The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-10-12
THE KOSTA AFFAIR.

THE KOSTA AFFAIR.
We gave yesterday the condensation of Sc
cre,ary Marcy's letter on the Kosta affair. Its
bold and decided tone, and its eminently Amer
lean adherence to the rights of our citizens,
will, we venture 10 say, command admiration
at home and abrosd The quiet tone OF the
last para graph is peculiarly observable
zP-eADeinp esnvinced that the seizure and inn
Slrisdlllnert rts Of Kosta were illegal-unjusti
ble-the Presidrtt declines to give his consent
to his debut. Aft.r full examination OF the
case, as herein presented, he has instructed the
undersigned 10 communicate to MIR. Hulseman
his confident expectation that the Emperor Of
Austria will take the proper measure to cause
NJ. Kosta TO be restored to the condition
he was in before he was seized in Smyrna on
the gath Of June last.
We regret that we are compelled to confess
that great modification must be felt by every
American on looking over the history of our
diplomacy. 1t is singular how often the pen
has failed 10 SECOND the sword, and how often
defea, in the Cabinet has trodden close on the
heels of victories in the field. The war OF
1912 was purely the result Of the ineficiency-
if we may use the term--of the treaty subse-
quent TO the Revolution. England was de
feated on all sides, and Burgoyne and Corn
wallis could well attest the valor skill and ener-
ey of the provincial troops. Pressed TO the
earth by debts arising from most unpopular
war, and harrassed by her hereditary enemy,
England was compelled to resign every hope OF
subduing her refractory colonies. The circum-
stances might well have been an apology for our
debating terms. 1t is true we gained much,
but the right Of search was left an open ques-
ton, the fisheries almost neglected, and the SOW
ereigu control over the navigation Of that grea,
river on whose banks we write was nearly lost
The war Of 1912 was natural consequence
The great questions were again passed by, Or Sc
ambiguously expressed as to lay the foundation
for future wars. in fact, we believe that the
right of search could hardly be called definitlve
| ly sc t,led until the Ashburton Treaty.
Our boundary questions in like mlnner were
| left open 10 doubt Maine and Oregon are fresh
in every ones remembrance.
| These .modern instances lie thick al ng the
| Past, from which. as from wrecks on lee shore
we may take lessons of instruction. But il
| ls46-'47, it was no better The terms of ih'
capitulaton Of Monterey, the injudcions arms-
tice of Tacubaya, shew that We could not learr
| vet. The final convention with its ridiculous
grant that we should defend frontier line o
thousands of miles for Mexico, will recur IL
| every one's recollection. Yst Mexico at tina
time was completely within our hands He
fortresses were garrisoned with our troops, he
very capital heard The guard beat of our soldiers
| she had lost every battle, and her most splendlt
armies bad successiyely gone down before the
roar Of our cannon, and the impetuous charge
! If our western volunteers. There was actual
ly none to make us afraid and yet hoy in
ls;sni6cant the end attained, when it seemed
merely the privilege Of purchasia.. lana here
after.
There is no denying the fact that we hsve too
often been overreachedin in diplomacy. The ink
stand has been an overmatch for the bayonet.
| If our diplomatists had slight degree more
of the courage of our soldiers, it would all b'
we'll And this letter of Mr. Marcys seems {
us,so far as we can Judge at present, TO be some
thing Of beginning in the line of the bolder
freer, higher tone which shomld characterize al
American Cabinet The noble inaugural of th,
| President is taking form and shape. And TO
| all this there could be no better time than tn,
present We are accustomed, all of us, to b
the praisers of the past--laudatores tempori
acti. But all the past can show no nobler scene
than when, amidst the despotisms of the ole
world, and in the face Of their forces, single
ship, in foreign land cleared its deck for actor
to defend the rights of an obscure individual
whose only defence against violence was ,ha
| he was an American citizen. From the bay o
Smyrna, Capt. lngraham gave a lesson to The
world And now that the Government at home
endorses and approves the act,
| Stands fof our countrys honor fast
And nails her co!ors TO the mast"
there is higher hope for the destinics of th'
great Brotherhood of Man. And SO indeed d,
the monarchical establishments regard it, as thei
united protests bear unwilling witness. In view
Of all these circumstances, the lover Of human
freedom and human progress can I" thank Coz
and take courage