Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser., 1845-02-15

/ sally 1Ortn 10 re0FeSS ali the RIleV0nCGS ~
the civilized world. That has never, 50
far, been the policy ofour country. Greece
and Poland had more or less Of our SYM
pathy, and that was all. We assumed not
to decide ON the British dcings in Afghan
istan, Or to Judge the conduct Of the opium
war against China. But Texas is our
next neighbor, and was once under our
special guardianship. We are, to employ
the law phrase in its strictest sense, her
nearest FRIEND. To U.S. if to any nation
upon earth, she has right to look for suc-
cor and protection. Shall we forsake her
now? @
If such be our decision, it bslooves ,,s,
as prudent men, fully to digest our plan:
and trace il 10 its final consequences.
Say that We remain inactive and neutral,
and suffer things to take their course
What happens? just at this moment Mev-
leo is embroiled al home. But her civil
wars are ever Of short duration. And 10
Texas it matters little which Of the .barba-
rians triumph. They have both, like Han
nibal at the altar, sworn eternal enmity to
her. They vie with each other in protes-
tations Of zeal. Death and destruction to
the Texians!-that, even now, is the theme
of every despatch, the burden Of every
proclamation. The Victor, be he Paredes
or Santa Anna, is pledged TO carry out,
without delay, in all its barbarity, the men
aced Invasion. To sustain and give bril-
liancy to newly-gotten power, he must re-
deem his pledge. Imagine the sequel!-
The Rio Bravo is crossed. Another
league, andla ruffian soldiery swords
vet wet with the blood of their country
men-enter the doomed land. Must call
up before You the scenes that are to ensue?
Cruel, at best, and terrible, is the trade Of
war! But q war Of determination! A
war, where the eye pities not! where the
sword spares not! where the command Is,
to save alive none that breathel Conquer
ors, even in the flush of victory, have
wept over field Of battle, where the strong
man died, his weapon in bis hand, the frown
Of defiance yet unfaded from his brow
But field Of slaughter, indiscriminats
slaughter, slaughter Of the defenceless, the
nnresisting!--a field, where mingle, detiled
in dust and gore, the white locks Of vener-
able age and the fair soft hair Of ,unoffend-
ing childhood! Think--think what It is
this carnage Of nation, without distinc-
ton Of age, Of condition--there is yet more
--of SEX!-Do you remember the words
of the Dramatist?
"The man who lays his hands upon a woman,
Save in the way Of kindness. is wretch,
Whom 'twere base hattery 10 call COW ard!''
And it is .woman-itis thai gentle being
whom the desert lion himself is said to pits
and to spare-it is the young mother--her
infant charge sheltered in her arms--it is
the wife and mother, fleeing TO rescue her
person from the pollution Of brutal ban
ffeis marasfSss sass sf ssfaAa 3f her bosom from
adopt, in all their cold official atrocl1y, ns
words Of the decree Of blood, who, if she
be trash enoughto fy,'-at the sight o.
this approaching horde Of assassins-is td
be apursued until taken, or put to death!''
And what then? The report Of these deeds
Of crime and shame is to come to us across
the Sabine. The story Of each succeeding
brutality is to sink down, in al its damn
ing details. into the hearts Of our people.
The South, with her fiery pulse and her
hot chivalry, is to hear it. The West, with
her fearless spirit and her quick sympa-
thies, is to hear it. The, North--yes, the
North, less quickly reused, yet bearing,
under her snow, warm heart Of pity--is
to hear it. And, when the shadow Of these
deeds of darkness has settled down, like
pall over the entire land, l ask it yet again,
what then?-s.It is no concern Of ours.--
Let them perish!"- that be the Ian
cuagc--that the spirit--of young America9
but her adopted child--even l dare, in
this, to answer for her. No, no; thou
sand times no! We may turn over here
the leaves ofinusty volumes; we may quote
black letter within these walls, in proof
that it is our bounden duty TO stand pas
sively by, without an effort to save, with
out protest to avert, and see our brethren
Of Texas, their wives and their little ones
butchered before our eyes. See If the
\, People will not make the case their own
We have not yet, in this hemisphere
reached the age Of placid indifference. A
nations early youth, like mans, is full o
warm and generous impulse. You will SEE
il! Mark what the decision Of this na.ior
will be! That we have right tointerlere
) I tell YOU, no!--other than that will bt
her language that We have no right Z
hold back! There is law more holy, ial
more imperative than the law ot the stat
ute book-the unwritten law Of the human
, heart-that law which taught the Samari'
! tan that TIE was the ncighber Of him VIII,
fell among thieves. And that law, speak
1 ing from the hearts Of young and mob.
E people, will declare 10 us, that II we pas
{ by on the other side and abandon on
} neiqhbors Of Texas to their fate, ours j
: the crime, ours is the scandal, ours. be
fore the whole world, the shame! And 8
!, it is! When we sit tamely Gown unde
!, threats like these--when mercy and cour
: age are 50 quenched within us, that "
: suffer, unprotected. outr age thus iniamou
+ on the law Of nature and Of nations--oui
: rage, we are expressly told, that is
e spread its crimson stain even 10 its yer
5 borders-then let our, fair national escu,ch
: con traiL shamc-stained in the dust; W
t are not worthy 10 give ils brpad folds
d the free and gentle breeze q Heaven!
g l speak warmly, sir, I feel warmly
\ Who, may touch on subjects like that wit
IL quiet pulse2 Yet do | place my conf
: dence in an appeal to sober judgment, n
|. Y "a h.efv nassion hut ask you, 70 loo