Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1847-04-05

was pending for many years disputed question Of boun
d.v with the same Power in respect the mis OF Inc
sso OF Msnei but lam not that any Of Mr. Polk.
predecessors in the Presidential chair ever undertook
proposed 10 decide this question BY ordering our troops
advance into the disputed territory aud take military pos
session OF up 10 the line claimed by us There is III adj
mip great difference between Great Britain aud Mexico
aud may be that the comment ability" of which Yentl.
men speak may have suggested to the President aud hi
ADVISERS that an experiment which might proved
OF hazardous u made upon the strength Of the onc nigh
DO safely tried upon the eebsncs of the other; and tina
disputed question of boundary between the United State,
anu Mexico, rs 10 the limits OF the State OF Texas nigh
DO disposed OF by means much summary than those Il
which II was deemed proper the pupos, of set
ung like disputed question Of boundary between the
states ana Great Britain. rs TO the limits Of tho State
Maine, OF even IN sindcaon OF what Mr. Polk himself
declared TO DO sour clear and indisputable title To
who'o OF oregon. waving however, for tho present
IN" ~dgnannens view ot tho subject. back the
question OF authority, the question Of pe.eer-a question
not TO be determined by any regard tho relative
or weakness OF Great Britain Mexico bat by the
sions OF tho Constitution VI tho United Sates-and ask
again under THAT clause OF that docs the Pre-
sident OF the United States derive himself authority by
his own act To decide dspuicd question Of boundary
tween this aud foreign nation by taking possession by
force OF arms OF the territory dispute expcng there.
from the citizens subjects cf such foreign Such
aqueson belongs, apprchend In the first instance
making power: and in the last resort to the
King power. II settled by negotiation tho Constitution con-
icrs ON the President acting in conjunction with the Sen
ate land twoihrds at the Senators present
power TO mako treaties; by ars the same
provides that Congress and only shall have
or ito declare war" In neither has tho President
done any authority TO act, and this instance no has
IN effect acted in bofh lie has appealed neither TO In,
ueatymakng tn the power; but assuming
aud IN that assumption USURPiNG tho powers OF both
HIMSELF decides the question ot boundary and HIM
SELF enorccs that decision tho point o the bayone
Aud thus tho question OF peace twenty millions
OF people, 10 made, m effect depend upon the nero will
and plea uTc, the captice folly man. Does the
Constitution sanction hi. Did the trainers OF the Cons,-
tuition ever design or contemplate u No man. whom pas-
ion o, parry feeling has not stricken with than ju
dical blindness read that and say that they
d To do so weo To cas-, foul reProaeh upon tho memory
ut the ilustrious dead In the President OF the H. St,cs
they designed to provide the Chief Magistrate of Repub-
nc, not the Auocrat OF Empire Ii Is true thai The
the Presidency BUr sEEArHEp SWORD and Congress
alone 1.-THE immediate representatives OF tho pcopel have
The power % draw ~: Congress" saws the Constitution
and Congress at0nr shall have power declare war;
Gentlemen say tina, Mexico provoked the war be il so
But who 10 Judge Of that President ar
Congress II the President believed that tn, of
Mexico had been such 10 justify require hostile mea-
surer, the part OF the pned States what was his plain
duty under the Constitution Congress was in session
ana TO bring the question before them, he had nothing in
the woiG 10 do but 10 send message from one end al
Pennsylvania Avenue 60 the other. But instead of mos
sage To Congress be sends marching order TO General
Iayor-and thus, by his own act unnecessarily unconst
and reckessly pungcs the country IN war
But whatever may be said the manner in which IN,
war was commenced las TO which, by the way in the rcso.
