The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-04-15

put co say lney could 90 lnnnlle nsC"'e"
want, therefore, TO hear no more oil your
Monroe doctrine until You have made some
PROVISION for the defense of the Pacific coast.
am for adourning over the doctrine-Te-
huantepec and all other topics Of excitation
until this railroad can he constructed. The
latter would seem TO me an indispensable pre-
liminary to the former Place us in such a
situation that we can in one month throw tit-
" thousand men on that coast, and you may
explode your Monroe doctrine in the face Of
ell Europe, for aught care. We shall then
be in much better situation TO defend than
any enemy can be to assail. II we have un
derrated the assailng force, the telegraph will
flash the intelligence to Washington, and in
ten days we could repair the error by rein
fJrcement. Indeed the mere existence of the
road would cbyiate all danger o. attack by any
other than a naval force. What European
Power would think OF sending an army TO the
Pacific, when they knew that we coull meet
them with force of tcnrold power by the a.
gency Of the proposed railroad! To say that
it is inexpedient or unconstitutional to pro-
vide for the emergencies ct war by the means
proposed, is the same thing as to assert that
the defence of the country is no part OF the
duty Of this Government. Congress few
sessions since directed dock, basin and
railway to be constructed at the navy-yard in
California. So that it seems we have a right
to get our ships on to railways. Why not our
Armyl
Bot there are difficulties likely to result
from a war with one of the leading Powers of
Europe other than those already alluded to.
If we suppose that we could defend the city
Of San Francisco, and protect our navy-yard
and Mint, it would undoubtedly be in the
power of the public enemy to blockade the
whole coast, and cut off the transmission OF
gold from the Pacific to the Atlantic. A good
deal has been said in the debates which we
have had during the session on our foreign
relatons-about our having Great Britain un-
der bonds to keep the deace, by means of our
cotton bales but would ask honorable Sem
ntofs to look at our own condition. Are there
not bonds for goood behavior resting upon us,
and that too of a pretty serious character!
What if your Monroe doctrine should involve
US in war with Great Britain, and she should
by blockade of the coast, interrupt the com.
municntion between California and the 18th
mus, how should we get our regular supply o
goldl Or if we should escape that difficulty
and be able 10 land the metal on the Tsthmus
how could we get it forward to New York
Honorable Senators have expressed a grca
deal Of alarm in regard to what Great Britain
has done aud may do at the Bay Islands, bu
in my judgment, it is question of little i'm
portance. With her ascendsncy on the ocean
shc could whether she does or does not hol,
IL. .u.
the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, by stationna
u superior force on this or the the other side
or on both; the result i'll be the same, whcth
er you have route by the Isthmus, Ncara-
qua, or Tehuan,epcc. Your communications
will be interrupted in the event ola war with
superior naval Power, and then what will
be the condition of the country, and what
will become Of our national and commercial
credit! The whole of our currency and all
OF Ger business engagement nts aud relations are
being constituted on the basis of Il regular
supply of at least five millions OF gold per
month from California; Indeed, the supply il
believed to be much larger as the gold sent
on freight is understood to amount to five mil
lions, and i: is known that large amount
reaches New York and other important points
by the hands of passengers. What wuul'
become of your banks if this supply shoul,
BE- suddenly cut Off! They would, every on'
Of them, be blown into the air, g. Commercial
credit would receive such shock as has neve
been witnessed in this country. The very
moment the war broke out, our national iinan
ces would he thrown into disorder and conu
sion, and the edit of the Government would
sink with that Of the commercial classes
This monthly supply of gold has got to bo
just as necessary to us - the cotton hales are
20 England. A fleet of steamers stationed AT
Jamaica would ellectually arrest the transmits
sion OF gold by the lsthmus. The mere up
prehension OF danger would be enough. Sup
pose you were to drive Great Britain out OF
Roatan and the rest Of the Bay Islands, will
that make your freigh;s Of gold safe! Would
it do to provoke her to u contest by exploding
in her face half dozen pieces ..or ordinance,
well charged with the "Monrue doctrine!"
Something was snid here, on former occa-
sion about the Gulf of Mexico being II mare
elausum"--an American sea. 1t is a curious
sort Of "closcd sea-" with Great Britain in
possession of jamaica and other islands on
one side of it.
maintain that an eilectual interruption of
this supply Of gold, even for a few months,
would be almost fatal TO currency and credit
The time is near ut had when California will
send us $40 100000 per month, and perhaps
even more; and the losss of this supply, even
Tor three months, wculd be most seriously felt.
The Government would be crippled at the ye-
ry outset Of any war in which we might be
involved, and incapacitated in some degree for
sacrifices and efforts such as our national hon
or aud interests might require We shonld
be oliged to have the gold any how, and this
could only be done by the inland route. You
would be obliged to organize caravans for its
transmission, which you would have to protect
by detRchments from the Army, An escort
OF at least five hundred men would bo required
20 each caravan, AZ fifteen or twenty millions
in gold would hold out temptations which
might lead to combinations and uggressons of
a dungeons character And, then, only think
Of such a caravan "dragging its slow length
along" over mountains aud deserts, & reach
ing the city of New York in about six months
In the mean time md Mt the very ou,sn, of