Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-02-19

Foreign Rslations in rsgad 10 che 7shuantspse treaty.
IN SEEArE, FRDHuARrs, 1853
Mr.. SEWARD said Mr. President, history will eluci-
date this subac if adjust the lens to con-
cenrae its rays The great occupation of the nations Of
Western Europe from the beginning Of the fifteenth
fury to near the close of the eighteenth century
lonization and the Of empire the Amer-
continent The year 775 Witnessed the opening of
the first act in the great drama of the decoonzaon of
this continent the end Of which is not yet BY the rea
ties OF 1888, to which not only the revolving and bege
parties but also France ana Spain Great Britain
who was the most able keep her American
resgnea thirteen Of her principal colonies on this CONT
nen not SO much because Of her weakness because
their own already maturing strength and the aid which
they derived from the intervention Of France.
Leaving out Of view sparse and unmportant set
Elements OF Russia the North American continent was
now divided between Great Britain which retained all the
regions that laid between the ST. Lawrence and the Lakes
and the North pole the United States, which reached
to the borders Of Louisiana and Florida and
indefinitely westward towards the Pacific; and Spain
which retained the remainder consisting Of the provinces
or colonies OF the Floridas, Louisiana and New SPAIN
now called Mexico The United States then
ed by fixed domestic, constitutional representative
TENS and habits Of government They had long been in
the enjoyment of them although of political indie
pendence and the government they thus enjoyed rested
upon the foundations of popular education freedom Of
the press, liberation Of conscience and above all upon
the sacredness of personal rights secured by common law
and statutory safeguards borrowed from England the
rights Of trial by jury and ha6eds corpus
On the other hand the Spanish provinces had been
governed from the first by foreign despotic Power
The subjects Of those provinces ignorant Of any
tenn or principle Of representative legislation Of free
dom of PRESS of liberation of religion of guar
antees Of personal liberty The United States had no
elements Of wealth except soil Of varied fertility the
and useful minerals and access on side
to the sea- The Spanish provinces, the other hand
had more prolific soil in climate Of surprising health
fness and beauty with rich mines Of the precious metals
which Providence has sparngy distributed and
to oceans The United States were practically ho
mogeneous people, consisting Of homogeneous States
The Spanish provinces had population threefourths Of
which were native Indians, oneeighh Creoes and only
the remaining one-eighth Europeans.
The experiment of independence and selfgovernment
in the United States completely successful and with
came Immediately rapid progress in national wealth
and prosperity attended by increase in the advance of
population unknown in the experience of mankind tide
formed OF natural increase and perpeualy sweled 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 how
ever obtaining the elements by which it could be preserv
ed They proposed to for themselves the nsttu-
lions of civil liberty but they borrowed the form only
while the spirit which gave it life refused to attend it.
These the relations and these the conditions of
the United States and of Spanish North america the
commencement Of this century This century has thus
far exhibited two political processes continually going
upon this continent the first that Of general decooni-
zaton and the second that of decay of Spanish Anne
rcan power and the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the United States
OF America Spain coded Louisiana to France in lS00
and in 1903 France conveyed to the United States p
prehensions felt at that early day in New Spain that
the United States might advance encroach upon
that territory and those apprehensons fearfuy
confirmed when the United States having first taken pos
session of portions of the provinces Of Florida obtained
in 1919 REIMBURSEMENT of them by Spain Texas was
for time uninhabited and seemed to promise that it
would remain barrier for New Spain or Mexico against
the United States Becoming rapidly peoped neverthe
less Texas asserted its independence and then the hopes
Of Mexico for its security and safety rested upon the
chance that Texas might remain independent Power,
put itself under the sovereignty some European State
which would prevent its the United States
But these expectations sgnay failed and in lS45 Texas
into the United States with possessions then under
stood by most of to reach only the river Nueces
The war with Mexico which chiefly out Of that
suited all know in the direct ACKNOWLEDGMENT of
Mexico and the annexation TO the United States of what
remained to Mexico Of the State of Texas together with
the States Of New Mexico and Upper California by which
the United States advanced to the bank of the Rio rande
and across the contnentto the shores of the Pacific
We have thus the action Of one great American
idea upon Mexico that the idea Of national aggran-
dizement But At the time another great Ameri-
can idea was operating indirectly for the embarrassment
Of Mexico, and that the idea Of civil liberty guaran-
tied by institutions Of federal republican government
The United States from the first or from an early day.
determined that there should be no European colonial
Power remaining this continent which they could pre-
vent or remove, and therefore they ostered spirit Of
revolt in Mexico; and when Mexico, in her revolution
after her revolution of 1921 arrived the point
where she must definitely choose her form of
the United States recommended to her. with the
principles Of federal republcanism which adopted
The short-ved Empire Of Iturbide was abolished; and
in 1924 Mexico adopted a constitution which, in its most
important characteristics is identical with our own.
During the twentynine years which have since elapsed
Mexico has had repose. She has been rent often and
in every part by the struggle between the North American
principle Of federalism, and it's antagonist the European
principle Of centralsm The people viii bear govern
msnt but federal one. Some wise men iu-MeIco have
continually maintained that other government than
central can be upheld there The army has decided
the contests bribery caprice has swayed its chiefs
The history Of Mexico since 1924 is only history Of
contest between these organic principles The central
principle has partially prevailed for periods amounting
in the aggregate to eleven years while the federal re-
publican principle and the constitution Of 1924 has pre-
vailed during the remaining nineteen years The war
between the United States and Mexico ended as you
member with the treaty Of peace, commonly called the
treaty of Guadalupe Hidago
invite the attention Of the Senate to two prov-
sions contained in that treaty In the fifth article is the
following provision:
"The boundary line established by this article shall be re-
ligiousy respected by each Of the Republics and
change shall be made therein except by the express
and free consent Of both nations lawfully given by the
General Government Of EACH in conformity with it's
stituton."
The trenty-frst is in the following words, to wit:
unhsppily any disagreement should hereafter arise be-
tween the Governments Of the Republics whether with
respect to the Interpretation Of stipulation in this treaty
with respect any other particular concerning the po
cal or commercial relations Of the naon the said Gov
ernmen in the Of those nations do promise to each
other that they will endeayo in the sincere
manner to settle the differences arising to preserve
the state Of and friendship in which the two unre,
are now placing themselves using for this end mutual rem
resentsnon, and pacific negotiations And IT, by these means
they should not be enabled to agreement resort
shall not this account be had repas or
hostility Of any kind by the Republic against the other