Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1845-05-06

lecteQ lDe proposal VI an dIoIt dtioLI, au'
0stentatlousIy announce claims and mea
sures utterly inconsistent with the system
OF Joint occupation, or the equitable recog
milton Of any concurrent rights at all, it il
| fit that they be warned in the most explicit
manner that their pretensions amount, i
acted upon, 10 the clearest casns bc1H which
has ever vet arisen between Great Briiar
End the American Union. In this aase the
! strong determination and convictions which
were expressed last night are mol those Of
particular statesmen, or of the presan
Ministers, but the British Parliament arc
of the country If the question was TO be
determined by he arguments used in such
discussions is TO say, by a reference
TO geographical facts, TO discoveries, 10 his.
tory, 10 treaties, and 10 occupa,ion-the
case on ehalf Of the British claim, as j,
was ably stated By Lord John Russell, is
complete; and it is only in consequence OF
admissions made with too much laxi,y on
some former occasions-especially in the
Interpretation ol'he treaty Of Ghent-that
any concurrent right can be admitted TO ex-
list in the United States TO any portion OF
the territory. But from the character OF
the recent foreign policy of the Ameri-
caos, and the extraordinary declarations Of
Mr. Polk. it is evident that no argument
will produce any effect; and we can scarce
ly anticipate tina: government so const:-
tuted and directed will even take dlspas-
sionate or correct survey Of the frightiui
and inevitable consequences Of its extrav-
agant references of diplomatic questions
to popular clamor.
According 10 all ordinary political calcu-
lations, and assuming thai Mr.. Folks in
augural address yrs the manifesto of a
government, and not mere declamations
for the musings, the President already
finds himself and the Union, placed in pre-
Sc ice Of Two wars, for the avowed purpose
Of territorial ggrandizement, and in direct
violation of the whole policy Of America,
from Gen. Washington to Mr.. Webster
The one with Mexico is SO imminent, that
we are awaiting with anxiety the next ar
rivals from that countrg; the other with
Great Britain is more remote, but also
more inevitable; if the menances of the
Americans are anything but mere vaporing
and buster. Under these circumstances,
a statesman Of ordinary caution would d.
rect the yublc attention, not only 10 the
passions and the objects which are likely
TO cause these wanton and wicked contests,
but TO the consequences which must attend
them. The Unted States government is
very ap. TO provoke qnarrels, but it is very
i'll prepared TO carry them on. The same
Democratic folly which makes them AFRO
gan, in the cabinet, makes them habiiualy
feeble in all that constitutes a nations
strength in the field.
In military peRt Of view, the conse-
quences Of declaration of war by the go
vernment Of MEXICO against the United
States, would probably be contemplate and
iRdecisive; for neither of the bellgerents
possesses an army at all proportioned TO
the vast extent of the operations necessary
to accomplish any practical result. But if
the actual comics; on land would probably
degenerate into something little better than
the partisan warfare Of the states of South
America, it is not the less certain that the
state Of cdr between the two countries,
and the exercise o.! beilgerent rights,
would be attended with most serious CON
sequences, not only to themselves, but to
neutrals all over the world The system
of letters of marque, which the Ameri-
cans themselves made no small use of in
their last war with Great Britain, places
the whole commerce of the United States,
unde!ended as it is by any considerable
naval forces, at the mercy Of the priva-
teers and adventures Of all nations: and
IN war entirely provoked BIZ American
rapacny and violence, no usages which
have ever been justified by the laws of ma
lions, and by the example Of the United
States, couo be regarded as unwarranta-
bic.
The Mexican territory commands both
! oceans, ana the position of the port of Ac-
apulco on the Pacific would facilitate the
most extensive operations against the
whole Asiatic trade of the United States
and their South Sea whale fisheries, Such
a war would be inglolious and repugnan,
to the interests of civilization; but i, would
be worthy Of the nefarious transactions in
which II had originated, and if Mexico has
been pIundered OF province by her pow.
erIul re'ghbor, the practices Of war would
amply justify her in making reprisal.
wherever she can find them. Letters O.
marQue reflect no honor. and are of n,
great advantage 10 power which may bt
duly represented on the seas by its own
cruisers; but they tend TO remove the mari
time disparity which exists between tvs
states Ike Mexico andthe Union, and the,
are not an improper weapon in the hand
OF the weak for retaliation on the aggres
sions Of the strong.
1t is extraordinary that The United State
should have advanced so near TO the brnl
OF war as to have carried through the Sen
ate measure for anEexng Texas. an,
tailed by only two votes in measure ro
ssIz'ng Oregon, without having taken an,
PercepnbIe care 10 provide for the mean
oil cohsummatlng such unaparalled acts. o
defending themselves from the conse0uen
ces of them. Are they not aware rat il
proportion as they assume the Illegal exer
else of sovereign rights On the deser, shore
oI the Pacific, they expose the populou
= coasts of the Atlantic TO the broadsdes an
e blockade of British heelsl Have they for
gotten, IN their anxiety TO extend ,heir..do
mPStic in Siilu,iDnS" IN tho ,,,L IL. 49,. -