Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-24

whatever confidence we were disposed to place had t
shaken by the almost daily demonstrations by its )
,hicial organ during the first year oi its existence !
Ne had watched lis successive Developments, gfa- !
lually disclosing a settled purpose to make war upon c
Mexico, in the event of not succeeding in intimidating
icr into n prompt submission TO the demands winch {
he President intended to make upon her. That organ :
the government paper was hardly a week old before
Is readers were transported. in imagination, to the ,
Halls Of Montezuma. which were TO he occupicdhy
he United States as the c%rowning act of n second
conquest of Mexico The iocsiu being sounded, vol
intccrs were 10 flock from the West 10 the scene OF
'ction, and to carry every thing before, them Inc
paper taught us, also, how the war was TO
be- brought OH by which this conquest was to be elect
1t iorcsaw. by many months, the march OF our
Army from Corpus Christi twhcrc ns every one knows,
Mexico never intended to disturb it, To the kio t'rnndc;
torcsaw that the Mcxicnns might cross the Rio t,randr
that, If they did. " blood would be she'd" and
:" war mus, cnsrc When, therefore. the prediction
was r~cnli2cd-whcn the catastrophe arrived. however
it shocked, it can scarcely be said 10 have surprised
US. III the facility and prccipitancy with which the
purposes of the Executive came to be sustained by the
Legislative authority, W. cannot say the same. we
were both surprised and alarmed to find how easily, on
the impulse of the moment, bllndtold and gagged,
Congress could be driven to lend its coun,enancc TO
ihost purposes. Bllndtold and gagged, we repeat
Nor il the expression to sttol g Tor, before III news
ot the dangerous position OF our Army was coinmuni-
Gated by the Executive to Congress, committees OF
both Houses had been got together Ton the Sabbath)
and measures prepared in concert with the Executive,
which, the next day, on receiving the Presidents
Message Of form, without waiting 10 have the papers
accompanying it read over, Tor the information oi
Members, were forced through the House ct kepre-
srntativcs. Nor, even to a body excited as the House
was by the stirring news from the Rio Grandc, did
the ruling party i'll the House venture TO propose the
false and o6noxions Preamble Of the Bill until after all
dcllhcration and debate had been prccluded on a qucs-
ton rs moment9ns certainly as ever came before Con
gicss, Had there been nothing else Alarming in this
Declaration OF war with Mexico, the ~dcspo,isin thus
exercised over the minority of the Representative bo-
dy, repeated on the following day in the Senatorial
body, uheretot4re exempt from such sharp praciicc)
,.,= .t ,-ait lttntat 81 ,,..1, H.. l-,.,- a H.. ,a
custonled, as we have beer, to regard the rights OF mi
norities ms not less sacred than those OF majoritics, and,
among them, the right of proposing amendments to
or demonstrations against any proposition coming he
tore them. The minority in each House was thus
subjected by a most arbitrary and malignant exercise
OF party power, without beng allowed "A moment for
dcIihcration, To the alternative OF voting for n bill
with a preamble. the iolschood OF which they saw aud
dctcs,cd, or OF refusing to vote Tor cnactmeu,s sup
plies of men and money! to which, all lavish as they
were, there would, perhaps, but for the Preamble not
have been n dissenticnt voice.
W hntevcr alarm we and onr readers tcl, at this be-
ginning. has certainly been fully justified by the pro-
gress OF events Even that precipitation i'll the action
oi ongress-thnt preamble, affirming two distinct
falsehoods-thht tyranny by which a vote was cXtort-
ed from the two Houses, have been continually up
pcaled 10 by the Executive organs ms evidence of the
ul1anlillliy OF the national Will in appreciation OF the
war. In the Message before us, that appeal is repeat
ed, accompanied with n statement, in terms, that the
declaration that - the War exists ly the act of Mex
io was passed " with great unanimity +" in Con-
gress though 1t must be known to the Executive that
but a small majority in either House of Congress APP
proved that declaration, many members declaring
their repugnancc 10 II, some their utter adherence OF
1t. Votes taken in both Houses OF Congress at the
second session of the same Congress plainly estab
liished tins tact, had there before been any reason to
doubt II. The popular elections which have intcrvcn-
ed certainly leave 10 excuse for a doubt upon any
mans mind that n majority of the People OF the Uni
ted States are against this war, and its authors.
Instead OF relinquishing, in Difference to the popular
will, thus clearly expressed, any part Of his original
scheme Of conqucring and anncXlng a considerable
portion OF the territory OF Mexico, the President comes
to Congress and demands its concurrence in n plan
Tor culonizlng and anneXlng almost one halt OF Next
co, with a recommendation 10 continue the war until
ne, the tonqneror, conqners all the residue OF that
unhappy Republic, in the event OF her not willingly
severing from her body her most valuable provinces.
