Newspaper Page Text
PUBLISHED KVfcKV FRIDAY AT
SMM, COLUMBIAN CO., OHIO
JAMES BARXADY; Jr . General jgtni.
BENJAMIN 8. JONES,-'.
J. t,Liz,ABEI'H JO
N'ES, 5 .
1 CBLwitNO CoMS'lTtEB : Samuel Brooicc,
George O.rtr,too.-'j.ino B.irnabv, Jr..
I'anu n. uuiuream, ruot jioimes.
U
Communications.
CINCINNATI, July 4, 1846.
5fj Me Elitari of the Anii-Stavery Bugle ,. ;
Uka FbiKnds:- Through- yorur column
fef June 26, Dr Bailey has.Tjeen very sevore-
ly censured in your editorhl remarks, and a)
woji rssoimi'ja passej at tiis Anniversary
Meeting of the O. Am. A. S. Society, in to-,
lation to his fonn9 about the Mexican war.
,-A eupporteM of the Bridle, Bnd memberj'!
of tho SocieivV wo write TliU io utk t'ou to
(rite l)r, B. an opportunity to reply through.
your" piper to the charges made against hira j
fairness demanda that the Mmo reader
that, see the. charges; should likewise see the
dt-fenae ) for Ite , Truth is tho grand thing to
be sought for. ' " '- ' 'r '
ir oniy bsk a Hearing lor me uootor : we
by no means Ondei tke to defend one s fully
lo.npeter.t to. do ilmt for hinuelf; but wilt'-
very briefly , taW.'our' own reasons for thus
. ... .. ""'.m. i.i;-... .1... ...in. .i.
"""'""ii jvu. i- k. uuiivve uiui wmi um
exception- of the Vtnglo "short article under the
head of ' A Word cf explanatton,". all else
that he has Written, goes most decidedly and
atronxly to reprobate the war; As reirard
that article,, we disapprove of it entirely, re -
gret that the Dr. ever wrote it, and should re
joice ta see. him retract it.., But at the same
nine, kb uniiii ma liingiiHge oi uie resoiuitcn
does not set forth the case truly, and is Un-
.warruiitHbly severe Dr. B. has not bestow
ed upon tieneral I nj lor and the Uiiltcd States
Army, "the highest eulogy for their singu
larly succossful slaughter of a people, whose
only off?nc was their hatred of slavery."
, All the. c ulogistio espriJsion )io makes use
of, is con'-iined iu the words, " that noble of
ficer and his brave army "a style of expres
sion that would be considered quite moderate,
and very eustomary in speaking of any oflicer
of any corn-stalk-company -in the landvery
fir from the highest eulogy. Then, this mod
erate eulogy was not bestowed for their
singularly successful slaughter" of the Mt-x-'
leans. . '.; ..
; The rrsoliilion also says th-" '" y (Bailey
on! t. u -, i.:u:.j i.f
-.'11.7 J uii'w riMiuneu a rcvhiEwiins, ut
:.riiii;-l"'bi'?h tili-iir!Wem if mnrul tur:
jiitude with the originators of this foul anJ
dastardly scheme to perpetuate the ' peculiar
institutions' of our country."
Now, we must a;iy we cannot perceive how
n single error of judgment, such as that com
mitted by Dr. B. in his " Word of explana
tion," if not purposely separated from his
daily, uncompromising denunciation of the
war, can with any sort of propriety bo con
sidered us identifying him in moral turpitude
v i tli the originators of a deliberate and deep
laid scheme of villany.
We greatly regret Dr. Bailey's having
trii'de what Ht pears to us as a mistake, but
think the greatest injustice is done in pro
nouncing him as morally base as Polk, Cal
houn, Buchanan and r.uch men.
Tim resolution also appears to us unwise,
sn.l not correct as regards Mr. Clay ; but his
cnurse is bo very inconsUteM and irreconcila
bU, that wo have no wish to dwell upon it.
By inserting this, and complying with our
request that Dr. B. may be heard through
your columns, yon will oblige
Your Anti-Slavery Friends
C. DONALDSON.
NMAM S. GILMORH.
WM. DONALDSON.
JOHN O. WATTLES.
CINCINNATI, July 14. 1846.
