Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1847-11-09


lie had been thoroughly tried. thoroughly
understood, and thoroughly confides in
His independence was unIoubted. his in
te9rity proverbal. and his politics Of tn
truast Wing stamp In this character he
now stands before This nation: with moth
ing in his recent position that should de-
duct from it; but everything that should
give additional force and influence toit. Ii
his opposition 70 appropriations for farther
prosecution Of the War. lac certainly. al
every risk OF disadvantage 10 his own per-
sonal influence took the highest ground Of
opposition to Executive inisrulc: and. whe-
ther right or wrong in the judgment which
marked his course. he has won reruta-
ton for integrity and frmne~s Of which
any statesman OF any age might well be
proud.
We could not consent 10 close this hur-
ried sketch without citation from that great
speech. which. approve or condemn il a
YOU willard there are many true minded
endurlnglv with the history of our time.
We quote from the concluding passage:
.Nr. President. this uneasy desire TO
augment our territory has depra,cd the
moral sense. and blighted the otherwise
keen saracitv of our people. What ha,
been the fate of all nations who have act
ed upon the idea that they must advanced
/, ~,
fcrsid. but fatally mistaken zeal. They
cali it BY the mysterious name of destiny.
Our destiny. they say. is onward. and
hence they argue. with ready SophstrN,
the propriety OF scizng upon any territory
and any people. that may lie il the way OF
our fIted advance Recently these Pro-
grcsei,cs have grown classical: some as
siduous student of antiquities has helped
them to a patron saint. They have wan
dred back into the desolated Pantheon
and there. among the Polvtheistic relics Of
that pale mother Of dead empress they
have fund God whom these Romans
centuries gone by: baptized Terminus
Sir | have heard much and read some
what Of tAS gentleman. Terminus. Alex
amber. of whom | have -polson- de-
voice of this divinity. We have seen the
end of him and his empire. It was said
to be an attribute Of this god that he must
airnys advance. and never rccede. So
both republican and imperial Rome belley-
ed. 1t was. as they said. their destiny;
and for while. il did seem to be even 50.
Roman Terminus did advance. Under
the eagles Of Rome. he was carried from
his home on the Iibcr. to the iarthest East
OF one hand and to tho far est. among
,hc then barbarous tribes of Western Eu-
rope. on the other. But al length the time
came. when retributive justice had become
"A destiny The dcspised Gaul calls out
70 the condemned Goth. and Attia, with
his Huns. answers back the hattc-Shout to
both. The .bluc-cved nations OF the
North. in succession or united. pour forth
theircountless hosts of warriors upon Rome
and Bome's ALWAYS advancing GOD Ter
minus And now the battle-aXc of the
barbarian strikes down the conquerine
eagle Of Rome Terminus. at last recedes.
slowly at first. but finally he is driven to
Rome. and from Rome 10 Bvzantium.
Whoever would know the farther fate of
this Roman deity. 50 lately taken under
the patronage Of American Democracy.
may find ample qualification of his curiosi-
" IN the luminous pages of Gibbons
Decline and Fall Such will find that
Rome thought as You now think. that il
was her destiny to conquer provinces and
and. ne doubt. She sometimes
said. as YOU say. i Will conquer peace
And whore now is shc-the Mistress of
the Norld2 The spider weavcs his web
in her palaces: the owl sings his watch
song in her towers. TcutoAic power now
lords il over the servilc remnant. the mis-
cradle mento Of old and once omnipotent
Rome. Sad. very sad. arc the lessons
which time has written for us. Through
and in them all. see nothing but the in
flexible execution Of that old law: which
ordains as eternal thc cardinal rule. Thou
shalt not covet thy neighhor's goods. nor
any thing which is his Since have
lately heard so much about the ,lismcmber-
ment of Mexico, | have looked back to
see how. in the course Of events. which
some call Providence il has Jared with
other nations. who engaged in this work 81
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. | see that IL the latter
half of the eighteenth century. three pow
arfIl nations. Russia. Austria and Prussia.
united in the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Poland.
They said too. as you say. II is our des-
tiny They wanted room Doubtless.
,'th OF these thought with his snare OF
/ oiand. his power was too strong ever =
lear INVASION or even insult Ono had his
-+s..'ss'..aa..~sElnt.tkser his NeA Mexico: AMI +
a third his Vera Cruz Did they remain
untouched and incapable of harrn2 Alas,
no; far. very far from it, Retributiye
Justice must fulfil il destiny. TOO. 4 very
few years pass off. and we hear of new
man. a Corsican lieutenant. the self-named
armed soldier of Democracy Napoleon
tie ravareS Austria. he covers her land
with blood. drives the Northern Cesar from
lis capital, and sleeps in his palace. Aus
ria may now remember how her power
rampled upon Poland.-lid she not pay
lear. very dear. for her California,
but has Prussia no atonementta make?
on see this same Napoleon. the blind in
,trument of Providence. at work there.
The thunders Of his cannon at lena pro-
.lam the work Of rptributiOn for po1and.S