treason against this Government
By his single authority, Commander Of the Army, he
has imposed tariff Of mpost duties in all the ports Of Mexico
under his power hereafter to be conquered The
thus to be derived is go into the Treasury of
the United States, be accounted for Congress- II is
the of Commander Polk to be collected by his mill
ay subordnates and to be expended for military purposes,
as he may think fit to order. 1t without any limitation
to the time of its continuance the amount to be aised
the particular objects which shall be appropriated
by his single authority unsancloned by any act OF Con-
grcss he has levied troops and employing them
conquerng foreign people and subectng them the ctc
rule Of his own military dependents Gen. kearny enlisted
battalion of Mormons, who emgrants from the United
States, and already their march foreign country with
the express stipulation that they should not be treated real
American soldiers but that the end of their service, they
should be discharged ia California, with in their hands
Col Fremont enlisted body OF 400 without any
thoriy of law and with them, wagng upon his
footng granted capulaton to the Governor OF California
and his army
These troops certainly part of the Army Of the United
State of which, by the Constitution, the President Com
mander Chef for, by the Constitution, Congress alone
raise armies, and Congress had nothing TO do with the
raising of these. They Commander Polks, General
Kearnys Col. Fremonts for they raised them without
lawful authority, and using them they think best.
So the constitution which to Congress the sole power
to raise and maintain armies limits the power, in Con-
gess appropriations of money exceed two years
tmc But, however the President and Congress may be
limited home by the constitution the Commander Chief
not to be banked by constitutional restrictions in his high
designs enlarge the of Saxon liberty negro slavery
Having begun 10 raise troops of his own of his
own, he must of course have of his to
port his armies and advance his of goy independent
OF Congress. TO this end the Comlddern Chief has, by
his individual WILL and his unchecked discretion,
imposed impost taxes upon all nations, ourselves included
who trade to Mexico The of this purely dis
creionay with the Commander Chief and yet he has
fixed limit its duration. He support his army
with it, and Of he will need the long he
has occasion for army. The C0mndnder-in Chief is
prudent and wise man. like King Charles the First He deals
with Congress that wise Monarch dealt with his Para
ment. Last winter President, he could persuade
Congress TO be liberal III the general of the AngoSax
They refused grant the three millions for Santa
AHna unless with exceptions and povisoes and they refused
altogether the and Coffee which the President and Mr.
Walker demanded indispensable. Determined longer be
thwarted and peplexed by constitutional restrictions and Con-
obsnacy, he longer relies upon his and
influences cirI President Of the United States but
commander of The army he raises and money by his
inherent prerogative "Gve money!, said Cesar,
I" and will get and with my men will get
money"
In the declining years of the Roman Empire, only had
the Emperor army but every great officer of State had
horts of his Beisaus reconquered Italy with his
household troops II to be feared that that portion Of his
tory is not forgotten by our lawess rulers