Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-12-30


was partial TO that country, and lnsncere In Their
apparent efforts to restore peace.
AT present, all these principles would seem to
have been abandoned. The most Just, purely
defensive war, aud no other is justfable, is ne
cessarily attended with train of great and I'M
avodable evils. What shall we say OF one, in
iquitous in its origin, and provoked by ourselves,
of war of aggression, which is now publicly
avowed TO be one of intended conquest?
Ii persisted in, its necessary consequences will
be, permanent increase Of our military eslab-
lshment and of executive patronage; lis gener.
al tendency, TO make man hate man, to awaken
his worst passions, to accustom him to the taste
of blood. 1t has already demornllzed no consld- |
cradle portion of the nation.
The general peace which has been preserved
between the great European powers during the
last thirty years, may not be ascrbed to the pnr-
est motives. BE these what they may, this long
and unusual reposo has been most beneficial 10
the cause of humanity. Nothing can be more
injurious TO it, more lamontable, more scandal
lous, than the war between two adjacent lepub
lies Of North America.
Your mission was 10 be model for all gov
crnments and for all other less favorable nations,
to adhere to the most elevated principles of po-
htica morality, to apply all your faculties to the
gradual Improvement of your own institutions
and social state, and, by your example, to exert
moral influence most beneficial to mankind at
large. Instead of this, an appeal has been made
to your worst passions; to cupidity TO the thirst
Of unjust ACKNOWLEDGEMENT oy brutal force to the
love Of military fame and of false glory; and ii
has even been tried to pcrvert the nobest feel.
! ings Of your nature. The attempt is made TO
make you abandon the lofty position which your
fathers occupied, to substitute for it the political
morality and heathtn patriotism Of the heroes
and statesmen of antiquity
have said, that it was attempted to perver
even your virtues. Devotedncss TO country, or
patriotism, is most essential virtue. since the
national existence Of any society depends upon
II. Unfortunately, our most yirtuous dispositions
are perverted, not only by our vices and selfish
ness, but also by their own excess. Even the
most holy of our attributes, the religious feeling,
may be perverted from that cause, as was but
too lamentably exhibited in the prosecutions, even
unto death, Of those who were deemed heretcs.
Ii is rot, therefore, astonishD., that patriotism,
carried to excess, should also be perverted. In
the entire dovotedness to their country the peo-
pie everywhere aud at all times, have been too
apt to forget the duties imposed upon them by
justice towards other nations. 1t is against this
natural propensity that you should be specially
on your guard. The blame does not attach to
those who, led by their patriotic feelings, though
erroneous, flock around the national Standard
miratio1, better entitled TO the thanks OF their
country than those who, after war has once ia
ken place, acuaed only by the purest motives,
daily and with the utmost self devotedness, brave
death and stake their own lives in the conflict a.
ganst the actual enemy. ] must confess, that !
do not extend the same charity to those civilians,
who coolly aud deliberately plunge the country
INTO any unjust or unnecessary wa:.
We should have but one conscience: and mo Il
happy would 1t be for mankind, were statesmen
and politicians only as honest in their manage
ment OF The internal or external national con.
Germs, as they are in private life. The irreproach
T able private character Of the President and u
all the members of lis administrations is known
and respected. There is rot one of them who
would not spurn with Indignation the most re-
mote hint that, on similar pretcnces to those al
legged for dlsmemberlng Mexico, he might be ca
pable OF attempting TO appropriate TO hlmselfhi'
neighbours ftru.
l.. In the total absence of any argument that cal
S justify The war in which we are now involved
resort has been had TO most extraordinary as
serton. 1t Is said that the people Of the Unitct
States have an hereditary superiority Of race owe
j the MeXcans, which gives them the right II
: subjugate and keep in bondage the inferior IA
c ton. This, it Is also alleged will be the mean
= Of enlightenlng the degraded Mexicans, of i'm
. proving their social state, and OF ultimately in
creasng the happiness of the masses
: Is 1t compatible with the principle of Democ
k racy, which rejects every hereditary claim of in
+ dlylduals, to admit all hereditary superiority c
= races? You very properly deLy, that the so
:, can, independent Of his own merit, derive an
j. right or privilege Whatever from the merit or 4
G ny other social superiority Of lis father. Ca
You for moment suppose, that a very doubtft
descent from men, who lived one thousand year
ago, has transmitted to you a superiority owe
n your fellow men: But the Anglo SaXons wer
c Inferior to the Golhs, from whom the SpanIrt
= claim 10 be descended; and they were in no RI
. spect superior TO the Franks and to the Burguf
!; dams.
/ It is not to their Anglo. Soyon descent, but
= variety of causes, among which the subseque
e mixture of Frenchifed Normans, Angevins at
Gascons must not be forgotten, that the Eng.is
~ are Indebted for their superior Institutions.
> the progressive improvement Of mankind, inuC
4 more has been due to religious and political il
~ stitut!ons than to races. Whenever the Europ
~ an nations, which, from their language, urc pr
N sumed to belong TO the Latin or Sclavonian rae
l., shall have conquered institutions similar to tho
4. Of England, there will be no trace left of Il
m pretended superiority Of one Of those abo
ID The other. AT this time, the claim is but pr
30 text for covering and JustifyIng unjust usurp
a ton and unbounded ambition.
III But admitting, Win tspecl 10 MEXICO, SuDel
~ orty of race, this conters no superiority otrgh
Among ourselves, the most ignorant, the most i
Ie ferior, either in physical or mental faculties,
w recognized as having equal rights. and he has
,s equal vote with any one, however superior to hi
n in all those respects This is founded on t
So immutable principle that no one man is born vi
nj the right Of governing another man. lie ma
ch indeed, acquire moral influence over othe
to and no other is Legitimate. The same princi(
will apply 10 nations. However superior the A
!, glo-American race may be to that OF MeXiC
~, this gives the Americans no right to infringe
I've on the rights Of the inferior race The people
ba the United States may righttully, and will,
,ai they use the proper means, exercise most be
,,r efcial moral influence over the Mexicans a
'u' other less enlightened nations of America. /
a., You'd this they have no right to 60.
a The allegation that the subjugntion of Mex
.e. would be the means of enlightening the Me
IDS cans, of improving their social state, and Of
d creasing their happiness, is but the shallow
rds tempt to disguise unbounded cupidity and am
ms tion. Truth never was or can be propagated
pie fire and sword, or by any other than purely IN
yer al means. BY these, and by these alone,
Christian religion was propagated, and enabl
"a in less than three hundred years, to conquer i'd
Is airy. During the whole Of that period, CHI
~ tianity was stained by no other blood than I
'oJ of its martyrs.
m. The duties of the people of the United Sta