Instead Of advising n Pence. which this Government
might have at any day on terms OF honor, he informs
Congress, in n sangnlnary strain, and almost IN the
dialect of the shainbles, that he is persuaded "that
the best means of rindicating The %ndti0nai hmm and
interest, aud of bringing the war to an h0norabic
close, will be to prosecute it ,rifh increased energy and
po,rer IN THE VITAL TARrs II the enemy country -
He knows that he auG his war stand condemned by
his own couutrvmeu. lie cannot, II be would, mis-
take the sentiment OF the People ana YET he Graves
more conquest, more butchery he demands n deeper
penetration into the vitals OF our adversary ana yet
further waste OF the blood and treasure o' MS OWN
country. ...
Before he take captive our senses by the seductive
indictments, in which his Message abouads' 10 a yet
wider course Of rash anhition ana snicIuai nGHraiIu-
izcmeni, let us stop for a moment to consider upon
what grounds he places and Jusiifes the career OF cru
clty md conquest III when ne mas HITcduN embarked
our country. We are glad that the President has, in
his Message, pretaccd his recommendations as to the
future with a summary statement OF the causes OF COM
plant heretofore alleged by HIM as being of prior
date to the war, together with his understanding of
how the war began. y single paragraph includes the
whole story aud, as we propose TO examine 1t with
some particularly, We here r~rpubish il:
" 1t is sufficient on the present occasion to say, that
the wanton violation OF the rights oi person and prop
erty of our citizens by Mexico, her cpeat-
ed acts of bad faith throul h n long series of years. and
her disregard OF solemn treaties StIuulltiuu tr inIo,,-
NIFTY to our injured citizens, not only constituted am
PIE ca'isc OF war on our part, but were oi such an ny
gravaied character as would have justified us before
tie wiole world IN resorting to this extreme remedy.
Wlth an anxious desire 10 nvoid a rupture between
me 'wo couiItrles, We iorborc tor Yeas To assert our
clear rights by force, and continued To seek redress far
the wrongs w had Suffered nv amicnble nrpntintinn
IN the hope that Mexico might yield 10 pacific conn
sells and the demands OF justice. In this hope we
Mere disappointed, oar minister OF peace sent to
Mexico was li'suilngly rejected. The Mexican Gov
eminent refused even 10 hear the terms ot aliustmcn,
whlch ne was authorized To propose and, finally, I'M
der wholly nrJnsi'ilnhle prctcAts, invoked the Two
countries IN war, by invading the territory of the Stale
Of 1eXas, striking the first blow, and shedding lin.
blood OF our citizens an our own soil"
~ uhdeftahlng """'H TO review these avcrments by
the Executive, now that they are again offered i'm IN.
justification, aud in support of thai war mi interim.
cionem against Mexico which he recommends IN Con-.
efess, we are well aware that no force can be added
10 the reasoning, nor any strength to the concIu-
slols OF that admirable tract from the men of the venn.
Fable, patriotic, and learned ALBERT GALL,rIy. in re-.
lalioh 10 'he Mexican War, which we have lately had
} me satlsincton OF spreading before our readers. ia
ms authority upon any question of public law or m
t.'olal obligation, we, at least, who lave known HIM
rom the days oi his great public services in the PuhIic
councils, hrst as a leader OF the Republican pnrtv in
congress next as a Member of the Cabinet OF prrsi.
delit JEFFERSON during all oi his Administrator onL
oil tlat OF Mr., MADISON until he was called ,o rsnr,'
sent his country abroad as the ASSOCIATE of An,vs
? CLAS, and BAYARD in the great Negotiation which
ended IN the Peace OF Ghcnt-wr, who's. frs, cssavs in
our present vocation may be said to have bern un,led
} ny us mana ana by That Of his ever honored friend and
onI.iaI superior Mr.. Madison, are bound by every
sentiment oi respect aud gratitude To nav n drf.renc,
! 80 profound, lhat II would he with the prcoire, lie
trust of our own Judgment We should entertain any
! opinion on a public QUESTION materially different from
ms HAPPY and proud are we 10 find, that, on the
subject OF the causes and the character ofthis war. his
! views are IN iull accord with those which we have
q Iouiid IL our duty from time 10 time to present to our
readers Most fortunate tor our country do we con.
sider II, mat he has been willing aud able to rome for
ward IN the present emergency, to instruct and coun.
sci his fellow -cltiz"ns, However earnestly and hon.
eslly the Press may have done lis duty however able
ana iearlrssly distinguished Statesmen OF the present
day may have exposed aud denounced the new career
upon winch our county has entered rs the sole dis
= lurber OF the peace OF the world however bright ant
high the craftsmanship which the great Patriot of tn,
I W est has so recently brought to bear upon this nrra
: question, the Address of Mr. tALIArIN has shown i
was yet possible Tor a wise aud able man to add 10 th,
' force OF even our own CONVICTIONS, however decide,
A ON the subject. Most fortunate, we repeat, do W.
consider tins opporlune contribution to the common
T stock OF knowledge Of one standing in the foremos
rank OF intellectual greatness, and yet apart from IN,
Phssions OF Tie day and above them one who, after
y ihosl distinguished career OF public service, left popu
/, lnfty and reputation unexhausted, and quilted higI