The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1848-12-06

public law to impute To republics want OF hat UNI
ty, concentration Of purpose and vigor of execu-
ton which are generally admitted to belong to the
| monarchcal and arslocratc forms and this feature
Of popular government has been supposed to display
itself more particularly in the conduct OF war car
RED on IN an enemy's territory. The war with
Great Britain in 1912, was great extent confined
within our own limits, and shed but little light on
this subject. But the which we have Just clos
ed by an honorable pence, evinces beyond all doubt
that popu ar representative goqernment is equal 70
any emergency which is likely to arise i'll the affairs
of natou.
The War with Mexico has developed most .tke-
insy and conspicuOusy another feature in our nsti-
lutions. II is that without cost 10 the government
or danger TO cur liberties, we havs in the bosom OF
our society OF freemen, available in ust and neces-
| saTy wnr, virtually standIny army of Two millions
OF armed citizen soldiers, such US fought the battles OF
Mexico.
But our military strength doee not consist alone In
our capacily for extended unsuccessful operations on
land. The Favy an important arm of the national
defence II The services of the navy were not SO
brilliant ms those of the army the late with
Mexico, ii was because they hac enemy 10 meet or
their own clement. While the army had oppor,uni.
ty OF performing more conspious service, the navy
largely participated ic the conduct OF the war. Both
branches of the service performed their whole duty
10 the country.
For the abe and gallant services of the officers and
men OF tho navy-acing independently well as IN
corporation with our roops--In the conques, Of the
Calo'nlas, the capture of Vera Cruz and the seizure
and p"tOn of ether important positions on linz
Their vigilance energy, and skill rendered the mo'
elective service in excluding munitions of nnd
other supplies from the enemy whlla they secured
safe entranceor abundant supplies for our own army
Our extended commerce was nowhere interrupted
and for this immunity from the evils OF war, the
country IL indebted 10 the navy.
High praise is due TO the .ers of the several ex
ecutVe beaur, aus navy yards, and stations connect
ed with the service, all under the immediate drec.
ton OF the Secretary Of the Navy for the industry
| foresight, and energy with which everything was
| directed and furnished TO give efficiency to that
branch Of tn, service The same vigilance existed
IN directing the operations of the navy, of the
army. There was concert of action and of purpose
between the heads of the two arms of the service
BY the orders which were from time to time issued
VT ssels of the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico
were stationed IN proper time and IN proper position:
| to cooperate efficiently with the army. By this
means their combined power was brought TO beaI
| successfully on The enemy.
The gieut results which hsve been developed anc
brought 10 light by this war will be OF lmmeasura-
bic importance IN the future progress Of our country
They will send powerfully To preserve us from for
eign collisions and To enable us to pursue uninter
ruptcdy our CHERISHED policy OF "peace with all
nations, entanghng alliances with noie.n
| Occupying, as we do, more commanding posi-.
| ton among nations than al any former period, our
duties and our responsibilities TO ourselves and II
posterlty are correspondmgly increased This vii
be tho more obvious when consider the vast add.
items which have been recently made to our terrific
rial possessions ana their great Importance and Va.
| lue
Within less than four years the annexation of Tex
| as 10 the Union has been consnmmated; all conhlc
thug title 10 The Oregon Territory south of the fary
uin,h degree of north latitude being all that was in
sisted on by any of my predecessors has been ad Just
| ed and New Mexico and Upper California have
| been acquired by treaty. The area of these scvera
Territories according to aeport carefully prepared
| by the Commissioner of the General Land Oflir,
from the most authentic Information IN his possession
| and which is herewith TRANSMITTED confirms on,
million one hundred and nineo- three thousand an,
| sixty-one square miles, or seven hundred and sixty
three million five hundred and fifty nlne Thousand ant
forty acres; while the area of the remaining twenty
nine States mud the territory not yet organized int,
| States east of the Rocky mountains, contains two
milf N ffyn nine thou and five hundred and thrtee,
'qlare miles, or thirteen hundred and eighteen mil
on one hundred and twenty six thousand and fifty
| eig' acres.
