The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-01-31

and JONES, members of the House from New
/ York.
The Hon. ABBOT LAWRENCE, of Massachu,
sets, and wife, have arrived in this city, and
taken apartments at Wizards Hotel.
|
Our Foreign Relations and Our Domestic
/ OWants.
The Senate have sat on thirty-seven days
since the commencement of the session, and
of that number twelve have been more or less
completely devoted to the discussion of ou1
foreign relations. The proposal of England
and France to join this country in treaty in
relation to Cuba, formed the theme on the 23d
December and the Sd instant. On the 28th
December, and the 9th, 10th, 18th, and 9th
instant, the Clayton Bulwer treaty furnished
the text. On the 18th, 18th, 10Th, 18th, and
Goth instant, the purport and efficacy Of the
| MONROE doctrine, and the need of defining one
and giving renewed force to the other, were
the nominal staple of debate.
| We designate the topics according to the clas-
sifcation adopted in the official reports, though
in truth the protested matter of discussion bears
a dubious relationship to the matters actu-
ally discussed. 1t is the fashion nowadays in
Congress to think only of opportunities for
oratory and not of its character; and to make
| very slender thread the means of connecting
the bulkiest and most disproportionate materials.
| The foreign debates of the Senate are not ex-
ceptions to the rule. They have not been, as
| the uninitiated might imagine, confined to spe-
cific propositions, which may be plainly estab-
| lished or disproved, but rather form an onsniu,s
gatheruns of oddities, arguments, facts, and fan
cles, relating both to home and foreign politics.
Beersheba and back again-crossed and re-
crossed the Atlantic dozen times-surveyed
the West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico, Central
America, and the Islands of the Pacific, until
every hut and inlet are known-and once or
twice at least have appeared inclined to antici-
pate DR.. KANE in his journey to the Arctic pole
In the prosecution of these enterprises octave
volumes have been spoken, and the mail car
rlers will groan for weeks to come under the
printed products of all this labor. We speak
ofprlntlng and distributing-of the reading we
say nothing. The marrow has gone forth in
abstracts already printed. and who will care
to SLIT the heaps of dry and hollow bones that
are to follow?
We do not presume to object to the devotion
OF so much time to topics Of this nature We
do not venture to say, or even to insinuate,
that the duties of a deliberative assembly do
not embrace the delivery of treatises, or essays,
or miscellanies, which in less free countries
no Cd ~
pamphlet form at the authors expense. But we
do desire respectfully to ask if the country
has not right to expect some work during a
short session; and if Senators conceive that the
country is unable to distinguish between work
intended for It's benefit and talk intended to glo-
rify the takers and their fiends2 We wish to
ask further, and without any abatement Of re-
spect, If 1t is not proper to remember that less
than five weeks now remain for business, and
that public interests will suffer unless some
thing homely and practical be substituted for
dreamy distractions and prosy or partisan dis
quisitions2
The inquiry is not presented with the view
| of deprecating the consideration of any of the
| subjects that have been mooted in this connex-
| ion. 1t is not designed to impugn the import
| ance Of the issues involved, or to suggest that
| they should not be met manfully and at once.
We share the jealousy though aborring the ami
mostly which General CAss manifests towards
Great Britain, and would resist with promptitude
| the force or artifce which she or France may
employ to curb the growth of American power
II France really had designs against SANTANA, or
| if England violated treaty stipulations by colo
| nizing Belize or the Bay Islands, but one duty
would be open to us, and that would be to pro-
test, with distinct understanding that that
step should be followed by something more
substantial than General CAss contemplated
or said he contemplated the KossurH
Intervention was uppermost in his mind. If
England has actually violated her treaty stipu-
lations, as some Senators allege, the course
predicated upon superstition is the only one
that is open to us. On this head there will
not be found two opinions in or out of the
Senate.
But 1t must be recollected that the facts
which lie at the bottom of the whole matter are
yet In controversy. The Senate have heard
er parte statements without limit, but we are
not aware that the most dogmatic Of the Sena-
tors who have spoken have committed their
reputation to specific facts, which are advanced
4 as the basis of Interior proceedings. The
facts" on which the attacks upon Mr.. CLAY
TON were founded vanished long ago. and as
authorities differ as to the scope and intent Of SC
thoroughly established a fact as the MoNRoES:
or rather the ADAMs-declaration it would be
madness to receive other alleged things without
more examination than can we'll take place in
the midst of warm debate. This has been II
length acknowledged. The Committee on
Foreign Relations are now charged with the
task of conducting the investigations, and Of
/ reporting both as to the facts and the measures
which they render necessary.
Here, then, is cause Of complaint Twelve
days have been well-nigh wasted by the SEN