To tin Edilan nf the Snti-Slavery Tugc i
In your pericr of tho 25tb of June, I notice
that 1 am denounced by the Ohio American
Anti-Slf.very Society in tho following resolu
tion: Feivihrd, That Gamaliel Bailey, Jr., and
C. M. Clay, by advocating the p-ol-clion
ard o'fenie of General Taylor and the U. S.
Army, in th?ir marauding expedition against
the rspublio of Mexico, and bestowing upon
thcui Inn highest eulogy for their singular')
R'trefissful slaughter of a people whose only
nfTjnefl was their hatred and unwavering hostility
to slavery, have forfeited entirely
confidence and respect as friends of the slave,
Biid exhibited a recklessness of principle
which identifies them in moral turpitude with
the originators of this foul and dastardly
scheme, to perpetuate tho " peculiar institu
tion " of our country.
Hnd the members of your convention been
aware of my course in relation to tho Mexican
war, they wiulJ promptly have rejected tho
rot option. I have written numerous articles
concerning thU war, the causes that led to
and the duues of the American people in re
- lation to it i amounting to twenty-four solid
clutr.ns ;n a mammoth weekly more than
lotifch to fill four numbers of your paper
und among other posltbris taken in those ar
tidis were the following : that the war was
rr.-.e for slavery , that it was provoked by
bad acts of an administration determined
maintain slavcholding ascendancy ; that
vie utterly gratuitous and aggressive ; that
t.u p..an coul i support, enlist in, ot eounte-
.M'jgj. iimjiiiimi .in m i W i,Limii i uli.iuji:ii i I . n ..inirm iixi . i ,m in. i. n a- J-lii mi Hi ' '. ' ' '-
iMif ililsiiilil
r11' ; - ..J Win..- imjiL-jL'Jmjji",!!'!!!.'! " ?"""-" 1 :,; ilyiij' ' n. .. ,. V,,' ,". ;' .'" ' -V
j
1
j
. .rtiva,e gathering of lawless persons.; ' r
i; " Whll S- s; Foster and tho were ee
s curc,.v concocting a resolution, dtnouneint me
f"T wppm-ling thft Mexican war, the patriots
Cincinnati were proposing to mob we for
epjming il and interfering with the basinets
V
'"S"' '"gy upon uenerai lay lor ana ins
l"1 tot "'"C"' singularly succeosful alangh
n.ltro.i.. ! ttr",of the Mexicans- It aconrtn liat ia fn-
nance it, without incurring the deepest guilt j
that not a single blow struck in such a war
would roo&ive the sanction of Heaven eve
ty step taknn in advance would sink tiS in a
lower abyss of crime, srid that but one honest
of "'tiling the difliculty remained-Mhat
as' rr the Ex"''"' to back out. My pomse
,. vuiuhikiu, iui
admonished by the Mayor Mnd many
frie,",.s t0 " my guard s. anJ st one
kinhe project of arrestinjf .. my Career by.
Poronl olnee was seriously nmlattd at a
, - - ;'
. . 'r!' f08"1"1'"" asserts that I bestowed "the
. -
Jd,l9 fal"is t!l accompanying communica-.
I lion rorci 'mt. well-known members of your
' own ciittre committee, testifies. ., I tteer
! tL,roit ,ne bestowing eh eulogy. Before
"nption of editorial duties on my ro
turn from St. Louis, several reports of . the
battles of the Rio Grande , appeared in my
Daily paper of Monday, the 25th tf May,
with captions in flaring capitals, announcing
in glowing terms the Success of General Tay
lor, and -the- slaughter of the Mexicans.
Those reports were transferred, in lypt, from
the Gazette paper, to the columns of the Her
ald, the barbarous headings being inadver
tently retained; but for this I w;is not res
ponsible, and the next day ,'on the resumption
of editorial duty, when some of my frieiids,
knowing my sentiments, laughed at the blun
der, my remark was, "The people will soon
knew who: I stand." -
"As to the "word of explanation :"Tt is
false, that I advocated the defense and protec
tion of General Taylor iu a marauding expe
dition. - Believing - at thai time, that he was
on Texan territory, I felt some sympathy for
him and his army, who, without any knowl-
edjre of the meriut of the ,coutrovery,.l.had
been placed in a dangerous position by an un
principled administration. My "word of ex
planation was designed to express this
sympathy, and to remove an impression thai
had got abroad, that I was personally hostile
to General Taylor. I merely meant to say
that I would be unwilling to do any thing to
hr.izard his tafety, but certainly I did not
mean, anJ could not mean, to advocate his tie-
jTiire in any marauding expedition.
