The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-01-19


s,.ts s,os ,hs SslisssstisAs o. cesgss bss 'hs q
f..t # rsslas th. Presidents sstAes tns ros spspe
t.tvs ospos;iou u tue p1ii55 u tie 6aeust es y 81
the President himself the sole resqoasies mns "
the Union upou all the great questions OF puOne Pos
TIL. annual message which il delivered ~ ths Gu
,sncsment Of tn. session must therefore be taken IN
foil pra- payment OF an entire series OF speeeuss
trss.u-v beach aud probably the Am-rican prsstice
49,, a.; ,b,and mount of ministerial eloquencs
and public attention than the prouA'.a siHusuee
OF Europssn statesmen oa has the President's
message been mora calculated 60 awaken earnest
oOnsd-rson AthSuss ,r.o,.p sns %sb, al sH
~ aso,ish p4nt an hesitation Of people less ad
disted to territorial asgrand than ina Ameri-
sntativs log suuity and enforced by such accumu
Ist,on of sophstcs rssson!ng tn nothing could be
more srtfuy calculated to place the policy OF Mr FOLK
IN tn most advantageous light and to pledge the coun
try 10 spte OF its convictions TO the support
OF the line Of conduct in which he has engaged We
knoy OF nothing NOR. cousummste in its way than the
art with which MIR Polk has contrvad to subject tho
whole Uniou his will upon the IN oss momentuous
question which could arise 10 It, and while he affects TO
throw himself upon the indulgence of his countrymeu
with all the candid doeility eta servant he takes care
70 remind nation that II IL entirely committed
to the Mexican and all its consequences, future
well past that the fundamental principles OF the
American constitution will not stand In the way OF the
It will be worth while to trace, briefly can
the neat of language and logic by which the
President leads the country this result and then
TO examine what the real nature OF that result Is ac
TO rest the assumption, which has repeatedly been
put forw ard and always with equal fslsehood that some
sufficient cause of war against Mexico existed bsfore
the seizure of Texas and that hostities were CON-
roencec by the of the Republic OF Mexico" is
needless to repeat that manifesto declaration Of
made those causes Of known 70 the world
OF sanctioned them by the authority of Congress aud
rhetrue commencement of the was the advance Of
order Of the President alone Nevertheless as the pre-
aube the act OF Congress Of the 18th of May lsl5
10Y granting supplies Of men and money was allowed to
reitera.e this fsN statement the President takes
advantage of that fact 20 sl'ge that the wsr was
declared bv Congress nth szi aordinoTy undn'miy"
the truth being that t neither debated nor put to
the at all The only question Congress had TO
determine was how 10 provide the means Ct saving
General Taylors army from the consequences OF rSsh
aud Unconstitutional act
In the Of December last year, the President
declared in passage which he rather ncautiously re-
calls to memory, that ths not commenced
with view to oonqusst - He now demonstrates with
conquest and that Congress itself is AREA y pledged
to that consequence For, says he In voting tho
plies necessary to on the must have fore
Esen that victorious armies would require in
demuty for those OF the Indispensable
conditions peace Bat 1t notorious that Mexico
give indemnity except in the shape territorial co
oessops TERRITORY therefore is the only ormio which
these debts, which Congress itself has sanctioned,
nov be rsid No doubt this arsument oorroborntes 10
every part the opinion uniformly entertained in Europe
The transaction In vision. circle the expenses
Of been occurred to support the policy of
the President aud territorial CONCESSIONS must be exac
ted the of tbs therefore tbs policy
of che President leads directly to .rrtoris aggraudzs
meut which doubted in Europe, ever be
fore acknowledged in America
Mr. Polk is. however, perfectly explicit the
point apd no one can accuse the American
goverument of assembling the real object of s policy
In fgur, the President may briefly bs stated to claim
tract OF country ending ,! degrees of lougi
tude BY of latitude He indeed that the
ri,ora nis Of Texas already embrace all that portion
of New Mexico which lies east If the Rio Grande-a
eice VIII ch incorporates in the United the
city of Santa Fee and tn whole OF that vast region but
he then proceeds 10 degrees further to the west from
the Rio Grapde the Pacific and announces that the
whole Of New Mexico and Upper California DO already
belong the territories Of hs United States by right d
tbaxc ho pdaraA %r
