The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-10 00:00:00

sisted in many parts of the republic, and even in the capi-
tal, a portion of the army having pronounced against it, its
functions were declared terminated, and an assembly of
citizens was invited for the choice of a new President. This
assembly elected General Miramon, but that officer repu-
diated the plan under which he was chosen, and Zuloag a
was thus restored to his previous position. He assumed it, '
however, only to withdraw from it, and Miramon having
become by his appointment " President Substitute," con- _
tinues, with that title, at the head of the insurgent party.
In my last annual message I communicated to Congress
the circumstances under which the late Minister of the
United States suspended his official relations with the sere
tral government, and withdrew from the country. It wag
impossible to maintain friendly intercourse with a go-
vernment, like that of the capital, under whose usurped
authority wrong were constantly committed, but
never redressed. Had this been an established go-
vernment, with its power extending by the consent
of the people, over the whole of Mexico, a resort
to hostilities against it would have been quite jus-
tifiable, and ineed necessary. But the country was a
prey to civil war ; and it-was to be hoped that the success
of the constitutional President might lead to a condition of
things less injurious to the United States. This success
became so probable that, in January last, I employed a re-
liable agent to visit Mexico, and report to me the actual
condition and prospects of the contending parties. In con-
sequence of his report, and from information which reached
me from other sources, favourable to the prospects of the
constitutional case, I felt justified in appointing a new Mi-
nister to Mexico, who might embrace the earliest suitable
opportunity of restoring our diplomatic relations with that
republic. For this purpose a distinguished citizen of Mary-
' land was selected, who proceeded on his mission on the
Bth of March last, with discretionary authority to recognise
the Government of President Juarez, if on his arrival in
Mexico he should find it entitled to such recognition, ac-
cording to the established. practise of the United States.
On the 7th of Aprii following, Mr. M'Lane presented his
credentials to ('resident Juarez, having no hesitation 6' in
pronouncing the Government of Juarez to [be the only ex-
isting Government of the Republic." He was cordially
received by the adthorities, at Vera Cruz, and they have
ever since manifested the mest friendly disposition towards
the United States. Unhappily, however, the constitutional
Government has not been able to establish its power over
the whole republic. It is supported by a large majority of
the people and the States, but there are important parts of
the country where it can enforce no obedience. General
Marmon maintains himself at the capital ; and in some of
the distant provinces there are military governors who pay
little respects to the decrees of either Government. In the
meantime the excess which always attend upon civil war
especially in Mexico, are constantly recurring. Outrages of
the, worst description are committed upon persons and
property. There is scarcely any form of injury
whicili has not been suffered by our citizens in
Mexico during the last few years. We have been nominally
at peace with that republic, but " so far as the interests
of our commerce or of our citizens who ;have visited the
country as merchants, shipmasters, or in other capa-
cities, are concerned, we might as well have been at
war." Life has been insecure, property unprotected, and
trade impossible except at a risk of loss which prudent men
cannot be expected to incur. Important contracts, involv-
ing large expenditures, entered into by the centrafgovern-
client, have been set at defiance by the local gonernments.
Peaceful American residents, occupying their rightful pos-
sessions, have been suddenly expelled from the country, in
defiance of treaties, and by the mere force of arbitrary
power. Even the course of justice has not been safe from
control, and a recent decree of Miramon permits the inter-
vention of government in all suits where either party is a
foreigner. Vessels of the United States have been seized
without law, and a consular officer who protested against
such seizure had been fined and imprisoned for disrespect
to the authorities .Military contributions have been levied
in violation of every principle of right, and the American
who resisted the lawless demand has had his property fors
cibly taken away and has been himself banished. From a
conflict of authority in different parts of the country, tariff
duties which have been paid in one place have been exacted
over again in another place. Large numbers of our citizen'',
have been arrested and imprisoned without any form of
examination or any opportunity for a hearing, and, even
when released have only obtained their liberty after much
suffering and injury, and without any hope of redress. The
wholesolo massacre of Crabbe and his associates without
trial in Sonora, as well as the seizure and murder of four
sick Amerioans who had taken shelter in the house of an
American, upon the soil of the United States, was commit'
nicated to Congress at its last session. /Murders of a still
more atrocious character have been committed in the veil
heart of Mexico, under the authority of Miratnon's govern'
ment, during the present year. Some of these were onlf
worthy of a barbarous age, and if they had not been clearli
proven, would have seemed impossible in a csuntry which
claims to be civilised. Of this description was the brass
massacre in April last by order of General Mar'
qurz, of three American physicians, who were seized iu the
hospital at Tacubaya while attending upon the sick
and dying of both parties, and without trial as without
crime were hurried away to speedy execution„ Little lest
shocking was the recent fate of Ormond Chase, who WO,
shot in Tepic on the 7th of August, by order -0!