It is quite possible, that tho paragraph was
not penned with much piecision ; for it did
not constitute a p ut of ;'to series of articles
I was then writing against the war; nor did
it once seem to me that any one could misun
derstand my position. It was written hasti
ly, and at tha hist moment, and had no oth
er object than the one specified above. It is
shiijilu dishonesty, nothing less, for ar.y per
son, a reader of my paper, to pretend to find
in that incidental, hastily penned pnr.igrjph,
my position in rclatiou to t'.io Mexican war,
when I occupied three weeks in fully pre
senter ajj my views concerning that war,
a.'.d when every article written during these
three weeks on the subject, was totaliy re-
purn3;it to t.io construction put upon thai
"word of explanation" by S. S. Foster.
I tnu9t trouble ynu to insert, if you will, (and
I deem it an act of nakbd justice.) the follow
ing of the numerous articles I have written
on the subject articles written beforo I had
received intimation from any quarter that "a
word of explanation" was about to be tor
tured to my irdury. They present positions
which at greater length I have argued in ma
ny ethpr articles. With them, however, I
nin willing to submit my course to the judg.
merit of the readers cf your paper, and to the
supporters of the Ohio American Anti-Slave
GAMALIEL BAILEY, Jr.
THE WAR.
it,
?
the
to
it
A writer in rie last number of Black
wood's Magazine, remarks, that from a some
what extended observation he is convinced
" that war at any tune and in any case,
would be popular with a large majority of
the inhabitants of the United States."
Would that we could disbelieve this! but
the occurrences of the last three weeks con
fum the truth of the remark. What do we
see 1 A republic of eighteen millions of peo
ple, rich, powerful snd united, exulting at
victories achieved by its anna over a weak,
impoverished, distracted sister republio of
eight millions! A nation which is forever
boasting of its churches, its schools and its
missions, rejoicing in the progress of human
butchery, because its soldiers are the execu
tioners, and another people are the victims!
A people boasting its Justice and Love of
Liberty, concentrating all its energies in the
support of a war, provoked by the acts of its
own Executive a war which is the last act
of a dark conspiracy for the extension of no
wan Slavery over the fairest portions of lao
North American Continent!
While tlierefora we esceedingly rejoice
tlmt General Taylor, by a decisive blow, has,
extrie-itcj ids army from the perilous position
in wtitcli it was placeu, we cannot but mourn'
that so inuoli heroism has been wasted in a
bad cause. No honors are to be won in a
war undertaken by the Strmig, to despoil tho
Weak. - What glory has Russia achieved by
the nhuihilallon of Poland 1 Hdw much ias
France added, tc her fame hy ter desolating
march in Africa
Hut, on every aide ri"s the 'ry,-" our
country, risjht or 'wrong J" Thi war may
be all wrong it may tnve beerr wickedly
precipitated hy the Chiof Kxrentive-iis ob
ject may boons abhorrent to the best feelings
ot tha human heart but Wo are already in
volved in it our countrv,1-llen, right Or
wrong! " Now, to our mind, this plea seem.i
nothing more of less than uaked villiany. I
have no npht to stop vou on the hinhway and
demand your purse I am robber in so do
inir but, you have raised yoUr hand to resist.
ind now i shall be justified in Consummating
rny rotioery hy taking your lite 1 t his is Hie
maim translated into plain English. ' ' ;
I' or one, we utterly abiure all such damna
ble ethics. Wa love our country for the good
hat is in it with its evil we have no right to
sympathize, the man who adopts ns his
maxim, " Our country, rinht or wrontr," is a
pwtioal atheist, fesmuch as he denies the
supreme authority of God. What - is the po-'
silion ol our -country, -when she is in tuo
wrong 1 She is a violator of Some law of the
Supreme Ruler of the Universe. If I then
support her in such a position, what am II
A rebel against my maker. Will any Chris
tian man voluntarily place himself in such a
position 1 Never. His allegiance to God,
and a truo regard for his country alike re
quire liim to withstand it, when it - does
wrong.- The friendship that winks at tho evil
course of a friend or sustains him in it, Is a
sham : the patriotism which is forever mouth
ing the popular maximv Our country, right
or wnmz," is a Lie. For, honesty is always
the best policy wrong-doing will always in
the loig run bring suffering he; therefore,
can be no patriot, no truo lovor of his country
who will countenance it for a moment in its
wronsr-dointT. :. - ' " y.
