Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-08-20
Progress.

PROGRESS.
TN the 18th inst, the Baltimore An,eri-
can contained an article on this theme,
which having been extensively repub-
ished, by journals protesting to see great
prospective dangers in the spirit of the
age, Is worthy of notice. The paper in
question is designed to show that what
is now termed progress" is neither
more nor less than territorial extern
sion by fraud and violence. According
TO this writer, and those reprinting him
with laudatory comments, the majority
OF the people of the United States are
bent On a crusade for land acquisition
and proselytism to American to. S. ideas,
such as has not occurred since the DAYS
of the Roman Republic. Now, with the
exception of a handful Of rattle-brained
young men lii each Of our large cities,
and the hurrah-boy around each such lit
tie knot-those who regularly shout over
every body and every thing-and here
and there lin the cities) small band of
refugees from abroad-men who have, in
most instances, been the victims in their
persons and property of the oppression of
despotlc gOvernments-there are literally
none iii the United States who even dream
approyingly Of such progress as the Amer
aeGn labors to establish as that which
meets the favor of the people of this coun-
Try To argue with the american and its
co-laborers against the injustice of their
Misrepresentation, would be time thrown
away, because their minds are so con-
structed as to incapacitate them from
taking cOmInon-sense views of anything
they dislike. They cannot he made to
understand that We can and are causing the
world around us to progress, by the quiet
spread of our influences Of all sorts, and
by dint of our exan. pie. Their senses are
too ObtuSe to allow them to realize that
the success of safe and sound republi-
canism in this country is, by degrees,
assuring liberty to Europe, and paving
the way for the eventual triumph of good
goTernment-honesta and unselfish repub-
Observation-Disclosures the American con-
tinent. They apparently will never come
TO appreciate the fact that our commerce
cannot he extended, without every where
carrying with it elements of improve
mNnt, in the way of ideas of popular
rights and the true functions of govern
ment, which naturally generate a strong
desire wherever they 60, for the assimila-
ton of imperfect and corrupt governments
and institutions to ours. Nor will the
conductors of such newspapers ever come
to understand, that wherever the spread
of American commerce and travel causes
large numbers Of our people to settle, no
power on earth can keep them from even
tually Americanizing popular sentiment
around them; and from striving to draw
closer the bonds of sympathy between
themselves and their mother country.
No American citizen who has not resided
beyond the jurisdiction of the Stars and
Stripes, can realize the yearning towards
them, which fills the heart Of every Amer
lean living abroad or the effect of that
yearnng, in making Americans so sit
mated, strive to identify the country of
their residence with the United States.
Such are the circumstances and feelings
which engender the dmgef of territorial
acquisition, of which the Baltimore Amer
iod1. has mortal horror. To ward off this
result, occurring not only in our case,
but in that Of every civilized nation ex-
listing to become an important people