The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-02
SOUTHERN PRESS.
WASHINGTON CITY.
FRIDAY. MAY Q. 1851.
The Mexican Treaty.

The Mexican Treaty.
II is said that it will cost four millions of dol
lars annually to keep an adequate military force
on our Mexican frontier, to prevent the incur
sions of Indians from our territory into the Mex
lean settlements, which we are bound to do BY
the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo This is par,
of the cost of California and New Mexico.
When the army estimates were presented tt
Congress at the last session, they were found
TO be SO great that the House of Representatives
took the alarm, and reduced them several mil.
lions without much examination or argument
This is said to be the reason that more adequate
measures have not been taken on that frontier
against the Indians, and hence the Mexican gov
eminent complains of infraction of the treaty,
and makes reclamations for the injury that has
been suffered.
The extension ofour settlements to the border
of the great plains that lie between Missouri and
the Rocky mountains, the acquisition of territory
from Mexico, and the engagements made with
her concerning the Indians, have given to our In
dian policy a new aspect
For several years prior to the late war with
Mexico the Indians within her territory had been
making Entertainments on her settlements. The
expansive power of Mexican or Spanish civiliza.
ton was exhausted, and it was receding before
the power of the barbarian.
The growth Of people seems to be- limited
to period of about thousand years. At least
we have no authentic history of any race, which
has continued for longer term than that to ex-
pand And the Spanish race which sprang from
the tribes of Northern barbarians that overran
the south Of Europe. continued to advance until
its empire comprehended the continent of Anne
RIGA, from Cape Horn to California, and began
to recede in the beginning ofthe present century.
Our own race began it's career of conquest about
a hundred years before the conquest of England
by the Normans, which was in lO66, and we shall
probably attain our utmost limits in another CEN
fury. Already the British braEch of the family
seems to have nearly spent its expansive force,
and the ratio of our own increase in population
is now rapidly declining. The ruder state Of
society does not admit Of the highest rate of
human increase. The period most favorable to
that is probably midway between barbarism and
the extreme Of refinement when population de-
clines.
But it is remarkable that every great division
ofthe world has a astregion in its neighborhood
absolutely unavailable for highly civilized races,
but well adapted, as the nursery Of rude
population, to take the place of a corrupt and
decrepid one. The plains of Arabia produced a
shepherd people to overrun the dense civiliza-
ton of Egypt The Steppes of Tartary, ex-
tending across the north Of Asia and Europe,
have nourished the Nomadic tribes that conquered
China and Southern Europe The old continent
has, since the Christian era, been half conquered
once from Arabia, and once from Tart Try; AT
RIGA has her Zahara; North America her vast
Prairie plain, and South America her Pam, as
Can it be that the region which extends from
Texas to the SHOWS Of northern Oregon, and
from Missouri to the Rocky mountains, so well
adapted for Nomadc tribes, SO unfit for civilized
life, is to be the nursery of people which will
visit on the vices Of our empire the fnte that fel
on Rome!
The tendency Of Mexican and American lif,
all around the great plain is to shepherd life
The Indians we have colonized in the West, ar
making some progress in that direction. When
ever the wilder tribes shall be led to the sam
habits by imitation, or be driven by the increas
ing scarcity of the buffalo, the tide of India
population will no longer ebb If, coincdent
ly with such development, one powerful trib
should extend its conquests, and incorporate in
stead of exterminating its enemies, the begin
ming of an Indian power will be made, that ma,
retort on our race the conquest of the cont
nent. 1t would be as difficult to conduct the
operations of civilized warfare against such 6
people as NAPOLEON found it against the Cos
sacks. We found 1t more impracticabe to con
quer the Seminoles than the Mexicans
But whatever may be the results, now or here
after, of our conflicts with the Western Indians
we are much mistaken if we have not entered
on an era Of Indian warfare that will cost u,
more blood and treasure than has ever visited
the dreams of our statesmen.
tty~ The Boston Commonwealth, the organ
of the Free-soi party in Massachusetts, is, like
SEWARD and CAsslUs NJ. CLAY, a great friend
of the Union.
In announcing the success Of SUMNER, the
Commonwealth says:
"This is one Of series Of victories which
will make this indistructible Union the pride anc
Joy of the world. It will raise the dropping
hopes of the slave, and Of the slaveless whit