The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1848-01-04
REVIEW OF THE PRESIDENTS MES
SAGE.
ICcSCLUDED.l

and last War Manifestoes against Mexico being
thus Withdrawn from under them, what is there
left to sustain any part of the recommendations,
in the Message before us, Of further and more
vindicitive prosecution of the war!
But TO proceed; The ground upon which the
Presiden: placed the War, when, having got into
it, he was obliged TO call upon Congress to sus-
tain him in il, is, as We have shown, so far from
being solid true that it is directly the reverse
So far from Mexico having invaded the United
States, our President invaded Mexico and, so far
from the war having existed by the act of Next
co. it existed-so far as it is possible for the Uni
ted States 10 be at without the consent Of the
warmaking poverty the act of Mr. Polk alone.
Nor, in our opinion, did it exist without premedi-
tation. 1t had been contemplated as possible, at
least. from the moment Of his coming TO the Pres
idency. The government paper, as we have al
ready remarked, had not been i'll existence more
than week before, in that mirror of the Presiden
tial sentiment the invasion, and even the conquest
of Mexico, were observation-disclosures may say pre-
dicted-in the event of Mexico venturing to exer-
else any authority on the banks of the Rio Grande.
As carly as June, 1876 mark the date the
Commander of the Naval force of the United
States in the Pacific directed to look out for
Il war with Mexico and, on receipt of the news OF
it, to possess himself of the port of San Francisco
the coast CT California and such other ports as
his force would permit lie had been so instruct
ed even earlier than this for the letter to him be-
gins: Your attention is still particularly directed"
&c, TO the contingency of war. Congress was TO
meet in the December following. Early in No
vember the Message of the President to Congress
being in a state of preparation already contained.
as We had every reason to believe, recommended
ton of hostilities against Mexico in some form or
other, on the ground of unsatiSfied claims of our
citizens, of unpaid indemnity money, and other al
legged grievances. On the 9Th of November, how.
ever, just three weeks before the session began,
information having been received from our Con
sui at Mexico that the Mexican Government was
willing TO receive a Commissioner to negotiate
concerning theMcxican boundary theMessage was
perforce changed. The body of the indictment
against that government was indeed retained, as
the reader will perceive if he will take the trouble
10 refer the Message itself; the recommendation
of repriSals, or Of war i'll some form, being the
only thing omitted. a Minister Plcnipotentary
was sent instead of a Commissioner-our Govern
ment refusing to treat on the boundary question
without mixing it up with matters with which it
had no sort ofconnexion-and the correspondence
between our Minister and the Mexican authorities
was still going on when the army of General TAY-
LoR was, as If for the purpose of precipitating
events, marched from Corpus Christi TO the Rio
Grande. About the same time, as we know from
the Presidents Message Of last year, he was him
self in secret negotiation with the cXled Military
AHA ANNA. lOT WIFI pTCClSc purpose
can only be inferred from the fact that the day
after the declared TO exist directions were
given 10 our vessels of war to allow him 10 pass
into Mexico All these concurrinS circumstances
show that war was premedtated by the President
The war might have been avcrtcd by Nlexico's
agreeing to Surrender TO the United States Cali
forlIia and boundary on the Rio Grande, we do
not doubt; nor do We boubt that the President
and his Cabinet have been willing. ever since the
l.nrau ~ VIII
to surrender TO their demand all Of her territory
that they have set their hearts on and that this
is what the President means when he speaks of
-conquering peace" But we have still less
doubt that the original object of this war, and the
sole truc cause and motive of it, was CoSouEsT,
Or i'll other words, the coercion of Mexico 10 sur
render territory which MIR. Polk ambitioned the
| elat of ~anneXing" to the United States. Mr..
Secretary BANCROFT in a letter of instruction to
Commodore SLoAT, then commanding III the Pa
cifc) on the 18th of July, ls46-two months after
the war was legalizcd by Compensatory frankly
| disclosed this fact. Tile OBJECT of the United
States" said he, rs Under its rights as Jeigereat
nation. TO POSSESS ITSELF Externally of Upper
| California" And, further said Mr. BASCRoFT.
The object Of the United States has reference to
ultimate peace with Mexico; ultimate, observe
possession of her coveted territory being the pen
Ultimate object !; and il. at the peace. the basis
/ fNN"''ft"
eminent expects, through your forces, TO be FOUND
IN ACTUAL POSSESSION Of Upper California"
The President declared to Congress, it is true,
in his Message of last YEAR that this war with
Mexico had not been waged in spirit of conquest
| Would any one suppose with these instructions
to cur Naval Commander, and corresponding in
structons to our Military Commanders that he
understood the import of this disclaimer No
one can at least misunderstood the purport of his
| hecsoOp hraathinrr =,
but war, Conqueror's peace, or the alternative
of the humiliation of Mexico
| Nor does the President seem to understand him.
selfin another respect any better than he did when
he disclaimed any purpose of conquest in the
prosecution of the war with Mexico
In setting forth, for instance in the beginning
| of this Message, his own love of Peace and
strenuous efforts to preserve for us its bless
| ings, we must look on him rs exhibiting a very
signal example of self-delusion No mans pacific
merits could well be less. His course. thus far
in his high Office on the contrary, realized TO the
full, in almost every instance, what we said of il
ayear ago. namely that having seen that wars
were popular in this country and felt that he him
self was not too popular, he had thought to him.
SELF Il will be War President, and that will
make me popular and render all nv opponents
and competitors odious.7 Accordingly, his very
Inaugural had full-blown quarrel with England
in 1t, his first Message announced that he had
done nearly all he could to bring that quarrel to
a focus; meantime he had secretly taken steps
for another with Mexico by way of making sure
of war somewhere So that no sooner had the
nterposition of the Senate failed him in his origi-
nal war-plan, than, by dihgent improvement OF
his time, he had another fight ready TO substitute
| for that which had been refused him. Grown
more wary this time, he took care not to be foilcd
BY another body's discretion and, though Con-
gross was sitting for five months before he had
brought every thing to bear, contrived to have
war completely in blaze, and our succorlcss ar
my placed in what their prowess unknown seem
! ed an almost hopeless predcament, before the
country or Congress knew one word of what he
was about
Such are the general and the larger facts, as to
that merit of loving peace which the President
| approPrates to himself If we look closer and
scan the particulars of things, We must not ONLY
say that President Polk is not possessed Of that
virtue of a ruler which he claims, and-we roget
that We must say it-has shown, and every where
IN this Message shows himself, utterly Indifferent