Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-03-18
WHAT THE OFFICIAL EDITOR IS PROUD OF.

1dS pdsScu lIlt oenate, WOulu DC
able to the venerable Editor Of the government pa
per- We not at all surprised, therefore, that he
winces at it. We take leave, however, 10 hint to
him, that if he expects that this Peace is 20 cover
up all the unconstitutional acts Of the Executive in
The commencement and prosecution of this Mexi-
can War-the eectioneering motives in which the
policy Of War $50 much more wisely and easily to
have been summed than courted) had its root--the
lurtive preparations for it by the expeditions by
land and water to California nearly year before il
broke out-the clandestine intercourse with SANTA
ANNA which ended in giving /" aid and comfort to
Mexico by restoring to her her only competent Ge-
neral-he will find himself entirely out Of his reckon
ing. The Treaty Of Peace once completed, the Ex-
ecutive will be held rigid account for its assump-
ton Of powers not belonging to it, as well in be-
ginning as in prosecuting the war, and for the
abuses in the conduct of the war which it has
either committed itself or permitted to others and,
among its usurpations, for that one so pointedly
animadverted upon by the eminent Senator from
South Carolina in his speech which will be found
on our first page to-day. We refer Of course to
the assumption Of the power, belonging to Congress
by express grant in the Constitutions land of course
NOT to the President,) of laying impost duties and
other taxes in conquered country and disposng at
his pleasure Of the proceeds of the same-the col
lection and the disburse ment being equally without
authority Of law.
But we took up the pen to-day, not for the pur-
pose of exposing the unconstitutional action of the
President-much less of reviewing the history of
the war-but to vindcate the suggestion heretofore
thrown out by us that the friends Of the war can
have no reason to be proud Of the Peace, for that
of the ostensible objects of the war has been
accomplished. The Government Editor calls this
" an extravagant assertion" which nothing but
" the blindest party spirit could have made. He
very much msunderstands us if he supposes that
party spirit had any thing to do with our opposi-
ton to the war. With our known views of the
duty of men and Of nations with our reverence
for the principles of our Government, for the
supremacy of the laws, for the enlightened max
inns of policy upon which this Government has
been heretofore conduced-and for those require
ments of honor, justice, and humanity which
compose the law of Nature and of Nations
it was impossible for us to regard this war with
any other sentiments than those of grief, pain,
and unfeigned distress. Happy, most happy,
therefore, we in the prospect of Peace. But
we are not proud of the Peace much less are we
"proud Of the Far and proud Of the Peace" as
our venerable neighbor declares himself to be. We
should certainly not be proud Of the War were
we in his place; war Of invasion, undertaken for
objects not one of which, we repeat, has been
hal L Il Il
neither be denied nor repudiated. 1t will not do
for the Government Editor to say that the war has
covered as with glory" &c. 1t has covered the
.4rmy with glory, we grant, and we are proud of
the Army, but not of the Administration. We chal.
lenge the Government Editor to comparison Of the
objects for which he and the Administration have,
from time to time, declared and proclaimed the in
vasion of Mexico TO have been undertaken with
the actual results of this War.
We have not time to-day to go into the matter
but time will come. tits enough at present TO say
that leading (if not the only cause of the war
which began by the march of the army to the Rio
Grande-was, according to authentic History, the
delay of the Mexican Government to allow and pay
certain claims of American citizens amounting, if
di louHu W uc JuSI w i've lulillOHS vi uOHdiS'
more or less. Well: Has the "object' of COM
pellng Mexico TO pay these claims been accom-
plished The question almost answers itself.
So far from getting these five millions of dollars to
be paid to our long-suffering" citizens, we have
spent more than hundred millions of dollars in
the war for this object, and our Government has
concluded, on our part, Treaty to end the War,
by which it agrees 10 pay these claims out Of It's
o,on Treasury.
We know very well that this though an ostens-
bic object, entirely subordinate to other real
objects of the war, which objects the Executive did
not avow, except in secret instructions to the Off
GERS Of the Army and Navy; but which, when ac-
the President claimed as acquisitions of
territory and recommended not only the permanent
of but the addition to by further con-
quests. Yet the Executive and the Government are
now proud of Peace which retains indeed, two
of the several Provinces of which the permanent
was recommended, but for the retention
even of these two provinces agrees to pay to Mex-
co Fifteen Millions Of Dollars. If this is any thing
for the Administration its Editor to be proud of
we should like to know.
In conclusion of these hasty remarks we submit
% our venerable neighbor and his Democratic friends
IL n r. IL - 4