New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-12-09
The Presidents Message.

Yrealdent OF tue Jnlleu otetts 'on'e'S' ~ -
rate. Tor obvious and direputsble ends the long
since exposed-statement. We will say--tha 'ne
lsst Congress declared the present War TO exist
bv the act Of the Republic Of Mexico witn ony
two negative votes in the Senate and j01''ee" IN
the House, by what terms can we charac'erize nis
dsl;beys,e sssertion which shall be consistent with
The resoect due the ofice he unfortunately holds
la, John Jones or Dick Smith step into court Cd
,o.,ice however reluctantly, and there make such
q statement, and the Law would send BIN 70 an
edi6ce more substantial and less elegant than that
occupied by James X. Polk Such is the differ
epce between making such assertions from high
places and from low. We, too, are restrained By
respect TO station from charscterizing the Presi-
dents statement NJ IL deserves but We Will once
more take the trouble, With the Journals OF Con
sress open before Us, to expose its essential and
Hagrsnt dishonesty.
On the 9th Of January, 1916, Mr.. HARRISON Of
Ga. reported to the House bill (No l4S) author
izng the President to accept the services OF Volon'
teers and for other purposes in view OF possible
collision with Mexco-wbich bill was read twice
and sent 20 the Committee Of the Whole,-snd lay
there.
On the nth Of May following Message from
she President announced to Congress the starting
facts that our Army having been pushed TO the hio
0rande bad there encountered superior Mexican
ls~ce. and was las supposed in position OF great
peril. Tbereupon the House proceeded TO take up
tho Volunteer bill No l45 as Aforesaid. which was
rushed through the Committee OF the Whole and
the House with railroad speed by means oil repeat
ed applications Of the Previous Question; and
wnen at its latest stage, Mr.. Brinkerhoh OF Ohio
moved 70 strike Out the entire first section OF the
hill thus natured and insert new first section
beginning
"whsrss. BY the act efse Republic Of Me1ieo state Of
War sIisis between that Government and the Cniiso
States"
There was no chance 30 resist or 10 demonstrate
the Previous Question forbsde-and this amend
ment was forced upon the bill by vote OF One
Hundred and 7Tenty-three Yeas TO S'rfy 'even
Nays-nsarly q party division. Mr. Brinkerhofi
Loco at once moved the Previous Question for
the third time. and Mr. Garrett Davis OF KY
(Whig was stopped as out Of order In assigning hls
seasons for wishing to be excused from voting Tor
she bill because Of its ying preamble Thus driven
70 the wall most OF the Wings Including Mr. Davis
voted for the BILL having voted against the insertion
"a the preamble and exhausted all their means OF
opposing 1t. So the bill passed by ia Yeas to IL
Nays-the Wing Yeas being given not for the pre-
smble, as everybody knew, but for sending prompt
relief to our belesgured little Army IN spite of the
preamble. which they had denounced and opposed.
Tho bill 40 passed went Of course next day to
Senate. and was Immediately taken under con
sideration. Messrs. Clayton, Critienden and 9th
ers tried hard to have it amended so as to limit the
Military operations thereby set on foot to the am
pie defence of our own Country but all such propo
sitions were voted down by compact Administra'
ton majority. Mr.. Huntington OF Conn. SENATE
Journal page 2ss) moved to amend the bill by sin
king out The preamble to the same, as follows
Whereas by the act Of the Republic OF Mexico
q state OF War exists between that Republic
and the United States This amendment WI"
voted down as follows
Ysa,-Messrs Archer Barrow, Berren, Calhoun, T.
CLAYTON NJ Clayton, Corwin, Crttenden, Davis Day
ton, Evans, Huntington, MeDSf.. msnsam' m0'enes''
Nays 2S-An LOoo-Foeos sAeepttbe two Johnson' and
Jsrnssn of Tenn.
Here YOU see that instead of two only, there
were eighteen votes directly against that lying pre-
ambe, being the South Carolina Senators and all
che w higs present bat three although only two
refused to vote for the bill at its final passage
They did their best to strike out the preamble as
false but they still believed themselves bound to
vote for supporting little Army involved in per
lie, Notwithstanding the preamble.
Such are the recorded, never disputed facts. Yet
Mr. Polk, knowing that many persons would read
bis Message who were ignorant Of these facts and
would never see them fairly presented, has chosen
TO make his statement that his lying preamble was
passed with great unanimity by Congress, there
being but two negative votes in the Senate and
but fourteen in the House OF Representatives.
Surely no petty larceny lawyer, defending pick
pocket in the Court of Sessions ever stopped to
more des picsble trick than this OF the President of
the United States.
Having thus patiently exposed the most ma
terisl fiction in Mr.. Polk's apology for his War il
surely cannot be necessary that we should follow
him through his whole web Of misrepresentation
and sophistry. He does not even appear to have
convinced himself that the spoiaton ofour citizens
by Mexico had anything to do with the origis of
this War, although he pushes them forward ON ev-
cry occasion a. If he wished it believed that they
and not the Annexation OF Texas, had involved the
two countries in mutual slaughter. Nor does he
believe one word that be asserts about Mexico
invading the territory Of the State Of Texas, and
shedding the blood Of our citizens on our own soil
The dispatches and letters OF his own officers uni
fornly attest that they were in Mericaa territory
when they approached the Rio Grande-thst its
people were Mexican, ito authorities Mexican. its
instincts feelings, chosen form OF Government
were Mexican and that upon making bis appear
snce in that Rio Grsnde Valley, Gen Taylor was
me. by an earnest and cogent protest from the Al
calde or chief civil functonsry OF the country eau
Of the Rio Grsnde against its invasion by our
troops stating that the People Of that region were
Msxicans and wished to be left under the protec
taoa Of the Governm ent OF their fathers choice and
tbsirs In short Mr.. Folks array Of pretsxts for
this War, after the searching reviews Of Messrs
6allstin, Gsddings and others, are evidences OF
sheer audacity and reckless hard hood rather than
OF ability or conviction.
But We turn from the past to the future. The
War 10 to DO prosecuted, if the President is graft
Ted, until what remains Of Mexico shall consent
70 surrender all New-Mcxico all CaGiornis. sono-