the same Mexican general, not only without a trial, 155...!
without any conjecture by his friends in thel cause of Ow
arrest. He is represented as a young man of good charm'
ter and intelligence, who bad made numerous friendsito,
Tepic by the courage and humanity which he had displayed
on several trying occasions, and his death was as uner
petted as it was shocking to the whole community. Other
outrages might be enumerated, but these are sufficient t°
illustrate the wretched condition of the country and the
unprotected condition of the persons and property of of
citizens in Mexico.
In all these cases our Ministers have been constant aO,l
faithful in their demands for redress, but both they and tol
Government, which they have successively represent*"
wourledfemreenecte o:
l
have been wholly powerless to make their demands effeos."
remedytestwimhoinch, yinintthhier sirespeet,atsd in
judgments,
exigency, Las been both uniform and emphatic. Nothing
thefive. only Their
but a manifestation of the power of the Government of tits
United States (wrote our Minister in 1856), and of its Purl
pose to punish these wrongs will avail. I assure you that
the universal belief here is that there is nothing to be all
!headed from the Government of theelinited States, Ii
that local Mexican officials can commit these outrages urn
American citizens with absolute impunity." "I hope tol
President (wrote our present Minister in August) will ff,
authorised to ask from Congress the power to enter Mell*S
with the military forces of the United States, at the sail of
the constitutioal authorities, in order to protect the citizen)
end the treaty rights of the United States. Until sisal"
p ewer is conferred upon him neither the one nor the other
will be respected in the existing state of anarchy and dio'
order, and the outrages already perpetrated will never bo
_Ol a tised ; and, as I assured yon in my No. 23, all these
evils must increase until every vestige of order and govern'
ment disappears from the country." I have been relit''
tantly led to the same opinion, and, in justice to my our
mcn who have suffered wrongs from Mexico, and who raa/
still suffer them, I feel bound to announce this conclusion
to Congress.
' The case pie >euted, however, is not merely a case Of
individual claims, although our just claims against Mexico
have reached a very large amount. Nor is it merely tits!
case of protection to the livea and property of the few
Americans who may still remain in Mexico, although the
life and property of every American citizen ought to be
' sacredly protected in every quarter of the world. But it lo
a question which relates to the future as well as to the pre'
sent and the past, and which involves, indirectly at sesott
the whole subject of our duty to Mexico as a neighbouring
SA.t3. The exercise of the pc iver of the United States is
that country to redress the wrongs and protect the rights of
our citizens is none the less to be desired, because efficient
and necessary aid may thus be rendered at the same time
to restore peace and order to Mexico itself. In the accent'
plishment of this result the people of the United State,
must necessarily feel a deep and earnest interest. Mexico
ought to Le a rich and psosperous and powerful republic.