- It is iiUtuiliating to observe the conduct of
a larga majority of tha People, and their or
gans. The annexation of Texas, taking into
view tiie whole movement from the time When
adventurers from the United Status roso in
rebellion against the Government dtowa to the
period of its connection with their eountry,
wa3 rpcerded bv nrhans a maioritv of the na
tion, sa an act of violence against Mexico of
ln.o latin uislionoranle in every rpect to
our people and having for its primnrv oh-
jert the extension of Ue sUve upirewJ
continent. to said the Whig party lit the
N "rth so preached its numerous Presses.
War at last results, provoked as wo shall
show, by the policy of Mr. Polk. And now
what do we see 1 The last act of the drama,
the wort of all, energetically sustained, if
not Applauded by those who denounce:! all
the previous ones! The Whig parly in Con
gress deliberately affirming by their votes
what they pronounce falsehood, and voting
eupplies which every man in his senses
knows will never be needed, except for pur
poses cf conquest j while the Whig presses,
alfriohted by the ghost of the Hartford Con
vention, ard shiinking before the clamor of
popular patriotism, breathe nothing but war
and glory ! O, this ;j '.iameful 1
Bui, what would you do! Unfuse to de
fend tho country 1 Never! Millions for do
fenre, but not a cent for aggression We are
the aggressors in this contest with Mexico,
and the sooner we back out from our aggroa
sion the better. This we shall endeavor to
prove in another paper. Meantime, God fir
bid that, as the conductor of a press, we
should ever advocate, excuse o; countenance
a war, in which we eould not personally en
gage with a good conscience! There are ed
itors who in their hearts abhor the Mexienn
war, and could scircely be forced to march
upon Mexico thomselvc?, but are loud in their
exhortations to others to enlist in defense of
their country. Why are they not honsstl
Why have they not th; cournj to rise above
the pitiful denunciations of treason, and pro
claim their true sentiments 1 The war, just
now, seems to be popular, but the tune will
come when thcdcmip'O'riies who hr.ve bioun it
it on, will bo estimated at their true value.
We shall tako it for granted that there is
enough intelligence in the peopln, to recog
nize Hi, riJioal difference between a war for
freoJ'iiii, and a wr for slavery, a war of de
fense, and a war of aggression, and meantime
proclaim as our motto, Milliunt Jor Dtfente,
but not a Cent for Aggression.
"THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE LEFT."
Mr. Clay, the editor of the Truo Ameri
can, in his papor of yesterday, announces
that ho has volunteered" for tho "war, and he
alien pis a justification of his conduct. We
shall not weary the patience of our readers
by republishing tho multitude of words with
which he strives to veil the inconsistency of
his acts. Had he coma out briefly and hon
estly, and declared that, being ambitious for
distinction, the theatre of war now presented
more attraction to him, than the field of mor
al eHort, the work of killing freemen appear
ing more glorious than the labor of saving
slaves, we might have respected at least his
frankness. But, we hate sophistry : we can
nut bear to see a man assuming a virtue which
ho has not-striving to delude himself and
the public into the belief that he is acting
lrom the noty motive oi duty, wnen ne i8 8im
ply obeying the voice of an intense ambition.
There are men do little versed in the wile
of Slavery, so unfamiliar with the history
relations between ibis country and Mex-
ico, as really to believe that the present war
is one strictly of solf-defense-on our pail.
That they should support it earnestly, that
should even enlist as volunteers to car-!
r. f i . e..t . :
Ty il lorwara to a succeBiui wruiinuiion,
lo be expected
They can be charged with
r, with no cool, deliberate
But, Mr. Clay is not
no inconsistency
disregarl of Justice,
one of this class
He hats had his eyes open
ed
t tho enormous aggressions of olavrrv
fy one h-s"denriun?.'d In tnorn evpre terms
t!is annexation of Texas, and this war with
.M6.xico.-' He tins brsnded the President as
the originator of it. , He has declared again
und .vgairj tdat it was utterly unprovoked.
lie has declared that its Sola object 'in, con
quest for the aggrandizement of slavery. Ho
nj nuicuieu unsparingly the pies that it is tt
v$r in defense of the country. The prcam
b!rj to the bill of Congress, assertiug that
war exists by the art oi' Mnxieo, ho Us re
peatedly affirmed, to be "'a liea nefarious
trip set by demagogues to catch their oppo,
nftits." , . . '
k "And yet,' what is he now doing t ' Going
dahberately into the " trap " alndoning
a ,ield of anti-slavery labor, for a field of
prtvplavcry war throwing nn ths nen will.
which he was dcc-ing the pause of Jus
tice and Freedom, and seising the sword to
fight the battle of Injustice and Slavery !
