Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1847-11-05

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meH', ha' sobnc'g Of language, abich pfoses
men ln ea'nest. Allow 90, Josay. d ls not lhs
n"sesi waters thar are ihe deepest; RCr has II a.
ways been found hai that spirit which is most in4
c.lued 10 tapor when danger and disaster are Al d
distance "a 'he hunesi Ia breassing them On tAsiF
near approach.
Niih these remarks. sif. upon he toue and
temper, Wh ch IN my opinion. belong To an con.
s'IiuuOuaI Whigs, here and elsewhere. shall
prorsed 10 make a few remarks upon The leading
gnd most interesting topic Of the dlv.
J have said, sir, ihui We are engaged in war,
90 my opinion unnecessary, aud therefore, unJus-
Unable. hold 10 o. be war unconstitutional in
/ ns origin. hold il TO BE- a war founded upon
pfstex'. Sir the laW Of nations, enibodyng lhe
general sense of mankind, in trucis rs thii the
motives Of war are guoi or yicious Where wal
IS founded on couyi lion Of necessity, ia a sole
desire to promote tbs public good or defend the
national interest, u Is Il good motive. When
founded N any ob.ique purpose, or unjust purs
pose, when waged only for conquest, for gain,
for acquisition, Tor renOwn, 10 crafty private am
bIIIon, or for parry purposes, the motive is yici-
GUS. And the law Of nations goes farther. IL
maintain. this Distinction ,ha, there may be caus-
es FOR a war which would justify the war SO far
as the opposite nation was conc rncd. and YET not
furnish a good motive for a war; because good
motives for war, while they require always a
good cause, require something else. They re-
qJre that the war should not be waged except
. from necessity, and for just and important rghIs
Of the country.
/ Now, sir, the law Of nations insrrucls US thar
there are wars Of Prelex,s. The history Of The
world proves that there have been. and We are
I not now without proof that there are wars waged
on pre,eXls that Is On pretcnces, where the cause
assigned is not the true cause. That believe
upon my conscience, is the true character Of tho
war now waged against Mexico. believe it 10
be war Of preleXts; war in which the truo
motive is not distinctly ayowei, but IN which
|pretences, a,terhough,s, cya5ions. and other me4
taods are employed TO pula case before the com.
munity, which is mol the true case.
/ ! think SIT, there are three pr.tcxrs, all uu-
founded, upon which this war has been attempt.
ed 10 be justified. in various modes aud on vari.
Gus occasions. The President Of lh- L. States,
in his war message Of the lllh Of May, 1896,
puts the ground Of declaring war upon the fact
iha; the Mexican government had invaded the
territory Of the United States, and she'd Ameri-
can blood upon American soil. Now, in my
Judgment, this is not a correct statement Of the
case. the President Of the United States had
ordered the army Of the Uued States, as early as
January, 1916, 10 move beyond what Mexico IN
sisted was the boundary of Texas, and pace IL
self upon the Rio Grande. Alter that position
had been taken, blood was indeed shed Oh lhc left
bank Of that river.
But was that American soil! twas soil claim.
ed indeed, by the Uuicd States. but which claim
Congress had never asserted. Il was territory
,cIaimed also BY Mexico. as much and as firmly
as the civ of Mexico itS-Ii and il was al Tho
time. in the actual possession Of Mexico. Tha
most favorable preSentmsnI, therefore, is this;
that we, having a claim 10 te-rt1ry Of which tho
other party was in possession, marched an army
into il 10 take possession. IS not ihat war upon
our sidel / am Of opinion, therefore, that lhs
declaration in The m sSaga Of the ll'h Of May,
1916, upon which the act Of Congress, Of tho
18th. was founded. the declaration that war axjs.
ted "bv the act of Mexico cannot be made cut
,, by any evidence in point OF fact. And ii 50,
then the cause aSstgasl IN the Presidents Mes.
sage was apret2Xt.
Now, ! look upon the war as comm?nced.--
The army Of the United Safes was ordered to
advance into territory claimed BY Mexico, and
actually possessed by her. II it were our own
case, | have no dcubl that we should regard
such an invasion Of our possessions, as an acI Of
war.
But, although this was the main point uTon
which the recognition Of war was placed by The
President no sooner was the war declared. lhan
further preteXs were resorred to. One was The
refusal of the Mexican Government TO receive
our Minister, buI where was that ever made a
cause of warl and especially of Executive war!
Because a foreign Government chooses not 10
have diplomatic intercourse with us, is il for the
President to say thai that Is just cause OF warl
Ii is no lust cause; and even were il just and pro-
per, it is no sudden emergency, authorizing The
Executive to plunge the Government into hos
ulitics; especially when Congress is in session,
ready, AT any moment, 10 receive official lnfor-
malion from the President, and TO act upon it,
. look upon it, therefore, that this ground is a
mere prcteXI.
Then comes another. Mexico, it is said, had
declined and refused to pay the debts due from
: herself 10 cilizens Of the United States. | be.
0 eve that is true. But that was uot put forth as
0 the cause of war in the message of the President,
= on the lith of Nav. 1916. 1t is not therefore,
= the cause put upon record for the act Of the Gov.
= ernmeut. 1t is an atterthought. And here, a.
e gain, this mater Of debts aud claims Of ci!izons
i of the United States upon MeXicois Of long stand.
: ing, and was well known to Congress, to whose
e artenuon il had often been called Yet Con.
i gress the constitutional, and only constitutional
= war making power, had never judged il proper 10
S declare war against Mexico on this account
Il The conduct Of Mexico was a rePrchensible six
S months before, as on tha, day; but there had
$ been manifested no disposition 10 make il u cause
Il of war with her.
c To say therefore, that this war was founded
s upon the refusal of Mexico to pay her debts, is
{. pretcxt, and nothing but pretcXt.
II Well then, sir, what was in truth, the real OBJ.