Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-06-25

settle the boundary d,spute-a purpose, on her
part defeated, as our readers know, BY our send
ing Minister to treat of things in general, in.
stead OF special Minister TO treat on the par.
tlcular topic of discord. Our warning voice was
raised in vain. The overpowering interest of
the Oregon question, then yet unsettled, with.
drew the public attention from what the Presi-
dent was doing until the thunders of this War
Of his making broke upon our ears.
In the conduct of this War, from the begin.
ning OF 1t to the present time, we see only the
Absolute VIII OF the Executive, carried out by
his own acts, and to this day only SO far sane.
toned by Congress as has been necessary to
save the National Arms from disgrace.+
But, If capable of learning any thing, the
Administration should surely have come to un.
derstand, by this time, that the ambitious calcu-
latlon on which the war was at least hazarded,
if not absolutely courted BY ordering our troops
(unmoested. and even unthreatened, at Corpus
ChristD to advance into the Mexican territory,
has proved as sad blunder as ever was made
by arithmeticians counting the blood of thou
sands for nothing, in problem from which they
thought 10 work out power, reputation, and pop
ularity for themselves. They should surely
have felt, by this time, that their own dividend
of the public favor and reputation expected from
this war has been a good deal worse than moth
ing; that its successes have redounded to 9th
ers, its reproaches alone to them.
Thus far, there has been a continual shifting
OF all the alleged causes and aims of the War;
And while, in general. the setting up different
even If not inconsistent pleas for any action, is
proof enough that all OF them must be weak and
insincere, here the varying allegations have
been such as in nearly every instance, to ami
hilate each other. So little was the art with
which was managed all that prevarcaton in
which the war found its only defence!
In our paper of the Goth of March last, we
traced, to the number Of eight successive ones,
the grounds and objects of the war, which had
then, at different times and in several quarters,
been held out by the Executive and its organs.
All these we then substantiated, by the citation
of their official sources: for, upon such grave
matters, we choose never to argue without
proofs which are incontestable. Omittng here.
as no longer necessary-.frsi, because they can
be referred to in the paper already mentioned ;
and. secondly, because reproducing them entire
would weary our readers and us-the dOcu-
ments out Of which we then established these
conflicting declarations of the Administration
and its agents, we shall merely recapitulate
their effect and tenor, in order that the public
may once more compare them, not only with
each other, but with certain additional and in
compatible averments of cause and purpose,
which it has pleased the Government subse-
quently to make, and more especially in the
Proclamation lately addressed to the Mexican
people. from the city Of Jalapa, by Gen. ScorT,
in the name and of course by the orders Of his
Commander-in-Chicf,t the President.
First of ALL as we then showed, the Execu-
tive alleged that this par tcas merely defensive
ras forced upon us, by Merico's crossing the Ria
Grdnde into our tertiary and there Staying our
people was, in a word, according to the Exec.
utive Message of 18th May, 1916, a war of
which the cause was the shedding of Ameri.
can blood upon American SOIL" by Mexico
while the object of the war was 10 repel invasion
Merit, omitting .nll the previous allegation
when talking to the Mexicans themselves, the
President, by a Proclamation furnished to Gen
TAYLOR on the 4th June, 1876, stated, as the
justifyng cause Of the war, the refusal Of Mer'
leo to pay The indemnuies due for the spoLiaio'
Of our citizens. The object of the war was, ir
the same document, declared to be, not to rope
invasion, but TO procure indemnity for the OLD
injuries, and to re-establish free government
in Mexico, instead of that Of Paroles.
Thirdly, in his Annual Message Of Decen
Der last, the President-forgetting that the tina
rupture between his ambassador, Mr. Slidell
and the Mexican Government under Gen. Her
rera did not happen until about two months atte
the fact of which he made it the cause-statet
to Congress that he directed Gen. Taylor to ad
vance to the Rio Bravo (Which all must nov
admit to have been the first and the fatal over
act of war; in consequence of the refusal Of tn
Mericdn Government TO recsire Mr. SlideH a
our Minister.
Fourthly, in the Proclamation already cited
sent from this city, General Taylor was made t.
say that, besides the obtaining Of indennties
the objects of the war were, To orertWn III
then eristing Government Of Merico; to re-es
taJiish The freedom of the Press; and 10 SET up I
Republican Government in Merico: which de
signed Republican Government is plainl!
avowed in the Presidents last Annual Message
to have been meant to be that OF Santa Anna!
Filthy, in the Report of the Committee Of
Foreign Relations, III. of r., Feb. Gath last.
its Chairman, Mr.. c. J. lngersoll, speaking
from that confidential position, OF the War an'
the Message, said that the war had created !
new and admirable System of Finance, wort
more than all its (the war's) charges" Thu
system here meant is incontestably the FREE TRAD
; system Of Finance; which consists Gas ever
body knows) in the Low Impost Duties, witt
Treasury Loans and Notes to fill the void
Now, this system is that with which the presen
| Administration began its existence. II, then
the war was necessary 10 create that system, tn
!, war was designed before the system; or, a
least, as its creative cause, must have existe
before the passage of the Free Trade Tariff, j
: August, 1916; and accordingly we know tina
Gen. Taylor's first orders to pass the Nuece
are older than the date of the new Tariff Ac
If we consider that, without the war, the Ad
t mnistration would have had no need for Loan
and Scrip, and that the Free Trade party wer
the original Annexation party, we shall bette
understand Mr.. Ingersolls assertion Of the rela
{ ton between the war and the Mckay Tariff.
!, Sirthly, the object of continuing the war IA
the President assured the country, in his la.
|. Annual Message) is to secure peace. II h
i had said that the object Of peace is to secure
war, he would have uttered truth as profoun,
$ justification as equitable. As the most apprt
pirate means of securing peace, breaking it
certainly an odd one especially as, beside
$ Mr.. lngersoll says war is the appropriate mean
T of erecting valuable systems Of Finance an
the President himself had already pronounced
y the means Of repelling invasion, Of procurin
indemnities, OF getting Ministers received, @
i overthrowing tyrannes, Of substituting for theI
longer for lands but thirst for blood Il is clear tn
we can nlict upon Mexico with IMMUNITY what v
please but if we are dsmember her piece by piec
let least suffer the parts sliced of cohere by
first Intention little to unite with our own flesh,
y fore we trench of others. And AT any event, let
I, not Tavage BY war domnions that we desne for o.
e own aud can take without carnage il we choose to
l. unjust enough to seize them"
>, 'The Preamble to the Act Of Indemnity granted
II Congress to the contrary Notwithstanding. Per
that Preamble could have passed the two hous
l. of Congress It's introduction was mere party ira
&c set to catch Wing Members 1t is fortunately Of
st cord in their the propositions to strike