Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1858-06-16
Wonderful discovery OF a Mares Nest

The GozeHe OF Monday being
short" for ideas, copies luminous
article from that luminous sheet, the
Dubuque Times upon "thc power TO
make war" The subject is treated in
that happy pointlcss manaor for which
the Times has became so dcscrvediy
celebrated. The object of the article
rs nearly AS we are able to ascertain,
from the words used, is to expose some
supposed immense wrong, and great
injustice in the bill introduced into
Congress, providing that in all cases in
which the United States shall be in
jured in their flag, citizens or proper
ty, and il shall be incompatible 1iM
tie honor Of Tie nation, to delay action
upon the subject until the meeting Of
Congress-if Congress shall not at the
time be in scssion-then the President
shall have power to use all necessary
and proper force, to psrvent repcti
ton OF the injury, and to procure re-
dress. The objections which the
Times urges to the bill, are, that it is
in dcrogation of the rights of the pco-
pie and that it places in the hands of
the President, a power unsafe to be cx-
ercised by one man-and it then pro-
ceeds to state that the persons who
advocated its passage, arc the corrupt
and scryilc tools of an administration
which Gowns them body and SOUL
The whole of this argument as the
Gazette knows, if the Dubuque Times
don't, is sheer nonsense. SO far from
being good logic it is not even decent
soph;stry. In the first place the bill
amounted in reality only to an express
sion Of opinion on the part of Congress;
as 1t did not propose to add one parti-
Gle to the powers already possessed BY
the President. lie has always hael
the power to proNct the rights G {
American Commerce 10y force and 30
demand and enforce reparation for ir'-
juries to the flag, property and citizcr.s
Of the nation, in the recess Of Congress $,
and we can point to instances in thu
history of the country in which it has
been exercised. All parties, fro M
the necessity which sometimes exists
for the prompt exercise of these pow
ers have universally conceded a con-
struction of the constitution which
places it in the hands of the President
But even if this were not the case, the
power Of the President to cmbroil the
country in war, would not be at all
augmented by such bin as the ono to
which we have referred. The control
possessed by the President of tho di.
plomatic relations, with foreign powers
would enable him, if he choose to M axe
an improper use of his authority, to sc
disturb the relations of the United
States, with any other nation. a.
inevitably to produce collision. The
Dubuque Times has discovered 3
mares nest in a spot which has be CT
travelled over for years by persons o
political parties. The Times is the
only press which has been able to dis
cover that process of incubation I'm.
der the supervision OLA mare was goi ne
on at that place, and the Gazette im-
PEELED by its natural curiosity has been
led to 60 forth and view the wonder
full discovery.
Finally ; if tie democrats who advo-
Gated the passage Of this hill, are as
the Gazette and Times would have the
people believe, sowncd body and soul
BY the administration" then he Pres.
ideut must also b. posSAsssd Of some
|l1AstuGl h shS psssols and usslA Il !