Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-07-23

As should have suspended diplomatic inter-
course-until it was withdrawn.
Sir, hold it to have been derogatory to our
national character to have given any answer
at all, much less the one that wasgiven, while
threat was hanging over our heads. What
must be the effect Of yielding to demands IN
der such circumstances! Certainly degrade
| ,ion-national degradation and % encourage
| ment to Great Britain 70 continue her aggress-
| i've course upon as. That nation is pressing
| us 10 the Northeast and Northwest; she is
searching our ships on the coast Of Africa; she
| gives liberty to our slaves wrecked on her ISL
| ands on their transit from one of our ports to
| another; she nurtures III london the society
| which produced the Hsn Domingo insurrec-
ton. and which arc preparing similar insnr-
rection for US; and she is the mistress of sub
| jects who bold immense debts against our
States, and for the payment Of which the ma
,ional guaranty, or tho public lands, are want
ed. She has many points Of aggressive con-
tact upon US; and what is the effect of this
tame submission--this abiect surrender Of Nc
Leod, without word Of redress for the affair
of the Caroline, and under public threat
what is the effect Of this butte encourage her
to press us and threaten US on every other
point! 1t must increase her arrogance, and
encourage her encroachments, and induce her
to 90 on until submission to further outrage
becomes impossible, and war results from the
cowardice. which courage would have pre-
vented. On this head the history of many ma
tons is full Of many impressive lessons, and
none more so than that Of Great Britain. 1t
is nation Of brave people; but they have
Sometimes had ministers who were not brave,
and whose timidity has ended in involving
their country in all the calamities Of war, af-
ter sub]ecting it 10 all the disgrace of pusllan-
imous submission to foreign insult. The adj
ministration Of Sir Robert Waipole, long, cow
ardly, and corrupt--tyrannical at hone--cring-
ing abroad--~as signal instance Of this.
Sir, consider these instructions to Mr..
Cri,,enden as most unfortunate and deplorable.
They rave sunk the national character in the
eyes of England and Of Europe. They have
lost Us the respect which we gained by the
late war, and by the glorious administration Of
Jackson. They bring us into eontempt, and
encourage the naughty British to push us to
ex.remities. We shall feel the effect of this
deplorable diplomacy in our impending con-
,roversies with thatpeople; and happy and for
tunate it will be for as, BY correcting our err
attitude, discarding our distribution schemes,
and preparing for war, we shall be able there
by to prevent war. and 70 preserve our rights.
Hard pressed on The Instructions to Mr..
cri'endsnZprosrsIs saa iNAla{gs
under the letter to Mr.. Fox, aad celebrate the
harmony of its periods, and the beauty Of its
composition. grant its merit in these par
iculars. | admit the beauty of the style, tho
attenuated into gossamer thinness and Lillipu-
,ian weakness. l agree that the Secretary
writes well. admit his ability/even to COM
pose p.ettier letter in less than forty days.
But what has all this to do with question Of
right and wrong-of honor and shame-ofwar
and peace-with a foreign Government In
contest of rhetoricians, it would indeed be
i'm portant; bet in the contests of nations 1t
dwindles into insigniicance. The Statesman
wants knowledge, frmness, patriotism, and
inyincible adherence to the rights, honor and
interests of his country. These are the char
acteristics OF the statesman; and tried by these
tests, what becomes of this letter. so encom-
asically dwelt upon here! Its knowledge is
shown by mistake of the law Of nations--its
firmness by yielding to threat---its patriotism,
by taking the part oftoreigners-its adherence
to The honor. rights and interests of our own
country, by surrendering Mcleod without re-
ceiving or even demanding, one word Of re-
dress or apology for the outrage upon the Car
oline!
The letter, besides its fatal concessions, is
deficient in manly tone-in American feeling
in nerve-in force-in resentment OF injurious
| impu,ations--and in enforcement of our just
claims to redress for blood split, Territory in
vaded, and flag insulted.
| The whole spirit of the letter is feeble and
| deprecatory. 1t does not repel, but begs off.
| 1t does not recriminate, but defends. 1t does
moi resent insult-not even the audacious threat
which is never once complained of, nor even
alluded 10.
This letter is every way an unfortunate pro-
duction. 1t does not even show the expense
and trouble we took to prevent our citizens
| from crossing the line and joining the Canadi-
| an insurgents. 1t does not show the expense
| we were at in raising new regiment of infant
| ~ expressly for that service, (several voices
! said yes, YES, it mentions that) Good, let it be
credited accordingly. ---But it does not mention
the appropriation Of $65O,O0O made at one
time for that object: it does not mentions the
numerous calls upon the military authorities
and the civil authorities along the line to assist
| ia restraining our people it does not mention
the arrests of persons, and seizures of arms,
| which we made it does not mention the pros
| ecutions which we instituted it does not show
that for two years we were at great expense
| and trouble to restrain our people; and that
this expense and trouble was brought upon US
by the excitement produced by the affair ofthe
| Caroline. The British brought upon US an
/ immense expense by that affair, for which they
render Us no thanks, and the Secretary fails to
remind them. The letter does not repel, with
the indignant energy which the declaration re-
quired, that we had s.pernsiited'' our citizens
to arm and join the insurgents. II repels 1t, to
] IL crro hni too faehlu ard gently and It oynits