The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1851-12-26
The True Doctrine.

? II
Kcssuth, and the great and glorious cause ol
which. be is 50 worthy representative. there
are many, who from not having fully ccnsid.
cred what he asks Of our people and govern
ment, or from constitutionally conservative
tendencies; are fearful that By granting hisre-
quests we may involve ourselves in a general
war with the crowned heads Of Europe, To
all sach we recommend careful perusal Of
the following able enunciation of what we
conceive to be the true doctrine on the sub
iect, and which is calculated TO dissipate all
such idle fears. tits from speech of Mr..
Cass, delivered in the Senate, Dec, llth, on
Mr.. Seward's resolution. .
There is one great principle that no man can
deny 1t is, that in the internal contests Of
various governments, where one portion of the
community is endeayoring to throw offthe gov
ernmental yoke, the other nations of the earth
have no right to interfere. There is no princi
pie better established than that No man can
contravene that doctrine as a sound doctrine in
the law of nations. Now, sir, so far as I nm
derstand 1t, this is the very ground taken by
Kossuth. Russiasnd Austria have violated tbis
great principle. Russia has interviewed. she
has marched her hordes across the Hungarian
frontier, and has put down with an iron hand
the efforts of Hungarians to secure iodepen-
dence Here is a great principle of the law of
nations violated, What shallIthe other nations
do! That is coming to the point. What NAV
other nations rightfully do under such circurn-
staEces2 Ia IAN IA :. u
This law Of nations is the bond thatlinites All
civilized people. It is the arbiter Of lisnutes
and saves them from the sword and Il. IS The
interest Of every country under Fieavento to watch
every violation Of this law, and, SO far MS in
them lies, to- prevent it. If therefore great
principle of the law. of nations is violated
what may other nations do? Sir, if any nation
believes it SO affects its interest, and i 80 grave
in its character as to justify war, it has Fight,
under such circumstances, to go to war. But
wether it will go to war or not is question fof
its own determination, depending upon its own
peculiar policy
But there are courses which may be pursued,
independent OF that. 1t is not necessary to 90
to war; What else may they do? They NAV
enter solemn protest before the world, in the
most authentic manner, to show that they ut
terly dlsayow all participation in the interyen.
ton, and that It was not done with their con-
sent and that It shall not form part of the law
of nations. They may remonstrate in . "a d;nIo, nj "
matte form against the violation of International
law.
Still further: they may discuss if in their
legislatures. Free governments NAV hold lis liz
cussions upon it. 1t may be considered in
France, England, or here; and the foes of free.
dom and free governments must hear. even in
despotic ones, our voice, rebuking this attemni
to violate the law of nations. Il seems to he
supposed, during the whole of this discussion
that because we assert that Austria and Rnse;a
have violated the law Of nations, and are will
ling to lift up our voice against it, we must 90
to war. No such thing. England protested at
the siege of cracow; England and France nro-
tested against the consolidation of the Eurone.
ali powers. But they did not go to war. Eng
lard did not go to war, although it entered lis
solemn protest. II left the other countries Il
take their own course, leaving England and
France TO take such course as theyshould think
proper in the course Of events. That il the
course pursued BY nations when great princi-
pie is violoted. We may enter our nrotest !,
we choosei but there is no such question now
before US. But there is no obligation to 90 r.
war. That is a matter afterwards TO be deter.
mined, according to our own peculiar interest
If we should pass an act of protest and remon.
STRANGE, and If we should discuss it in our lep.
islature. it would be a mere announcement r
the nations of the world that we protest agains
all this Infringement of the law of nations
leaving ourselves at liberty, at any time hereaf
ter, to take such measures as we NAV think tbe
interest of our own country may require. Thai
| take to be sound law. Z
takeit that no man in this nation dreams ot
sending a feet to guard the Adriatic. TO stop mr.
the lagoons OF old Venice, to blockade the
ports of the Black Sea and the mouth of the
Baltic, to shut up the straits against the com.
merce Of Russia. suppose no man in tbi,
country dreams of such a measure 1t is no
actual physical violence that any man contem
plates. 1t is the expression of our sympathy.
am willing TO go further, and say that there
should be an expression OF our rebuke at thu
violation of great and solemn principle, af
fectng every nation upon the face of the globe
II has been well said that Europe is in arms. /
Is So The antagonistic elements are at work
The cloud may be no bigger than mans hand
as the Prophet saw it from Mount Carmel bu
tmust ere long oyerspread the whole atrnos
phere, and burst, perhaps, in flood, resultin
IN theruin OF the whole present political an
social fabric. There is no avoiding the con
flict Of these antagonistic principles of tn
wish Of men to govern and the wish of men /
govern themselves. This is at work now in III
old countries of Europe, and, believe, will er
long work out its own way. What the fire.
governments of the world may find it necessar
TO do when this great time comes-and il vii
come--it requires wiser or araSher man tha
am to judge. have no wish to say what
will do. But will say that the time may, b
possibility, come whenthe free governments Z
the world-and byfree governments. | do ne
meanrepublics merely, but constitutional mon
arches, where human freedom is already pop
ular sentiment-that these free government
ments may find it necessary TO assert the tru
principles Of the law of nations, and to say ths
they are not to be violated to the destruction {
all human liberty upon the face of the globe.
do not say that the time will come when W
shall do this; but say that would never pre-
clude our country fromtaking that ground, whe
she may Justly take it, under circumstances
the almost solemnity which do not now fore
see, and do not now wish to provide for. Thl
ismy position upon that point.
u. lls g5i
@ The Arabs cultivate the feelings, and are
nation of bandits; they are exceedingly hos
pitable, ,.and exceedingly unjust; they utter II
nobest sentiments, and steal the sad die frol
under you; talk Of the magnanimity of Ii
Bedonin, and they cut your throat,