Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1848-05-25
z s EXTRACT FROM THE
SPEECH OF MR. CAss,
OF MICHIGAN

In the Senate Of the United States, May
10, 1e48.-On the blllto enable the
| President to take temporary military
| possession of Yucatan. lap - sa}
( need not recall the condition Of
| Yucatan. The message itself with the
accompanying documents, theinforma-
ton which daily reaches US through the
public journals, and the DISCUSSION here,
have put US in possession of the true
state Of things in that unhappy coun-
try. 1t is divided between the two ra-
( ces ofSpanish and of aboriginal de-
scent, and the Indians have obtained
the superiority-have descended from
the high country upon the low, and are
driving the white race before them to
death or to the ocean. 1t is a war, if
that can be called war, where the
fighting seems to be all on. one side, of
destruction and determination. Not
fguratively, because here and there a
mani is killed or a plantation laid waste,
but literally, rigidly; for nothing is
spared, neither man nor his works, and
fire and the sword accompany the in
dian army, and do their work without
pity as without remorse. Aid, under
such circumstances, is aduty of hu.
manity, which no one in this country
calls in question. But owing to the
peculiar features of our own owp con-
s,itution, many doubt whether this 60
)yernment has the power to grant it.
Though ! believe, sir, we may clearly
interpose in such an extreme case Of
national suffering, as was done many
years since for Caracas; yet, as this
question does not lie in.iimy way |
shall not turn aside to- seek it,. All
may hold the claims of humanity to be
! strong inducement for action, when
conioined with other motives for legis-
lative interposition, which render our
action equally constitutional and expo
dent. This question intimately con-
meets itself with the prosperity and Il
had almost sadly the safely Of our
country. We have reached one Of
those epochs in the progress ofnations
to which the historian looks back with
interest, and whence he traces much of
the good or evil they encounter in their
career,--one Of those epochs which
impress themselves upon the character
Of a country, and when vigorous coun-
sells are equally dictated by justice and
by wisdom, while timid and irresolute
measures are sure 10 be followed by
political weakness and BY the contempt
of the world. ..@sf lf.5s
! The principle advanced by Mr.. Mon
roe, many years since, in two Of his
messages TO Congress, which denounc-
ed any future attempt of the European
powers to establish new. colonies in
This country, has been brought into
This discussion, and, in fact, necessari-
lily connects itself with it, This
| principle has been re-asserted by the
present Executive, upon the same gen
eral considerations which Influenced
the action Of his predecessor. It was
a wise measure, fully justified by re-
ceived principles of the law of nations
and by the actual circumstances of our
country. The honorable senator from
Connecticut [Mr, NItEs] considers
the reiteration of the principle by the
present Executive, and perhaps its Or
liiginal apnunciation by Mr.. Monroe, as
the claim Of a right to regulate all the
affairs ofthis continent, SO far as re-
spects Europeans. But this, sir, is an
entire miseonception ofthe whole sub
| ject. 1t has, however,preyalled some
what extensively, both here and else
where, though it seems to me that
the slightest consideration Of the mes
sages referred to, would have corrected,
or rather prevented, this fragrant error.
Neither of these Presidents, the past
nor the present, assumed to interfere
I with any existing rights Of other ma
tions upon this continent. Neither OF
them called in question their right TO
improve the colonies they possessed,
at their own pleasure Such an as
sumption would have been equally OBJ
trusive and inefectual; and how the
opinion could have prevailed that it
has been advanced, no one can tell, for
in the documents themselves the true
doctrine is cautiously guarded and ex-
isting rights considered as unassailable.
The object which these statements had
in view was TO prevent the recolopn'z:a "a.
ton of any portion of this hemisphere;
to announce to the world, that when
any Of the colonies plantedupop it es;-
capped from European .hraldom, they
should not be again subjected to that
comparatively humi.iating condition.
Tha Spanish colonies had shaken of
the yoke Of Spain, and had asserted
| tho;r ;ndanondence The s.ruoUle had