Daily American organ., 1856-03-20
Law VS.. Fillmore.

upon the fiibustering propensties of MI. Law, and
to prevent a foolish crusade against the island Of
Cuba and foolish war with Spain, which he seen,-
ed determined to undertake on his own response
bility. The whole motive Of Laws opposition to
Mr. Fillmore is unfolded in this letter. which needs
no further comment, as the facts are familiar to
most of our readers:
lPRIyATE.
~, WAsHMaroN, Nov. IL, 1852.
Your note Of yesterday came to hand this morn
ing, In which you state conversation you have
had with Mr.. George Law, from which we learned
that the Crescent City will go to Cuba and enter
the port of Havana in defiance Of the Spanish au-
thority and, If fred upon she will be surrendered
and that then he and others will Immediately COM
mencc hostilities sagainst the island" You say
also, that he desires to know whether he is right
In persistng in the pursuit of his lawful business
and that if the government shall tell him he must
not 60, he will not 90. If, however, the govern
ment say nothing against his going, he viii infer
he has q right to gon You say Also that "he
processes to be friendly to me and my administra-
tom OF the sincerity of the latter profession one
can best Judge by reading his letter of the 9th
published in the New York Herald of the 10th
instant.
But In regard to the chief matters of your let
ter, permit me to say that In the first place, do
not admit the right OF Mr.. Law, or any citizen, to
threaten war on his own account, for the pur-
pose of seeking redress for real or imaginary nju-
ries, and then to call upon the government to say
whether II approves or disapproves Of such con-
duct, and assume it's approbation unless the act Is
forbidden. The Constitution of the United States
has vested in Congress alone the power of declar-
ing war, and neither the Executive branch of the
government, nor Mr.. Law, has any right to usurp
that power by commencing war without its au-
thority and II he shall attempt ii, IL will be my
duty, as it is my determination, to exert all the
power confded TO the Executive Government by
the Constitution and laws to prevent it. am re-
solved, at every hazard to maintain our rights in
this controversy as against Spain, and am equally
resolved that no act of our citizens shall be permit
ted TO place this government 10 the wrong, Mr.
Law has an undoubted right to pursue his lawful
business, but when q question is raised between
this government and foreign nation "a TO whether
the business which he pursues is lawful or pursued
in lawful manner, the decision of that question
belongs to the two governments, and not him.
II the object be to assert his right to enter the
port of Havana, with such persons he may choose
20 select, In defiance of the laws and government
Of Spain, he has certainly done enough TO present
that question for the decision Of the governments
Of Spain and the United States; and the negotia
ton has already commenced, and our rights as we
understand them have been asserted, and, as said
before, viii be maintained but the act of this gov
ernment cannot be controlled by the interference
of any Individual, and il is entirely unnecessary
that Mr.. Law should repeat these attempts for the
purpose Of settling this controversy, and If be will
fully does 20, and In 30 doing violates the laws Of
. foreign nation within its own jurisdction, and