Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-12-25

sat quiet and unmoyed upon our own shores
While the flower of their numerous armies
wasted by disease or persisted by hundreds o
thousands upon the battlefield, the youth o
this favored land were permitted to enjoy thu
blessings Of peace beneath the paternal root
While the States of Europe incurred enormou!
debts, under. the burden OF which their subject:
still groan, and which must absorb no small
part of the product of the honest industry o
those countries for generations to come, thu
United States have once been enabled to exhi
lit the proud spectacle Of a nation free from
public debt; and, if permitted to pursue on
prosperous way for a few years longer in peace
we may do the same again.
But it is now said BY some that this policy
must be changed, Europe is no longer separ
ated from us bya voyage of months, but steam
navigation has brought her within 4 few days
sal of our shores. We see more OF her move.
mcnts, and take u deeper interest in her con-
troyersies. Although no one proposes that we
should join the fraternity who have for ages
lavished the blood and treasure Of their sub.
jects in maintaining s'tlnc balance of power
yet it is said that we ought to interfere between
contcnding sovereigns and their subjects, for
the purpose of overthrowing the monarchles
of Europe, and establishing in their place re-
publican institutions. 1t is alleged that we
have heretofore pursued Il different course from
q sense of our weakness, but that now our
conscious strength dictates a change Of policy,
and that it is consequently our duty to mingle
in these contests and aid those who are strug-
Cling for liberty.
This is a most seductive and dangerous ap-
peal to the generous sympathies of freemen.
Enjoying as we do the blessings Of a free gov
crnment, there is no man who has an American
heart, that would not rejoice to seethese bles-
sings extended to all other nations. We can
not witness the struggle between the oppres-
sed and his oppressor anywhere without the
deepest sympathy for the former, and the most
anxious desire for his triumph. Nevertheless,
IS 1t prudent or is it wise to involve ourselves in
these foreign wars? Is it indeed true, that we
have heretofore RETAINED from doing so merely
from the degrading motive Of a conscious weak
ness? For the honor Of the patriots Whohave
gone before US, | cannot admit it. Men of the
Revolution who drew the sword against the OPP
presslons OF the mother country, and pledged
TO Heaven "their lives, their fortunes, aud their
sacred honor" to maintain their freedom, could
never have been actuated by so unworthy a
motive. They knew no weakness or fear where
right or duty pointed the way, and it is a libel
upOi bilGi IaiiIO " us, NUI!S we enjoy the hItS-
sings for which they so molly fought and bled,
to insinuate it. The truth is that the course
which they pursued was dictated BY a stern
sense of international justice, by a statesman~
like prudence, and a far-seeing wisdom, looking
not merely to the present necessities but to the
permanent safety and interest Of the country.
They knew that the world is governed less by
sympathy than by reason and force: that it was
not possible for this nation to become 4 s'propa-
gandist" of free principles without arraying
against it the combined powers of Europe; and
that the result was more likely to be the over
throw OF republican liberty here than it's estab-
iishment there. History has been written in
vain for those who can doubt this. France had
no sooner established a republican form of gov
eminent than she manifested a desire to force
its blessings on all the world. Her own histo-
rlan informs US that, hearing of some petty acts
Of tyranny in q neIghboring pfincipality, s.The
National Convention declared that she would
afford succor and fraternity to all nations who
wished to recover their liberty; and she gave il
in charge to the executive power to give orders
to the generals OF the French armies to aid all
citizens who might have been or should be ops
pressed in the cause of liberty" Here was the
false step which led to her subsequent mis- for
tunes. She soon found herself involved in
war with all the rest of Europe. In less. than
ten years her government was changed from a
republic to an empire; and, finally, after she'd
ding rivers of blood, foreign powers restored
her exlled dynastry, and exhausted Europe
peace and repose IN the unquestioned
ascendency Of monarellcal principles. Let us
learn wisdom from her example. Let us remem-
Der that revolutions do not always establish
Our own free institutions were not
the offspring of our Revolution. They existed
before. They were planted In The free charters
OF self-goyernment under which the English
grew up, and our Revelation only
freed US from the dominion Of a foreign power,
whose government was dc parianee with those
institutions. But European nations have had
no such training furself-goyernment, and every
effort 10 establish it BY Bloody revolutions has
been, and must, without that preparation, con
tinue TO be a failure. Liberty, ~unrerulated by
law, degenerates into anarchy, which soon be-
comes the most hofrid Of al despotisms. Our
is wisely to govern ourselves, and there's
by to set such an example Of national Justice,
prosperity and glory, as shall teach t.. all ma.
lions the blessings of sell. government and the
unparalleled enterprise and success Of a free
we i've in an age Of progress and ours is
emphatically Il country Of progress. Within
the last half century the number of States in
this Union has nearly doubled, the population
has almost quadrupied, and our boundaries have
extended from the Mississippi to the Pacific
Our territory is chequered over with railroads,
and turrowed with canals. The inventive talent
OF our country is excited to the highest pitch,
and our numerous applications for patents for
Valaabie improvements distinguish this ace and
this people from all others. The genius Of one
has enabled our commerce TO move l.
against wind and tide, and that Of another has
annihilated distance ID Transmission Of ifte}li.
The whole country is full ofenterprise
Dur common schools are diffnsing intelligence
among the people, and our industry ii fast ace
,nmulating the comforts and Injuries of Life