Mexico be proposes that this huge should t
be subjected to the Jurisdiction and laws Of the Union
without waiting for the fornslity OF treaty to legszs
their possession of the country rough ides of the
dimensions of this territory may be formed from the
fact that 1t is about to the extent OF the continent
of Europe from the coast of France to the Black SEES
and from Gibralter to Ostend
Upon this question. therefore the Congress
of the United States aust decide and in deciding this
it must determine the true end purpose of the
war In order to stimulate every passion and defuson
which can assist his designs MIR Polk hss even oonde
scnde1 repeat the extravagsut fiction Of the Jackson
party, that the moment tbs United States should
TO occnpy Upper California, some European power
would make effort to possess IL, by couqu at pNr-
chase - and this confident nmation of the intentions
Of Euro power is accomp by repetition
of MIR Monroe's declaration that no foreign pow
shall with the consent of the United States be per
nitted to plant or establish sny new colour or dolniu
ion on any part Of the north American continent"
Ii certainly remarkable that this declaration should
be reiterated not by government ndhsrins steadily 10
the pacific of the American constitution but
by ststessn who is taking advantage of the absence
OF any countervailins force the American contnen
negbbor which is recorded in modern history for Mr.
POLK ut lssst has noe set the example or hrG adhs.
10 those principles OF n 1dersttoa by which the
peace Of north America 81 the world might be secured
and be does not scrupe % that this policy may
embrol the country in " more difficult and expensive
wars than tn at ia which 1t is engaged
The observations of the VI ssase the chances of
peace and mode OF conducting Inc equal
unsssfsctory Finding no Opposition on The part OF
the M-xcsus to rest with ;he invading army. Nv Pols
appears to suggest thai povsrnm mt night be formed
of the friends of peace" in Mexico ny the encour
and of protection Of the Americ
Generals commanding in tho field" and that such a
government formed by the military support or the enc
my might safely ALLEVIATE half the territory OF the Next
eau Republic "Tais," ssys Mr. Polk, may be-
come the only mode of obtaining such peace we
require" Very likely bat what is this but to coumsnce
the Of foreign dominion 10 peghboring sstes
and foreign Interference in domestic revolutions which
always ends in the Generalization OF the stste and
the ubjugstion Of the other? All other fail
ing no MIR Polk recommends the continued occu
patton of the whole cnuntrg by the American troops the
seizure Of all tue public revenues Of the Mexican repuh
lie within the grasp of the aud the levyng conri
buttons OF war on the enemy IN every form consistent
With the Lass Of war " In this last particular which
may touch the enormous treasures Of tse Mexican
churches the Anericsn Generals have shown far mere
forbesrsDce-to their honor be tshi-tbau the Amer-
can government TO carry these with effect
Congress csle upoa to vote sd tonal regular troo
and additional volunteers ana loan OF IL million dol
for this year With farther loau OF larger amour;
the year, should the war still continu. Blu,
must reserve our remarks on the financial
parts cf iiis Message for another occasion. These
fac;s suffice to I+ce before readers the broad OUT
line Of extraordinary state of affairs They need
no commentary. We $50 before tue unscrupuCus
ruler OF democratic State confidently ealing the
passions Of the popuaee which raised hin to lower TO
carry Unlimited in It's Obi cots aud its
tiou, q it was b4se and uDhsrowed 10 its COM
msn,eueot And what is s;ill more larlentsbie and
surprising although do net believe that this violent
aud rspacious pohey mmsnds thu respect. willing
assent Of any rstona! cla of American
people yet opponents want either the means the
resolution check the Executive Govern IN its
reer and vindcate the lsws Of international justice
A Wing Speaker has, however, been elected in the
House Representatives. by maj orty of vote and
trust th- Whig party will Eake vigorous effort To
show that tn priDcples Of this Message no. those
the whole people Of the United States.
The Debate In thu British PA riiament on
Jewish UissbilitIes.
On the iTth Of December, the adjourned debate on
Jewish disabilities. was resumed by
Mr. Law who insisted that this IN asure which In
vcysd the question whether religious tests should an
longer be administered to members OF Parliament Before