She possesses an extensive t, rritory, a fertile soil and an in'
caleplable store of mineral wealth. She occupies an fin'
portant position between the Gulf and the ocean for transit
routes and for commerce. Is it possible that such a coup'
try as this can be given up to anarch and ruin without as
effort from any quarter for its rescue and its safety?
the commercial nations of the world, which have so mall
interests connected with it, remain wholly indifferent to
such a result? Can the United States, especially which
ought to share most largely in its commercial intercourse:
allow their immediate neighbour thus to destroy itself anti
injure them ? Yet, without support from some quarter, it
is impossible to perceive how Mexico can resume her posi•
tlon among:nations and enter upon a career which pro'
miser any good results. The aid which she requires, and
which the interests of all commercial countries require that
she should have, it belongs to this Government to render,
not oily by virtue of our neighbourhood to Mexico, alons
whose territory we have a continuous frontier of nearly •
thousand miles, but by virtue also of our established policy,
which is inconsistent with the intervention of any Euro*
peon Power in the domestic concerns of that republic.
The wrongs which we have suffered from Mexico are bea'
fore the world, and must deeply impress every American
citizen. A Gouernment which is either unable or unwill-
ing to redress such wrongs is derelect to its highest duties.
The difficulty consists in selecting and enforcing the re.
medy. We may in vain apply to the constitutional go-
vernment at Vera Cruz, although it is well disposed to do
us justice, for adequate redress. Whilst its authority io
acknowledged in all the important ports and throughout
the sea coast of the Republic, its power does not extend to
the city of Mexico and the States in its vicinity, where
nearly all the recent outrages have been, committed on
American citizen. We must penetrate into the interior
before we can reach the offenders—and this can only be
done by passing through the territory in the occupation of
the Constitutional Government. The most acceptable and
least difficult mode of accomplishing the object will be to
act in concert with that government. Ilex aid might, I
believe, be obtained ; but if not, our obligation to protect
our"own citizens in their just rights, secured by treaty,
would not be the less imperative. For these reasons, I re-
Ftd
ooue
rnre
pttmh,
pesu nel
future.o
oyd
fe aro
bss tuu affici
gno nt dmni
dti i
leoi
purposelymt
asnr
yri
refrain
y commend to Congress to pass a law authorising the Presi•
cie
i
fsfroafihocnree
fytrtoohniemena yt eap
anrdsyeMtesi
anduexgigCOP fordthen
troops essetoci
ruo:.;roa fit:
to whether this force shall consist of regular
luuteers, or both. This question may be most appropri-
ately left to the decision of Congress. I would merely ob•
serve that, should volunteers be selected, such a force could
be easily raised in this country among those who sympa-
thise with the sufferings of ow unfortunate fellow citizens
in Mexico, and with the unhappy condition of that repub-
lic. In that event there is no reason to doubt that the just
claims of our citizens would be 'satisfied and adequate re-
dress obtained for the injuries inflicted upon them. The
constitutional government have ever evinced a strong desire
to do us justice, and this might be secured in advance by a
preliminary treaty._

It may lie said' that these measures will, at least
indi-
r_ctly, be inconsistent with our wise and settled policy not
to interfere in the domestic concerns of foreign nations.
But does not the present case fairly constitute an excep-
tion ? An adjoining republic is in a state of anarchy and
coutusion from which she has proved wholly unable to
extricate herself. She is entirely destitute of the power to
maintain peace upon her borders, or to prevent the incur-
sions of banditti into our ten itory. In her fate and in her
fortune—in her power to establish and maintain a settled
government—we have a far deeper interest, socially, com-
menially, as d politically, than any other nation. She is
now a wreck upon the ocean, driven about as she is impelled
by different factions. As a good neighbour, shall wa not
extend to her a helping hand to save her? If we do not,
it, would not bo surprisin,, should some other nation under-
take the task, and thus force us to interfere at last, under
circumstances of increased difficulty, for the maintenance
of our established policy.
I repeat the recommendation contained in my last annual
message that authority may bo given to the President to
establish one or more temporary military posts across the
Mexican line ih Senora and Chihuahua, where these may
be necessary to protect the lives and property of American
and Mexican citizens against the incursions and depreda-
tions of the Indians, as well as of lawless rovers in that re-
mote region. The establishment of one such post at a point
called Arispe, in Senora, in a country now almost depopu•