The southern press., 1852-01-08
For the Southern Press
Intervention.
No. 2.

clearly shown by examples drawn from the his
tory of other times and our own experience,
that similarity or identity in political nsttu.
tons and forms of government, is no cement to
the amity Of nations. Let us now briefly in-
quire: what probable Injury would result to the
United States from the permanent establishment
of absolute power in Europe. Would it make
new friends or new enemies
hat the monarchs of Europe look with an
evil eye on the glorious spectacle of freedom
and prosperity presented by the United Stater,
cannot be doubted The example has become
infectious, ard menaces the downfall Of all the
old systems of greybeard abuses, which now form
the rotten basis of their power But that they
will ever venture on the experiment OF attempt
ing to put down the liberties of the New World,
after having succeeded in the Old, is, appre-
hend, dream that will never be realized They
may crush their people to the earth, and for a
time, establish the dead calm of despot sm But
lethargy is not repose, nor enforced submission
acqniescence. The same armies " hich were re-
quired to break the people down, will be equally
necessary to keep them from rising and the
resources of the State be expended, not against
foreign enemies, but in repressng domestic in
surrections. Even should this conspiracy Of
kings against human rights be for the present
successful, it will only contribute to their weak
ness, either by rendering the people still more
disafected, or creating mass Of stupid, willing
slaves, destitute of intelligence activity and en-
ergy, and incapable of contending with freemen
1t is not great armies and enormous resources
that constitute the real strength of States, but
a manly, energetic, and martial people, attached
to their country by the bessn- it confers, and
to the government which secures to them their
enjoyment. No nation, greatly discontented
with its government, is to be feared and no
nation, sincerely attached to it, can be conquered
It may possibly be overcome, but can never be
subdued
But setting all this aside; how are great for
eign armies to get here, in sufficient numbers to
snbdue some twenty, thirty, perhaps fifty mil
lions of free and martial people, with arms in
their hands, and the skill and courage to use
them? Will they walk on the water across the
Atlantic, or on the ice over the frozen ocean
With the exception of England and perhaps
France--who in this respect are all Europe to
us---none other of the powers of that quarter
nor all of them put together, have the means OF
assembling a sufficient naval force to cope with
that of the United States, which in ore year
could be doubled or tire bIed, if necessary for
the materials are at hand, and the number of our
seamen now exceeds that of any nation in the
world. 1t should also be borne in mind, thai
Europe is suffering under debt of IicArly twelve
thousand millions f dollars; that the credit Of
its government is exhausted, as we'll as the
resources of the people that they can make
no new wars without new loans; and that
such is the instability of their power and the in
adequacy of their means, that the most gambling
tinancer will no longer trust them The United
States, on the contrary, have never been exhaus-
ted by taxation, and if necessary to the safety OF
their country, the people can carry double--as
they would willingly do if their liberties were in
danger. They are a young nation, and such
only achieve miracles; they are free nation,
and liberty creates her own defenders The
idea of subduing a free, active, energetic, cour
rageous people, who feel the country is their
own, and that, as its soveregns, they are respon-
sible for its safety nation Of twenty -four
millions, increasing like rolling snow ball. and
with an ocean of three thousand miles between
them and their assailers, appears to me little
less than ridiculous.
Besides-with the exception of England, our
rival in commerce and naval pcwer-what mo-
tives sufficiently weighty have the monarchs of
Europe TO prompt them to such a desperate en-
terprze! AS in the case of republics referred
to in the proceeding letter, they will be directed
by the great interests of the nations they gov
ern, which the most despotic sovereign cannot
disregard with mpunity. His own power is
based on these, and in these, al least he has a
common interest with his subjects. These in
terests are, for the most part, permanent, as
well as material, so far as respects agriculture,
lcommerce and manufactures, from which the
people and the government equally derive their
i
eeive the United States have 10 great political
or commercial interests to be affected by the
result of the struggle between liberty and des-
potism in Europe, unless they take sides by co
operating with England in the proposed declara.
ton against intervention. They will then be-
come parties to that conflict, and, by so doing
assuredly make enemies of those whose relations
have hitherto been uniformly friendly, or at least
pacific.
That the New and the Old World are destined
to become rivals in commerce and naval power,
has already been intimated as Il necessary conse-
quence of their relative geographical position.
This confc; will be headed, not by Russia, but
by England on one hand--the United States
on the other. The United States and the United
Kingdom are The two great numerical powers
of the New and the Old World One might sup
pose that, being placed at distance of three