The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-15

On Non. Intervention delivered Ia The Senate
of The United Stalcs April 8, 1861.
The Senate having under consideration the
resolutions offered Mr. CLARKE, with amend
ments offered by Mr.. SEWARD and Mr. CAss
reaffirming the doctrine of non.interventon--
Mr. MASON said:
Mr. PRESIDENT The resolutions which have
been offered by the honorable Senator from
Michigan, Mr. CAss, and also by the honora
BILE Senator from New York, MIR. SEWARD, are
directed to occasion that has passed by
They are intended to express the sense OF the
United States Congress on the armed lnterven.
lion of the Emperor of Russia between Austria
and Hungary, one of its dependencies. But
though the occasion is passed. these honorable
Senators regarding, doubt not, the storing feel
ing which was manifested in some parts of the
country on the occasion of that interference
have deemed it proper TO bring the subject be
fore Congress, in ORDER first, that the Congress
of the United States may express so FAR AS lies
with them the sentiments of the country on the
subject of that intervention; and, secondly, with
a view to foreshadow what those Senators, and
others who think with them, take to be the true
position of this government and Of this country
in reference TO similar occasions when they may
arise.
Now sir, we cannot shut our eyes to the fact
that among some of the people of this country
confined, believe, pretty much to the West and
North-a strong sensation has been excited by
the presence of one of the refugees from thi re
subjugated country OF Hungary, who came
among us-brought out under the safe conduct
of our flag, as was supposed, with view to find
a republican home; or ii not, then SIMPLY to
make his acknowledgements for that safe con
duct but as it has turned out, he came with a
view to establish himself as u propagandist in
this country to invite the councils OF the nation
to what he apprehended to be the duty that this
country owed to others, and more especially to
his own The feeling natural to the occasion
was very much inhamed by the peculiar talents
of the man as a natural orator And so it has
been that your table, Mr.. President, now has
on it memorials and petitions from various parts
of the country asking the government to review,
in order to remodel, the policy that has been
the guide of this country for the last half Gen.
turv in its intercourse with and in its relations
to foreign countries.
| Sir, the resolution which has been offered by
the Senator from Michigan, adverting to this
armed interference of Russia between Austria
and Hungary, expresses, on the part of the
United States, the declaration " that they have
not seen, nor could they again see, without deer
concern, the violation of this principle OF ma
tional independence" the principle being, as re-
cited in the resolution, that which is an un
doubted law Of nations, that one nation has mol
the right to interfere with the domestic concerns
of another.
The resolution of the Senator from New YorR
goes a little further. In that resolution it is de-
cared that
"The United States, in defence of their owl
interests and of the common interests of man
kind, do soemnly protest against the conduct Of
Russia on that OCCASION as wanton and tyran
nical infraction of the laws of nations; and the
United States do further declare that they will
not hereafter be Indifferent to similar acts OF
national injustice, oppression, and usurpation
whenever or wherever they may occur"
The sanction under which these resolutions
were offered to the world are pretty much the
same in both instances The Senator from
Michigan says that I" the United States cannot
see without DEEP CONCERN any future violation
&c.; and the Senator from New York says that
we "cannot see it WITH INDIFFERENCE" The
import of the two expressions, apprehend, be-
ing pretty much the same; but they both 90 to
this extent, that it is the duty of the United
States to express purpose on their part, should
there be any future Intervention by one foreign
nation in the domestic cor Germs of another.
| Mr. President, the reasons which Senators
have assigned in sustaining these resolutions
have gone further than the resolutions them
selves. They have Swallowed forth-some more
distinctly, some less 80, and refer especially to
the remarks of the Senator from New York,
Mr.. SEwARD,l and those of the Senator from
Louisiana, Mr.. SoULE they have Swallowed
forth on the part of these honorable Senators
| this idea-that the time was at hand when it
became this country TO review it's policy in this
respect, although not expressed in language
sufficiently pointed to enable us to understand
to what extent that review should be carried.
But the honorable Senator from Louisiana
went somewhat further. He undertook to
show that that which had been assumed as being
the policy of Washington--a subject of late
much discussed ut public meetings in the coun
try as well as in the newspapers--was a sort of
historical misconcepton-that there had been
no such policy at all, or if there had been, that
it was policy adopted only for an occasion,
and which ended with the occasion which gave
it birth. This suggestion would seem to rem
der it proper that we would go back to the early
history of the country, and trace from their first
beginning, the rules and maXims which it is
alleged on our part, were instituted by the
Fathers of the Republic to guide us in our in
tercourse with foreign nations.
Thus looking back, we shall find three great
occasions on which the policy of this government
in its relations to foreign powers, was brought
prominently before the country:
First, in the wars following the French revo-
luton, towards the close Of the last century.
Second on the threatened Intervention of the
"Holy Alliance" between Spain and her Ameri-
can colonies.
Third, on the invitation to this government
by the South American republics, to meet them
in a Congress at Panama
The first arose Immediately after the organi-
cation Of the government. Washington was
inaugurated us President in 1889, and his cele-
brated proclamation of neutrality issued in 1893
TO this proclamation history goes back a. the
great landmark in every review of our policy
1t will be useful, therefore, briefly to recall the
position of the country at the time, and the oc
casion that brought it forth
From the commencement of the American
revolution, France had looked to the ultimate
separation of England and her American colo.
MES with an eye of favor, and, as a consequence
| nothing was left undone on their part to engage