The Yazoo Democrat., 1851-12-24

from the Memphis Appeal. The iron-
hearted recrcant policy which wonla
extenuate the Illegal butehery of
American citizens by Spain, deserves
the unmeasured eondemnation OF the
whole country.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
The immortal Executor of the Fugi-l
tive Slave Law. has added another lau-l
rel to the chaplet which adorns his
brow, and appears in the character of
the Historian OF the Expedition Of Lo-
pez In the Message we have minute
account of the brave and generous hui
| Inflated enterprise, beginning with the
assumption that ''our shores have again
been the scene of a military expedition
against the possessions of her Catholic
Majesty" The Executive thus decides
an Important question of law in oppo-l
ISition to the decision of the courts of
the country in the eases OF those indie
ted for. connection with the Cardenas
affair, and before any decision has been
liudicially made under our laws in rela-
ltion to the survivors of Lopez who
have returned
How far the uSurpation of Judicial
functions by the Executive is reconci-
liable with a proper appreciation of the
sphere OF his powers We leave TO his
parasiesto determine.
As to tile fate of CriHenden and his
comrades and the Imprisonment of one
hundred and sixty gallant young men
who have been sent to Spain, the Mes
sage is sufficiently cold-blooded and
destitute of American spirit in its tone
to crafty the most servile sycophant
Of cher Catholic Majesty" 1t is evi-
dent throughout that the narrative is
written with special view to sustain
, the doctrines tf his most extraordinary
proclamation, to place The murdered
and the imprisoned in the light of the
most flagrant guilt possible, and thus to
Justify the administration in its weak
and puSillanimouS policy. NotWith-
: standing the voice Of the civilized
; world has pronounced tie murder of
Crittenden's command as barbarous
! and unjuStifiable, Notwithstanding even
the British press has accorded that
righteous judgment, an American Pres
: ident cln find nothing to condemn in
an act which chilled the world with
horror. He rather defends than de-
Inounces it. lie admits thai these ad-
yenturers seem to have been led to be-
lieve that the Creole population of
Cuba not only desired to throw off the
authority of the mother country, but
had resolved upon that step, and had
begiln well concerted enterprise for
ef1ecting it," Were those young heroes
I then, ''plunderers ard robbersp COM
mitting a crime which subjected when
TO the fate Of cruel and ignominious
death, and placing themselves beyond
the pale of the protection oftheir gov
ernment? No. According to the very
admission Of one who speaks more like
a pensioned advocate ofSpain than the
chief Magistrate OF free people, they
embarked in the enterprise from kheI
incentive OF a genuine thought gen
uine love of liberty and sympathy for
the opprcSsed-belieVing that the con-
test had no5ly begun, and resolved toI
throw into the scale the gauAtlet of
American chiyalry anti the sword off
American heroism. Ii, then, even the
Strictest interpretation Of law, had
NCOA1O0 tic3n W SCd6Il Till OCeA1n
should have been a soldiers. Human
| ity and Liberty shudder at The denunci-l
ationS which the President heaps uponl
them as "ilagrant criminals" and turn
aside TO shed over their graves the
tears OF heroic sorrow. Such Senti-
meuts as he aYoWs strike no chord of
sympathy in American boSoms.
But in speaking thus Wc'a consid-
ering the victims of Concha and Of the
Proclamation in the worst ligR in
which they can be placed.-The Mes
sage announces a fact which not only
entities them to sympathy, but shows
that our government is feereant to it's
obligations to the people in not deman
ding prompt and ample reparation.
Crittenden and his command, it is sta
ted, after bloody battle on the 18th,
retreated, and disnmbarlled, and WereI
captured by "a Spanish steamer on the
high seas. They had abandoned the ,
and repudiated any hostile ,
purposes against the. Island Yet the /
Message announces, without agWord ofll
comment, that they were Carried to
and after having been exarnin- Z
ee by military court, were sentencedl {
to be publicly executed, and the sem a
tence was carried into effect on the {
18th OF August" Little as we expect c
ed Of the administration, we confess e
that we felt a thrill of painful surprise &
1n beholding an exhibition so cold, c