The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-02-12
CONGRESSIONAL.
SPEECH OF HON. W. IL. SEWARD,
or NEW YORK.

nal .,
iuions reported from the Committee on Foreign Rela-
mons in regard to the Tehuantepec grant.
Mr.. MASON. | would remind the Senate that the
son,ions reported by the Committee Foreign Rela
vote OF the Senae postponed 10 this day. in order to ena
hIs ibe senator from New Yo,k Mr. SEwARDl 10 be
heard ! move tina, they now be taken up
The motion was agreed to- and the Senate accordingly
resumed the consideration OF the resolutions which are
as follows;
R,,oued las the Judgment Of the Senae,) That in the
pesen posture of the question the grant OF right of
p ,hronph the territory OF Mexico the shnus OF Te-
nsyn,esee conceded by that republic of its
zens and property OF citizens OF the United Stses
the same Is presented by .he ana aoc
United States the 9Th OF July 1852 It is not compatible
with digny this 10 prosecute the subject
"a Should The government Of Mexico propose renewal
% o. uen from Menieo no, With he
demands made by this government In reference to said
"S That the government of the United States stand.
committed all us czens TO protect them in their rights
.b,aad well as nj home within the sphere ursdic
ou aud should Mexico within reasonable time, fail TO
reconsider her position concerning said grant, II Wi then
ss aa al spsSs as
will tho honor CT tho country and the rights Of
it, citizens"
Mr.. SEWARD said: Mr. President, history will eu-
cida,e this subject il adjust the lens to con-
centrate it's rays The great occupation OF The nations OF
western Europe, from the beginning OF the fifteenth cen
ury to the close Of the eighteenth century, was col
can continent The year 1875 witnessed the opening oi
the rst act in the great drama OF the decoonzauon OF TINS
continent the end OF which IS mol yet py me treaties
Colonies Of Great Britain and Great Britain herself were
parties but also France and Span Great Britain. who
the most able TO keep her American possessions, re-
not so much because OF her weakness as because OF
their own already maturing strength ard the aid which
thew derived from the Intervention OF France.
Leaving out of some sparse and unimporant set
Elements of Russia, the North American continent was
now divided between Great Britain which retained all
the regions that laid between the 81 Lawrence and the
lakes and The north poe the United States, which
reached southwardy to the borders of Louisiana and
Florida and indefinitely westward towards The Paclhc
and Spain which retained The remainder consisting OF the
provinces or colonies of the Fiordas, Louisiana, and
New Spain, now called Mexico. The United States
were then governed by fixed, domestic, constitutional,
systems and habits OF government They
had long been il the enjoyment OF them, although not
of political independence; and the government they thus
enjoyed rested upon The foundations of popular educa
ton freedom of the press, toeration OF conscience and,
above ALL upon the sacedness OF personal rights secured
by common law and statutory safeguards borrowed from
England of the rights OF trial by Jury and habeas corpus
On the other hand, the Spanish provinces had been
governed from the first by foreign despoc power The
subjects ihose provinces were ignorant OF any system or
principle OF representative legislation, Of freedom of
The press OF toleraon OF religion or OF guarantees oil
personal liberty The United States had elements OF
wealth except soil OF varied fertility, the more
common and useful minerals, and access on one side to
the sea The spanish pIovnees on The Other hand mad
ness and beauty with rich mines OF the precious metals
which Providence has sparngy distributed and access
10 two oceans The United States were practically
houog people. consisting OF homogeneous States
The Spanish Provinces had population hree-ouIths oil
which were native Indians oneeighlh Creoes, and only
the remaining eighth Europeans.
The experiment OF independence and selfgovernment
in the United States was completely successful and
with il came Immediately rapid progress in national
wealth and prosperity attended BY an increase IN he ad
vance OF population unknown in the experience OF man
kind tide formed OF natural increase and perpeiualy
swefed BY European immigration. On the other hand,
The provinces OF Spain remained nearly stationary They
caught from the United States the passion for liberty,
Without however, obtaining the elements BY which i
could be preserved They proposed TO secure for them
selves the institutions OF civil liberty but lhey borrowed
the form only while the spirit which gave life refused
TO attend il.
These were the relations and these the conditions OF
the United States and Of Spanish North America at the
commencement OF this century. This century has
thus far exhibited two political processes, continually
going upon this coninent the first, that OF general
decoionzahon and the second, that OF decay OF Span
sh American power, and the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF the Unl.
ted States oi America Spain ceded Louisiana 10 France
in 1900, and in 1903 France conveyed II 10 the United
States AppIeaeps9pIns were ie a. ,hal cary Gay ~
encfoach uppn that territory and those spprehensons
fesriuIy confirmed when The United States. having
hrs yken possession Of portions Of The provinces OF
Forida, obtained, in 1919, REIMBURSEMENT c! them by
Spain. Texas WAS Tor time unnbabiied, and seemed to
prornse that il would remain barrier for New Spain. OF
Mexico, against The United States. Becoming rapidly
peoped nevertheess Texas asserted Its Independence,
and Then the hopes OF Mexico for lis security and
safety rested upon the chance that Texas nigh, remain
indercnden, power put Itself under the sovereignty
OF some European State. which would prevent annex
atom 10 the United States But these expectations sig
nally fsied, and in ls45 Texas came into the United
Ststes with possessions, then understood by OF
to reach onlp 10 the river Nueces The with Mex.
co which kTew chiefly out OF that annexation, and
OF the attending border question: resulted, as we all
know, in the direct dismsmbermen OF Mexico and the
annexation 10 the United States OF what renamed TO
Mexico OF The State OF Texas together with the States OF
New Mexico aud Upper California, by which the United
States advanced The bank OF the Rio Grande and
the continent TO the shores OF the Pacific ocean.
We have thus seen the action OF one great American
idea upon Mexico thai the idea OF national aggrsn-
dizemsnI But st the time another great American
idea operating indirectly Tor the embarrassment OF
Mexico, and that the idea oil civil liberty gnaan-
tied by institutions OF federal republican government
The United States from the first, from early day,
determined that there should be European colonial
power remaining this continent which they could
prevent remove and therefore they fossred splr,
Of reve in Mexico; and when Mexico, in her revolu-
ion or after her revolution OF ls2i arrived the point
where abe must definitely choose her form OF govern
nent, the United States recommended to her, with
cess The principles ol federal repubcanisn. which
adopted The sbor-li lived empire oi lurbide was abol-
shed and 1874 Mexico adopted constitution, which
in its noe important characteristics, is identical with
our own Daring The twenty mine years which have
s'Aoe elapsed Mexico has had no repose. She has
been rent often and in every part by the struggle
De'Nsen the North American principle OF federalism,