The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-02-11
The Kossuth Principle.

WHicn nus SO puuuehiN spinhp upo" '"o n
merican people. The New York Obscrrer, an
able and influential religious paper, takes
strong grounds against it in the following
article, which we extract from recent
number. 1t was written in reply 10 the
New York Evang eiisi. another religious pa.
per, which unfortunately has too hastily |
committed itself 10 the Kossufn principle.
The Observer says:
"The doctrina will never bear invesiea- |
tion, doctrine that no government on earth
preiends 10 adopt, and which would involve
the world in inierminable wars, if il were
adopted by any respectable number Of first
class powers. Instead of being a pence
measure, it is a declaration of war per Sc.
Hence we are not surprised to find that with
the exception o the N Y. Tribune. (Abo
lilion Seward Whir) the Times, (Seward-
Whig) and the Evening Post, (Freeson
Democra',) there are no political papers Of
Influence in this city that defend the Kossuih
principle. The journal of Commerce, the
Commercial Advertiser, the Express, the
Courier s. Enquirer, the Herald, &c. with
sympathes for democracy and the principles
of American freedom, quite as ardent as n
ny in the first named class, are nevertheless
no, disposed to pledge their country 10 this
new measure of national policy. But there
is higher authority than this. The great
law ofbenevolence, which the eloquent and
religious Hungarian so aptly and often
quotes. is opposed to this policy. We are
mo- bound to love our neighbor better than
ourselves. Kossuih says he loves Hungary
more than America. And he says If we a
dopi his principle, we pledge ourselves to war
with Russia. No gospel law commands US
TO that.
Kossu,h asks us to lake great pledge be-
fore all earth, that If any nation intertercs
with the Internal affairs Of another nation,
we will put a stop 10 such interference. II
words will not do it, blows shall. Now, we
! ask our neghbors of the Evangelist, "Who
, made the United States a judge and ruler
, among the natons?" Who commanded ar
authorized us 10 act as the great regulator OF
: human affairs, TO chastise Russia when she
E interieres with Austria, Turkey when she
! NEEDLES with Egypt, France when she sends
e her troops TO Italy, England when she inter
, feres with any and every nation, as is her
! practice always? The Evangelist commits
itself. without reserve, and avows its nd
1 hesion to the principle that such shall be the
declared policy of the government of the
= United Slaies, II is idle and dishonest 10
o sa. that rdr will not result, and therefore IT
: is safe, TO make the declaration. Kossuh is
too honest to he guilty Of any deception, and
he avows distinctly the consequence thai
may flow from his principle, if adopted b,
: the government. And it we commit our
he in view oil all the consequences thai ma,
y be in its train. We pledge ourselves tr
prevent intervention though war with Rus
J. sia or France, or England is the inevitable
result Ara we prepared for this? ="
We hear much in these days about in
g rernalional Law. What is it 2 Not PuTen-
II dorf, not Grotius, mt Vaiiel, nor any sci o
men were ever appointed to write The law
for nations. The laws that ought 10 goverr
:. nations are The laws of God. ami there ar,
rights of man which dcservs proteclionunde
The laws of God. There may be cases i,
which the laws Of God and the rights OF maj
y. will justify and demand the Interference b,
n one nation with the internal affairs Of anoh
n or. Ii the British Government should nov
e say to the King oI Naples that his recen
s. cruelIes were such an outrage upon human
d rights, and such an offence against the law
n Of G cd, tha, he must reform his police, or b
d declared barbarian and outlaw, the civil
II zed world would justify The Interference, a
9 it did when the same authority gave simi
i lar intimalion to The SULTAN of Turkey. Th,
n Piedmoniesc were delivered from the jaw
of their enemies by the same inte rferenc,
d in the days of the Proectorate. We cal
r recur to many cases that justify and denan'
e international interference. bui Kossuih, MIR
II Walker. the n. Y. Evangelist, Tribune
e Times, Post, and The after dinner orators o
o the Astor and Irving House, all insist that il
e all cases and at all hazards, each nation sha'
d be allowed 10 manage its internal affairs il
J. its own way, and no other power shall inter
Y. fere upon pain of national ouilawry. Il
l. proof of this we refer to Mr.. Walkers reso
r, luton, the speeches Of Kossu,h and hi
= friends, and the editorial articles of thes'
y papers passim. The doctrine is false. 1t i
j, behind the times. II is away behind Crom
10 wells lime. The Evangelist talks ol Ih'
!. Observer being slow. Why.lhi doctrine il
0 SO far behind the Observer that you cannot
J. see it with a telescope. The advancing
e spirit of The age is in sympathy with slrus
n giles for liberty everywhere and the Amer
y lean people will never bind themselves 10 sl
G low Mexico or Brazil, or even England tC
G perpetrsie Neapoliton and Roman ouirages
!, withou. lending band TO help the oppress-
3, ed.
h And then comes the other side. Kossuth
b. asks US 10 pledge ourselves to prevent inter.
a ference, This is just as bad principle as
a tho other it cannot be maintained one hour
A in a fair discussion. Seven numbered law
: ,srs in Tripler Hall found it an easier task
y to drown Judge Duer's voice than 10 snswe'
4 his argument. In the first place, the inter
' ference may be perfectly justihable, as We