The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-07-26
CONTINUED FROM FIRST FACED

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make the treaty. And r,i>, ahat
could he more apt, mo'r :u': more
comprehensive, in ,onvr, Ia. ne ldeu
of Obligation upon our pa.t to protect
the citizens of Mexico to The linllcs,
extent? We are to extend to them
the protection which: if placed under
like circumstances, we should extend
to our citizens. And what degree Of
protection is necessarily implied IN
this idea. Why, sir, when we C. nsiIcr
the power of this govcrnm" /; !, ua,ior
twcnt, five millions OF i'rop!r nh't -
send one Niiliur of soldiers ,..,n .h,.
field to protect the rights OF uu ell.
zens-wlat sort Of protection is it to
be supposed they would afford Why
sir, the most perfect tie wit Of man
could dovise. And the Mexican com.
miSsioners, when they inserted this
clause into the treaty, meant to stipu.
late for the utmost possible degree Of
protection that human power could
afford. And this is the provision of IL
trcntyscXtortcd from that nation when
when they were prostratcd in the dust;
when their energies and means had
all been exhausted; when our victoli-
Gus armies travcrscd their country in
every direction, and their beautiful
capitol itself was in our hands; when
Mexico lay under our feet, bleeding at
every pore, this was the treaty we
forced upon her. And the question
now is, shall we screen ourselves from
the obligations of that treaty by mere
play Of words? On such play of
words rs the member taom Missouri
(Mr. Bcnton used yesterday, that we
were not bound to extend to them
any more protection than we had OK.
tended to our own citizens that we
had shown no energy or zeal in protect.
ing our own citizens, and that we were
under obligations to bcstow no more in
protecting the people Of Mexico. Why,
sir, has it come to this, that we shall
use our own wrong to relieve ourselves
from the obligations oftreatics? ? Has
it come TO this, that we shall use our
own want of duty to our own citizens
Us reason why we should rot do
duty which vel bound ourselves by
treaty to perform to q foreign nation,
and u weak and dcfcnceless ration.
over which we had triumphcd? am
aga INST that sort OF morality. would
not learn morality in such a school
say these words bind us, in the
strongest way i'll which language can
bind us, to have protected the border
provinces Of Mckee. And if we have
failed to do so-a fact about which
there is no disput. then we arc bound
I" make indemnity. We should put
them IN the same condition in which
they would have been had we perform.
cd our part of the treaty. That is
what | contend for. would perform
treaty with the weakest as with the
greatest power, and OF ali powers the
Mexican the most-that weak, that
distracted, that discordant power.
which has been in state of chaos since
it first struck for liberty the govern.
mcnt Of which has been occupied hy
one military despot after another which
has been torn and convul>ed with civil
discord, and whose ruin has been al.
most completed by our own arms.
say that if there is any power on earth
for which J would go farther to perform
treaties with than another, it is this
Mexican power. would act towards
her with generosity, good faith, Justice,
and magnanimity. if we adopt the
construction which the member from
Missouri puts on this treaty, and sav
that We arc not liable, the name Of
America will become IL I,y. word
American faith will he worse than Pu.
mic faith. One will be ashamed To
acknowledge that he was an American,
five thus play on words with weak
and detcnccIess power.
On the ground of obligation, under
this treaty, and the liabilities which We
assume under its eleventh article, am
IN favor OF voting this appropriation,
in order to get rid Of them. 1t is an
article which, SO long as it c>isl<, may
subject US to great expense, and What
is more, if we refuse to perform its OBJ.
legations, we Shall strike Il blow at
the reputation of our country, which
should be dearer to us than money.
There is a clause in the treaty, too.
which says, that on any violation of it,
IN any particular, either govcrn,n, mt
shall have the right to refer The mat
ter to arbitration, with the exception
that the other government may refuse
to do SO if it deems it utterly inconsis.
tent with its safety or interest. Then
we shoul,. be bound to refer this mat.
ter to arbitration. Who would we
Gcfer it to? | doubt whether there
could be found IL government vino
would not go into it with all its sympa.
thes on tic side Of Mexico, and We
would come ont the arbitration with
ten, twenty, or thirty millions ofdolars
due to that nation. am unwilling to
run the risk Of that arbitration. |
think it wise to settle the matter by
the treaty.
1t has been said that the late admin
istraton offered S6,O00,0OO or S7,OO0,.
600 Tor the abrogation OF that eleventh