A:;d this, miud you, is according to his. own
showing! . . ,
"Our opinion." savS he. "isthM th war.
so unjustly anJ wickedly begun, should be
presseo with vigor. It is the enly alterna
tive left." . . . .. .. . a ... v
'.- It is no such thlmr. True. "The Tiemn.
critic Standard and Whiir oi Seventv-S.x."
the campaign piper published under the an
thorny of the Ktam Central Liberty Comtnit
set?, adopts and sanctions the same aSump
tion. - But, we repeat, it is f.iW KUnt,
and violence say that "there is no other alter.
nativo." "we must conquer peace." Such
is the cry of the Washington Union, and tho
w hole pack of war-dogs. -. - - . ... --
Are the Liherly presses about to Join thl
howling p3ck 1 Mr. Clay and tho Liberty
campaign paper tfiay not be able to see anoth
er alternative but, let us hear the generous
sentiments of a mail who has not yet come
up to our sublime standard of Anti-Slavery
orthodoxy! tinraco Greeley shall say wheth.
er there bo not another alternative.
" Hut we cannot bciievo that the true way
to obtain Peace is by sending an Army far
ther nnd farther into Mexico, battering down
her fortresses, capturing her ports, trampling
dovn her harvests, firing her dwellings and
shedding the blood of her people. We'know
this would riot be the risrht wav to make
peace between individuals, and it cannot bo
between nations. Let us indicate our
plan of 'conquering Peace,' .
Let mir Government nt once discbiim any
intention of aggrandizing the nation by a fur
ther spoliation of Mexico. : Let it refuse any
further extension &i territory at the expense
of our feeble, distracted neighbor. - Let our
Y'lunlocrs be pwd for their lost lime, and
jjfc t home to attend their Imrveam, .and., let
our Army uke up a nosmnn defensive mere
ly. Tho true way would be to withdraw it
at once from the waters of tho Rio Grande to
those of tho Nueces, on this side of that des
ert which Mr. C. J. Ingersoll so recently
declared the natural boundary between this
Country, including Texas, and Mexico. Let
Mr. Buchanan indicate by note to the For
cign Ministers at Washington tho sincere do
siiii of our Government Cor a prompt and hon
orable adjustment of differences with Mexi
co on the principle of mutual forgiveness of
injuries. Let those Ministers be invoked to
interpose their good offices for the re-establishment
of Peace. After the exhibition al
ready given of our powrrand Mexico's weak
ness in battle, such a cnurscon ourpart could
not bo attributed to inability or fear. Who
doubts that it would 'conquer peace within six
weeks t Who does not realizo that it would
be the wisest and best thing we could do,
even if the thunders of Sinai had never syl
labled the stern, inflexible injunction, 'Thou
shalt not kill.' "
What man of sense and principle can lay
his hand upon his heart, and F.ay, these are
any other than the words of Truth and So
berness 1 Certiinly it is remarkable that,
while the New York Tribune should he giv
ing utterance to sentimnuU, held no doubt,
by nearly the whole of the Liberty Party, the
Liberty campaign paper should bn echoing
ihe sciitimenrg ol the Whigand Democratic
pinks ! We cannot but beliove that the
next number of the Standard will contain
some explanation showing that tho committee
do not hold themselves responsible for tho ar-
ucie to which relorence is made. JJoubtless,
Liberty men have a right to promulgate what
sentiments they please, but other Liberty
men have a'no aright to question their sound
ness, to show their inconsistency. We have
censured tho course of the Whig press for up-
holding a war they condemn as utterly fiagi-
tious ; we can do no lees where a Liberty
paper adopts tho same course. Indeed, in
this case, the inconsistein-y strikes us as be-
ing far more extraordinary and humiliating.
