The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-09-02
COM M UNICATIO MS.
For the Union.
WILL MEXICO DECLARE WAR

Why should Mexico declare war, She is az wa
with Texas. Texas has been annexed TO the Unite,
States, and is now defended by the United States
troops The question, therefore, is not whether Mex
leo will declare war; IL is will she accept peace She
offered peace and independence to Texas; she can
obtain more favorable terms from the United State:
than from Texas. In either case, she abandons tn,
territory Texas was not able TO pay her own debts
and therefore could not pay for independence or
satisfactory boundary. The United States are able
and willing TO pay for such boundary. why
should Mexico offer independence and peace tc
Texas without money equivalent, and refuse indie
pendence and peace to the United States when the
United States are able and willing TO pay Mexico
These arc pregnant questions; but the solution Of
them is easy, because no one can now doubt that,
so far as war or peace is involved, England
is Mexico. England seeks to monopolize the trade
of the Pacific. She fears the competition of the
United States. She is unwilling that we should
possess the Oregon or the CALIFORNIA;, and she
prompts Mexico TO declare war, that she may be
come a mediator, and thus become party to O
treaty fixing permanent limits to our progress towards
the Pacific ocean.
In letter dated 9Th of September, l843, Mr.. Cal
houn said;
81 have, in the present remarkable state of thing
not been nattentive to the of events in Eng
land" England has but one alternative
Ito harmonze her interest with that of the other
portions of the civilized world resort TO force To
mer, freedom Of commerce and non-interference with
the institutions of other nations must be the basis OF
her policy but, if the latter she must prepare for
universal conflict with the civilized world. The dan
ger is, that she will select the latter. Ii So il will
present a scene of struggle and violence unparalleled
in the history Of the world, which will end in her
downfall; but if the former, it will open page
of prosperity and civilization never before known on
the globe"
Strange as it may seem, the decision of the corn
law question and the sugar duties will go far to de-
eide this great issue In the advanced state of COM
merce and the arts, the great point of policy for the
older and more advanced nations is to command the
trade of the newer and less advanced; and that
not be done, but by opening a trade in provisions
and raw materials with them. The effect of the
contrary policy is, not only to cripple their COM
merce and manufactures by curtailing exchanges
but to force the newer and less advanced portion to
become prematurely their competitors This Eng
land now sees and feels; and that, to remedy the
evil the laws and sugar duties passed in favor
of her colones) must be repealed, that she must
resort 10 force to maintain her commercial and manac-
turing superiority. II force sresoried to, The boac ,ci
first be struck al The United States Brazil and other Stare
holding countries The reason is obvious. 1t is in
dispensable to give her monopoly of the great sta
pies they produce, and, through them, monopoly
of the trade Of the world. The abolition of slavery
would transfer the production of cotton, rice, sugar
&C., to her colonial possessions and would consum-
Watc the system OF COnlfneTCal monopoly WHICH Sne
has been so long and systematically pursuing"
This was the language of prophecy; what Mr.
Calhoun foresaw, has come to pass. England has
selected force The debate in the House of Com
MONS July gath, admits that she intends to emanci.
pate the slaves in Cuba and Brazil by force.
Sir Robert Peel said:
''There wigs an international engagement between
Brazil and this country, England with respect to
the slave-trade, which rested upon that convention
,ch had II,
ments in 1896. By the LIST article Of that conven.
ton, it had been provided that it should not, from
time therein named, be lawful for ject of the
emperor of Brazil to be concerned in carrying on
the African saee-rade under any pretext, or in any
manner whatsoever; and that the carrying Of tina,
imperial Majesty, should be deemed to be, and
treated as, the crime of piracy. A Brazilian
subject, then, was not merely by the municipal laws
of his own country subject to the penalties of
piracy, but there was solemn engagement entered
into between Brazil and this country, England,
by which the offence of carrying on the save-lsade,
on the part of Brazilian subject, was made pi-
racy. Shortly after that convention had beer en-
tered into, there was another convention also en-
tered into, adopted from one existing between Por-
tugal and this country, which had for its object tie
determining, upon mutual arrangements between the
two countries, about the mode in which effect might
be given to their object. mutual-right of search
was given in the case of Brazilian and English ships.
Courts Of ,nired commission appointed for the
purpose Of determining offences at rarance tcih The
ersting engagements, and Brazil had the power to
terminate that subsidiary convention in the month
Of March, 1642-its duration having been limited at
discretion of either party, to fifteen years from the
year of its adoption Brazil had thought fit to give
notice to terminate that subsidiary convention and
the government of this country had felt it to be
its duty to acquiesce in the right Of Brazil to
its discretion to terminate that convention. What
A
of 1926; and the object ofhe present to
give effect 10 the stpuiations ofthat treaty.
Then the question was, Should we altogether abandon
our exertions, and declare the convention of 1896 of
no efecti And should we, Notwithstanding that in
ternational engagement between Brazil and this
country, permit Brazilian subjects and ships to car
ry the African slavetrade ioithou amy Independent
effort on our part TO suppress The trader"
The bill proposes to authorize the government OF
England to issue letters of marque, and seize Brazil
ian ships and condemn Brazilian subjects, and con-
fscate Brazilian goods, before, and by authority Of,
British 'courts!
twas opposed by Mr.. Gibson, the member for
Manchester, as an act of war against Brazil Sir
Robert Peel did not deny that it was an act of war;
but appealed to Lord Palmerston, who in 1889 had
presented similar bill. Lord Pamerston said, that
by the treaty with Spain, the Africans introduced
into Cuba since 1917 were free; and demanded to
know whether the "governors of Cuba and Surinam
naU Deen COmpeItu TeCSlNc lHc COMMUNICATIONS
which the consuls general and commissioners of Eng
land had been ordered make in reference to these
negroes. Sir Robert Peel said, in reply:
eyes, we have instructed our Spanish representa-
tives at the Spanish court to insist on the right of
our consuls to make such representations the gov
ernor of Cuba as he may deem necessary in the exc
cuton of his duty"
Lord Palmerston said in reply:
"They had right to inquire into the condition Of
those negroes in Cuba, who were fully entitled to
their freedom by virtue of the law and the execu-
ton Of that treaty to which he had referred. When
the government talked of the saverade they certain
ly said everything that was most desirable on the
subject but when they looked TO what the govern
ment had done to meet these evils, their acts were
found to fall much short of their professions
Thus we see that wings and tories are now united
in the i1m which England has eesoved TO wage
against Spain and Brazil for the purpose of emanci-
pating their slaves. She has similar treaty with
us, made by j. q. Adams in 1917; and when she
has accomplished her purpose in Brazil and Cuba,
she will be prepared to enforce the principles
as to us.