Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-11-03
WHOLESALE ANNEXATION.
NM. mo pent up Utica contracts our powers,

.No pent up Utica contracts our powers
1hls whole boundess continent is ours"
The editor of the Philadelphia Ledger must be a
man oil enlarged views and of a foresight of which
few men can boast. He looks with a clear vision
into the far off future and can calculate to a hair
what should be done in the present to provide for
the state OF things which he discovers i'm the future
lie thinks our country, although large enough
Tor present purposes, will not be sufficient some f
~ or hundred years hence, when our population
will have increased to hundred millions and more,
He saws
The migratory and adventurous spirit of the A.
mercan people will not be checked till the cntipent
Is lled up, and then only because it is full In the
mean mc II Will be covered with settlers in places
SParsely, but it will be covered. IL this vast popu
ia!ion should divide into separate governments they
VIII have separate and conflicting interests. and
these will the fruitful seeds of wars and dis
sensons Let the history of Europe bear witness
10 the effects Of different nations LIVING con,iDuous
10 each other, with imaginary lines and E,rdable
rivers as boundaries. Let our present war with
mexico also bear witness to the consequences of
dispute between contiguous nations"
This is the condition in which the I,eduer,s pro.
pheuc eye sees we will be placed at some future
day. and here is the provision which he proposes to
make for it:
1--WE are believers in the superintendent of
directing Providence, and when contemplate the
rise and amazing progress of the United States the
nature OF our government, the character of our peo-
pie, and the occurrence of unforeseen events all
'ehulng 10 one great accomplishment we are i'm
pressed with conviction, that the decree is made
ana In the process of execution that this continent
Is to be but nation under one system of free in
stitutions.''
We shall not stop to point out the piety of the
hot
people to be the owners of this whole continent,
and that 1t would be flying in his face (his is the
Legitimate nference,) if we attempted to avoid our
destiny. This is too manifest. But we should be
glad IT the Ledger will draw 50 far upon his hstor
ical information as to furnish us with the example
or any nation, extending for any length of time one
Government over one haIf the territory which he
proposes to embrace in zone nation"
lie may reply that the principles of cur Govern
ment are OF modern discovery and application, and
that, therefore, we must not Judge of our prospects
and tate by the career uf other nations. But the
editor must remember that sufficient time has moi
elapsed so to test system as to enable us to de-
clare how far we can extend it, and that there are
many wise men who declare tina, our territory is
sufficiently large-f not too large at this time
Indeed, ct this moment we are threatened with
question which will endanger the integrity of our
present system, embracing, as it does people ofone
language and common origin. How much more
perii"us Will be questions which must arise, when
by process of annexation we set about acquiring al,
the states OF this continent and placing them rs
one nation" under one Government, must. we
think, be easily seen by one blessed with vision 50
ProPhetc as that of the Philadelphia Ledger. See
ing these difficulties, we think the Ledger and all
continental annexationists are bound to point out the
remedies for them. How are these new States to
be brought in? How are they to be settled7 Rv
'ree OF mixed populations How are they to be
represented on an exclusively white basis, or
according TO federal numbers2 We should like to
see these questions answered, before we set about
the annexation of the whole continent.-Pet. Int