We put it to any intelligent American:
suppose you should by any inrans becume a
citizen of Austria; that, for ihe inks of so
curing peace and safety to Despotism, that
Country and France should provoke a war
with Switzerland, nnd agree lo partition its
states between themselves. Would you,
supposing you to retain your present love for
Freedom, engage in any such war I Would
you voluntev, under tho lying pretext of de
fending your country Austri i. in full view
the facts, that not one inch of Austrian terri
tory was in the slightest danger of being
pressed by a hostile fool, and tint the solo
object of the Denutio government wag,
aggrandize itself by the mioliation of its neigh-
1,-1 . i . .1 .. t . ..v
j ; a do thlll j g,louU io a yi
"
THE PRACTICABLE, THE RIGHT.
,.,...., .
. " - t,,e'? We W0"!l1, a8 :,ave aone
. m lc?as l"-ness, as we do on the Ore
the Bn question, as we will do on every oilier
! qetion. oppose with a I our feeble powers,
I "' W 10 'o dread decision of fnghuul
I war' U;it war being through the machma
they llon? r,Dad '"un entered upon, we hold i;
. bO the dUtV of ft(ftrv eltlv.Ati. tn An a-hal
is
: Mls Powr to bring it to an end in ihe spec
manner practicable." Democratic Stand
lice. , ard and V UiS "f '76.
-
. , . j ' .j " -
1 Praetisabje 1" And what of the Right,
i.-iena i ao i is it a iierty mao who adopts
, . , .
Ihe principle 0f detcfminlng his conduct by
;:tf h" '' -PW.4, Instead
-.47 f .
. . ' "" Irt the event of an Insnr.
Ae, to terminate ihe difficulty, fur the good
oi a,l parties, was to decimate Ihem all, ii,
ut-iiiiui,nr n ouiu nfmnru toM,u il -
these ftirairs, thrro i qmck ml a ttow wv.
nn imiivtiMiAuu - i.i.
and a wrong mode of tormioatinff a erimii,f
course. The enlightened man of principl
first settlos the question of rinh', then, that '
of praUuobUily, In a paMnerahio concern,
or half a dr.t,i msroharts, if a majority of
five should resolve to enter upon a grand sys
tem of swindling, the sixth might think it
tho "speeciest practicable" 1!mle cf pottinc
through ths difficulty, not to have thrra nt
rested, .but to Join them with lis conserva
tive Iriftuenee, so as lo prevent them from do
mtrany unnecessary hnrmf hut, if wis and
honest, lie would expose them, arrest them,
and Wash his hands of the whole concern.
Bad mns, from the worst motives, originate
an utterly indefensible war, and good men
ought therefore to Join with them in fighting
it out, so as to end it in the 'speediest mirv
r.er practicable V? Will ths Standard review
its ethics ! ', ' v, ;
THE DOCTRINE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.
'.-. QUL'NCES. -.h: -
1
!
J
'
" And said, as we shall ever a.iy undor like
circumstances, sustain and snocor our flag
and men, wherever planted or marched."
Cinr.ir.niti Gazette . '.-
' So far bs we can see, this is a total aban
donment of the country to the tender care of
the Executive. : Suppose the Administration
had ratified the act of Commodore Jones in
taking possession of Monterey and it would
have been no worse than ordering onr tioops
to march to the Rio Grande then the editor
of the Cincinnati Gazette, if in Cong.-.-ss,
would have sustained our flag and our men
on that usurpsd torritory 1 Especially would
he have done this, had resistance been ofl'orcd
by the local authorities to the Commodore.
iiy not J . Is it noNiis principle, to "sustain
and succor cur flig and our men, wherever
pianiea or marched ' ! ' ,
Again r Suppose Mr. Polk, nnder the im
pression that England was about purchasing
Cuba, should send an army and a Meet, to
Havana, nnn secure tUc control ol the island,
and the Cubans should resist the editor of
the Cincinnati Gazette would sustain and
succor our flag and onr min that is, would
sustain the Executivn in making war otratnst
lni " rlWr ",uh?ri,y !r?uch the
of his. declarauon, ,f . mean any-
To what a pass has tho country rnmn.
when sobor citizens, men who have filled
high judicial stations, and who have been dis
tinguished for their conservatism, thus sol
emnly pledge themselves to a doctrine which
virtually invests the Executive with dictato
rial power! Whit is tho true doctrine 1 If
the President m-.rji "onr men," or j.'.a.it
"our flag," where they ought not to be marched,
where it ought not to be planted, and can
not be, without a violation of the spirit of the
Constitution, and of the rights of another na
tion, let hi in be admonished nt onco by reso
lution, end the withholding of supplies, that
he must back out. The opposite doctrine,
that avowed by the Cizette, is anti-Republican,
and if adopted by the American People,
will make Congress the tool, and the pooplo
the slaves of the President.
