Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-03-17

ton of the power of levying money in Mexico
can he rcconcilcd with the Constitution. In
what portion of that instrument is il to be found
1t cannot be found there fjustiied at all, it is
upon the right of conquest, and Is therefore, in
dependent of the Constitution. What is to be
done with these military contributions levied
there Upon what basis does the financial
system established there by authority of the
President rest Are these military contribu-
tons part of your financial system Are
they based upon any act or authority emanating
! from you
Sir, have seen this morning, for the first
time, a general order from the commanding
General in Mexico. levyng contributions there.
Will the President account to you for them !
No, sir he intends no snch thing. He will
dispose of them at his pleasure. What is to be
done with the revenue collected there : If paid
into your treasury, il is by the Presidents per-
mission. il expended therc--as il will be-will
he wait for an appropriation The Secretary
oithe Treasury tells us that about half a million
has already been collected there. If it be part
OF yonr finances, in what item Of the honorable
Secretarys report on the finances is il to be found!
Sir, where is the ground of responsibility to
you, and how will you enforce it Upon what
principle will You hold the subordinates employ
ed in the collection of this revenue responsible
Where will you find the ground of responsibility
which can be made the subject Of judicial cog
nizance? Will you assume that our Constitu-
ton and laws extend to that country, and that
they can be jndicially extended to transactions
occurring there II so, then that country. by
becoming subject to your Constitution and laws,
becomes ipso facto part of this Union, and an
nexation is effected by the act of the President
alone. Again, sir, if the President is consider
ed as acting within the pale of the Constitution
and Mexico is considered pro hac rice subject to
your Jurisdiction, by what authority does he levy
taxes without your concurrence Nay, by what
authority has he established tariff of duties diff.
terent from yours-an arbitrary tariff of his own
The result is, that lie must either be regarded
as exercising these powers independently of the
Constitution, or, if that country be. for the time
being, subject to your laws, he has violated tine
Constitution, by making himself the law-maker
and dlsowning your jurisdiction. .
( Sir, if you leave him to the exercise of this
despotc power, what will be the effect on the in
situations of this country The tendency of all
this is to infuse military spirit into the Consti.
tuition, to ingraft upon it an extraneous power
of the most arbitrary character. which will alb.
sorb the limited and delegated powers of the
Constitution, and override its restrictions. What
sort Of administration shall we have with a mill
tary head welding purse and sword moi
/ SUBJECT 10 our control. MS war Us
the nation with the love of military glory, Civ.
ing to our institutions a military character, and
placing at their head instead of the constitutions
President, a military colossus. This may lead
to the overturning of your Government and the
destruction of YOUR liberties. Sir, this is the
tins sy unfortunate nat f, war ra can be ysw"a
the energies of this people and their love OF lib
erty. But who can penetrate the future There
are those now living whose memory can EN-.
brace both eXtrcmities thus far of our national
existence who remember the period of 1883
and the adoption of the Constitution, and who
are at this moment watching with extreme
anxiety the issue of the present crisis. Who
among them would have believed, had it been
foretold, the astonishing advancement of this
country? Sir, many of us of younger age have
| lived to see what we never imagined would &C.
cur in our day. Our progress in the gradatlons
of national existence has been without paral
| lei and ifthere be in national existence such a
thing as youth, maturity, decrepitude and decay
we have gone through the first with unexam
Piled rapdty, and may find ourselves at the last
ere we are aware of it. We have accomplished
within three score years what has required cen
turtles elsewhere. We may find our decline as
rapid as our growth. We may be prepared fol
the fate of other republics in an early stage OF
our national existence, as our maturity has been
early We may find ourselves at period cor
responding with the rapdity Of our national adj
vancememt, the subjects of corruption and de-
cav; and, like preceding republics, the subjects
Of a military usurper.
Sir. hoped it would not be my fate to witness
such a result; but that the present condition Of
the country tends to such a result, we have toe
much reason to fear Sir let this war be ter
minated let us return TO the healthtul condition
of neace-that condition best adapted to our in
situations, and that alone in which they can b'
perpetuated.
How shall the war be termineted! My an
swer is, BY demanding Of Mexico no more thar
is reasonable and just A sense of justice vii
help us more, if we desire peace, than all th
armies of the world. Put yourselves, if yol
can, upon an equality with that people in poin
of power, and then ask yourselves what, uDde
all the circumstances, is proper To be required o
! them.
/ What has been our course hitherto? w
have sent out Mr.. Trist as our peace coinmls
sioner, but we have sent our armies with HIM
I We have rendered negotiation, but it has bee
, negotiation at the point of the bayonet. w
1 have commenced negotiation with propos'tlo
to disneInber their empire. tive us, say VIC
one-half your empire, or we VIII take II D
force and the other half with 1t. to pay the cost
D of the proceeding. Had such proposition bee
: made to us By any Power, or by all the iower
e upon earth, what would have been the sentimer
: of the American people! Sir, | recollect wei
. that nj the commencement Of negotiations q
j, Ghen,. A proposition was made by the IL tits
;, commissioners to establish what they called I'll
e old French line of Canada, which would hav
2 thrown me and great portion OF my humb
5 constituency into the dominions of Queen Viz
toria Has any one forgotten the burst OF indl!