Iuons themselves JgdieIoHs silence observed lit seems
Ia be considered that there be but ono opinon "a Ia
the manner in which has been conducted That we A,e
told, has been marked by such "cmnen Mt ability on in,
part OF Mt Polk and his administration to deserve the
cordial" thanks OF the General Assembly The Tim, has
been when the thanks OF Virginia lightly voted 10
any man or upon any occasion, and even now IL will mo-,
presume be too much 10 require that those who ask them
At our hands should show clearly how and for what bey
are due. The =" eminent ability" displayed by Mr. Polk
and his Secretary Mr. Marcy in the conduct of this war
Why, sir, the very reading oil the resolution at the clerks
aoe caused an involuntary smile upon the OF
almost every member present. and If there be any who pre-
served ls gravity unbroken | only saw that in nv
humble Judgment, IL a feat which did infinite credit 10
MS powers OF lace But sir IT subject little serious
IN ITSELF must be seriously treated, where, ask IL the
evidence of this eminent ability" TO be found Is IL IN
he found in the fact that General Taylor was sent with
handful OF men To take post enemy's country with
the town OF Maamoras IN his front and the eser, OF the
Neuces IN his rear and kept In that position weeks and
months, liable at moment TO be attacked las eventual
ly he atackcd by vastly superior force Or does
the TACT that when attacked and fighting under every dis
advantage, and against the most formidable Odds he
ceeded in the memorable battles of tho 9Th and 9th of
May in defeating force three four times greater than
his own, furnish any evidence of eminent ability on tho
part of those who had placed him and the gallant men uu
der his command in position perous Ia position in
whch nothing but acts OF herom and conduct almost I'M
paraleed could have saved them from destruction. Do
the advocates OF these resolutions suppose that know
ohng or have forgotten every thing has occurred in
the last few months Tor there a man within the sound
oil my voice who does not recolect with what feelings the
whole country leaned, in May last Of tho advance of
large bodies OF Mexican troops across the Rio Grande
the cutting of Of Thornlon's deIachment-the inter.
rupuon OF the communication between Point Isabel
aud Fort Brown, and the other which preceded e
battles of Palo Alto and R-saca dc Ia Palma3 With h,t
feelings OF intense anxiety. Of suspense amounting almost
TO agony, was every mail from the South then watched -
WHAT was possible for to do knew our gallant
troops would do; but placed they in hostile coun-
try, the very borders Of Mexico remote from succour
and compassed round by enemies Communicating them IN
the proportion OF three four impossible NOT
II feel anxiety for the result No then denied III the
situation OF little army one OF extreme perI-
In Congress- aud out OF Congress and among all the Or-
gans great and small, all was uepdaon and alarm and
IN the extremity OF Their terror they already engaged
IN endeayoring prepare the country anticipated das
ter, and, possible, the blame OF il upon him by
whose efforts alone, under the blessing Of Heaven was
hnay averted But forsooth that the danger over
told that all this profound Statesmansbin and
emiuent ability" the part of Mr. Polk and his Admins
anon! Can party feeling itself go farther than ths7 Gen
uemen that General Taylor might have called for rein
iorcemenis And suppose he had called for them-does
man believe he could have got ihom in time for the bat
ties OF the 9Th and 9th OF May Its true Il belieye) that
Cen Gaines. impressed with the imminence Of the peril
eHeTed himself TO push forward rcnorcemenis the Rio
Grande and i'll also True III mistake not that tor so
DONG ne was suspended from command summoned before
Court OF Inquiry, and narrowly escaped Court Martial
bu neither those rcnOTcements Others did ar coud
have reached the OF action IN time have been of
any service Gen Taylor knew that he was IN position
~ which he had nothing depend upon but his efforts
and those oi the gallant men under his command The
responsibility Of placing them hs position rested with
o'herihe duty Of oxtrcaung them from II devolyed upon
him. and the country and the world know how that ny
oi eminent ability" the part Of Mr. Polk or his Ad-
minstfaon. which tho history of this war furnishes
And how has 1t been followed up Let any candid man
trace the progress Of from ths plains of the Rio
Grande 10 the walls OF Monterey, aud say whether at every
stage, our movements have been retarded aud our one
raions crippled by the OF those supplies which the
Administration alone could furnish How lony for in
stance, after the glorious o the Sh and 9th of
Nav was Genl Taylor prevented from pursuing the fl,
ng enemy, hy the want o pnnon train OF other means
u crossing The river How many days and weeks was
he detained nc Mnamotas without the means of getting ne
lar even NJ Camargol And after reaching Camarpn how,
long did he lie there. waiting in vain Tor ndcq uat means o.
transporting the food for hs and the necessary NUM-
lions OF wsf. until, despair Of receiving them nc was
compelled, at last 20 advance 20 tho assault Of Monterey
" ~ such manner 10 use his own l,nguagrl rad with
such limited means, that, had Inc succeeded he should
" no doubt have been severely reprmsnded II nothing
" worse p l. It not striking instance 81 eminent abb
n.y. on the part oi those whose duty to furnish tho
necessary supplies Of men and means that
land endorsements Of mounted men, tool called for in
May, had not reached Gen Taylor Novembor-and that
was nearly AK months after the declaration Of war before
no was able 70 procure single wagon II " not surpfs-
ing that gentlemen should be rather impatient and csiive
when these matters referred TO- They are stubborn
facts, sir, and such they may find hard TO
reconcile with thot avono theory of eminent ability"
but faith We ere told, omounians-and unhnp-