Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-03-19


PRoGREss, as recognised by the great Statesmen
formed in the school of the Revolution, and careful
ly wrought by them into the structure of this Gov
eminent, we shall detain the reader for moment
for the purpose of showing concsely, what are the
doctrines that are according to the teachings of its
professors, included in the term MANIFEST DEsTI-
NY. This we are enabled to do by the distinct
expositions Of them by certain partizan journals,
which, in the late canvass for the Presidency, ad-
vocaed them with all the energy and zeal of propa
gandists, constituting the code of the Democra-
tic party in regard to the Foreign policy of the
United States and which, after the result of the
election ascertaned, they confidently calculated
upon being carried out by the President Elects
Recurring to these expositions, the very first
principle of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny" is
to reject and abjure for this Government the au-
thority of the Law of Nations. g We must re-
orgaaise whole international quasi CODE"
GIVE must get rid of the entanglements which
now surround our diplomatic code and the mo-
narchic LaV of Nations" I'VE must form
and maintain an American and Republican and
Democratic Lar Of Nations" &c. Such were
literally the terms employed by leading organ
of the party pending the canvass, in a descrip-
ton, which stands on record of the qualifca-
tons to be sought for in Democratic candidate for
the Presidency.
The general remuneration, thus proposed, Of
public law and public morals to be substituted by
reliance upon manifest destiny" as the rule Of
national conduct would of itself Justly place this
Government in state Of reprobation by the whole
world, as much as corresponding contempt Of all
law and morality would subject any individual in
society to universal distrust.
We are, next, to renounce the cherished and con-
secrated policy Of WASHINGTON, and resort to one
directly opposite to that under which our Govern
ment has safely breasted the political tempess Of
three-quarters Of century, by adopting, as a prn-
ciple, INTERVENTION in the affairs of Europe, and
indeed of the whole world-Europe affording a
theatre too narrow for the ambition of the young
blood of the Democracy.
We need not here 90 into the detail of all the
monstrous and absurd pretensons set UP by the
organs of the 'Young Democracy" both in the
flush of anticipation and in the pride of victory.
We have alluded to these particulars hereto
fore, and they are yet fresh in the memory of our
readers We will content ourselves by repeating
our summing up, some five months ago. of these
dangerous hereses, which it was hoped by those
who preached them would be reduced to practice
by the President of their choice.
They claimed, during the canvass, in the event of
the election Of their candidate for the Presidency
not only that the obligations of the law of nations
should, so far concerns this country be cast off
and trampled in the DUST but they expressed their
faith and trust that this People should, in humble
prostraton before this new idol Of Manifest Des-
tiny, take upon themselves to dictate law, not to
the Peoples of Europe merely, but throughout the
world, by interposing whenever hostile drum is
rolled or hostile cannon fired to assert for this
Government supreme authority over seas which are
equally free to all other nations as to us to seize
and annex all contiguous adjacent territories or
islands which tempt the cupidty of the party in
power to countenance private predatory expeditions
from our waters against the possessions of friendly
nations, though forbidden not only by every prin-
cipe Of National and Moral law, but expressly for
hidden by solemn enactments on our own statute
books and to exert all the National force to rescue
such expeditions, when successfully repealed by their
intended victims, from the consequences of their
discontinue.
If there be dscernible, in that passage of the In
augural which has most attracted our attention, and
in one or two Others tinge of sentiment which
reminds the reader Of one or other Of the least
exceptonable Of the elements Of the creed Of Mani
fest Destiny" as expounded by party oraces, we
have already explicitly absolved the President from
any participation in those principles of that doctrine
which conflict with the precepts Of Christianity,
the Moral Law, and the Law of Nations and rebel
against Providence itself. 1t gives US pleasure
now to add that to his honor as patriot who dis
dams the trammels in which misguided or mschiey
GUS men have sought to bind him. he has, as we
discover in closer review of his Inaugural Address,
implicitly, not only disavowed, but rebuked,
the most dangerous Of the theories propagated in
the name of /" Manifest Destiny"
To the proposition, for example, for the nufca-
ton, by Act of Congress, Of the existing Law Of
Nations, and substituting therefor democratic"
law on the subjcc evidently abiding to a thing
which he could not with propriety bring more di-
rectly to notice in his Addresshe substantially re-
Plies IN the following decisive language
Purposes, at once just and pacific, will be sig
nlhcanty marked in the conduct of our foreign af-
fairs; | intend that my administration shall leave
no blot upon our fair record and trust may safely
give the assurance that no act within the lepiti-
mate scope of my constitutional control will be