Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-02-04
.ETHIcS OF FILLIBUsTERIsM."

ends and objects of their craft. These ethical ins
tutes in fact, spring into being, it were sponta-
neousy, composing as they do sort of common law,
universally admitted and accepted by all concerned
From the comfy and courtesy which exist among
the members of the "learned professions" to the
honor which is supposed to prevail among very
different order of PERSONS we trace the prevalence of
this same tendency, which seeks to evolve in every
fraternity specific code of morals to which it can
appeal Such being the case, we should not perhaps
be surprised to find that I" Glbusterism" has its
"ethies." And yet it was not without some such
feeling that we perused the following paragraphs
in the columns of New York paper of recent
date, in which the writer essays to PROFOUND the
ethical principles of fraternity which, however
ancient or honorable, is certainly as new among US
as the outlandish name by which it entities ITSELF
FROM THE NEW YORK NATIONAL DEMOCRAT"
Republic of Lover California-the Ethics Of FIJI
hJusterisna
The news from California BY the Northern Light far
from confirming the Mexican reports of the defeat and
capture of the beTating expedition of Lower California
directly that up to the date Of advices the
party of Capt Walker had carried it oil their own way
and that the barque Anita with reinforcement of three
hundred men, under Col Watkins had arrived in support
Of the avant guard. There amongst u.s. the d
and be who profess to regard every nfracon of anti
quated International law with terror and adherence. The
present limits of the Republic large enough to suit
their need and regardless Of the wants of the human
family, they exclaip Let US remain where are!"
But on the other pd, there thousands who recog
Mise in the spread Anglo American republicanism the
march of manifest destiny who see, in wrestling from the
savage territory whose he is unable to de-
velop, neither political moral guilt AS the human ia
my increases, their needs and requirements demand
low hnn finrt Of that rIaI
subsistence to dozen Indians in their primitive state
feeds, employs and educates thousands Of religious
citizens. We cannot utterly condemn the invasion of
Lower California without invaidatng own title to
the possession of these North American States The
ritory invaded by the expedonsts has present
population of five thousand and these inhabitants
between the Mexican and Indian Of the lowest and most
degraded habits. If we couldrepace them by large
and civilized community educated to the necessities of
the time and prepared to develop the natural
of the country would it not be much to the advantage
Of the present inhabitants to the interests Of human
ty? There mineral mountains of exhausess trea-
sure, valleys only awaiting the touch Of cultivation to
pour forth infinite abundance. The present occupants
neither appreciate enjoy these advantages and
y unnatural that the adventurous spirit of our
century should look with gitterng eyes upon wealth
which is so permitted to run to waste Against settled
government or against country whose resources
fairly deveopedby the occupants have neither ghtnor
inclination to commence hostites but where know
that the gifts of Nature neglected and abused where
wealth I'M thousand permitted and must continue
are hundreds of thousands of immigrants yearly seeking
shores from the oppression and starvation of Europe
we feel justified in demanding that sufficient provision of
territory shall be made for their accommodation Other
wise let close ports and declare that the preceps
of international law forbid growth and therefore
clude acoessions of foreign strength The Republic Of
Lower California it at present stands is destitute of
trade, Of agriculture Of invention and manufacture.
Shall it continue to the end Of time, shall the knife
Of unconstitutional expedition be permitted to the
Gordan knot and throw these fair valleys open to the
he IF civ
human family?
At the risk of being cassed among the "timid
and imbecile," we do not hesitate to avow that we
are of thu nber Of those who regard every infrac-
ton of international law with terror and adherence
We aware that we live in fast age, but it had
never before occurred to us that the double quick
march of time had g amtiquatea" the Law Of Ma
tons and rendered its sanctions barren and ehete.
We had rather congratulated ourselves that, owing
to the increasing enlightenment and ever widening
REORGANIZATION of the nations, the precepts of
this Law would be only the sacredly observed,
as they are becoming day by day more and more
indispensable to the preservation of peace and har
mony and good neighborhood in the community of
civilized States. The Law of Nations being, as it
undoubtedly is the joint offspring Of civilization and
Christianity it had never struck us that its obga-
tons would be impaired by any diffusion of these
blessings; and as our age has specially prided
itself OF the triumphs of its benefcent zeal and
commercial enterprise, each in their spheres con-
trbutng most powerfully to the extension of
christianized civilization, we had fervently hoped
that the principles of international law were only
thereby gaining fresh muniments and buttresses.
And such we still rejoice to believe is the fact,
notwithstanding the recent innovations which
desperate brigandism on the part Of few reckless
bands of adventures would seek to foist upon
modern public law and. which it now affects to
dignity by system of I" ethics" invented for the
occasion.
That the agents and abettors Of 6llibusterism
should entertain but poor opinion Of international
law is nothing wonderful, when we remember that
it yields flaming sword, which turns every way to
bar their fagitious iHcursions. If they can only
bluntit edge or mar its lustre, they hope to win
for themselves immunity from the punishment
and condemnation to which they are amenable in
the eyes of the civilized world. To defend the in
tegrty and expediency of public law we surely
need not appeal to the authority of great names |;
but DANIEL WEBSTER has asserted its prerogatives
in terms SO much better than any we can express
that we are induced to quote them, as a sufficient
L., Ill a.,