Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-01-15

Another great and mischievous phrase for capti-
vating and misleading word-vctims is that Of sour
country, right or wrong.'
The sentment-f such it can be called-dery-
ed its original currency from its being said to have
been given, during the war of lSl2'l5, as a toast
at some dinner by that most gallant man, Commo-
dore STEPHEN DECATUR. He howeyer-as we
have it from high authorty-disowned this version
of his toast and gave TO his friends the following
as the true one: " Our country: May she always
be right; but right or wrong, may she always be
yicorous!''
Now, even if the maxim current as Decatur's
Were his, il would still be necessary, in canvassing
the fitness of always acting upon that principle,
to consider, lst, Under Uhat circumstances it was
spoken! And, I'd. That, therefore, ,cas his
meaning?
The answers to each question are perfectly plain.
The United Sites were, at that time, engaged, by
a deliberate act Of the competent branch Of our
Government, in defensive war with superior
Power; were exposed to invasion almost every
where's had been invaded at various points; and
,cere thought to have staked their national existence
on the contest So much for the public crcum-
stances under and for which the supposed senti-
ment was uttered; and now for the personal ones.
They consist in but this: that Commodore DEcA-
TUR's profession Arms, not the GoUn, and
bound him not to understand, but to fight her quar-
rels: for it belongs to those in civil life to decide
on war and peace; the soldier cannot vote, the
sailor perhaps in another hemisphere cannot knoO;
and both are under military oath and articles Of
war which, when once the civil power has acted,
make it their duty to obey only, not to reason.
These necessary facts taken into the account
what could DECATUR man who,
'fhough capable of sternest deed,
Was kind as resolue and good as brave
have meant! If he spoke as citizen merely, he
probably meant that, being in such war, il was
too ate no,p that we had staked our national exist
ence on its event, to debate whether we or Great
Britain was in the wrong. But if Commodore
DECATUR spoke as sailor only, which is far more
probable,) then he can only have meant to intimate
that though it might be the business of them ashore
with whom he was dining, to consider public
quarrel under its aspects of policy or impolicy,
right wrong, was his duty always, as long as
his orders to fight, to suppose his country in
the right. Either you must accept one Of these
interpretations, or you must believe that the good
and highly intelligent DECATUR uttered one of the
bloodest and most fatal public maxms Gas we will
presently show that ever was pronounced. The
other version Of his toast conveys, first OF all,
highly moral wish; and, secondly, very natural
one for all, but especially for those of his profess
sion. But our present business is, of course, not
to establish and authenticate the maxim he did utter,
ness Of that which has borrowed the credit of a
brave and patriotic name. Before passing imme-
dately to that work, however, we must first place
before readers sample of the reasoning in ia
vor Of this bene6cent public axiom. as now applied
to the existing war with Mexico. IL is from a
Wing journal, generally highly respectable; and
our attention is now called to il by seeing part
of it adopted into newspapers which support
the President. Our readers will pardon, in this
case, our copying what we always avoid-matter
complimentary to the Intellgencer but here il is ne
cessary to the reasoning; and We cannot spare it.
The Albany EUening Journal of the 2sth ut.
has the following article:
The National LateRsencer's Rerec Of The Presidents
MessageA cherished friend with whom in sent
ment and action upon political questions ntimaed by
letter. some days since his should republsh the
very able Review Of the Presidents Message from the Ma
ona Inelgencer and have since received the Scohae
Patriot containing that article, with marks drawing our atten
ton to IT, There seems, therefore, propnty, If not he
cessity, for a few words OF explanation.
The Intellgencers Review characterized by all the ability
and force of testimony and argument which distinguishes the
wcl-consdered productions Of It's Editors proves
all too concusivey, that the in which engaged
Of false prcences and that the cause of QUARREL
the part Of our Government is not 'jus That article
fores and cnches the speeches Of Mr. Corwn in the Sem
ate and of Mr. Clay Lexington, both (which had Tor their
object to prove that Government is in the wrong
Conceding those distinguished statesmen and TO the In
egence the best and puest motives we are constrained TO
doubt whether the audabe objects they have heart be
accomplished by such We cannot bring ourselves
believe that peace TO he Obtained or the welfare and
prosperity of the country promoted by proving to Mexico and
the world that in the wrong On the contrary, we
apprehend that eminent Wing destroy their ability
for usefulness by taking the only which en'rench the
ADMINISTRATION Government may involve the country in
unwse unjust but being IN, the people,
will stand by their And the more fiery the ordeal
and the harder crowded. the more unhinchingy will
the fighting and the voting adhere TO the country
and to the Administration its embodiment In other and
emphatic words the people will 10 times Of war; 60 for
the country Fright or wrong" And in this are of
the people. We abhor Polk, Buchanan, Cass, &C. with
d,cs,ation cordial language express, but
unwilling to give them high vantage ground We can
such miserable pusllanimous pandering
creatures sustained by the patriotism Of this great Republic
an. obtain tbis