Washington sentinel., 1854-03-29

the proper Spanish American minister Il dom
know his name or designation never saw ons
of them in my life) has disavowed this procla
nation. That he can disavow the principles
which, agree with the gentleman from Souti
Carolina, are of general notoriety, is isimpossible
But, sir, there is wide difference between In
.vading another country, with this proclamation
OF negro emancipation in the van, and setting
the slaves ofthat country to cutting their mas
ter's throats,1by way of making allies OF them
by way Of effectnally invading and conquerins
the country, and doing with them in your, owl
mischievous. and, indeed, wicked it may be
| If the State of Virginia was, in a moment o
| phrenzy, 10 pass an act of general and imme
/ diate emancipation, that would be one thing
If the State OF Virginia--supp the contro
| of this government to be out Of the way-shoulc
go on a crusade into the Caroinas, with these
| principles before them and the negroes behind
| them, it would be doing very different thing
| 1t is therefore, of Importance to us to know OH
cialy, if we can, whether these provinces mean
| to make use Of this Instrument OF revolution
/ aud CONQUEST, as the FreHch Convention made
use of their weapons, their Hberte, egaLite, fra
ternite, against the rest oil the world. 1t IS Of
the utmost importance that we should know il
| officially, although il be a matter OF notorious
alarm to Cuba, as said yesterday. Cuba has
| labored under this apprehension, not without
cause, and has taken means to guard againstit.
There is another circumstance to be taken
| into on. estimate of danger, whether on this
quarter or on that of our neutrality; and that
| is the present condition of these former colo
nies Of Spain-these South American States
whether It be pacific and neutral, like our own,
or, as it notoriously is, belligerent. Have they
not armies on foot, and navies ahoat; and does
this count for nothing in the calculation of
wise men and statesmen, as to what they may
do, or we may suffer from powers so circnm.
stanced? Are we to consider and treat with o
country as if in time of peace, and with its ar
NOR thrown off? Are we to consider what she
even says, then, in the same light that VIC would
consider it in when she is bristled with steel,
armed cap-a.pie for war? The two cases are
very different; whereas they are belhgerent, the
United States are pacific everything is on the
peace establishment; our armor thrown aside,
and our attitude that of the most amiablc and
| enviable reposc. The United States are, more.
over, not only what every peaceable people
ought to be, (ileahul,) but they have a treaty OF
amity with Spain; they have positive stipu-
lation with Spain to do no un-neutral act. Does
this, or does it not affect the question? II
does. It affects the question vitally, as affect.
ing the capacity, as well as the disposition. to
act without breach Of neutral duty and of faith,
express as well as implied How long is it
since our neutral rights ceased to be dear to
US? Do they not imply neutral duties ? How
long since the faith of the United States has
become SO cheap? The warlike attitude and
armor Of these belligerents will, with every man
Il, Ia; I,l,.;
means Of enforcing their principles of univer.
sal emancipation upon US, through the instru-
mentality Of an invasion and servie war of in
surrection in Cuba for, sir, wise man will
disregard threats coming from quarter which
has no capacity to enforce them. They indicate
only silly malignity that is best treated with
contempt. Any man who should be block
head enough now to say that he would take
the President of the United States out of his
palace in the dead of night, and put him into a
boat, and take him down the Potomac, and
ship him of to foreign country, would be
taken for lnoon.struck madman. Yet he who
is said to have once uttered that threat passed
for man of very uncommon abilities. Bat
this, sir. is threat which the parties have not
only the capacity, as well as the disposition, but
the peculiar capacity to carry into execution !;
and shall we stand idle? Shall we sit STILL
like those Roman senators who had no other
resource, Mr.. President. until the Gauls shall
come into this room, and, after offering indig-
nifty to our persons, finish the tragedy with our
blood No, sir; we are not brought to that
point The Capitol is untouched the sentinels,
it is to be hoped, are yigilant; the god Termi-
nus has not gone back-yes, sir, he has gone
back he has given way, and, at the very point,
too, of weakness; and he who is now consid-
-. ~ n r
cred to- be the right arm of this administration
was the loudest and 6ercest denouncer of that
retrograde movement, and OF the councils un-
der which it was made. speak Of the cession
on the southwest; speak OF Texas, of the ces-
sion adjacent to the country known to us as
New Mexico; of the cession of the Upper Red
River; Of the cession of the gates, OF the keys
of New Orleans. And shall Louisiana support
this, whether it be the man or the measure?
hope not. Yes, sir; they have the capacity
and they have the will and, unless we take
some steps to arrest it, the evil must come home
to your bosom, to mines and we must then do
what all other people do under like crcum.
Stances never fail to do, or perish; for, sir,
when things pet to extremes, the ink and parch.
ment fail 1t will signify very little what my
notions, or yours, or any other mans notions
may be, of the powers of the federal govern
ment or the rights of the States because, ac-
cording to the exigence of the case, we shall
act for our selfpreservation "for, as selfpres-
ervation is in individuals the first law of ma
ture, so it is with societies" The southern
States will look to their safety as States and as
individuals whatever the ink and shccpskin
may say, or be made to say-whatever Con-
gress may degree.
If Tsaid Mr.. r. were, what am not, on
acute phiologer, / should sometimes amuse
myself with the manner in which words slip
from their original meanings, and come to pur-
port something very different from what any
body ever attached to them when they first
came into use. The word sophist Ia wise man)
got SO much into disrepute, that philosopher
Ia lover Of wisdom) had to supply its place.
The word Rbertiac meant what liberal means
now, that is a man attached to enlarged and
free principles, o votary of liberty; but the
libertines made SO itan use of their principles,
that the word has come (even since the days
of Shakspeare) to be taken in bad sense !;
and liberal will share the same fate, | fear, if
il contracts this black alliance. There are