The Sierra citizen., 1854-04-15

ally than any other measure now before
Congress. The Nebraska debate then
occupied the Senate until the adjournment.
On Saturday a very interesting debate
took place. Mr.. Cass called the attention
of the Senate to a declaration made in
Parliament by Lord Clarendon, the
British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, to the effect that the Union of
England and France was not confined to
the Eastern question; "but that the habit
of good understanding between them has
become general on all matters of policy,
and extends to all parts of the world; and
that on the question of policy there is no
part of the world. in either hemisphere,
with regard to which we are not entirely in
accord Mr.. G. thought this one Of the
most extraordinary declarations that had
been made in his day. He did not suppose
that it was very rare that such projects
were concocted and matured among Euro
pean cabinets; but he thought it was very
seldom that they were thus publicly
avowed. There was no misunderstanding
the statement of Lord Clarendon. 1t was
intended to be notice to us that France
and England had come to an agreement
with respect to the schemes of aggrandize-
ment Of the United States, and meant to
stop them. II meant Cuba; it meant any
place where we wish to procure the acqui-
sition of territory. He thought it useless
for us to tamper any longer with these
questions. 1t was useless to say that we
should not take our place among the
nations of the world, and to declare, when
interpretations are made into the system
of the law of nations regulating the Pow
ers of the world, that we have no right to
be heard. The country was humbugged
with the impression that if we declare that
a European Power has no right to inter-
potato provisions in the law of nations, it
was an ''entangling alliance and Wash
ington and Jefferson were quoted in op-
position to it. How such declaration
could be considered an "entangled alii-
ance.'' he could not see. He had no doubt
that this administration would take high
ground and support such declaration
with all the moral support of the Amcri-
can legislature, and Of the American
people, and that support should be given
By a declaration Of Congress.
Mr. Mason, of Virginia, considered it
unnecessary to place any probable con-
struction on the paragraph quoted by Mr..
Cass, so far as Cuba was concerned; be-
cause this country had been distinctly
informed, in correspondence which took
place twelve months ago between the
Minister of France and England and our
then Secretary of State. when the Secre-
tary of State declined the proposition of
the tripartite convention, that the two
governments of France and England would
consider themselves thereby committed to
the position. which they occupied in the
correspondence which they commenced,
and gave notice that whenever the occa-
sion arrived they would be found united.
So that this government had had fair
notice. He should say, then "forewarned,
forearmed.' When the case occurred in
a tangible form, Mr.. NJ. apprehended the
government would be prepared to meet it;
ana he, for one, was prepared to say that
any interference of any description with
the action of this government upon this
contincnt-considering South America
and the islands dependant as part of it,
he felt satisfied, from what he knew of the
feelings of the American people, would be
resisted by the whole powers of the coun-
try. But at present he was not aware of
any.
Mr.. Cass explained what course he
thought they should pursue. He said they
should pass resolutions declaring that this
government would never permit the inter-
vention Of European Powers in the affairs
of this continent; and support them to the
last extremity. When so many people
around us were struggling to obtain their
liberty, ard when liberty had not friend
in the world. except this single country,
and declarations were made that set at
naught tie public opinion of the world;
we were told that we must not counteract
them because it would be an abstraction
Such measure as he proposed would not
be an abstraction. To foresec storm is
to be prepared for it. Declare your prn-
ciples to The world. Let them know what
you will do when the time comes to do it.
That is what we should do. We should
take our position and maintain it. What
we would do at a particular moment will
and must depend on the circumstances of
the case. But would tell them what our
rights are:
Mr.. Mason replied. lie said, that ifa
people do not know what their rights are.
they will not learn them from US. He
had as much sympathy for those who strug-
gle for liberty abroad as any man; but if
our example does not stimulate them to
attain the same results ,hich we have at
tanned, our resolutions viii have no other
effect in the world but to render US redicu-
lOus.
Mr.. Weller. of California, believed there
was substantially no question before the
Senate, and thought, therefore, that it
would be eminently proper to proceed to
the order of the day. He had seen several
wars gotten up on that floor with Great
Britain in his time, but in the present case
= xbo,,rrhf II xrould Yrnvo tho hoffpr mart