Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1852-12-09
The Crescent City Difficulty-Letter from the
President
WAsHINGrnN- Nov u.

W ASHINGT0N, y ov. Il.
The Intelligencer of this morning CON
tains letter from President Fillmore, to
Hugh Maxwell. Collector of the Port of
New York, IN answer to letter from Mr..
Maxwell inquiring whether Mr.. George
Law, the agent of the l. S Mail Steamer
was right in persisting in the sailing of
said vessel to Havana-the sending out
Mr.. Smith, &c The following is the re
ply of the President
L do not admit. the right Of Mr. Law,
or any citizen, to threaten war on his own
account for the purpose of seeking redress
for real or imaginary injuries, aud then to
call upon the Government whether it ap-
proves or disapproves of such. conduct
and assume its appreciation. unless the act
is forbidden
The Constitution Of the Z. s. vested in
Congress alone the power of declaring war
and neither the executive branch of the
Government nor Mr. Law can usurp the
power by commencing war without its au-
thority and if he attempts it, it will be
my duty, as 1t is my determination, to ex-
ert all the power conferred on the Exc
cutlve Government by the Constitution
and laws to prevent it | am resolved,
at every hazard, to maintain our rights in
this controversy against Spain, and [ am
equally resolved that no act of our own
citizens shall be permitted to place this
Government in the wrong
Mr. Law has an undoubted right to
pursue his lawful business but when the
question is raised between this Govern
ment and a foreign power as to whether
the business he pursues is lawful. or pur
sued in lawful manner, the decision of
that question belongs to the two Govern
ments, and not to him. If the object be
to assert his right to enter the port of
Havana with such persons as he chooses
to select, in defiance of the law and Gov
eminent of Spain. he has certainly done
enough to present that question for the
decision Of the Governments Of Spain and
the United States. and that negotiation
has already commenced. and our rights.
as we understand have been asserted, and
as l said before, Will be maintained but
the act of this Government cannot be con
trolled by the interference of any individu-
al; anditis certain, if Mr. Law repeat these
attempts for the purpose Of getting up
this controversy, and in so doing violates
the laws Of foreign nation within its own
jurisdiction, and thereby lose or forfeit
his vessel, he can expect no indemnity for
such an act of folly, from this Govern
ment
We regulate the terms and conditions
upon which all foreign vessels enter our
ports, and fix the penalties for violating
our laws, and the right to do so we shall
never suffer to be questioned by foreign
ers, and we do not question theirs to do
the same thing We must wait the result
of the negotiation between the Govern
ments
This is question not be settled by him
and Cuba, nor between the United States
and Spain, which alone is responsible for
the conduct of the Government of Cuba
[ write in some haste, as the mail Is a
bout closing. but you are at liberty to make
known the contents of this letter to Mr.
Law. and inform him that as a good citi-
zen l presume he will not attempt any Vi
olatIon of our neutrality laws by attack
ing Cuba.
WILLARD FILLMORE.