The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1847-01-12
From the Philadelphia Spirit of the Tunes.
PRESIDENT POLK AND SANTA ANN,

From the philadelphia Spirit of the Times
PRESIDENT POLK AND SANTA ANNA
We have received long Communication ,,no,
subject already so exhausted of novelty that W.
s"newhat dislike to expend the time and alien
lion necessary to par,icularize its features. Tn.
subject wa alude Ia is the saeac,y or imprudencs
msniiest,d by the President in permitting S,p,,
Anna Ia land al Vera Cruz 81 p,isl 81 80"
The Federal press take, Of course, but one view
of the matter. They are rarely inst enough 70
investigate the real character of any measure ON,
mating from Democratic adminis ration and II
we except in occasional instances Of extraurdioarv
generosity. (repeuted Of almost as soon as perrs.
trated.) they never presume to suggest that The
c"nduct ot Democratic Executive can possibly
be governed by any hut corrupt motives
For ourselves. wv lille seeking constantly 10 main.
tain honest principles and disseminate the truth.
we scorn I" pin our political faith to the sleeve If
any individual however Distinguished We sbmd
not hesitate tn reprehend act Of The Prpsden,
it criminal or unjust. Political sympathy wouM
not sway us under such circumstances Our
c"nnlry first. aud our party afterwards, is our
m"tto u. IN any event. the interests and progress
OF the two be NOT, as usual. Identical
As regards the admission of Santa Anna n,n
Vera Cruz. the explanation of the President m his
Message TO Congress. and The proprety of The
course he adopted appears To us So very clear and
satisfactory. that we confrss we are surprised
when men Of proper intelligence profess 10 qnes.
ton either. Santa Anna, wnen proceeding from
Havana la Vera Cruz. was not representative
OF Mexico nor Of Mexican authority. He was
private citizen. What RIGHT lad we to ares,
him? What apology could We have made to
Great Britain for mrciblv removing from British
vessel. a man who hore about him no evidences
of association with our enemies F? What would
rifot, "A Al -.
pect due 10 her flag, by sna,chng from lis pro.
lection one. in regard to whose sympathy with
Mexico we had M official intelligence, and whose
appearance was strictly neutral as that pf any
other private citizen of Havana that the steam.
er. as an acknowledged neutral, might have con-
tanned
II strikes us that this is very grave snhiec, for
reflection. We have had causes enough If quar-.
rel with Great Britain, without taking pains 10
encourage few more And the very Federal
journals that affect TO he indignant al the non.
arrest of Santa Anna on boa I'd The British steamer,
would have been the first TO pronounce the arrest,
had it been effected. a heinous outrage, and to
denource the folly that could 90 so far to provoke
the just retaliation of the British government
There would not have been amongst the British
press newspaper so loud, so vehement, SD de-
mandatory ut the madness Of such an act. chad it
been conmited.) as these Federal sheets of our
country which. for want Of some other subject Of
abuse. have exhausted our language Of oheclives
IN their endPavor To cundemn the President for
has craftsmanship and sagaciiy IN letting Santa
Anna alone And in this we may perceive the
INSCRIPTIONS part they ordinarily perform we
may appreciate The parllzanship that, in its IN.
lensity. can forget all tina, a patriot holds dear
and find but food for malice in that wisdom which
guides our country through critical coniunciures
with triumph and success
This IS The simple, common sense view 0f tie
facts IN the ease in qnestion; and we put them
plainly 10 our readers that they may clearly IN.
dPrsiand the impotence of ihuse who MAINTAIN
that President Polk should ha e ordered The arrest
ut Santa Anna. and the ignorance Of those who
fancy II could have been dune without committing
serl"us national fdur pas. and without involving
the United States IN smother difficulty while she
had SD Important 0ne yet ON hand We NAV be
told by our correspondent that Great Britain acted
similarly when she held Bonapane 50 many Yeas
as prisoner of war, when he was in fact prl'
vatr eIltzen. and in M nner identified with the
conduct Of her enemy. But the eases are by no
means parallel Bonaparie had headed The armies
of France diligently and pertinacionsly against
those of the Allied Powers Of which Great Britain
formed distinguished part. Santa Anna bad
placed himself 10 no such hostile POSITION in re-
laiIbn to The United States. BnnapaTte volnn'
"bJ UiuStii IO Wnat ne was plPdStu
tn call British generosity. Santa Anna did m.
Thing If the KIND and il is not asked why tie
President did not accept him as prisoner, but
Why did he not seize him, and that while moy.
ing in perfectly private capacity under the pro'
tection of neutral 6agl
Our correspondent is is error in imagining that
there exists any resemblance between The eases
IN discussion. Aud more than this. Great Britain
herself never pretended to plead anything but ne.
ceSsity lnr The detention Of Bonaparre al ST. Ile.
lena. Ut was clearly an act uf nalinnal arcciiy'
deliberately perpptrafed without shadow of right,
and only tolerated by Europe because The whole
continent irembled at NapnleOn's maine, and hsd
NOT The msgnanifniy 10 extend to him that cum
mon justice, " hich they wond philanrhropicaly
disorgsnize the world to secure 10 any other bit
much mure ahiect sufferer in bnndaoe FnpIand
herself wnnd have sriven 10 shake the earth 10
It's centre, in order To msnumii slave in America,
at The very mUment that she was holding. in De
hsnce Of every law, human and divine. NOBLE
spirit IN The worst pf chains upUn barren isle 10
the Atlantic ocean,
So much for justice. Were we 10 talk NJ *.
pPdiency. p"licy &c, we might ss we'll ak our
correspondent " II would have been ssgaenns 10
have compelled Santa Apna to absent himself
from mexc0 in order that, under Paroles, The
war with the United States might he prolonged
To an lndefinite period2 Paroles was negotiating
with Europe. for tho purpose of securing Faro
pean assistance 10 the war, ADD olimalely esisb'