New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-02-19
Orisi. Of the War-A Dilemma.

ORIGIN Of the Wnr-A
from ne Journal Of Commerce.
xuo Bxe.S TEE wAEY-On the IAN inst. the L. :
Home of Reoreseuav by vote Of los % "a. refused
TO recind their dec-fson ns rted e. a. ameacm-ni 10
the vote Of hanks 10 Gen Taylor mat the war with
Mexico was unnecessarily AMI unoOnstutonsly begun
nv the President" Among the gentlemen who opposed
the RECESSION, Mr. Daer, Of Oswego County, y I.
An hour or afterwards, the House took up me Loan
b and Mr. Duer sde sspeech upon T. m when ne sAia
"lt seemed unquesonatle that the orign o. ne Wsi
VA. the annexation Of Texas To say II led % the war
wa. . v sat and pti1nabe expresilon Anhes1il'h
wss war lives unnecessary 70 refer 70 Oroun. Fstei
or apy other writers international Law 70 sustain ms
tion Ii capsule Of being made plain . nc com
mone't ondersanins }, w,s o. ies ha'1s ~ a.
nexed Texas ard Aeyico were 2, war "nat tnsn pc
came Of that wal Why une's IA, snnsxaiion ~
snn.xation; annexed s,d the war ~itn heI--
separate indepsoeenee BENZ gone ana sac
We DO not propose b deny this staiement-"nlch ~
ea. has more truth In It than the declaration thst tne
war begun by the President ou' only 20 Ash nI~
the two positions consistent with each otner. II me
generation Of Texas not only led 20 the war Dut WAS
war" itself then OF consequence the war was mol Dsuu
by the President but by Congress IL was as inuGn ne
act e Consress any other act Of that body-tne Ife
IAN, sanconpg II By his signature Yet the Ffeslcent
who 80 sanctioned It not James POLK DC femen-
bered tot John Tyler And Il both passed ana sane
TONED under the solemn protest Of the Mexican Minister
cen Aimonte that II would be considered by his Cow
ernment equivalent 10 4 declaration of Wal
To asset DOW. IN the same breath In WllcA ihese acs
are Acknowledged and ayosed' that the war was begun
by the President" mealng President POk' VINO was not
IN office when the Annex alton Resolution WAS passed
seems 20 us far fetched and unreasonable
Annex altos Was war. then war was eniaea upon tne
present Administration By the Administrator aha e9.
gress which preceded #. IL was not eit opiiDns VIZ
President pok whether mo- 70 the joint resolution
AZ Aouexs,ion into effect Had he refused or neglected
10 do IT, he would have been liable 70 impeachment
Our object In akng these remarks IS not 80 mucn 20
defend President Polk rs u point ou' "nai appears 70 u
gross inconsistency on the part OF BIS accuses MeD
who maintain that Annexation not only caused the "ef'
but WAS the war Itself are precnded rom Onaihihb ~
origin upon ihe President
Remarks by The 1ribuHe.
Ofsu misstatements. the worst and most iniu
rious are those which are conveyed in language
literally defensible as true Now it is in this YER
bal fashion true that the Annexation OF Texas was
authorized by resolution passed few days be
fore Polk was inaugurated, but the ided winch
these words convey to The general reader is very
far from true That Annexation was attempted by
John Ty Ter, and emphaticaly secuted by the Coun'
try. aud the Treaty rejected in Senate by an over
whelming majority. 1t was not till James II.
Polk declared for it, was nominated for President
as the Annexation candidate, and elected as such,
Though by the votes Of many anti Annex ationsts)
that there was any prospect OF Annexation
TIE project, thus fortified, was again pressed
apon Co.. after fo'k
al .o.- .uus -.- -iv Loco Foco
... ..... DIV pa O
.,. -, ,'-'..-.',. 90, f'. senate
aIonty, --. ~ "~rrec
u arrest the measure Two or three South w extern
Wings it was spprehcnded. were 6shy on thi'
question. but on the other hand 1t was known that
Messs. Niles of CT Tsppan of Ohio, Dix O.: n Y.
Benton OF No and Allen of Ohio were hostile to
the scheme, and its deiea, confidently expected
Such was the aspect of affairs when James X.
Polk, President elect appeared IN Washington
rs the open ardent aud active champion Of An
nexstion. with all the enormous patronage sno
power OF the Executive in immediate expectancy,
and commenced operations. 1t was promptly
given out that no man who opposed taking Texas
need expect TO be regarded or treated as his friend
In the dispensation OF that patronage. Now al
the Loco Foco Members OF Congress had favors to
ask. either for themselves or friends many were
-sss~s..'~- ...---..s.,- .~ ss..~-ton OF the
Cabinet all were naturally anxious not TO hou
the rising sun in whose beams they desired t,
bssk Every Loco Foco Senator including thos,
who had openly and fercely denounced Aunexa
ton atrocous and unconstitutional. induce,
- give it their support Any one OF them coul'
have defeated it by the votes OF them all, viii
three sort o Wings it was carried 10y tco majority
ls7 to 25) John Tyler had then three or four days
10 stay in the White House but James X Poli
was the substantive President II ad Polk beer
defeated, Annexation could not have carried
twenty votes in the Senate but for Polks per
sopsl ef.,~ts "A i'd, =. I,,r Ia.
carried even as it was Nay, it was carried at las
upon the strength of his solemn pledge that he
would proceed TO negotiate Treaty Of Annexa
ton. and not attempt to effect it in the badly un
constitutional manner otherwise contemplated
But this promise was cheated round by Tyler
choosing the more exceptionable course and dis
patching a messenger to Texas with the oifcia
overture to annex on the last day but one of h
term. So the thing was worked through not with
ont the agency Of James X. Polk but through I'M
ardent and most effective cooperation, aud by vr
tue Of the power which bis election TO the Presiden
cy had conferred on him. SO much for the straw
elhgy of John Tyler. which the journal seeks Il
thrust between Mr.. Polk aud the Just responsibility
Of his doings
And now to the other point Ii Annex alton
was War says the journal, then Polk did mo-
make the War by sending our Army to the Ri'
Graade. Let us test this by parallel A. b
loads bis gun and hires C. d. to take it and Shoot
his neighbor r. +. TIE law clutches them bOtt
as murderers. Why, Mr. District Attorney, says
either OF the culprits you can't really mean this
Ii one OF us killed the victim, the other certainly
did not. No gor replies the stubborn Attorney
the law pronounces each OF you guilty of the muir
der. Pity you had not snapped some OF your in
genuity for its equivalent in integrity and human
'ity.-lt IS true that by annexng Texas this coun'
try became party to the existing War between
her and Mexico yet, is also true that said War
had lsnsuished and been smos; nominal for years
previous to that time il is certain that our vessels
citizess and commerce were treated as those OF a
friendly power 10 Mexico io- several months after
the triumph OF Annexation at w s.hington. and i,
il at the worst extremely probable that, by a
course Of steady forbesrsnce sud gen,leness b,
sending Mexico the Commissioner she offered