Look at the doctrine undor another aspect.
The President assembles tho fifty thousand
volunteers, and directs a inarch upon ilia cap
ital of .Mexico. The order is obeyed, but un
expected obstacles are lnterpcsed. Fever
wastes their strength starvation thins llicm
out ambuscades pick oJ their best officers.
Tho President is inexorable. The army may
be saved by retreating lo a sfong position
but, no new supplies are demanded fifty
thousand additional volunteers, ten millions
of money additional nro required. What
would the editor do, if in Congress J Has
the President offered peace! Don't know.
Has a r ropositton for peaco boon received
Don't know. Could peace be, had on honor
able tannsl Don't know. Does Ihe Presi
dent harbor the project of cor.quc-.t and annex
ation? Don't know. What do you know!
Nothing but this " Sustain and succor our
Jlttg and men whwcvur planted or mart-ited."
Is it unt eviJeul at once that such a doc
trine cuts the sinews of all opposition to the
Executive Power, however -wrong headed it
may bo? Congress may know that the 1 res
ident is ruining the country, an.! by withhold
ing supplies, can compel him to a belter
course, a courso that shrill save our men and
our flag; and yet, if composed of men hold
ing sueh a doctrine, it would deem it most
unpatriotic not to aid the Executive " to sus
tain our flag and our men," where it knows
they have no right to be.
A DECEPTIVE STATEMENT OF THE
CASE.
'
to
lo
The P.irry Countryman, a Liberty papor of
New Y'ork, says, speaking of Ihe war
"In the language of the following pan
graph from the Rochester American,"tliis U
the only way a nation can bn preserved ; for
should the ciiiznns ri:fuso lo bland promptly
and firmly forih, when the country wss in
danger, beci-use the policy of tho Government
might be unwise, or some nf its measures un
just, thore would bo an end to government
and security. ,.
This is a deceptive statement of the case,
With the cxcejiti'jii of the Friauds and the
few oilier persons who aru conscientiously op
posed to tha principle ot self defense, nobody
has ever made it a question whether the coun
try should be defended, if in danger. This
war with Mexico is totally unju6tifnble,
whether we regard the origin, or the objects
of it; our tongue should cleave to the roof
of our moulhs, end our right arm wither in
its socket, befara we would vote a dollar, or
strike a blow, in support of such a war. .
But, suppose England and France should
attempt an armed inturyentioa, and land iheir
rrmuianccM to jm maie, au an totierr
relating to lh peeunttu ft oJTmrt of thrprtptr,
; . be aidreMed (post paid) la ihe General
Jgintt. Cmn rnum'raJitni intended 'far inr
' . Hon to be mlJrctatd io the Editor. ' i "y '
"i.--' nit" :'
vi " .i in
Jjir TfRMst 4t,C0 per annnm,' or $1,1.
(invariably required) if ot paid within
months ot the time of snbseriblrtf , ' -
AoviRTisgMgNTrr making less than a squar
Inserted ithree Utnea for 7fi-ieer.t8 t'.
qnaro 01 -
J. H. Painter, Printer.
armies upon nur toil,'-a new condition of
thing would be prostntedi ,Weahruld bo
the invadti, imterd of !ie Viva rfr our lib
erties, our exisienc-i as a nation would brfi
threatened by tne' offlression. '. In that aorw
tingency, the citizen, who, believing in thar
rigbtfulnbsa of seif-deferian, wo.:ld rtotaprinif
io beat back the invadeJi. Wonlrt ttravM hi'm.
elf a Tile traitor,-and should be .expelled
frqra a country, whieb, jrMnting him protec- g.
lion, wa renudiated in trie hour of ber need.
