The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-24

The President of the United States every day
issues commissions to individuals to perform
certain duties. Congress every day pass laws
authorizing individuals to build custom houses,
SIC. | would like to know who there is in
Congress or out of it that would admit that
an administrative officer, or an architect upon
public building has q contract which he can
assign to foreigner, and thereby convey to a
foreign Power the right TO tell us that we must
execute the contract with its subjects.
| ask you now to consider what are the UNI
reasonable demands which Mexico makes, and
which it is supposed that we cannot allow I;
and shall take that in the words of the hon
orable chairman of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, MIR. Mason
ain all the propositions wnich since FROM
the Msxicsn Government In their proposals inviting
companies construct this work. they have imposed limit
restrictions which must discourage all from at
tempting IL. which would have the effect, II complied
WITH Of leaving that work exclusively Ia the charge OF the
Mexican Government The PROPORTIONS Of this char
the contractors required, IN the first place, to
acknowledge the In4uaihed sovereignty Of Mexico over
the transit and her right to Impose any political charges
whatever upon persoDs property passing IT, They
required to acknowledge right In the Gov
ernment Of Mexico TO x the corporate charges They
required agree to place their mail under the
national ng VI Mckee, and al their vessels 10 he sub
ic 10 tonnage and lighterage duties They required
TO agree to transport no troops munitions of war across
o They required TO Discriminate ia favor Of such
tOns shall guaranty this monopoly by deducting TWEEN
yhye per cent from the corporate charges in their hvor
they required 10 transfer the work At cst Ia Mexico
and than ALL hoss who constructing this
work required TO their right to the protection
Of their Governments, and heroine dc esO Mexican
citizens"
Now, sir you see what the whole difficulty
is; that what is claimed for these American
proprietors is that they shall not be obliged to
denationalixe themselves, but that Mexico shall
! be obliged to denationalize herself that the
Congress of the United States, or the citizens of
the United States shall have control over the
commerce of the Isthmus in all the particulars
which have been read from the speech Of the
honorable Senator. Now consider the condi-
ton of the United States which | will not por-
tray; consider the present condition of Next
co, which | need not describe consider the
character of the population of the United
States and of Mexico, which need not Illus
trate consider the extent of the franchises
thus insisted upon, and tell me what result can
happen to Mexico, by her concedng what is
demanded Of her, short of dsmemberment.
sooner or later, Of the Mexican nation, dis
solution of the Federal Union of the States, and
the extinction Of the Republic of Mexico, even
If, while we are here, that extinction has not
already come about. Sir, in that case Mexico
will not be sefsustaining Power. She must
be sustained by somebody. Except the United
States there is no American Power that can
guaranty the maintenance Of Government in
Mexico. The United States will not consent
that any European Power shall guaranty the
preservation of Government there The
Monroe doctrine, and the traditions cherished
by us, prohibit that What then As con-
sequence Of making these concessions Mexico
must fall into the United States
MIR. President, began this examination, if
not in favor of the propositions of the commit
tee, at least favorable to result which would
enable me to support these claimants The re-
suit is not satisfactory. am obliged, there
fore to say that | cannot vote to sustain the
resolutions.