Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-01-27


must content myself by saying thar il results
idrom rs federal ckaracier and the nsmre of il,
Constructive principles. Shall we, then, with
these certain and inevitable COD sequences in a
governmenIbeSteS calculated to resist them than
any osher, adopt such a ruinous policy, and re.
Jeci the lessons Of experienced SO much. then
Mr.. President, for holding Mexico as a prov.
ince.
| come now To the proposition Of incorporo.
tinghsr INTO our UEion. Well, as far as lau
is concerned, Iha. is easy. You can establish
II serEisoTI0 government for every state in Mex.
leo, md there are some twenty Of them. You
SanSPoint Goyernors, judges and magistrates.
-Sou can give the people subordinate govern
'1nent' allowing them 10 legisate for themselves,
whist you deiruy the cost. So far as law goes
Tke hinS is done. There is no analogy be-
tween this and our territorial governments
<oIr territories are only an Offset Of our own peo
pie, or Foreigners from the same rcgior.s from
which we came. They arc small in number.
They are incapable Of forming a government.
Ii would be inconvenieRt for them 10 sustain
government, il il were formed and they are
very much obliged 10 The United States Cor un.
denaklng the trouble, Knowing that on the al.
tanm mt Of their maority-when they come 10
manhoOd-at tweniy-one-lhsy will be intro.
duced 10 an equality with oil the other members
olthe Union. II is entirely different with Mex
lc0. fon have no need armies to keen YOUR
territories IA su6jeclio'I. But when YOU incor.
PaIale Me@lco' you must have powerful armies
TO keep them IN suhection. You may call it an.
RcEasfza, but II Is a forced annexation, which is
contradiction in terms, according to my con.
capHon, You will be involved, in one word, in
all the evils which attribute to holding Mexico
as province. In fact, it will be but proyin.
cial government, undrr the name Of territorial
government. UoW long will that lasl How
long will 1t be before Mexico will be capable Of
incorporation into our Union! Why, il we
Judge from rhe examples before US, il will be
very long lne. ireland has been held in sub.
jectlon by England for seven or eight hundred
years, and yet still remains hostile. although her
people are of kindred race with the conquer.
ors. A few French Canadians on this conli-
nent yet maintain the attitude Of hostile peo.
pie; and never will the Time come, in my opin-
ion. Mr.. President that these Mexicans will
heartily submit 10 your authority. They have
Casilllan blood in their vens-lhe old Gothic,
quite equal TO the Ango.Saxon in many res.
pecls-ln some respects superior. Ofull ma.
lions of the earlh, they are the most perlina-
eous-haye the highest sense of nationality
hold out longest, and often even with the least
prospect of etfecting their object. On this sub.
iect also have coBVersed with officers Of the
army, and they all entertain the same opinions
that these people are now hostile, and will con-
tlnue so.
But, Mr.. President, suppose all these difficult.
lies removed. Suppose ihose people attached
10 our Union, aud desirous of incorporating with
us, ought we 10 bring them ini Are they fit TO
be connected with US! Are ey fit for sel.gov.
ment aud for governing you2 Are you, any Of
you willing that your States should be governed |
by these twenty odd Mexican States, with pop.
ulaion Of only one million of your blood, and
two or three millions Of mixed blood, better in.
formed, all the rest pure Indians, mixed blood
equally ignorant and unfit for duty, impure ra.
ces, not as good us The Cherokees or the Choc.
iawsl
We make great mistake, sir, when we sup.
pose that oil people are capable of sclfgovern.
ment. We are anxious 10 force free govern.
nent on all: aud ] see that it has been urged
IN very respectable quarter, that il is the mis- /
Hon this country 10 spread civil aDd religious
liberty over all the world, aud especially over
ihis continent. 1t is great mistake. None
but people advanced to very high state Of NOR
al and intellectual Improvement are capable, in .
civilized state, of maintaining free govern.
menI; aud amongst those who are so purified,
very few indeed. have had The good fortune of
forming a Constitution capable Of endurance
1t is a remarkable fact in the history of man,
that scarcely ever have free popular institutions
been formed by wisdom alone that have en-
dured.
II has been the work Of fortunate circumslan.
oes or combination OF circumstances, u sue
eession of fortunate incidents of some kind,
which give 10 any people free governmenl.-l
It's very difficult task to make Constitution
TO last, though it may be supposed by some that
they can be made 10 order aud furnished at the
shortest notice. Sir, this admirable Consu.
ton Of our oWn was tho result of q fortunate
combination Of circumstances. Ii was superb
or 10 the wisdom of the men who made il. 1t
was the force OF circumstances which induced
them TO adopt most of its wise provisions. Well,
sir, of tho few nations who have the good for.
tune 10 adopt sell'government, few have had
tho good fortune long to preserve that govern
menI; for it is harder 10 preserve than 10 form
a.. Few people, after years of prosperity, re.
member the tenure by which their liberty is
held; and ioar Senators, that is our own con-
dilon. fear that we shall continue to involve
ourselves until our system becomes ruin
Sir there is no solicude for liberty. Who
talks of liberty when any great question comes
upl Here is question Of tho first magnitude
.as to the conduct of this war; do you hear any
body talk dbout its effects upon our liberties and
our free insIiluGonsl No sir. That was not
the case formerly. In the early stages of our
government the great anxiety was how to pre-
serve liberty. The great anxiety now, is for
the attainment Of mere military glory. In The
one We are forgetting The other. The maxim
,or former times was, lha. power was always
siealinn from the mnnY 10 tho few. tho nrine Of