Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-01-20

In part by these very conquests by the hlgher
classes would crush the laboing masses below.
But has she obtained indemnity from all her sub
iected provinces? On the contrary, instead OF
drawing the means of supporting herself from
them, has she not been compelled to resort to
the labor of her own population to hold them
in subsection? And has she not thrown a bur-
den upon them, which, with all their industry
and skill-with all their vast accumulation of
capital and power of machinery, they are inca
pable of bearing without being reduced to pow
erty? Take even her earliest and nearest con-
quest-the neighboring island of Ireland-is it
not, to this day,a source of heavy expense, and
a burthen to her, instead OF a source of reven-
ne?
But while the English government has such
vast power of holding subjected provinces In
subsection without imparing her liherty-with-
out the evils incident to it, our government
of all free governments that ever existed, has
the least ca pacity to bear patronage proportion
ed to its wealth and power. In thisrespect the
genius of the two governments is precisely the
opposite, however much alike in their exterior
forms, and their lawsand customs. The cause
of this difference Icannot undertake to explain
on the present occasion, but must content my
self by saying that it results from its federal
character and the nature of its conservative
principles. Shall we, then, with these certain
and inevitable consequences in a government
better calculated to resist them than any other,
adopt such a ruinous policy, and reject the les
sons of experience? So much then, Mr.. Pres
ident, for holding Mexico as a province.
/ come now to the proposition of incorpora-
ting her into our Union. Well, as far as law
isconeerned, that is easy. You can establish a
territorial government for every state in Mexi-
CO, and there are some twenty of them. You
can appoint governors, judges and magistrates.
You can give the people a subordinate govern
ment, allowing them to legislate for themselve
whilst you defray the cost, So far as law goes
the thing is done. There is no analogy be-
tween this and our territorial governments
n Our territories are only an offset of our own
people. Or foreigners from the SAM regionsfrom
which we came. They are small in number.
They are incapable OF forming a g~overnment.-
r 1t would be inconvenient for them to sustain
' a government, if it were formed; and they are
! very much obliged to the United States for UNI
f dertaking the trouble, knowing that on the at
E tainment of their m~ajority-when they come
to manhood-at twenty one-they will be in
troduced to an equality with all the other MEM
t bers of the Union. 1t is entirely different with
Mexico. You have no need of armies to keep
your territories in subsection. But when you
e incorporate Mexico, you must have powerful
armies to keep them in subsection. You may
b call il annexation, but it is a forced annexation,
which is a contradiction in TERMS, according to
e my conception. You will be involved in one
), word, in all the evils which / attribute to hol-
4 ding Mexico as a province. In fact, it will be
: but a provincial government, under the name
h of a territorial government. How long will
v that last? How long will it be before Mexico
e will be capable of incorporation into our I'm
e ion? Why, if we Judge from the examples be-
e fore us, it will be a very long time. Ireland
r has been held in subsection by England for sew
v en- or eight hundred years, and yet still remains
hostile, although her people are of kindred race
: with the conquerors. Anew French Canadians
on this continent yet maintain the attitude Of
d a hostile people; and never will the time come,
h in my opinion, Mr.. President, that these Mex
leans will be heartily reconciled to your au-
). thority. They have Castillian blood in theil
d veins-the old Gothic, quite equal to the Anglo
# Saxon in many respects-in some respects SUI
- perior. OF all nations of the earth, they are
4 the most pertinacious-have the highest sense
of nationality--hold out longest, andoften even
S with the least prospect of effecting their object.
v On this subject also / have conversed with of
e ficers of the army, and they all entertained the
a same opinion; that these people are now hos
tile, and willcontinue so.
But, Mr.. President, suppose all these difficulties re-
6 moved. Suppose these people attached to our Union,
and DESTROYS of incorporating with us, ought we to
= bring them inl Are they fit TO be connected with us?
! Are they fit for self-government and Tor governing
t youl Are you, any of you, willing that your States
: should be governed by these twenty odd Mexican
I States, with a population oil about only one million
e of your blood, and two or three millions OF mixed
blood, better informed, all the rest pure Indians, a
mixed blood equally ignorant and unit Tor liberty
e inquirer races, not as good as the Cherokees or Chock-
# taws2
n We make a great mistake. sir, when we suppose
that all people ere capable of self government We
: are anxious TO force free government on all; and see
that it has been urged in a very respectable quarter
e that it is the mission of this country to spread civil
d and religious liberty over all the world, and especially
s over this continent. 1t is a great mistake None
but people advanced to q very high state OF morale nc
intellectual improvement and incapable. IN a civil.
n lied state, of maintaining free government; anc
e among those who are so purified, very few, indeed
have had the good fortune OF forming q Constltutlor
e capable of endurance. 1t is a remarkable fact in The
. history of man, that scarcely ever have Tree popular
: institutions been formed by wisdom alone that have
endured. 81. - -4-taf
1t has been the work of fortunate circumstances O.
a combination of circumstances, q succession OF Tor
tunate incidents of some kind, which give to any PEG
. pie a free government. 1t is very difficult task Il
= make a constitution to last, though il may be suppos
ed by some that they can be made to order and fur
nished at the shortest notice. Sir, this admiraoleC on
e stitution of our own, was the result OF a tortunat
combination of circumstances. Ii was superior t
the wisdom of the men who madelt. 1t twas the torc'
OF circumstances which induced them 10 adopt mos
of its wise PROVISIONS. Well. sir, OF the few nation
5 who have the good fortune to adopt self-government
# few have had the good fortune long to preserve tina
government: for ii is harder to preserve than to form
it. Few people, after years OF prosperity, remembe
u the tenure by which their liberty is held; and l fear
IS Senator's, that is our own condition. Ifear that W
shall continue to involve ourselves until our owl
system becomes a ruin. Sir, there is no solcitud
for liberty. Who talks of liberty when any gIea
question comes up2 Here is a question OF the mrs
magnitude as to the conduct of this war; do yo'
lie hear any body talk about its effect upon our hbertle
N and our free institutional No sir. That was no
the case formerly. In the early stages OF our gov
eminent the great anxiety was how to preserve lib
erty. The great anxiety now, is for the attainment
of mere military glory. In the one we are forget
Is ting the other. The maxim of former times was, tina
,e power is always stealing from the many to the lew
n the price of liberty was perpetual vigilance. The.
were constantly looking outand watching for dan
: : ger. Then, when any great question came up, tn
first inquiry was, how it could affect our tree lnsutu
tions-how it could affect ourliberty. Not so now
Id Is it because there has been any decay OF the spun
of liberty among the people2 Not at all. ! behev
:. the love of liberty was never more ardent, but the.
= have forgotten the tenure ~ofliberty by which alon
it is preserved. =,
n We think we may now indulgein every thing wit
IMMUNITY, as if we held our charter of liberty by RICH
40 divine"-from heaven itself. Under these lmpres
!" sions we plunge into war, we conuact heavy debts
we increase the patronage of the Executive, and W
v even talk OF a crusade to force our institutions, on