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


make the treaty. And a,k, shat
could he more APT, morr :u'!, more
comprehensive, in convey in4 the ,deu
of obligation upon our part 10 protect
the citizens OF Mexico to the fullest
extent? We arc to extend to them
the protection Which: if placed under
like circumstances, we should extend
to our citizens. And wha, degree Of
protection is necessarily implied in
this idea. Why, sir, when we c, nsider
the power Of this governments; Il natior
twcnt, five millions of people. nhle q"
send one million of soldiers ..,n .u,.
field to protect the rights OF on cili.
zens-what sort of protection is it to
be supposed they would afford ? Why
sir, the most perfect tie wi, 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
treatysextortcd from that nation when
when they were Frustrated in the dust;
when their energies and means had
all been cxhau>ted; when our vcto,i-
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 n mere
play Of words? On such u play of
words as the member t;,om Missouri
(Mr. Bcnton) used yesterday, that we
were not bound to extend TO them
any moro 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 VIC 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
rs n reason why we should rot do
duty which wei bound ourselves by
treaty to perform to foreign nation,
and weak and dcfcnceless ration.
over which we had lriumphcd? am
against that sort OF morality. would
not learn morality III such school.
say these words bind us, in the
strongest way i'll which language can
bind us, to have protected the border
provinces Of Mexico. And if we have
failed to do so-a fact about which
there is no disput. then we arc bound
to make indemnity. We should put
tiIem III The same condition in which
they would have been had we perform.
ed our part of the treaty. That is
what contend for. | would perform
a treaty with the weakest as with the
greatest power, and OF all powers the
Mexican the most-that weak, that
that discordant power.
which has been in state Of chaos since
it first struck for liberty the govern.
ment Of which has been occupied by
one military dcspot after another which
has been torn and convul>ed with civil
discord, aud whose ruin has been al.
most completed by our own arms. |
say that if there is any power on earth
for which Jwonld 90 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 saw
that We arc not liable, the name OF
America will become word
American faith will be worse than Pu.
mic faith. One will be ashamed TO
acknowledge that he was an American,
five thus play on words with IL weak
and dctcncclcss 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 lists, may
subject us to great expense, and what
IS more, five refuse to perform its OBJ
legations, we Shall strike blow at
VIZ 'SpuihliOil VI Oll country, when
should be dearer to us than money.
There is Il clause in the treaty, too.
which says, that on any violation Of it,
IN any particular, either governln, mt
shall have the right to refer tho 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
rcfer it to? | doubt whether there
could be found govern" cnt vino
would not go into it with all its sympa.
thies on the side Of Mexico, and We
would come out oft the arbitration with
ten, twenty, or thirty millions ofdollars
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.
istration offered S6,000,OOO or $1,000.
600 Tor the abrogation of that eleventh