Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-04-14

wars, the several paris OF America VIII
genrrali, stand ncslral. And as, during
Tie period vi hen they rage. II viii be im-
portant that liberal system oi neuiraiii,
should be adopted a@d observed, all Anne
RIGA will be interested in maintaining auu
enforcing such Il system. The iudcprn-
d nee then OF Spanish America was the
interest Of PRIMARY consideration. Ne\t
Ia tl'ai, and highl, Important in iisrlf,was
tie cons alteration of the nature Oi Their
! governments. That Was a question, how
ev. /, tor iliemseiv.s. They would, no
doubt. adopt those Kinds of governments
which were best suited 10 th,ir couditiOu,
| best calcuiat a Tor their happiness. AnN-
| ious Us ne Was ihat they should be frve
governments, We hnd no right tO prescribe
for them. They were, and ought 90 br,
the sole Judges for thems Ives H. was
strongly inclined to believe that they
would lii most. if not all, parts of their
country, establish free governments. We
were their great example. OF us they
constantly spoke as OF brothers, ha,iug a
similar origin. They adopted our primci-
pies, copied our institutions, and, IN many
instances, employed The very language
and sentiments ot our revolutionary pa
pers. Here, MIR e. read a passage from
the same manifesto Before cited" Bat,
II is sometimes SAID that ihey are too ig-
norant and too surrrs,iiious 10 admit of
the existence of free government. This
charge of ignorance is often urged by
persons themselves grossly ignorant OF
til real condition of thar people. He de-
MED The alleged fact OF ignorance; he de-
MED The inference from that fact, IL ii
were true, that they wanted capacity for
free government and he refused his as
sent 10 the further conclusion, !! the fact
were true and The Inference just, that we
were 10 be Indifferent Ia their fate. All
the writer's of il,e most established altho
rIiy, DcpoHs, Humboldt and others, con-
cur III assigning TO The people of Spanish
America, great Quickness, genius, and
particular aptitude for The acquisition OF
the exact sciences, and others viii Ii they
have been allowed To cultivate. In asiro-
n0mv, geology, mneraiogy, chemistry.
botany, &c they are allowed to make dis
tnguisiled proficiency. They justly boast
Of their Alzate, VcasqucZ, and CANA, and
other illustrious contributors to science.
They have nine universities, and III Tho
city Of Mexico, il is affirmed by Hum
boldt, that there are more solid scientific
establishments than i'll any city even of
North America. He would refer 10 the
message of the Supreme Director Of La
Plata, which he would hereafter have oc-
casion TO use for another purpose, as a
model of Gne composition of d state pa
per, challenging comparison with any,
The most celebrated that ever issued from
the pens of Jefferson or Madison. Gca-
tlemen would egregiouSly erri They form
ed their opinions of the present moral
conditions of Spanish Ameri d from what
il was under the dcbaSing system ofSpain.
The eight years revolution in which II has
been engaged, has already produced
powerful effect
Education had been attended 10, and
genius developed. Here Mr. G. read
passage from the Colonial Journal, pub
lishcd last summer in Great Britain, here
d disposition TO eXasgerate on that side
of The question could hardly be supposed
to exist. II The fact was not therefore
true, that the imputed ignorance existed
but, if il did, he repeated That he disputed
the Inference. Ii WAS the doctrine OF
thrones, that man WAS too ignorant 10
govern himself Their pariisans asser;
This incapacily in reference TO all haiionS:
ii they cannot command universal assent
to the proposition, il is then demanded
as to particular nations and our pride
and our presumption loo often make con-
ver,s ofus. Mr.. G. commended that it was
to arraign the dispositions of Providence
himself to suppose that he had created
beings incapable Of governing themselves,
and to be irampled on by kings. He con
tended that self government was the nat
ural government of man, and he referred
10 the aborigines of our own land If lie
were To speculate in hypothesis unfavora-
BILE to human liberty, his should be found
ed rather upon the vices, refinemeHts, or
IanctTr- .f annuiatIn, hrOx.IeI haY
in compact masses, even if they were phi
iosophers, the contagion of the passions
is communicated and caught, and the eff
feet too often, he admitted, was The over
throw of liberty. Dispersed over such an
immense space as that OH which the pco-
pie ofSpanish America were spread, their
physical, and he believed also their moral
condition both favored their liberty.
With regard 10 their superstition, lie
said, they worslipped the same God with
us. Their prayers were offered up in
their temples to the same Redcemer,
whose intercession we expected 10 save us.
Nor was there any thing in the Catholic
religion uniavorabl, to freedom. All re-
ligiOns HAiied with government were more
or less nimical to liberty. All, separated
from government, were compatible with
liberty. 1.-THE people of Spanish Ameri-
ca had moi already gone as far, in religious
liberation, as we had, the difference in
their condition from ours should not be
forgotten. Every thing was progressive.
And, in time he hoped TO see them imiiai-
ing, III this respect, our example. But,
grant that the people Of Spanish America
are ignorant and incompetent for free go.
yernment, TO whom is that ignoran to
be ascribed is it not TO the expcrabIe
system of Spain, wiIi, II she seeks again TO
establish and to perpetuaie So far from
chilling our hearts, it ought TO increase
our soIicitude for our unfortunate brellI-