Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-07-15
THE CAMPAIG
THE ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE PENDING MA
TIONAL ELECTION

In no former election Of President and Vice Pre-
sident Of the United States have we ever known
issues-to be involved Of SO great magnitude and
consequence as those which, in the present canvass
are rendered to the People Of the United States.
AT the last election it is true, the same issues are
now known TO have been in question, without
however, being revealed on the one hand, or sur
missed on the other until after the election was de-
cided and the mischief done. If any body else
suspected we certainly did not that in the success
full candidate at that election the People were to find
Master another Old Man of the Sea, who, having
been good -nauredy allowed to besride the Peoples
neck, would have ridden them to ruin, had not
the fumes of power itself SO disordered his senses
as to oblge him 10 loosen his grip and forbear his
schemes. No one, we venture to say, who was not
in the secrets Of Mr.. Polk, SO much as Dreamed
when he was candidate before the People, that
his Administration was to be signalized by an at.
tempt to get the country into war with the most
powerful adversary that we could find on the face
of the earth, and that the wisdom and firmness of
the Senate alone TO save us from SO appalling
a calamity and by an actual war with sister
Republic, which he never could have brought about
but by evadng the authority Of Congress, seizing
upon one of the most unquestonable powers of that
branch Of Government and appropriaiing il TO HIM
self; both projects having for their object the in
corporation into this Union, at whatever cost of life
or treasure, of an area of foreign territory SO vast as
had he been able to accomplish his entire purpose,
would, in its immediate consequences, have wholly
changed the character of this Government. and. in
its final result undoubtedly brought about its disso-
luton. "a ea'e s.
Though this lawless ambition has been happily
arrested in its mid career by the Popular oppo-
siton 10 it in one branch Of Congress, and by the
sound Conservative spirit of the upper House, every
thing within its power has been done by daring
and all but successful attempts, in disregard of the
most solemn sanctions and injunctions of the Con-
stitution TO change the established and cherished
policy of this Government in regard to foreign ma
tons, from one of peace and reciprocal goodwill
and forbearance into one of aggression, and war,
and conquest for objects neither compatible with
the public interests, within the purview of this
Governments it came from the hands its trainers
However little, in the Presidential canvass, four
years ago, the events of the last three years could
have been anticipated by the most far-seeing of
statesmen, it is nevertheless not less true than
strange that those events, that policy of interven-
tion, aggression, and war, in regard to our foreign
relations, the sporting with the lives of the citizens
and the treasure Of the Nation, and the abuses of
Executive authority, which have ensued and are as
much part of the history of this Administration as
It's undesirable annexation of foreign and hetero-
geneous territory and population, have come to be
The Greed Of a great party-the Platform upon
which they have placed candidate for the Presi-
dency, who has himself consented in full accord
with them to stand upon it. That Platform"
consists Of the Resolutions adopted at the late Bal
tmore Convention, which we have so recently
given at length in our columns that il is not neces-
sary here to do more than TO rehearss, in few words
those points Of faith included in them to which we
desire at present to direct particularly the at
tention of our readers. These Resolutions affirm,
among other things that the ,car wim Nerico
just and necessary that the fruits Of the
election Of President Polk have fulfilled the hopes
of the Democracy of the Union that the confidence
of the Democracy in the principles Of Mr.. Polk
has been sgnaly justified by the energy and ability
which have characterized his Administration in
all our affairs at home and abroad including
necessarily his whole course upon the Oregon
question.
The affirmation Of the wisdom and expedi- |
ency OF the War with Mexico is not accompanied
by any attempt at argument going to show the
necessity OF that war, much less its expediency,
or the necessity and expediency Of fostering war
spirit and temper among the hitherto peaceful in
habitants of this country the orators and writers
of the Democratic party Of the present day are in
the habit Of doing, and among them Gen. CAss him.
self which we shall have occasion hereafter to show
II was not perhaps deemed polite TO be more ex-
plicit in the construction Of a creed, in which
brevity is desirable; but the same bloody INTENT
the same lust Of conquest, which have stained the
pages Of the Executive Messages to Congress upon
the matter Of the Mexican War, pierce through the
generalities Of the Resoluaons; and, indeed one
OF them almost expresses desire that Mexico
might reject the Treaty Of Peace, TO give the coun
try an opportunity TO sustain the Administration in
further prosecution Of the war. Bot, though these
War Resolutions, drawn up, as we learn from " the
Union by Mr.. B. F. Haleu, of Boston, do not
rive MS the moral of the War marty in this coun-