Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-10-28
WAR OR PEACE.

| vital question at issue in he present canvass
is, Shall zee elect Tar Man or a Peace Man ?
Gen. CAss declares that he "cordially approves
of the administration of Mr.. Polk and will consi-
der his own election as an approval, by the people,
of that Administration, which SHALL therefore, give
direction to his own" The conspicuous feature of
that Administration, which the people are thus
formally called on TO approve, is w and Conquest.
III No thanks, we know, are due 10 Mr.. Polk and
His coadutors {" quorum magma pars," &c. was
Lewis Cass) that we had not war with Great
Britain. That Administration is responsible for
the war with Mexico, which gives as an indemnify
for the past' a national liability for two hundred
millions of dollars, and territory and military
glory, for which the sacrifice of more than twenty
five thousand of our countrymen's lives its price
is fearful and cruel mockery security for the
future" an exasperated neishbor, burning ever to
be avenged Of the blood and treasure which she
considers to have been wrested from her by brute
force; and, as further security the resurrection
Of the slavery dispute, which has already done
more than aught else, and is now more than ever
threatening to dissolve our Union, and drench our
fields in the blood of civil war.
On these questions Mr. CAss went farther than
the farthest'' to sustain Mr.. Polk and, by his
votes and speeches, always on the side of "pre-
pairing the hearts of the people for war; proved
himself emphatcaliy War man. Now that the
world is rife with F" wars and rumors OF inevitable
wars would he not as President, with Mr. Folks
thereby approved example, and an official intimation
of vengeance against England" have too much
opportunity to crafty his propensity
On the other picture: Gen. TAYLOR says in his
Allison letter, look upon scar, at all times and
aader all circumstances, AS NATIONAL CALAMITY,
TO BE AVOIDED if compatible with national honor.
THE principles Of our Government, as ,csH as as
true policy, are opposed 10 the sUBJUcAT1oN OF
OTHER NATIONS, AND THE DIs1EMBERMENT OF
the Hon. Truman Smith. of March a, lS45, he
procIaims al AN PEACE MAN, and i deem q state
Of peace to be absolutely necessary 10 the proper
and healttJfiA action o. our republican institu-
ions." In his Ingersoll letter he considers war
great calamity, and his the greatest glory who
| can terminate il"
1t is good for us to look to the opinions of the
sages of our country's "trying days'-the found
ers of the spirit and letter of our constitution
even as the mariner looks to the warning and the
charts of older seamen.
| Mr.. MADISON lin the Federalist, page 550 Hell
vidius No. W. records these words !" Every just
: view which can be taken of the subject ad,,ion-
: ishes the public Of the necessity of RIGID AD-
{ HERENcE to the simple, the received, the funda-
damental doctrine of the constitution, that the
power to declare war, including the po,cer Of
| Judging Of The causes Of war, is FULLY AND En-
: cLUsIvELY vested in the Legislature: THAT THE
: EXECUTIVE HAS NO RIGHT, IN ANY CASE, TO DECIDE
THE QUESTION Uhefher there IS or is NOT cause for
: declaring that the right Of concerning and
: informing Congress, Uheneusr such question
8 seems 10 call for a DECISION, is all the right
uhich the constitution has deemed requisite or
proper and that for such, more than for any other
contingency, this right was specially given to the
] Executive" oh, Messrs. Polk and Cass
:" In no part of the constitution is more wisdom
to be found than in the clause which confdes the
question of war or peace to the legislative, and not
TO the executive department. Besides the objec-
ton to such mixture of heterogeneous powers,
the trust and the temptation ,copH be foo great
for any one man not such as nature may offer
as the prodigy of many centuries, hut such as
may be expected in the ordinary. SUGGESTIONS of
magisracy. Udr is an fact he true nurse of
: ETecmice dggrn,dizenent. In war, physical
force is to be created; and it is the Executive
will which is TO direct il. In war, the public
treasures are to be unlocked, and il is the Execu-
tive hand which is to dispense hem. In war, the
honors and emolumenis Of Office are to be multi
piled and it is the Executive patronage under
which they are to be enjoyed. 1t in war, final
ly, that aurels to be gathered; and il is the
Executive brow they are TO encircle. The strong
cst pdssRus anu InOSt dangerous WeakHesses OF
the human breast-ambtion, ayarice, vanity-the
honorable or venial love Of fame, are all in con-
spiracy against the desire end duty Of peace.
:" Hence it has grown into axiom that The
Erecutire IS The departmental po,rer most dis
hnguiShed by us propensity 10 rar hence it is
the practice of all States, in proportion as they
are free, to dsarm this propensity Of itslnhuence.
AS THE BEST PRAISE, THEN, THAT CAN PRO-
NouNcED on AN EXECUTIVE MAGISTRATE, IS THAT
HE is THE FRIEND OF PEAeE-A PRAISE THAT RISES
IN ITS VALUE AS THERE MAY BE KNOWN CAPACITY
TO SHINE IN wAR--so 1T MUST BE ONE OF THE
MOST SACRED DUTIES OF A FREE PEOPLE TO MARK
THE FIRST OMEN IN THE SOCIETY OF PRINCIPLES
THAT MAY STIMULATE THE HOPES or OTHER Ma
GIsTRATEs OF ANOTHER PROPENSITY INTRuDE
INTO QUESTIONS ON WHICH ITS GRATIFIcATIoS DE-
rENDs. II free people be wise people also,
they will not forget that the danger Of surprise
never be SO great as when The adcocates for The
prerogd'iue Of cdr can sheath it in symbol Of
peace"
Much Of this would seem to have been written
with retrospective and complimentary alusion to
WASHINGTON, or a prospective one 10 Gen. TAY-
LoR perhaps both, il is so applicable to either
and both. Somehow or other, in spite of opposing
politicians, an intimate moral likeness to " ashng-
ton in Gen. Taylor WILL be constantly obtrudng.
| SrAusroS, VIRGISIt Y.
SAN PATcp OuTpoSy--1 DINING . HsU,- A funny in