Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-01-22


be submitted TO negoliaons-but for The settlement
Of alleged claims OF our citizens upon Mexico, SET
up sine qua non by the President, Gas declared
in his Message Of May ID and Tor what other
purposes no one knows but the President, the
Secretary Of State; the ex- Minister TO Mexico, and
their official subalterns.
In the annual Message Of the President to Con-
gress at the commencement of the second session oil
the last Congress, also, the President. i'll his elabo
rate defence OF himself against the charge of having
begun a war with Mexico, whilst Congress was IN
session, without consulting the war-makng power,
repeated the story with some omssions) OF our
Minister TO Mexico being +" insuingly refused TO
be accredited by the Mexican Government +" in the
diplomatic character Tof Minister PlenpoteniiaryI
III which he had been commissioned as one OF the
causes which would Justify war and TINS siate-
ment he reiterates in the face Of The fact, as
appears by the published correspondence, that, in
the refusal by both Herrera's and Paredess admins
traons to receive Minister Pienip0tentiqry, they
expressed willingness to receive Commissioner to
treat concerning Texas, the only question then in
dispute.
The same idea is substantially repeated in the
annual Message of the President to the present
Congress " Oar Minister Of Peace sent 10 Mexico
says he, was insultingly rejected
Moreover, in the government paper here--noto-
riously the organ of the Executives lately six
or seven weeks ago. in assaihng some position oc-
cuped by Mr.. CLAY in his Lexington Speech, it
was indignantly asserted, in justification OF. the
der of January l3, 1916, for tile marchof the Army
/ to the Rio Grande, that not until the fact of Mr..
Slidell's arrival in Mexico and the Mexican Co
vernments deiniiive refusal to receive him was
known" not until all these facts ,cere knocn at
: U,aShington did the order ISSUE on the 18th jan
: uary, 1916, for General Taylor 10 move from
Corpus Christi r'-Uaion, November d, 1917.
II The same argument was repeated in the :. Uuion"
of.the 9th Of the same month.
4 This is not on ground, as our readers already
know !; for I'VE have maintained that the march was
ordered, &C. before the Government could know
these things. But it is the ground taken By the Adj
minisraton and all its organs, great and small, and
upon which the march to the Rio Grande, by which
the war was begun, is justified BY them, in the alb,
sence of any other plausible justification.
Now, as we have shown, the Mexican Govern,
ment was apprized by our government paper, by
publications made before Mr.. Slidell's departure,
that the Boundary 10 The Rio Grande was not
to be subject of negotiation under any circum-
stances the boundary of the Rio Grande was to
be sine q,ta ,lGil. We know, from the Presi-
\ dents War Message TO Congress, that the conces-
sion by Mexico Of all asserted claims of our citizens
upon Mexico another sine gua non. Two
things are thus ascertained.
rba If n
raise another army and 10 tax the People to
heard of extent 10 carry into the vltals Of Mexico
war which that House, all important branch ol
the war-makiug power, was not consulted about the
beginning Of is very naturally desirous, before j
agrees 70 prosecute a war withom end, to know
! precisely upon what grounds il was really begun
With that object, they call upon the President, whC
has told them part Of the truth, TO inform then
what other instructions than these confessed ones
. were given to Mr.. SLIDELL, our Minister the refu
gal 10 receive whom, " IN the diplomatic characie
in which he had been appointed that is to say
not 10 negotiate concerning the only point TO settle
which Mexico had agreed 10 receive a Commits
sioner-was made by the President the ground o
the act of war. Congress and the People, witt
| good reason suspect that Mr. SLIDELL was charged
with other demands upon Mexico, besides those 0
( settlement of the old claims among which they
believe were such as looked TO the exaction OF
4 sullCHdSh-SOhS SuppOsc unuSI d lHIcdt VI war
Of an important portion OF her territorial domain
And who will say that the Representatives Of h,
People are not entitled TO this nformationl Car
any one who understands any thing of the genu,
; Of our Government maintain that, when the TIVE
Houses Of Congress are called upon to sacrifc,
thousands more of the lives of their fellow-citizen
in this hateful quarrel, and TO tax the remainder o
them no one knows how many millions of dollars
year, that the PRESIDENT shall, when called upor
by either of lhem refuse 10 let them know for wha
purpose or purposes He, the Conqueror, withou
consulting them, the Constitutional authority, begai
this war and now means 10 continue il :
However, as we said in the outset, we do no
mean TO enter into discussion OF the question o
right, which is in so much better hands, as between
the House of Representatives on the one hand ant
the President on the other. Our object in bringn,
The subject into our columns we have DONE is 4
draw, from what has passed, practical instruction
ior our readers.
First, then The refusal Of the President 10 an
! swer the call for the Instructions TO Mr.. SLIDELL
on the ground stated, is an admission that ther,
! are points in those instructions which, for reasons
satisfactory TO himself, have never been made knowr
by Tie President either TO the People or to Con
gress; and, Of course, that in the statements mad,
and repeated in the Presidents Messages to Con
gress, OF the history Of Mr.. SlidelPs Mission, ma
t teria facts have been withheld, whilst others, o
.VkYsWu N.. - -