Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-04-17

ana lot every purpose Of government TO which he may think II
prudent and safe attempt to extend it, How wonderful it,
how strange how passing strange that after the birth
of this Constitutional Republic should be found at the
head of it in way remarkable, say the least Of it, for
his capacity his courage, who should dare to put forth
claim of personal power like this, and that many should
be found every part Of the country sustain and applaud
the monstrous pretension
No man in his doubt and no honest can
deny dispute that if foreign territory great or small be
conquered by arms and actually taken possession of TO
hod by the right of conquest such acquisition with all the
authority over and the incidents attaching belongs the
United States, and not TO the President 1t is the sovereign
people of the United States who the conqueror As
property it belongs TO the United States and does the u
risdcon it. and all right of control and government
and all this whether the acquisition be last forever
only for month day And who read the
staion doubt that if government he established
such conquest, however complete however partial Congress
and Congress alone has the power make rules and
aons for such government But Congress together
and separates and makes such "rules and regulations
clothes the President with any power the subject
does the President ask for such power he 1.-THE
Presden) Congress its back, clutches the
power and dares exercise ia the face of the constitution
The particular form in which the Executive, in the present
instance, undertakes "to establish military government
and raising for The special and support Of the
military arm Of tie country There is no other form OF
mode in which he could employ his usupaon at fla
grant and dangerous this BY the of arms
he enabled place garrison of United States troops
several of the principal seaport of Mexico, sufficient to
hold those places against the enemy These he calls
quests-acQests of waproperty taken from the enemy anu
appropriated to the conquero which is himself Being thu
conqueor, the right of government attaches to him They
his ports his towns and he may establish such rules and
regulations for the trade of all nations, including
with those ports he may deem exedien and such
give him for the further prosecution of the
Having possession of these ports Mexico is cut off from all
trade with all the world by blockade, which is OF
but by the actual of her ports from her domn
by conquest and by their passing into the hands and
der the of the conqueer He the conquero and h
invites the trade of all nations into ports under prescribed
tariff of duties payable him They Mexican ports
is the trade them directly trade with Mexico They
his ports great entepots of trade, which foreign
ions may bring their supplies for Mexico the prescribed
terms And the avowed purpose in the is raise
enue supply the military chest The money not to 60
into the Treasury Neither the Secretary of the Treasury
nor the Treasurer the Comptroller have any thing
10 do with it. And far this may go be sup
ported and the army and navy maintained, by money
Drawn from the Treasury, and which could only be done n
pursuance of appropriations made by law but by
raised by the Executive without authority of law and indie
pendenty of Congress, by duties levied imports in
certain places which he claims have exclusive
troll and sovereignty, the conqueror To unsophs
cated apprehension this surely the most fragrant
patton and the most machess piece of mpudence with
which any ruler in modern times has venured nsu
an intelligent people. We do not hesitate say that
neither the constitution Of the country the liberties Of the
people worth another thought if such proceeding this
can be approved or tolerated by the nation