The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-06-13

injurious to our relations with that country. wa,
suming the shape of strong and regularly or.s-
lied opposition To calm the approaching storm !,
home, it was the tyrants policy to raise bres,.
the North, to dispense the clouds that threatensd
the West The British minister was summonsS y
the palace, and coseted with the minister of ~
eign relations, Mr.. Rejon. Mr.. Rejon's note 10 M,
shannon, the product of that interview throv,a.
aside common courtesy and diplomatic elioosv
teemlng with insults and slanderous abuse Of Il,
United States and their government, was no,sa,
out, through the official press, like a cask of ~
thrown from the strained ship to still the raging y.
around it. ~
What was Mr.. Shannon to do9 Should h. h.,
demanded his passports, and returned home, tn.
was what the tyrant and his ally and coadutor IN
British minister, desired. Should he smplv h.,s
acknowledged the receipt Of this offensive nos sSI
referred it to his government to answer; tn.
would have been to admit the truth of Mr.. R.;oas
stale ISLANDERS, and his own inability to apsv.'
them, or to vindicate his government Sbould n.
have followed the example of the French mni,,..
In the 'Tobasco correspondence, and boldly a.
nounced the tyrant, while he unmarked his az.
hood, and repealed his insolent ISLANDERS, he Lns
that his government, clogged by party. could NO, !,
disposed give him that decided support 0 wS;o n0
fearless and faithful minister of France was sur. "
meet with from his King. What then was le0 hin
to doi Nothing but to meet the issue boldly wb;,s
he did--in an extraordinary crisis to ADOPT an !,
traordnary course--to meet the charges Of the M,Y
lean minister in the same manner in which tb,v
were made; to charge home upon him, and throusI
him upon his master, the falsehood and decep,;sa
attempted to be practised upon the Mexican peopk
and to prove 1t on them; to arraign the minister ~
tensibly, but Santa Anna in fact, before the Mes.
can people, to whom he know the whole corr.
pondence would have TO be Immediately subm,,sd
Severe as has been the censure passed upon M
Shannon's diplomacy by those who knew no,hi,.
Of the motives or reason of the course he p1rsu,T
the tribunal, to which both he and Santa Anna ~
pealed, decided in his favor; and the best jus,a.
ton of his course is to be found in the issue orI
revolution, which followed.
Some editorial wiseacres have been vastly amused
with what they are pleased to call Mr.. Shannon,
stupidity in copying Mr., Calhoun's letter Of insruc
tons, and sending 1t to the Mexican minister as M
own. That MIR. Shannon kept close to the letter AZ
his instructions is apparent But have read all h,
correspondence attentively and can no where SDd
that he claimed to be doing more than subm,mr
the views OF his government according to the letter
of his instructions. Whether those ins,ruc,iop,
were meant to be submitted to the Mexican govern.
ment entire, or only to serve as guide for M
Shannon, no one, who understands the posture Il
affairs in Mexico at the time can read them after.
lively without admitting that they were ably writp
and peculiarly adapted to the occasion. They weu
IN fact, most adroit and mastery attack upon Ii,
bloody murderer of the brave Fannin; and, toee,h,r
with Mr.. Shannon's much-abused reply to Mr.. Re |
Jon, followed up first by the charge, made BY Gen
Paroles, that his atrocities had made the Mexi,p
name odious among nations, and that his policy wa
to amuse the people with the expectation Of war I
a pretext to Cypress them with onerous exactiom
and cover for his ambitious designs, and after
wards, by the interception of his correspondents
with the British minister and the disclosure Of hi
negotiations for the sale of California to Great Bril-
ain, formed one of the elements of the late revolu
ton, which, at the same time, freed Mexico from
the most grievous oppression that that unfortun.a
country had ever groaned under, and removed one /
great obstacle to the settlement of our dificultes
and the establishment of friendly relations with that L
country.
The overthrow of Santa Anna was triumph d 4
liberty and virtue over despotism and vice. ItuaI
now no longer be questioned, that it was no less |,
triumph Of American over British policy; victory
gained by the United States over Great Britain, il
the contest for supremacy on this continent and de-
tined to be followed by others. The governmental N
Santa Anna was great obstacle in our way; his r.
moval, great object to be gained. So long a he II
was possessed of power, British policy advised d.
rected, and controlled his action towards this cous
try. The English were his friends and counsellor
They shared with him the spoils of oppressed and
plundered Mexico, and openly and without concsa.
ment lent their aid to maintain his power Il On "
no longer be denied that England is earnestly ~
licitous to defeat the annexation of Texas and la
she has equIvocated and intrigued to effect her Oh
ject. Whether, therefore, we look to the Texas y
sue alone or to the question of our general relation
with Mexico, the overthrow of Santa Anna was
great victory gained. Mr.. Calhoun's letter Of In
structions, which arraigned him before the Mexin
people for the stain inflicted on their name BY th
blood n md fhe har oh IN
whole Texan war; and Mr.. Shannon's letter.
which ne charged home upon him the deception
tempted to be practsed upon the Mexican peopk
supported by the declaration of General Parcels
that hls policy was TO amuse the people with
the idea OF war, as cloak for his ambticuI
designs, were the first adroit and skfal thruadI
his power. His British friend and ally bundsn4
when he advised him to publish the correspondent
denounce the United States, buster about war, anil
seize the occasion TO put down the Congress and
declare himself dictator, on the pretext that il vnt
necessary to the energetic prosecution Of the wa
lie Numbered again when he openly advocated GtI
tyrants cause by denouncing the new tariff declared
by Gen. Paroles and the chiefs Of the popular forces
and cautioned all British subjects against paying dp
hes to the rebel officers. He blundered again whd
ne committed the indiscretion of committing to tI8
per the evidence Of his intrgues with the yrant ta
the acquisition Of the CALIFORNIA;. And last GiI
worst blunder Of all, John Bull forgot himself whs
IN the hasty mission of Capt Elliott to Mexico, MI
cloak was suffered to fly open and display the clova
foot; when he advised the recent memorial Of Dbl
Louis Cuevas, Minister of Foreign Relations, to hl
Congress of Mexico (see National Intelligence
LIST May, 1885, in which, after frankly admlnA
That "a icdr acih Isras ,couid be a series Of bnrs
sacrifices; that for JMerico 10 attempt 10 annihilat
Ierians, or induce them to abandon their inrias
coaid be lille less than absurd; thai to beliers thai Tel
rs could continue united TO Merico, rould an mel
'usatfe error; and that no po,cer tcithin the acr0
Mer'co could accomplish such labor" it is propo'A
70 recognize the independence of Texas, on CONT
non that she will not agree to annexation. This vi
woful blunder, for it has removed the last frai
oediment TO the annexation of Texas; it has slenca
he clamor of the partisans of Mexico in the Qnla
States, about injustice to Mexico it has left Mex@E
no pretext or excuse for that declaration Of WI,
which, had Santa Anna remained in power, woua
certainly have followed the annexation of Texas
he United States.
The fall Of Santa Anna in Mexico, and the passsgl
'f the Texas resolutions by both houses ofthe Co1
sress of the u. States--each of which evenuw
l glorious triumph of liberty and republlcanrm1
seem to have thrown John Bulls willy dipomaun
On their beam ends. Their last incauious beno's
was fatal. They gave Santa Anna better Govt
Acting under that advice, the official organ Of IN
Annals government on the 18th of November, lopIX