New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-05-27


he elements Of future wealth and power resour-
~. which other nation, have wasted "a armaineni-
and denominations. Yet If the American people
lad been deerly infected BY the madness oi amir
ZION. no good sense the par, OF their rulers
would have been able - restrain them.
Bot though America i less ambitious OF tern
torial Acknowledgement ihan most other great m
tons she i much more 20 than IN her 'ecn'lai
situation is wise In reality all such ambition oi
her part is folly. Her present territory j. TOO
aree the dispersion, not the concentration 81 Ter
population. is her great danger And yet 1t wa
with difficulty. and only in obedience To me rei-
gious feelings of the Northern Abohtionl-'.' th-'
she absianel from adding lexa' 10 the mon
By mixture OF violence, intimidation "i', o''
berv. she half purchased and half extoricd tlor-
ida from Spain. We doubt whether, 1t CnHadn
we're tn offer herself. she would be- refused We
doubt whether. If Canada were TO thro" oil hef
connection with England, America would Willingly
allow her 10 exist a. an independent republic
The Ambition of America. though not great posl-
hrely j. relatively TO her real Interests excessive
The public conduct Of America j, little iniii-
ers d by fear ,peraap, not enough 10 give her pfu-
dence. She has vice maiutaned war aGaln''
he most powerful nation in the world. At the
zine of her hrst var, her population and heI
wealth were les. Liam one-hith Of their present
1nount-at the time OF her second wal they were
e.s than one-half; and She came out Of the hT-i
var with triumph, and out OF the second without
Iefeat. II j. natural now, with her resources
1subled she should believe her sefinylncble. She
doe, not rrcollect-few nation, do rgco"ct such
cs.ons-that in both these war. were there Pc
RODS Of extreme peril. Nor does she sufficiently
jear in mind that her increase in population. while
i ha, increased her power, has materially IL
.rea,ed her dangers. The vast States constituting
he Union, most Of them as large, and many OF
them pOpulou-, the average Of European
<ngdom, do not submit readily to The central az
lhority. in peace. From year 10 year, the
North the South and he West are becoming more
issmar in their feelings, their occupations. and
N what they believe TO be iheir interests IL l.
rue that war might consolidate them. But Is 1t
,ot equally true, and i, it not much more probable
ihat might separate Them Where would Il
war budget be found for country reduced to such
an extremity in peaccl In fact America has no.
hing to gam by war, and every thing to lose
fIer last war gave kef as much glory by land and
BY she can wish for; and the extension OF
nor territory would, We have already marked.
De an evil. All the results of the most successful
var would be to throw her twenty-five years back.
But the effects of prolonged and calamitous war
be- told. perhaps not all to be loreSccn.
The South would lose her markets, the North her
commerce, the Currency would fall to assignats :
neither the Federal Union nor even the freedom
of many Of the States. would be- secure. NJ tins,
If course, Is seen on that side of the water even
more clearly than on this. And we have no doubt
that, if the destucs of America were ruled by
the same classes these which govern in Eng
and, her prudence would be equal to our own.
But. unfortunately, the suffrage, and to a great
tent, the real Government of the nion, Is vested
IN classes comparatively uneduca,ed; and likely.
IN every occasion, to miscalculate the danger Cf
struggle, or the worth of dispute. Parry spirit
and misapprehen>on acting on electors i'll fitted
10 estimate the merits Of international questions,
might return House of Assembly pledged to
measures IA ruinOus TO themselves To their
neighhors.
The public morality Of America considering
how low is the general standard OF public motal-
i,y, deserves comparative praise. W have al
ready remarked her comparative exemption from
The great cause of national neutrality-suspicious.
She is wise enough tn mabc few treaties aud hon
81 enough to keep them. Perhaps the least de-
| .ensiblc part of her conduct is her behaviour
toward Spain-a country which. after having in her
lay Of power di.rcgaried Justice and even mercy .
'ceas destined by what may appear 10 be u
iu,r retrbution, to suffer wrongs almost equal Ia
tion Of Pensacola and 81. Augustine, it, avowai
by President Monroe, and its sssction by Con-
gress, are presidents which America would gladly
oblierae. Her great moral fault i, her liigiou.-
ness. She is always ready 80 stand ON her extreme
rights and to refuse t. allow legal claim to be-
cqlntably arranged. We shall show. in future
portion of this article. that it j. to this defect in
the American public character, and to defect OF
an opposite kind in our Own. that the unhappy
disputes between the TWO countries arc principal,
owing. We are inclined To ascrihe tins quality,
As well as her want ct prudence To the defect II
her institutions which we have already pointed
put-thc prepcnderating influence of the compaIa-
lively uneducated portlsn ot the people he
great cause of htgiou>Gess is an inability to COM
pare the certain costs ot the contest with the value
ct the chance OF obtaining the disputed object
In proportion only a man l. educated l. lac able
to enter into this calculation and willing To- act
recording to it's result. Sir Walter Scott has well
represented his shrewd and amablc. but unculti-
vaied Dandc Dnmon,, as willing to peril IN
,uit for few acre. Of barren moor, ten times OF
wen;y time. their value. Precisely similar was
&C conduct OF America in rejecting the award OF
the King of the Netherlands ca the Boundary
Question. She could not pretend that there was
any loss of honor in comply ing with the decision
If tribunal which she had loined in selecting;
md every intelligent American must know, that
the commercial loss occasioncd during one year by
the insecurity which the dispute oecasioncd, Is
worth twice as much A. the difference between the
value of the territory which she claims. and that
which the award gave to her.
America has little sympathy. To use tie word.
ot one OF her most Distinguished ,iatc,men-' Shc
,onlempa;e> the wars that breach Europe IN
blood. cain. ii not cold and indifferent
-pecator.'' She PAYS, of course. more attention
To the affairs Of her own hemisphere; but - TAR
and far on,, they directly affect her own
'mmedistc interest. 1t Is difficult 10 blame or
even To regret the ind Inference OF America, when
rccollcci what have been the effect, of what i,
ca..ed national sympathy When a nation wi,hc,