The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-06-07
CO M MUNICATIONS,.
Communicated.
WASHINGTON, June 6. 1876.


Communicated
WAsHNeros, June 6, ls45.
Mr.. Poinsett in his "Notes on Mexico written
in 1922, thus speaks of the Emperor lturbide:
His usurpstion Of the chief authority has the most
garng and unusfable and his exercise Of power arti
ing exterior and by lavish proson. he has attached the
and soldiers to his person, and SO long as he
will maintain himself on the thrones when these nil he
VII DC pTecipated nom II 4 10 maxim Of history
that no, oandsd on pubic opinion hut e.
ana supported by corruption and violence cannot
& psnssns s% a 70 the ssS e
and OF the probable consequences himself their failure
sd snss TO negotiate loan. in Engand
country that i Is possible he may effect his object The
conditions o. loan have been agreed upon, and agen,
for the same destination with all the pomp Of an embassy
great dsy ssedsy nad ss me Sn
his Majesty to prepare collections 10 be England
That the Emperor Iterbide should seek to concil-
late Great Britain, and TO connect himself by init.
mate diplomatic relations with that government.
rather than with that Of the United Statess natural
enough, even had not his necessity for money 10
day his troops forced him to seek the aid Of the
bankers and capitalists of England. 1t was the in.
terests of his government that his subjects should
know as little Of our institutions and hold little
intercourse with republicans as possible On the
18th March, 1923, however, Iturbde was forced to
abdicate the THRONE and on the I'd February follow
ing, government, federal and republican, like that
of the United States, was adopted. In 1926, Mr..
Poinsett was accredited our minister to the new
republic. Everything seemed to promise favora-
bic issue to his mission. 1t was natural to suppose
that Mexico would be ready to meet her first friend
warmly, and that the new republic would incline to-
wards the government of the United States, repub-
lcan like ITSELF rather than to the monarchies Of
Europe. Our minister was man of consummate
talents and address, of all men, perhaps, the best
suited to the occasion; as, TO great Abilities he SUI
peradded thorough knowledge of the language of
the country-an essential requisite in minister
An enthusiast too, in the cause of South American
liberty distinguished for the zeal with which he had
advocated their cause in the Congress- of the United
States, 1t was to be supposed that he would be most
acceptable to the Mexican government and people.
But the result Of his mission was anything but
satisfactory. The same necessity for money to
maintain the army, which pressed upon Iturbide,
drove the new government, republican it was, TO
court the favor of the British government, and
the aid OF British capitalists. the government of
1924 can, with almost little Justice be said to
have been founded public opinion as can that of
lturbide. The revolution, in which it originated
and which overthrow the imperial throne, grew out
Of the personal resentment of Santa Anna to the
Emperor, who had taken the part Of his enemy,
Echavarr, in private quarrel. Santa Anna who, in
the language ofMr. Poinsctt, had previously always
shown the most devoted attachment to his imperial
MASTER excited his regiment TO- declare against him,
Detection rapidly followed in the ranks Of the i'm
peral followers, and lturbde, being soon left with.
out an army, was forced to abdicate. Thus this,
like all the Mexican revolutions since, save the
last, less the act of the people than of the army
The new government, which sprung from such
parentage, far from being firmly established
tary force threatened it every side; and, by cre-
aiing necessity for an army and for money, forced
it to look to England for aid.
Iquote again from Mr.. Poinsett's work, written at
the time s#
THE most serious difficulty the government labors IN
der arises ont Of the state Of the finances of the country
by the lavish expenditure offormer administrations They
support themselves for short period by loans but
the of the country drawn from
the resources Of the country by well organized system
of finance loan Of 600 has been contracted for
London and in order to answer the Immediate exigences
Of government the sum Of 900 has been borrowed
from the house Of Robert Staples Co., OF London who
Thus, when Mr.. Ponsett arrived in that country,
British influence was already in the ascendant; and
instead of meeting with that cordial reception which
he had so much reason to expect every attempt
on his part to negotiate was received with the most
unaccountable coldness, suspicious, and delays and
the treaty Of friendship, commerce, and naviga
tion which might have been completed in a week
ness and kind feeling which he and his government
had always displayed cost years Of laborious and
yexatious diplomacy before it could be completed
In MIR. Van Burens despatch to Mr.. Butler, Of 10th
October, 1929, quoted in my last communication
the conduct of Mexico towards us from the COM
nencement Of Mr.. Poinsett's mission is ably re-
viewed, bitterly complained of, and attributed to
"snisier intgues, harig for their object TO msiead the
eriean people, and to force the national government to
acts 81 hostility" towards us.
Whenever Great Britain and the United States
came in contact, in Mexico in Europe in Texas,
everywhere, we behold the same game of "sinister
ntrigues," which General Cass so ably exposed in
the Of the quintuple treaty, which rendered
difficult for Mr.. Poinsett, with all his acknowledged
talents and address, TO negotiate simple treaty of
friendness and commerce with Mexico, and Of which
we have 30 notable an example in the recent pro-
ceedings of Captain Elliott and his secret visit to
Mexico.
The figure Of mother and daughter so often used
to illustrate our relation to Great Britain, is incor-
rect. The relation which that country bears TO the
United States and to all other nations is that which
exists between the elder son. who seeks to enforce
TO the uermost the feudal right Of primogeniture,
and younger who claims and shows DISPOSE
ton to maintain his right TO equal share of the in
herance. She claims the privilege of the frs-born;
and Esau sought the life Of Jacob for interfering
with his birth-right, she looks with deadly eye
all who evince desire for more than the crumbs
which fall from her table.
Your Obedient servant