Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-01-14
from the National lntelligencer
THE PRESIDENTS M Ess AGE.-No. Ill

deny that the Executive is Justly rnlitIed-hnve felt
20 De an indispensable duty to communicate to thei
pink Of it. We do not believe that the wor
kZu vas mentioned in the whole course OF re
We certainly were thinking Of the revotn!
k2encser Of the War and Its consequences to tn
mole country, and not OF its effect OH this or tina
1fsrty. Unlike the partisan of power, who gave gu,
seouta year ago. thnt the war must be prolonged
Iess, until after the Presidential election" we wrr
~. ing under deep and solemn conviction that tn
interest and the true welfare Of twenty millions
souls, over whom this Government extends, require,
this war to be brought TO an end early it cou,
be, consistently with National honor and, as 0
the arguments for bringing it to end, undertook
| to chow that il ought never to have been begun.
The Executive organ represents us. in doing this
having thrown the lie direct into the teeth OF tn,
National Executive" Our readers will bear wit
ness that We did not 30 far forget ourselves. w,
should think Of accusing the President Of trea
son-an offence with which, in his Annual Message
OF last year, he did scrupc to sgnntize all those
who had the hardihOod to dispute the necessity ex
pedirncy Of His Mexican Warns to have done whn,
the government paper imputes to us. We certainly
differ very widely from Ills Exccency with regard
to the facts upon which he relies for his defence for
tain propositions, upon which, in his Message hehm
ELI places his justification to his fellow citizens for
this war, to be untrue We think that we have prov
80, So mem lem g. DC So but we have not to say
We are not the keepers oi the Presidents conscience.
But. he do believe them to be tue. may yet be
allowed to lament the misfortune Of his country that
ne should under that drusOi, have been the of
throwing away 80 many lives nnd so large amount
Of the public treasure which might, both lives and
treasure have been much more wisely and uselully
employed
The government paper makes it matter OF COM
plant against US that we have not said word to con
trover the statement Of the Message that indemnity
cannot be obtained from Mexico in any other form
ton BE appeased upon this point. Let it be admitted
That Mexico cannot pay in money even what she owes
much less whit she does not. Let il be admitted
Also however, as conclusivey put by one OF our con.
tempOraries, that the argument thus insisted upon is
deadly fatal to that other suggestion in the Message
thnt by means Of forced contributions levied upon
Mexco through our military commanders, the future
expenses OF the war are to be betrayed The two
propositions cannot stand together.
The government paper IN like manner CLAIMS from
Us acquescence in sundy other positions OF the Mes
sage. tor that we have not contrOveed them In re-
ply to which it is enough to say that have done
with the Message But who on earth would think OF
Undertaking seriously to refue such proposition rs
that OF the Message, restated by the Union ms fol-
lows That the Congress OF tine United States rs as
FULLY committed BY s past acts, ms the President
CLAIMS il to be in his Message the whole purpose
and doctrine OF prosecuting the to the acquisition
OF full territorial indemnity !" The only answer
" Union" expresses surprise that we have not said
one word TO contradict is, that it is impossible to
find even one word in any act or resolution OF the
Congress Of the United States to sustain it, Congress
conquest and dominion which are at length droped
by the Executive. II my thing OF the sort can be
found the statute book if the assertion OF the
Message in this respect be not wholly groundless--t
10 in the power Of the Union" to give US chapter
and verse for il.
There are other things in the reply of the organ Of
the Administration TO the National lnteliigencer.
which. had we the necessary time mt command might
be considered worthy of special notice. But Tor the
present we pass them blythe poor rbadry included.
with which some graduate of Bilngs,ate has been
Allowed n n 10Th
TO reflect to the extent OF decency at least the
ners as well as the sentiments OF the gentlemen who
control it-and proceed to offer readers the fol-
lowing
FURTHER VIEWS OF THE MEXICAN WAR.
