The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-01-17

h.v. no sufficient reason, IL appears us, for with
holding the residue
Here we are told, plainly enough that if the pubca-
Il o NJ these papers tended IN any way to commit or
.udce the interests OF Mexico, then, in the Judgment
bs whis organ, they should be withheld. Had these
uctions taken the shape OF negotiations, then, upon
H.. showing of the Integencer the propriety of their
I ,bbcaion would be doubtful, because it might do
,oog or work injury to the nation at war against
II. But the Intelligencer has no such consideration
., the papers which ats ogn government considers
calculated to embauass injure its interests by
air nublicaton This is the only inference which
~ bs drawn from the extract last cited because we
,rnot suppose the Inteigencer SO grossly ignorant of
the usages of civilized governments to suppose that
o,otatons actually had, between government and
o,ern movers in the form of diplomatic correspondence
re les, subject call of the House for their publica
i'm than are the Instructions upon which such negoa-
HONS and correspondence are based. In where
legislation is requisite to carry negotiations treaties
,o effect then it is the usage of all governments to
nbsb so much OF the correspondence relating to these
,sgotatons as may be published without detrmen to
be pbIic interest But in such cases. the insr1e-
10 minister can scarcely ever, if at ALL be regarded
as fit matter for publication.
Rut the Intelligence proceeds to admit almost in terms,
Mat these instructions of Mr. Slidell are not wanted in
Qev If any action which the House may take in rea-
Nan TO the war because il asserts that the papers, if
mbshed, "can affect but the President himself p
Brben why publish them at all If they have bearing
k,oon our relations with Mexico, and upon the general
L., Il al, II r..
for the purpose of shaping an accusation against the
president of the United States, and making partisan
Rrar upon him, that the wings of the House of Repre-
kentatives see fit thus to embarrass future negot
kons with Mexico, by disclosing to her those Exec
tatye counsels which the President does not deem
"A eypedent to make known to her But the President,
I'd seems has already made known in his messages, or by
HE publication of the correspondence, ga part Of those
kV Instructions and for that reason, the ntelligencer
embodened to demand the residue Further consdera
toa of matter very difficult may bring the wing Or
gan at length to understand that what the President has
already published of the substance of these papers may
have been suitable for publication, without at all imply
Ing that the remainder is of character be thus reveal
ed to our enemies larger share OF candor may lead
1.-The ntegencer likewise to infer that the President in
voluntarily disclosing what he is here said to have dis
close of those instructions, has thus shown willing
ness to communicate all the information proper to be
made public, and has not exercised his constitutional
fright to withhold the remainder, without good and suf
|cient reasons.
The close of the negencers article gives us another
very plain indication OF the spirit in which this call for
instructions has been made 1t has been resorted to as
ete for refusing further forces and supplies to pros
ecute the war. The article concludes as follows:
"Fang to extract the required Information from the Pres
dsnt to enable Congress determine for ,ca object he de-
sres the wlr TO be prosecuted to the exremites pro-
posed object remains unless the most barbarous and
wlcked for rational and honest mind to coniec
for the luyof other large forces, but obtain from
Congress, by such enactnens, additional sanctions the
original errorwe do say crime, but madness raher-o
the Executive in involving the country in this war"
In plain English this means that some of the wings
wishing to cripple the war OF their country by refusing
the force to carry it have called for papers which
they well knew must be refused in order to have in that
refusal some for doing so And they talk of
not knowing the "obects of government in the war
Why it is hardly fortnight since the Intellgencer de-
voted whole broadsdes of its sheet to the most vrulen
abuse OF those ecs it found them set forth in the
Presidents message! The treaty of peace which Mr.
Tris few months ago instructed to submit to Mex
leo has been already published Do the wings expect
find the bects OF the set down more precisely
Mr. Slidels instructions drawn before the war com
menced, and to avoid W than they be found in that
later instruments The true state of the case is plain
enough The wings have in that treaty, to say moth.
ing of the message, all the light as to the "obects'
of the war, that they profess to want But in the
treaty the objects not stated shape to suit the
purpose. They are there set down in form suitable te
meet the eye of the enemy. In the nsructions-conf
Dental and secret they in their nature-the wings
hope to find something which may embarrass the admin
israton in Mexico at home in its efforts to obtain
just peace In this plan they will surely be foiled Fail
ing OF this they hope the rage of their disappointment
to their partisan forces to refuse further supplies
II that be their determination, let hem if they see t pu
themselves party on that issue, and abide its
quences before the judgment of patriotic people
During the debate in the Senate to-day upon the ter
regiment bill, Mr. Butler asked what had obtained
by the capture of Vera Cruz, except ga crop of living
heroes and mass of monuments in honor of the gal
liant dead. Had zoe obtained peace7 And it may be
asked why we have not obtained it, The senator him
self subsequently, put forth of the material causes OF
ITS failure 1t the strong and almost unparalleled
opposition which had been made to the prosecution Of
the Mr. b. then went on to illustrate the PROPOSE
ton The facts which he stated were calculated show