But. th is not the oase, nor i il likely ta"'
be. The eoontry la not Invaded, nor is it in
any danger of invasion,, - On the comrary, it
ia itself eemmilting the very act which, if at
teinpicd towards her by any othor Power, w
T.a,d l'c1 il "ht t0 rfl'sl 19 tha death. "
What therefore we would condemn in snub a -
Power, we condemn in hers nor, would we,,
if in Congress; vote an appropriation of on
cent . to further the aggressive waf against '
Mexico, Wo would, if possible,. withhoU -all
supplies, till the Chief Executive were,
to order the return of our army to
its own territory, and to offer neaoe on reason
able terms to Mexico, :--.
Such a courso, so far from emboldening,
other nations to wrong us, weuld command
their respect for our Justice, nnd fasten the
conviction upon them that a Republic, so pro-"
fmindly devoted to Ihe Night, must be uncon
querable. Instead of pi-'ting -an end to Ge-;
vernroent and Security," it would strengthen
Government and promote the security of the'
citizen, by effectually preventing all danger
ous Usurpations of power by any department'
I re!luir 1 and until the character of the paper .
is improved In this particular, W.i columns
. ao bt fre. a. to ndmit . rerly M per3
Dcar Fn'u.VDs ': "' ',' - -' ; ''
, Incloeed is an urticle which I wrote tottht
Cleveland American, but th editor refuses t
publish it' I therefor send it fopublication
throtigli the Bnelc- Th article, of which
this is a correction.-shows the editor of thai
paper to bo utterly ..wanting in vehwify,"" and
his refusal to pnbhsb a reply lo personal char
0, ideiitifiei t:im with the lowwt class of
Whig and Democratic editors' Like them,
he seems ready to nacrifico every feeling of
honor, every principle of justice, every inter
est of Liberty, in defence of his party; and
where falsehood nnd slander will serve bis
purposes better than truth, he does not lies!
tale to resort to them. This is atrone lan
guage, I know, but it is no stronger than truth
cnarges ot a criminal nature, I trust no truo
friend of the sljve will give it countenance
or support. -
This is not tho ,st tfine tha Amerioan has
refused to publish a correction of iu misrep
resents tious.
S. FOSTER.
CLEVELAND, July 15, 1846.
1
To the Editor of the Cleveland American ,
Your paper of the 8th inst. contains a no
tice of the Celebration at Centreville, on the
4th inst., in which tho course of my wife and
myself, on that occasion, is totally misrepre
sented. I therefore ask yon, as an act of Jus
tice, .o publish the following correction.
In your first allusion to myself, you say: .
"Mr. Foster introduced a resolution censuring
Cassius M. Clay, we believe, which he said
he had been requested to introduce and speak
upon." This statement is entirely incorrect.
I introduced no resolution having any r?fer-
"iun:r io iir. uiay. ihe paper
which I Introduced was a Protest and Pledge
ag,.inst the Mexican war, which had been
placid in my hands by tho President of the
Like Conn.y Anti-Slavery Society, with a
request that I would speak upon it.
You nextsay" He denounced Mr. Walk
er for introducing the subject cf Peace upon
an Ami-Slavery platform." This statement,
liko Ihe preceding one, is utterly falso. To de
nounce is to cen?urej but instead of eensuf
trig Mr. W., I spukj in the highest terms cf
his discourse. It is true I said that, though
a Non-Resistant myself, I did not think an
jr i : tit ,
rtiHi-.:Muvcry meeting the proper place to
preach Non-Resibtance ; but I threw the en
tire blamo of introducing the subject there, so
far as there was any, not upon Mr. Walker,
but upon tho influential individual who re
quested him to speak upon that subject.
You go on lo say "He then turned upon
Father Keep, and denounced soma allusions
in his speech in Ihe morning, to the political
parties." Tiiis'statcment is also without ths
least ehadow of foundation. What I said,
and ail that I said in reference to Mr. Keep's
remarks, was simply this: "Mr. Keep has
exposed the pro-slavery character of tbo Whig
and Democratic parties, and it now remains
for me to show the pro-slavery character of
the Liberty party." Was that denouncing
Mr. K.'s allusions to the political parties?
Was it not, on the contrary, a virtual appro
val of Ihem 1 -
The following paragraph, from beginning
to end, is a tissue of misrepresentations: '
"After remarking awhile in this strain, he
adverted to bis resMutbn, and remarked at
some !ngm upon it. Tho resolution de
nounced Mr. Cl .y as a traitor to his country
which was amended at the suggestion of
Mrs; roster, to read, "a traitor to the beet
