The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-09-05
THE PUNJAUB AND TEXAs-JOHN JONES
AND PROFESSOR WILSON.


The only apology which England can possibly
offer to the civilized and Christian world for her
conquests in Asia, where in less than century,
she has conquered hundred millions Of subjects,
is the dissemination of Christianity, civilization,
and civil liberty, which necessarily takes place
from the intercourse which arises between the
home government and the foreign domnons. The
Romans thought themselves justified in their con-
quests over barbarans by giving them the single
boon of civilization; whereas, the English scep-
tire is followed by higher civilization, and what
is yet more valuable, civil liberty, and the religion
which is true.
The Madisonan, the organ of the great John
Tyler, in announcing to the world the purpose of
that potentate, of emulating the conquering ca
reer of the British sovereign, evinces "a decent
respect for the opinions of mankind" by placing
the justification of his war like designs upon the
example of Britain.
We humbly think the cases are totally dissim-
liar England carries her arms among Pagans
and semi-barbarans, and not even there without
being able to trump up some sort of an excuse.
post, or some pretext equally specious, is always
the immediate ground which the English set forth
as the casus 6eNi-just as our Government was
wont to do in reference to the Indians. But the
mighty John Tyler, brother to the Sun and Noon
would make war upon Christian people Without
the shadou Of ercuse. No treaty has been viola
ted by the Mexicans-no infringement of our
rights has been made or meditated, and yet it is
cooly proposed to invade her. rob her of half, and
the better half of her territory and then pay the
cost of the war by despoiling her temples devoted
to the worship of God.
Such are the widely different circumstances
between the English conquests in Asia, and the
proposed Tyler conquests in Mexico.
1t cannot be said that an incidental blessing at
tending the conquering arms of His Accidency
or civilization, for the Mexicans have both-and
we believe that the main object of the conquests
is not the extension of liberty, but the opposite
principle. So that, the effort of the Madisonian
to justify the contemplated conquests of the Hero
of the Vetoes, by the example of England in
Afghan, fails from the totally dissimilar circum-
stances.
In making the following extract fronrthe Madi-
sonian, we premise, that the quoted sentence with
which the paragraph begins, "the Punjaub will
be ours" is from Blackwood's Magazine, for Au.
gust, and will be found in the body of an article,
The object of which is, indirectly, to show that
England ought and will conquer afghan, coun-
try of barbarous Mahommedans bordering her
present dominions. Blackwoods Mag azne is
high tory paper, which fact will partially account
for the sympathetic response of the Madisonian
to the kingly, domineering sentiment which it
utters, "Punjaub will be ours" "Texas will be
ours" As to what class of ideas will be sug-
gested to the mind of the reader by the juxtapo-
sition of the names Of John Jones and Professor
Wilson-the Blackwood and the Madisonan-
that is no concern of ours:
From the Madisonan.
"The Punjaub will be ours" This sounds ex-
ceedingly like our defamation. "Texas shall be
ours = and we apprehend the signifcancy of the
two phrases is nearly identical. 1t is certain the
will be- cannot result without the shall be-
We wish it to be observed that we do not accuse
Great Britain of lawless intentions in these anti
clpations We think the admonition she has al
ready had in that direction will be effective of
decent regard to the law of nations in her future
operations upon Afghanistan but we show her
calculations we point to the moral pathway by
which she will move on to these objects-the con-
Meeting series of moral probabilities which she
calculates as leading to the ultimate subiugation
OF that country we indicate the necessities of
security from Affghanistan inroads that her Gov
eminent foresees-the light in which she views
those people, "always enemies"-"t the castra
stativa Of hostility to India" for eight hundred
years the scourges of India" Are we right in
supposng that her appetite for Afghanistan is
quite as strong as ours for Texas And if she
may add section to section, and territory to terri
tory, in her remote though important Indian en-
pire, may we not add (of course by lawful means
as we are seeking) territory to our own in i'm
mediate proximity-a proper branch of the main
trunk of the State-not artiicially grated on it,
but growing to it as natural stem! Has Great
Britain rights of addition to her domain, but we
none? May she go on indefinitely to increase
her extent of terra firma, but we be debarred the