The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-04-11
VOL. III. - NO. 13s.

| they will have new territory-if they Will add
new States to this Union, why let them do SO
and they will be the artifccrs of their own
| fortunee, for good or for evil.
But, Sir, we tremole before Executive
power. The truth cannot be concealed-we
tremble before Executive power Mr.. Polk
will take nothing else than this, and if we do
not take this, Z" the kings anger may klhdle,
and he may impose still heavier burdens
Now, who and what is Mr. Polk speak OF
him in no manner of disrespect. l mean only
to ask who and what is the President OF the
United States for the current moments He Is
in the last year of the term of his administra-
tion-formally, officially it can only be drawn
out till the Fourth of March. Why, really
substantially we know that two short months
will or may produce events that render the
duration of the official term at very little i'm
portance. We are on the eve of Presidential
| election That machinery resorted to, to col
lect public opinion or party opinion is to be
in operation two months hence. We shall see
its result. Il may be that the presentincumben
of the Presidential Office will be again present.
ed to his party friends and admirers for their
sufferages for the next Presidential term.
do not say how probable or improbable that
may be-perhaps it is not entirely probable
suppose that not to be the result-what them
insignificant as any respectable man among
the public men of the United States-honor-
able in his private life-valuablein his private
character-respectable never eminent in public
life, he will, from the moment that new star
arises, have Just as little influence as you, Sir,
or land so far as respects myself, God knows
that will be very little Sir, political parti-
sans and aspirants and office-seekers are not
sun-fowers-they don't ..,... 80
"turn on their god, when he sets,
The same face which they turned wsen he rose %
Now, sir if the respectable, gentleman who
is now at the head of the government should
be agreed upon, there will be those who will
commend his consistency, and be bound to
maintain it and the integrity of the party
his friends will require that this should be
done. If otherwise, WHO'S there in the whole
! length and breadth of the land who will care
4 for the consistency of the present incumbent
of that office? There will then be new objects.
Manifest destiny will have fixed upon some
other man, Sir; the eulogies are now written
the Communications of the press are already
elaborated l will not say every thing fulsome,
but will say every thing panegyrical is al
ready written out with blanks for, names, to
be filled when the Convention. shall adjourn.
When manifest destiny shall be, reached then,
Sir, all these strains of panegyric made before
hand, laid up in pigeon holes studied, framed,
emblazoned, and embossed, will all come ont,
and then there will be, there is bound to be,
somebody in the United States, possibly, whose
merits have heretofore been strangely over
looked-marked by Providence-a kind of
miracle-it is wonder that no body thought
of him before: a fit man, and the only fit man
. to be at the head of this great Republic. l
shrink not, therefore. from anything that
feel to be my duty, by any apprehension OF
the power, and importance and imposing digri-
ty and the power of will which is ascribed to
the present incumbent of that Office. l wish
we had that power or will. I wish we had
that s-hrmness-frmness. 81 SIT
nunnea nwlans a6su. If we had adherence
wish we could gather something from the
spirit of our brave corps that have met the
enemy under circumstances the most adverse,
and have stood the shock. wish we could
initiate Zachary Taylor in his biviouac upon
the field Buena Vista. He, said he would re-
main for the night he would feel the enemy
in the morning and try his position. l wish
before we surrender that we could make up
our own minds to feel the enemy and try his
, position, and Think we should find him, as
Taylor did, under the early sun on his way to
San Louis Potosi Thai is my judgment.
But, sir, come to the all-absorbing ques-
ton, more particularly, of the creation of new
States When 1 came into the councils OF
the country, Louisiana had been obtained I'M
, der the treaty with France, and shortly after.
ward Florida was obtained under the treaty
with Spain. These two countries were known
% us. They lay upon our frontiers They
commanded the outlets of the great river. As
l have had occasion to say, and shall now on.
ly repeat without argument, in the first Of
these instances, the President of the United
States, Mr.. Jefferson, supposed the acquisition
to be unconstitutional he acted on that sup
position. Mr. Madison was then Secretary OF
State. He proposed that proposition for an
amendment of the Constitution should be
submitted. in order to bring Louisiana into the