The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-12-31
WHOLE No. ll6z.

one Of the most foremost men, in a word.
ot that illustrious era Of our statesman.
ship which now has hardly a survivor; one
therefore. almost in The last extremity Of
age, and yet so fortunate as to have pre-.
served, equally undimmed. its abilities
and IT'S honors. Tothe authority Of such
a name as that Of ALBERT GAILAriN. his
recent Address addsa strength Of reason.
ing which nothing in the present day can
meet, and that luminous command Of all
the great principles Of Public and Of Ma.
tional Law, ia which he had scarcely an
equal IN his own times, and has now no
superior. The trusted coadiutor--and il
may even, in Finance and in Diplomacy,
be said to have been--the instructor Of
JEFFERSON, Of MADISON. and Of MoNRoI,
we have here, as one rising from the
dead, voice, passionless as it is wise
and solemn, the judgment Of an antique
and genuine sage Of Republicanism-yea
of Democracy-upon the entire question
Of this Presidential War.
Armed and fortified with such tocu-
ment. it is with unwonied confidence that
we proceed once more to expose those
hollow pretences and iDsincere profess
ions of the authors and apologists for the
War with Mexico, which have been con-
troverted heretofore with no other appa-
rent effect than 10 induce more pertiGa-
cious repetition Of them.
Referring 10 this last annual communi.
cation TO Congress for particulars of his
bill of arraignment, the President again
recites alleged wrongs byMexico, through
"a long series of years." &c. as being
snch as not only to constitute ample cause
Of war, hut as would have justified The
United States before the whole world in
iesorting To this extreme remedy. This
every one, at all acquainted with his
tory, knows 20 be gross exsegeration.
The long existance of claims for wrongs
now alleged TO have been so enormous
is Of itself proof Of the fact that they were
not at any time deemed by Congress TO
constitute sufficient cause ofwar. Most
of them had besides been actually adius-
ted by treaty between the two conn
tries, which was in the course of faithful
execution by Mexico when the hostile de-
monstration Of Our Administration sus-
pended the payment of stipulated indem-
mites. AS to what remained of unad-
justed claims, there was nothing, until
the occurrence of this war, 10 prevent
their peaceable and even satisfactory ad-
justment. As to the refusal by Mexico
10 receive our Minister being, as the
President intimates. sufficient cause Of
war, it is a sufficient answer to tho Pres-
dent that the army was ordered to march
to the Rio GraDde (where, according to
the programme ofthe government paper,
tie rdr fcaS to Begin two months before
our Minister was finally refused to be re-
ceived by the Government of Mexico.
But let it be admitted, for the sake Of
] argument, and for that sake only. thar,
according to the customs and laws Of ma
tions i'll less civilized, less moral and less
enlightened ages than the present, we
really had cause Of war with Mexico, SO
far as war between two Christian Ma
tions is ever just or necessary: yet war
with Mexico. distracted, weakened and
impoverished as she had long been and
then was with intestine factions and d.
visions, was neither necessary, magnani-
nous, nor honorable on our part. Such
a war. even for just objects, being un-
neccessary-tbe only inevitable effect in
deed upon the claims for which it would
he waged being to fasten them upon our
own Treasury instead ofthe Mexican
could never rebound tn the glory of the
country, and much less compensate for
, the rivers of blood and heaps Of treasure
which have been already wasted in this
war.
But. to pass all this by. whether the
existing war he just or unjust, necessary
or unnecessary, is not the question now
at issue between the President and the
People. Was this war the act of the
Sovereign People of the United States,
; declared in their name, in the manner
known or acknowledged by the Constitu-
tion-by the Senate and House Of Rep
resentalives in Congress, to whom alone
it belongs To determine whether War, at
any time or under any circumstances. be
just and necessary o. was it. whether
crime or mistake, the unauthorized
act of the President, to whom the Consti-
tuition has denied all power over the ques-
ton Warl IHisis ihetrue queslion;nor
can all the wire-drawn scphistry and spe-
eial pleading Of the Presidents Message
Of last year. referred to in that which is
now before us; deceive single iDdivid-
ual, be he Wbig or be he Democrat, of
! common sense or common information.
against the well.known aHd wellauihen-
Y Iticated facts in the case. Need we add,
4 that whoever the President be, who, tram
# pling down the barriers which the Con-
:, stitution has erected for the protection Of
e the general welfare, and for the security
o of the life, liberty, and property of tho
citizen. ofhis own mere will and pleasure
, plungcs the country into a War, with or
| without cause--that man is Despotl
The Nation that quietly folds its arms
and permits this to be done with impuni-
ty, may delude itself with the fancy that
; IL lives under written Law and Consii-
j tuition, but it is an idle dream. That
} Nation is Nation Of slaves, and lives
r under Despotism.
! To proceed, however,to the main point,