Amongs, the allegations of the government paper,
in its first reply to this journal, is the following
1.-THE Intelligencer does not even pretend to make
any attempt to shuke the nimoyable foundation Of
fact and argument on which the President, in his an
nual Message Of December last, placed the righttu-
ness Of our claim aud Of the claim Of Texas to the
boundary Of the Rio Grande"
Whether we did or did not make an attempt" to
shake the Presidents foundation. &c our readers
know rs well as we whether we succeeded or not, is
another matter. We have at least, it is clear, tailed
in convincing tn. government editor. although we
produced record evidence OF every fact to which We
appealed For his especial advantage. We will try
another line Of demonstration. II the government
editor will not believe u.s. will he believe the Pres-
dent We quote from his Message, now before US,
the following
New Mexico is frontier province and has never
been VI any considerable value to Mexico. From its
locality, it is naturally connected with our western
settlements The territorial limits Of the State Of
Iezas too, a. defined tv her Idrs, before her adis
sion into our UaiOn, EMBRACE ALL THAT PORTION OF
New MEXICO LYING EAST OF the RIO GRANDE, while
Mexico still claims TO hold this territory as part OF
her dominions. The adjustment OF this question OF
boundary is important"
subject not a mere and sheer nullity far as
they pretend to establish boundary to which the
State had no color Of title, New Mexico east OF the
a
this territory was alike Mexican. No part OF it was
brought within the limits Of the State Of Texas by
her revolution. or by right OF conquest No part d
II, therefore was or gould be conveyed by Texas I,
the United States II it was " New Mexico" as the
President says il was, how could it he Texas!
One and the same rule, it is perfectly clear. mus
applicable to sn the territory east Of the E.o IRA
Mexican. or it is Texan: But the President marches
an army into one part Of il ON the plea OF It's being hi
duty to defend "our own soilterrl,ory OF the Unite,
quers the other. demanding cesson Of it as State o
Mexico, and now recommending to Congress to estab
lish Territorial Government within II
1.-The Commissioner OF the United States wns
,horiled" says the Message, to obtain cession t,
the United States OF the Nlexican Provinces OF Neu
Merieo and California" &c. The re alton OF thu
province OF New Mexico to the two nations lthe Uni
Ted States and Mexico) was precisely and identical
the same that OF the territory lying between the M
eces and the Rio Grande Yet the President mad
war, under an alleged indispensable duty TO maintain
the title OF the United State tn the one and in that
conquered the other from Mexico, in order that h
might obtain possession Ot il as an indemnity Tor TN
expenses Of the war into which he says Mexico iorce
US by attempting defend her own territory IRON IN
vasi0n II is impossible for the President 10 extrcat
himselftrom the horns OF this dilemma
| From the beginning OF his administration up to 'hi
day, the President, animated aud npelled apparently
by an ambition to distinguish himself beyond hs pred
/ ;, A mn Is heel i'm
| wrong upon this Mexican question Even IN his In
| auguFal Address, though the word Mexico Is no
mentioned, the is discOverabe OF all the mis-
| chievous proceedings Of the Executive which. how
ever honestly intended have almost undone the
,ry In that Address is plainly observable the gen
OF that longing tor forbidden iruiit that hankerin
after the lands OF our neghbors, Tint Determination
per foe au nefas to psssess ourselves OF them whic
have evidently Influenced and directed the whole pol
lev Of the Executive in regard to Mexico: We reie
Of course to thOse passages in which the President al
CUES the safety to our political system OF the enlarge
| ITO cap the climax Of nbsurdity, the Execu,v,
under his Imperial rescrpt establishing imPost dutie
| in hrs conquered provinces Of Mexico, is actually
this moment levying taxes, by military authority, upo
goods anded upon the eastern bank OF the Rio Grand
which he claims in his several Messages TO be With
the boundary OF Texas and which is, OF course, il
part OF the United States.
! \" MEXICO il to us the forbidden fruit The per
atty Of eating il would be TO subject our institutions
political death Mr.. Calkoun's speech on the Thr
Million Bill, in Senate Fen. ., 1871