The State guard., 1848-05-16
Tothc Senate, aud Honse of Representa-
 fires of fhe Tn;;eH Sto}es. c

Tothc Senate, and Hoase of Representa
 tires of ike Uaited Staies:
 submit for the consideration of Con, gress, several communications received al the Department of State from Mir. Justc Sierra, commissioner of Yucatan, and alse a communication from the governor oftha state, representing the condition of ex. treme suffering towhich thein country ha: been reduced by an instruction of the In. dlans within its limits, and asking aid O the United States.
 These communications present case of human suffering which cannot fail tc excite the sympathies of all civilized ma lions. From these, and other sources o information, it appears that the Indians o
 Yucatan are waging a war of extermina, tion against the white race. In this civi war, they spare age or sex, putting to death indlscrimnately, all who tall within theil power. The inhabitants panic sticken and destitute of arms, are flying before their savage pursurers towards the coast, and their expulsion from their country or their extermination would seem to be inevitable, unless they can obtain assis. tance. t d H fH na
 In this condition they have, through their constituted authorities. implored the aid of this government, to save them from destruction, offering, in case this should be granted, to transfer the ''domnion and SO. vereignty of the peninsula" to the United States. Similar appeals for aid and pro. lection have been made to the Spanish and the English governments" .di
 While it is not my purpose to recom- mend the adoption of any measure with a view to the acquisition or the '.dominion and sovereignty" over Yucatan yet accor- ding to our establishedpolicy, we could not consent to a transfer of this ''dominion and sovereignty" either to Spain, Great Bri- tain, or any other Europen power. In the language of President Monroe, in his mes- sage ofDeccmber, 1923, "we should con. sider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemis- phere as dangerous to our peace and safe iy." In my annual message of December, l845, l declared that "near quarter of a century ago the principle was distinctly announced to the world, in the annual message of one of my predecessors, that ''the American continent, by the free and independent condition which they have as. sumed and maintain are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future col. onlzatIon ny any Europen power. a This principle will apply with greatly increased f rec, should any European power attempt to establish any new colony in North Ameri'a. In the existing circumstances of the world, the present is deemed pro- per occasion to reiterate and re-affirm the principle avowed by MT. Monroe. and to state my cordial concurrence in its wis., dom and sound policy. The re-asseriion of this principle, especially in reference to North America. is at this day but the pro- mitigation of a policy which no European power should cherish the disposition to re- sist. Existing rights of every European nation should be respected but it is due alike to our safety an1 our interests, that the efficient protection of our laws should be extended over our whole territorial limits, and that it should distinctly be an- nounccd to the world as our settled policy, that no future European colony or domin- ion shall, with our consent, be planted or established on any part of the North Amer icano continent." a.eH09 eI1 ml'
 Our security requires that the estab. lished policy thus announced, should guide our conduct, and this applies with great force to the peninsula of Yucatan. It is situated in the Gulf ot Mexico, on the North American continent and. from it's vicinity to Cuba, to the capes of Florida, to New Orleans, and indeed to our whole southwestern, coast, it would be dangerous to our peace and security if it should be- come colony of any European nation.
 We have now athletic information thai, if the aid asked from the United States be not granted, such aid will probably be obtained from some European power which may hereafter assert claim to dominion and sovereignty" over the Yu-; catan.
 Our existing relations with Yucatan are of a peculiar character, as will be perceiv- ed from the note 1.-the Secretary ofState to their, commissioner, dated on the 24th ofi December last, a copy ofwhich is here with transmitted. Yucatan has never de- clared her independence, and we treat her as State of the Mexican republic. For this reason we haze never officially re- ceiyed her commissioner; but, whilst this is the case, we have, to considerable ex- tent, recognized her as a neutral in, our. war with Mexico. Whilst still consider ing Yucatan as a portion of Mexico, if we had troops to spare for this purpose, l would deem it proper. during the contlnu. ance of the war with Mexico, to occupy and hold military possession of her terri tory, and to defend the white inhabitants from the incursion of the Indians, in the same way that we have employed our troops in other states of the Mexican re- public lin our possession, in repelling the attacks of sayages, upon the inhabitants who have maintained their neutrality in