Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-01-09
WAR LEylEs IN MEXICO.

,iac he car hy meats Il. arcs lai hf"a az
c..,,po,,c,. no .,lexic., while orr otccs were
IN noss.ssian .. Inc ports Of thai Republic OF
course This furnishes Ee@ occasion 10! inc az
sauils Of The Whig p;ess. They appan'ly de-
nounce the ac as an "usurPaiion OF power as
"a pa patle infac ion Of plain provision oi he
cons.iiu;i n" so clear" says the Wing, THAT
we CAMEO see how any one can dispute H.
This is no. The frs, time that this question has
come up Last year he Senate passed resalu-
lion OF inquiry, and On the 2i;h July, 1913, the
| President responded 10 The call OF the House.
! But as nothing could be made on II it then, j
was suffered 10 drop. Why NJ. Bolts should
have come forward now 10 sa!vdnizs this shost
Of "exelu'ivc usufpaiion," We Cannot CONCEIVE,
unless il be from desire 10 prove his own Wing
gerry, which ha> been loudly reTudiaed and iici-
cuied by The Wing organs a home. His hostility 10
a Democratic Piesden', lor conducting Inc Aexi-
can war efficiently ye, humanely. lie perhaps
reasons with himself, may give him little more
Strength with The recnsant Wings in the Di<lIic'
But. whatever may b. the motive, his parry
scheme" wall fail again. Though Wing
andins Az dis racing the President OF this
great Republic IN ne eyes OF the wniio, the pcc-
iie viii stand ~ faithful cGet magistrate and
Vuiicate he wisdom and patriotism Of his ac;s.
We stall no, now rciieiat- he defence .. The
President, which We put TORN whan The question
was up beioie. ln>,eat Of unt own arguments,
We prefer - present IL cur leaders he conclusive
views Of N political opponents q the P.esiten
Several LIBERAL Whs journals juslif, The ac Of The
President. We select enc OF mem, the Baltimore
| American, All ale and euigntensi crean q! The
Wing parry, 10 speak in he Presidents defence.
a.e 50 conclusive as 70 defy cavi! or obeCt,on.-
When oar political opponents ,hus mann!ly jus.
i..y course Of policy, MAJ no. the Democ a,ic
rariy safely leave IN their hands he defence Of
! ttef patty measures agails, ile brer attacks u
u,tta p.rSlle>} But 10 lie article from the
BamCr= American:
We ,oos ccasion, wnen his su'j-ci was ~
ertiscu>sion before, . express In beIisi, WIN
saeh reasons icr i as seemed 10 warrant i, laat
4 he PiesiieGt nal not transcribed MS pfuner al
laory il establishing !ha, NJ xlcau a.ifi ard in
collecting revenues under II inr the Us i our
\ atmrs il IT, rncmy'S counlry. Contributions
once LEVIED N the form OF pi:ia.e, but by Tie more
CIVILIZED dgrs oi modern wafdie now tran,-
ml'ed into iSe! exiciion, a>s->>.d upan dis
tfict>, cities ant towns, are rs Hy authorized ~
the I. lc5 " nations a. are any other modes IL dis
uesslua a. -aeny, or o. throwing he bufC OF
the war UPON hun. To levy duties upon he
commerce II an enemys pot. is bel.lsereLl
igh', as per eci as the right 10 attack his com.
aerce On The ocean and 10 MAKE prizes OF his
ships.
The objection is urged, and it is the only one
that srems 10 have force, that the commerce
which came 10 he Mexican poTis during me war
| was, In great par american commerce; That Inc
tax imposed, in the form oi duties, tel upon com
| moii.ies belonging 10 our own merchants; that
thus, il was not Mexico, but our own country,
tina, really btre he burden OF he exac'lons
| The force Of ms reasoning is lost when il is
| remembered that no matter 10 whom the imported
commodities belonged while they were on board
ship hey became Mexican The moment they were
| purchased ~ IleXicans-and luTGel mat hc du-
| ", whatever is amount. was paid b. the Aiexi-
| can purchaser and no: by the American seller
| In the exercise Of beIgerent nsuts il IS impos-
sible 10 MAKE distinctions. Ii So the whole stress
| nfthe infection, designed 70 force the enemy 10
| terms, would b destroyed. Thus when block.
| aie is proclaimed, including whole cuaS; lucre
| can be 10 mitigation 81 il in favor OF our own
| Commerce. The measure may operate with great
severity upon our Traders Some branches Vi
/! our commerce may suffer from il more heavily
han he reopa y. The blockaded country Bn, II
| the eihciga! prosecution OF the war demands
blockade, j; IS HI duty OF The President, and OF The
! c1rnmanding General, 10 proca i'm il and 10 en-
force H. lei incidcnta distress tail where il NAV.
In the matter of levying contributions in
Mexico, by tariff Of duties the President act
ell as commandment chief Of the army and navy
OF The United States. If 1t be said that he acted
without the authority of any law Of Congress,
tie answer is direct and conclusive that the ac'
Of Congress recGgRt- ng the tcar, authorized all
tle means cf prosecuting il kn9wn 10 the iasos Of
nations. "rhe right TO blockade The ports and
coasts Of the enemy in war;" says the President,
in his Wednesdays Message, is no more pro-
vided for or prescribed by The Constitution, than
the right to levy and collect contributions from
HIM in the form of duties, or otherwise; and
yet il has not been questioned that the P esident
had the power, after war had been declared by
Congress, 10 order our navy 20 blockade the
ports and coasts Of Mexico. The right in both
cases exists under tho laws Of nations. If the
President cannot order military contributions to
lie collected without an act Of Congress for the
sam reason he cannot order q bockade nor can
| IL direct the enemy's vessels to be captured on
| the high ,ea> nor can he order our military and
naval officers to nv de the eucmys country
| conquer, hold, and subject 10 or military 20
ernmcn, hi> cities ard provinces; nor can he
give 10 our military and uaya commanders or
ders 10 perform many other acts essential 10
success III var"
This seems 70 he clear enough. We mus in
deed confess laai The pan 4, levyins con'riha
lions in an encm,'s country, BY a systsmaized
atiff o! duties. high enough 10 be productive yc
nci 50 high as T. discourage trade, is a harp,
Improvement over those modes Of eIarrions tia
would shu, up captured pm and connect cor
;fibuions by loTce from unwilling ciiZ'ns aud
country pcope 10 hc neigrborhocd or District
The resource OF NJ Ncxwdn government " re
rs moch Impairci ny dvertine The streams q
rs revenue ino our .,uy treasury, as rEonsh
every one Of those sttca rad nten simply dried
~ and rendered incapable 81 h,wins anywhere.
Wai'e this result vs. rittiac,., the resources al
"a. nwn amy wee TC'nited and Increased al
the same time.