These estimates show that the territories recent,
| acquired, and srar which eur exc usive jurisdic
ton and dominion have bsen extended, constitute
| country more than half as large rs all teat which
was held hy the United States qefore their acquis
ton. II Oregon be excluded from the estimate
there will still remain within the limits of Texas
New Mexico, and California, eight hundred anC
6fty-onc thousand five hundred and nne,y-eieh
square miles, or five hundred and ferty-hve millloi
| twelve thousand seven hnndre and twenty acres
b ing addition equal 10 more than one-third Of al
tie territory owned by the Unlcd States before thei
| acquisition; aed, including orcg n, nearly rs grea
all extent of territory as the whole of Europe Rus
STA only excepted The Mississippi, lately the
| frontier of our country, is now oHly lis centre
With the additions of the late acquisitions, the
UneI States are now estimated TO be nearly as large
| as The whole of Eufopa Ii is estimated by the su
perintCnden OF the coast survey, ia the accompany
ing report that the extent of The seacoast of Texas
on the ilph OF Mexico IL upwards of four hundred
miles af the c0nst Of Upper California, the Pacl.
| hc, OF nne hundred and seventy miles; and of Ore
gcn including the Straits of Fuca, Of six hundred
| and tfiv miles; making the whole extent of seacoas
on the Pacific one thousand SIX hundred and twenty
miles, and the whole extent on both the Pacific and
| the Gulf of Mexico two thousand and twenty miles
The length OF the coast on the Atlantic from the
| United States, around the Capes of Florida to the
Sabine, on the eastern boundary OF Texas s estimal
ed 10 be three thousand one hundred miles so tina
the addition OF seacons!, lnciu1ng Oregon, liz very
nearly twothrds great as all we possessed before
and excluding Oregon Is an addition of one thUus
| three hundred and seventy miles; being nearly equa
tho one half Of the extent OF coast whica We possess
! before these acquisitions.
| We have now The three great maritime fron,s--or
the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific
making in the whole an extent of seacoast exceeding
| five thousand miles This is the extent OF the sea
coast of the United Staes not including bays, sounds
and small irregularities of the main Shore and OF the
| Islands IL these be ncluved the length OF the
shore line of cols as estimated by the superintend
eat OF the coast survey in his report, would be thirty.
three thousand and sxy-tH miles.
II would be difficult TO calculate the value of these
immeHce additions to our territorial possessions
Texas, lying contagious 10 the western boundary OF
Loulsianni embracing within iss limits part of the
vavigabc ributary waters OF the Mississippi and an
extensive coast, could not long have renamed in the
hand. of a foreign power without endangcring the
peace Of our sou hwesern frontier.
Ter products IN the vicinity Of the tributaries OF
the Mississippi must have sought market through
theso streams, run1ing into and through terrific
ry; and the danger of irritation and collision Of int.
rests between Texas and foreign sate and ourselves
would have been Imminent, while the emblrrass-
mcnts IN the commercial intercourse between them
must have been constant and unavoidable. Had
Texas fallen into the hands, OF under the influence
and control of n strong maritime military foreign
power, as she might have done. shesc d,ngers would
have been still greater They have been avoided by
her voluntary ard peaceful annexation 10 the United
States. Texas, from her POSITION was a natural and
ain st Indispensable part Of our territories Fortu.
naley she has been rGstore to our country and now
constitutes one Of the states OF our cOnfed.acy upGn
an equal footing with the original saes." The :
lubrity of climate, the fertility of soil peculiarly
adapted 10 the production of some of our most yalua
BILE staple commodities, and her commercial adyan-
tages, must soon make her one of our p,puous
states.
New Mexico, though situated in the interior, and
without seacoast, Is known to contain much fertile
land, 10 abound rich mines of the precious metals
and to be capable of sustaining iaIgs population
From lis position, it ia the intermediate and con-
meeting territory between our settlements md our
possessions in Tex. and those the Plci life coast
Upper California, irrespective OF the vast mineral
wealth rrcensly developed there, holds at this day,
IN point OF value and importance TO the res, Of the
Union, the snme relation that Louisiana did, when
that fine territory was acquired from France, forty
five years ago. Extending nearly ten degrees Of
latitude along the Pacific, and embracing The only
safe and comnodiOus harh0rs on that coast for many
hundred miles, with temperate climate, and an ex :
tensive interior of fertile lands, Is scarcely posi-
bic TO esmlle its wealth until it shall be brought
under the government, Of our laws, and It's resources
fully developed.
From lis position, i. must comm md the rich CON-
merce OF CHINA, OF Asia, Of the islands OF the Pa
clfc, of Western Mexico, Of Central America, the
South American States, and of the Russian posses
sons bordering on thai ocean. A grea; EN- orium
which may be destined 10 rival in Importance New
Orleans Itself The depot of the vast commerce
which must exist on the Pacific viii probably be at