The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-02
ProcIamations Of 1888 and 1851.


clamation in regard to the invaders of Cuba,
seem to have forgotten that, on a former occa-
sion, when there was a real uprising of the
people agairst the government of nation with
which we were at peace, and that people re-
ceived the sympathy of large number of the
unruly spirits in this country, some of whom
had actually gone and others were about to 90
and join the insurrectionary forces, the then
Executive of the United States, whom it had
been the pride of the Democratic party to ele-
vate to his exalted position, issued procama-
ton which was precisely similar in its tenor to
that issued by President FILLMORE in April
last A number of the persons who made them
selves obnoxious to the proclamation of S3S were
sentenced to be hung by court martial; one or
more of them, FIVE remember rightly, actually
suffered the extreme penalty; and others were
banshed for long period to penal colonies,
from which some Of them only returned years
after these troubles were over and had ceased
to be spoken of; and yet we fancy our neighbor
was not at that time heard denouncing the then
President because he did not interfere to pre-
serve these unfortunate and deluded men from
their dismal and ignominious doom.
In order that our readers may see the SINH
larity of these documents, we lay before them
the proclamation of President VAN buren,, GER
tain portions of which we have italicized, and
the whole of which is as follows:
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE U. s. OF AMERICA
II Proclamation.
Whereas, there is too much reason to believe
that citizens of the United States, in disregard of
the solemn warning heretofore given to them by
the proclamations issued by the Executive of the
General Government, and by some of the Govern
ors of the States, have combined to disturb the
peace of the dominions of neighboring and friend
ly nation And whereas information has been
given to me- derived from official and other sources
that many citizens in different parts of the United
States are associated or associating for the same
purpose: And whereas disturbances have actually
broken out anew in different parts of the two Can
adas: And whereas hostile invasion has been
made by citizens of the United States, in conjunc.
ton with Canadians and others, who after forcibly
Selling upon the property of their peaceful neigh
Dor for the purpose of efIecting their unlawful de-
signs, are now in arms against the authorities of
Canada, in perfect disregard of their own obliga-
lions as American citizens, and of the obligations OF
the Government OF their country to foreign ma
tons:
Now, therefore, i have thought it necessary and
proper to issue this proclamation, calling upon
every citizen Of the United States neither TO give
countenance nor encouragement of any kind to
those tcho hare thus forfeited their claim to the pro-
lection Of their country; upon those misguided or de-
luded persons who are engaged in them, to aban-
don projects dangerous to their own country fatal
to those whom they profess desire to relieve i'm
practicable of execution without foreign aid which
they cannot nationally expect to obtain, and Civ
ing rise to imputations (however unfounded) upon
the honor and good faith Of their own Government;
upon every officer, civil and military, and upon
every citizen-by the generation due by all free
men to the lava which they have assisted to enact
for their own 6 vernment-by his regard for the
honor and reputation of his country-by his love of
order and respect for that sacred code of laws by
which national intercourse is regulated-to use
every effort in his power to arrest for trial and
punishment every offender against the laws
providing for the performance of our obliga-
tons to the other powers of the world And
hereby all those rho haze engaged in these Grim
ina enterprises If persisted in, that ,rhaeuer may be
The condition TO tDhich they may be reduced, they must
not erpect the interference Of this Government, in any
form, on their behalf, but toiu be LIFT reproached BY
erery Uruous ellotp citizen, TO be dealt tui accord
ing TO the policy and justice Of that government tchoss
dominiors they hare an defiance of the knotrn tcishes
and efforts Of their oton government and without The
shddotc Of jusfi fcdon grouse, nedriously invaded
Given under my hand, at the city of Washing
ton, the 2lst day of November, in the year of our
Lord one thousand ight hundred and thirty eight,
and the sixty third of the independence of the Uni
ted States. NJ. VAN BUREN,
By the President
JOHN FoRsYTH, Secretary of State.
In the same connection it is remarkable, too,
that journal which played part like that of
the New York Sun on the occasion of the late
melancholy expedition to Cuba, and which finds
so able a coadjutor in the editor of the Union,
should not have been able to recolect and act
upon a recommendation which the first-named
paper promulged at the time referred to. In
an article from the Philadelphia Gazette, quoted
by the National IatelLigeneer of December %,
1888, we find the New York Sun compli-
mented for the following language:
cit is due to humanity that future stories for eff
feet respecting the Canadas, and their disposition
to revolt, should be frowned down Let them be
received, from whatever source they may emanate,
with caution and distrust. God knows that we are
enemies to the spread OF republican institutions
and privileges but triflng with men 8 lives as po-
litica editors tre with men sufTrages is much
more serious affair. The cold blooded cruelty
and unfeeling calculations which put life and hap
piness in scale and theory in the other,
should be everywhere stamped with the impress of
it's truly diabocal character. If the Canadian PEG.
pie desire change let them find it out for them
selves, and ASSERT their intentions for themselves
Foreign interference the continued machina-
tons Of exled refugees can only protract strug.
gle to the destruction Of the weaker party and the
misery Of the stronger"
Commercial Intercourse with the East.
Mr.. BALEsTIER, who was sent during the
Of General TAYLOR as CONNER