The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-12-03
The Power Of War and Peace.

The Baltimore American, in copying the following par
agaph from Kentucky paper, gives currency to one OF
the most frequent--and perhaps the most senseless--
of the cries which the wings have gotten up against the
present administration. The American says;
We agree with a paper, the Lexington ky)
Observer that of the chief causes OF the great political
revolution through which the country has recently passed.
"a settled belief in the public mind that the President
has in himself nearly all power The people
believed that he had taken the great OF
peace into his hands"
Now, the truth u.s. that the President, instead OF as
suming the power to make war; waited in a strictly
defensive attitude, and with strictly defensive pur
pose, until Mexico had made war upon us and then
went to Congress- upon full statement of the facts,
to ask them to pass bill sancioning measures
on part which bill was promptly passed. The line
OF defence and the position of defence were taken to
protect the only boundary OF the State of Texas which
was known either to her law law, any other
law which boundary far recognised by Mexico
herself as that she would neither any oher,
goiate with TO fin any oher-claiming all the while
the whole of Texas, and part of it just much
another part. This line OF defence was taken, on
our part, under the constitutional mandate which COM
mands the President TO protect the national territory
from invasion. SO far was the President from as
Stunning the NARROWER that there is good reason to
believe that there would have been no war at all
il Paroles had not at the end of December 1915,
overthrown by revolution the administration OF Her
rera. Paroles into power pledged to make war
at all events; and his proclamation of the 18th Of
April 1916, shows that just he took the rens
of government in the beginning OF January of that year.
he issued decisive orders to Asta then the head of the
Mexican army of the northwest to assault without delay
General Taylor then in his camp at Corpus Christi the
Nueces All this done in Mexico the very time
when our Executive was straning every to settle
the controversy by peaceful negotiation When all hope
Of this overland not before-General Taylor was
ordered to take another defensive position in the neigh
borhood of the Rio Grandc ne in order to defend our
frontier against the invading army of Mexico then pre-
pared and threatening to it. This position of ode
fence was maintained by our Executive until after the
battles OF Palo Alto and Resaca had been fought and the
war bill passed by Congress. In view of these facts, we
submit the American that now the being over
is time 10 have done with the silly charge that Mr. Polk
took the war question out of the hands OF Congress and
made the war himself. If the wing party had at any
time really believed the charge, is obvious that they
could never have made General Taylor-mxed up as he
was both as adviser and agent the whole transaction
their candidate
We are happy to see, however, that the gross
with which the Americans article opens part atoned
for by the sound views OF its closing paragraph. We
could WISH for the good of the country and the peser
walton of the constitution in its purity that the views Of
the Allison letter were as sound. The Americans Ian
guage is as follows:
The duty Of recommending to Congress
duty which conflicts with the freedom OF the legislative
bodyo consider such and adopt reject hem
may fit determine The Congress and the Pesi-
dent both responsible to the people both subject to the
constitution The President has right call Congress
account although he may the usto to check any nconu
iionai or W-adpised measure.
II the President may the veto TO check ''any ill adj
vsed measure passed by Congress, how the Amer-
justify Gen Taylor in saying, he does say express
ly in the "ird short paragraph of his Allison letter,
that he will not veto any tariff measure any currency
measure, any internal improvement measure, which
Congress may pass. whether it be ell advised or we'll
advised If the President be irresponsible 10 the people,
and "subject to the constitution" how he give such
pledge as this beforehand, when the constitution OK
pressly commands him to return without his signature
'evey BILL" the provisions of which, upon due examna
ton, his judgment does not "appropc2"
Moro Cablnct-NIaking