Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-09-30
The Destiny of America.


while free, that they shall remain distinct .
and independent in domestic economy and
nevertheless hc only one in commerce and
foreign affairs, that there shall arise from
among them and within their common do /
main even moro than thrtv-onc other equal
states, alike free, independent and united,
that the borders of the Federal Republic So
peculiarly constituted shall be extended so
that it shall greet the sun when he touches
the tropic and when he sends his CHANGING
rays towards the polar circle, and shall in
cludc even distant islands in either ocean,
that our population now counted by tens of
millions shall ultimately be rcckoned by
hundreds of millions. that our wealth shall
iucrcasr IL thousand fold and our commercial
connections shall be multiplied and our po-
litiral influence he enhanced in proportion
with this wide development. and that man
kind shall come to recognize in us II successor
Of the few great states which have alternately
borne commanding sway in the world,-if
this and only this is desired, then am free
to say that it, as YOU will readily promise,
our public and private virtues shall he pre-
served, nothing seems to me more certain
than the attainment of this future. 50 sur
passingly comprehensive and magnificent.
l. the union of the states to fail Does its .
strength indeed grow less with the multiple
cation Of its bonds Or doesit> value diminish
with the increase Of the social and political
interests which it defends and rrotects2 Far
otherwise. For all practical purposes bear
ing on the great question. the steam engine
the iron road the electric telegraph, all of
which are newer than the Union. and the me-
tropolitan press. which is no less wonderful
in its WORKING than they, have already obit-
Grated state boundaries and produced Il phys
zeal and moral centralism more complete and
perfect than monarchical ambition ever has
forged or can forrc
Do YOU reply nevertheless that the Mon
rests ON the will of the several states and
that. no matter what prudence or reason may
dictate. popular passion may become excited.
and rcnd 1t asundcrl Then rcioin. When
did the American people ever give way to
such impulses Thev are practically impaS-
sivc. lou remind M that faction ha. cNiS-
tnd and that only recently it was bold and
violent. answer that it was cmboldnncd hv
popular timiditv and Vet that even then it
Succumbcd Loyalty to the Union is. not in
one or many states only but in AL the states
the strongest Of all luhlic passions. 1t is
stronger. I doubt not. than the love of Justice
or even the love of equality. which have ac-
uuircd strength here never known among
mankind before. \ nation may well dnsliSr
threats Of Sodition that has known bat one
traitor, and this Will he learned fully by
those who Shall hereafter attempt to arrest
any great national movement by invoking
from their grave the obsolete tcrrorS of dis
union.
But YOU approhcnd FOREIGN resistance
Well. where is YOUR enemy Whence shall
he come win he arise ON this continent =
Canada has great resources and begins to give
signs of a national spirit But Canada l, not
vet independent of Great Britain. And she
will be quite too weak to be Formidable to us
when her characterization shall have taken
place. Moreover her principles, interests
aud svmpathirs assimilate to our own Just in
the degree that she vcrgcs towards separation
from the parent country. Canada, although
province of Great Britain, is already half
annexed to the United States She will ulti-
mately become member of this confcderacy
if we will consent, an ally if we will not allow
her to come nearer. 1T least she can never
be an advcrSarv Will Mexico. or Nicar,-
qua or Guatemala, or Ecuador, or Peru, all
at once become magcally cured Of the dis
eases inherited from aboriginal and Spanish
parcntagr, and call up armies from under the
earth and nayirs from the depths of the sea
and thus become the Rome that shall resist
and overthrow this ovcrsprcading Carthage
of ours Or are we to receive our death
stroke at the hand Of Brazil, doubly cursed a.
she is above all other American states by hen
adoption Of the two most absurd institutions
remaining among men, European monarchy
and American slavery!
Is an enemy to come forth from the island,
in adjacent seas Where then shall we looI
for him ! On the Antilles. or ON the Bcrmu
das, or on the Bahamas Which of the con
nicting social clements existing together We
unmiXcd. there. is ultimately to prevail !
Will it be Caucasian or African Can thos,
races not only combine but become all at ono,
aggressive and powerful
Shall we look for an adversary in Europe
Napoleon said ut st. Helena. &" America is ,
fortunate country. She ~row, hv the fplic
of our European nations" Since when have
thos. nations grown wis,' If they have Il
last Income wise. how is it that America ha
nevertheless not ceased to .,rowl But wha
European state will OPPOSE u.s. Will Grca
Britain II She fears t. rrapplc with Russia
naynncino towards C,1IStuntinoule ON tn
way to india. though not only hcr ,rcstg
l,t ,.,,, l. ann. ;,,, j.. tlro,tou,d yin .b