The native American., 1838-11-17
CANADA.

We are placed in most painful position by the
news received from Canada. Our hearts leap,
and our pulses quicken, at every cry of liberty,
and we scarcely dare trust our own judgment,
when our feelings are so strongly aroused. But
as public journalists, as editors devoted to the
cause of this country, TO its best and truest inter-
est, we have no right to yield to the suggestions
of our feelings if sober judgment reproves them
With foreign interests, foreign politics, foreign
revolutions, this country ought not to interfere.
There are, however, among us hundreds OF thous-
ands of men who have no permanent interests
here, who are not identified with us, but who
protesting TO have fled here for libery's sake,
are now basking in her sunshine, and no such
reasons should restrain them.
The question for this country to decide, and it
must he decided quickly, is, is it ready for war
with Great Britain, not for any aggressions COM
mitted by her upon us, but to vindicae our own
citizens for nroads made into her territories.
That is the question. We must stand entirely
neuer. We must place Gordon of armed men
along our frontier-we must guard every avenue
and passage into Canada, or war, destructive
and wasteful war-wasteful in its expenditure of
human le wasteful in its desolations of our com
merce, more wastelul of our resources, will in
evtably come. Are we prepared for this! Let
it not be hoped that neutrality under the cover
of which arms, men, money, all the munitions of
war are openly supplied to one party of the belli
gerents. can be kept up. The interest well
as the honor of the British nation, would compel
them to take measures to break up such neu-
trality. What course they might deem best to
pursue, we will not now pretend to conjecture,
but we see before us various remedies, which all
converge to the same point-war between the
two countries. We hear around us the quick and
strongest and best sympahes are in unison with
that answer. We hear the cry Of the slaughtered
citizen for help against his opprcssor. We see
the armed heel of the soldier treading down the
struggling captive, whose expiring breath wrings
with the shout Of liberty,-but why pourtray the
hot and deadly strife, which is even now desoIa.
ting the fields of our neghbors-why attempt to
enumeratc their wrongs, or awaken sympathy
for their sufferings! We are decidedly opposed
to any interference, now at least, on the part
our Governments and as we maintain the s,pre
macy of the laws, and look for their protection
we will endeavor to dlscountenancc and dscou
rage every in(raction of them by the citizens
If our fellow citizens, yielding rather to their i'm
pulses than the convictions of calm judgment,
involve themselves in this combat, they must do
it on their individual responsibility, RESPONSE
bility due alike to the authorities which they
would overthrow, and to the laws of their owr
country which they thus defy. We call upor
every native American to pause, and consider the
end of these things, before he yields to the sug.
gestions of his heart We know where that is
We know that his hopes, his prayers, his most
sincere and earnest desires are for those who are
struggling to throw off the yoke Of colonial vas
salage; but he must not oppose his hopes, prayers,
desires, to the true interests of his country-he
must do nothing to compromise her dignity or
her character. Let him weigh these, and if he
can calmly and deliberately work out a prospe
rous issue, then, and not until then, let him act