New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-02
Gen, Cass ON New-MexicO and Military
Usurpation.


Gen. Lewis Cass of Michigan, who juSti-
fed and glorifed Gen. Jackson's lifelong
subyersion of Civil to Military power-his
imprisonment Of Judge Hall-his unauthor-
lied invasion and suhjugation of Florida
his dispersion of the Louisiana Legislature,
&c. &c.-has all at once awaked to the dan
gers of Military domination tits not long
since be voted, or at least heartily approved
the vote of others, to take several thousands
of dollars from the Treasury wherewith to
repay Gen. jackson the fine righteously i'm
posed on him by the Judiciary at New-Or-
leans for trampling on the authority of the
laws and making himSelfa Military Auto
crat. No matter-Gen. Cass has repented;
the scales have dropped from his eyes at an
age when Others orbs grow dim-and he
wants Congress to pass an act prohibiting
and Furnishing the exercise by Military Of
fcer Of any Civil power whatever!
If such an act could be thoroughly en-
forced. it would doubtless please us much
better than it would Gen. Cass. 1t would
soou knock in the head all projects of future
invasion and conquest. An invading Gen.
eral must exercise Civil power; he would
be paralyzed without it. Having taken a
CITY or important post, he must proceed to
establish therein some sort of civil rule, pO-
lice. sanitary regulations, &c. &c. and this,
according to the drift of Gen. Cass's resolu-
ton. would be committing a grave crime,
and subiecting himself to condigu punish
ment!-Well: if the effect of this is to rem
der conquest by our arms impossible ever
more, zoe shall not cry, though the man who
had stomach for all Mexico be the con-
triver Of it.
Yet in another view Gen. Cass's new crime
is very absurd one. A Military officer is
a machine, bound to obey orders, though
they direct him to do what he knows to be
wrong. Gen. Cass has served in the Army
and cannot help knowing this; he knows,
TOO, that Col. Monroe is acting according to
orders in New-Mexico. lie may or may not
have express instructions to act as he has
acted in calling Constitutions! Convention,
but nobody doubts that he is doing what is
expected and desired Of him by his superiOrs.
To denounce him, therefore, for his Procla-
nation is as unjust as Intellectual. The real
culprits are Of course in Washington; let
Gen. Cass aim his shafts at them, and not
at a subordinate in far New-Mexico.
This new illustration Of the stale prOverb
that one man may steal horse with i'm
'punity, while another shall be hung for
looking over hedge is very striking
Col. Riley called Convention in California
with not half the necessity or preparation
for it that there now is in New-Mexico
The latter has at least seventy thousand
Christian people who were bern on the soil
as were their fathers and grandfathers be
fore them; California, when Col. Riley is
sued his call, had not thirty thousand gen
nine residents, apart from the missrables
Of wild Indians, throughout her vast area
But Gen. Cass has dozed over Col. Riley
offence in California till Col. Monroe repeat
IL in New-Mexico, when at once he is all
blaze. He wakes very late in the afternoon
What is Col. Monroe's supposed ofense
He has not disobeyed his superiors. On th'
contrary, Gen. Cass evidently fears that III
has served them too well. He has not op
messed the People of the district under hi
command; on the contrary, he has d0n'
precisely what they earnestly desired AM
requested. lie has not maneuvered to per