Washington sentinel., 1855-02-03
PROSP ECTU-S
.WAsHINGTON sENTIN

1 /.
a,s M OF THE
/ ssl "WASAINGTON SENTINEL.O
4 PROPOSE to publish in the city of Washing
lton, in September, political newspaper, un
der the name Of the WASHINGTON SENTl
MEL.
4 In doing so, il isproper should make known
the principles II will maintain, and the policy il
will advocate. aH 4 4sa-ias
/ L will support cordially and earnestly the prin
cPes Of the Democratic party Of the United States
II does not propose TO be the organ Of any Depart
ment Of the Government, except in SO far as an in
| dependent maintenance of the doctrines of that
| party may represent its opinions and express its
views. tss}ssA . K
I, will NOT be ambitious TO commend itselfto the
people by blind fattery Of their rulers. !. viii
sentiments which are common TO the genuine
Democracy Of the Union, and by the eondemna-
tion Of all such as may conflict with them, from
| whatever quarter they may come. II will seek 70
be (and il will endeavor to deserve the ttle) the
organ Of the Democratic party Of the United
States.
The SENTINEL will maintain, as Fundamental
truth Of that great party that the States formed the
Union between them by the ratification Of the Con-
stitution compact; by which, also, they created
the Federal Government, and delegated to it,
| as their common agent, the powers expressly
specified in il, with an explicit reservation of all
others to the States or to their separate govern
ments The exercise of any powers beyond these
thus delegated is, therefore, an usurpation of the
reserved authority Of the States by the agent Of
their own creation.
The SENTINEL will uphold and defend the Union
upon the basis of the rights of the States-under
the Constitution-and thus by sedulously guarding
the latter, it will the more efectually strengthen
and perpetuate the former.
With regard to the exercise Of the powers Of the
Federal Government, the SENTINEL will take
the principles Of its action, that Congress shall ex
hoon lol tod
the Constitution, according to strict and fair in
terpretaton of its language and spirit and that It
shall not seek to attain indyscy object through
the exercise of constitutional pocer for the diysct
attainment of which il has no delegation Of pos0sr
In other words, all powers exercised must be
clearly granted, and all granted powers must be
used for no purpose except such as 10 clearly in.
tended by the Constitution.
In respect to the internal administration of the
Government, the SENTINEL will sustain the settled
policy of the Democratic party. Il will labor to
inculcate this cardinal doctrine of Democratic in
ternal policy that this Government will best
promote the freedom and prosperity Of the people
of the States, by being less ambitious to exercise
power, and more anxious TO preserve liberty; and
by leaving to the individual States the manage
ment of all their dowsestie concsrns-while it
tents itself with guarding the confederacy from
external violence, and directing the foreign policy
of the country to the promotion of the common
interests, and defence Of the common rights, and
honor of the States composing it.
The SENTINEL will advocate such progressive
foreign policy as will suit itself TO the exisencies,
and correspond with the expanding interests of the
country. That policy should be energetic and de.
cided; but should temper frmness with liberality
and make its highest ends consist with the stretest
principles Of justice. The real interests of the
country, upon each occasion demanding attention
will be its guide in the course the SxNTINRL viii
| pursue.
| The national policy of the world in this age il
| essentially aggressive. In tho growing senss OF
weakness of some OF the nations of the Old World,
| and the ambitious restsssness of others, com
mon motive 10 colonial extension has developed
| self.
Our settled determination &c repel interference
| from abroad with our domestic concerns, vii
prompt us TO avoid il in the affairs OF other coun
tries, unless by their foreign or colonial policy our
peace should be threatened, our security endan
gered, or our interests invaded. For when the
selfish interests Of other nations prompt foreign
or colonial policy which infringes upon our rights.
and places in the pathway of our commerce a
dangerous and unfriendly rival, such policy must
be resisted by remonstrancc, and, II need be, sy
war.
Our foreign policy should, indeed, be defensive /;
but TO be properly defensive it must sometimes be
apparently aggvessipe. Our administration should
be vigilant watchful, and energetic. The world
Ia full of important movements, commercial and
political, deeply concerning American trade and
American power. II is time we had an American
foreign policy. We must have it. We cannot
avoid il ii we would We have larger interests and
| greater stake in the world and its destiny, than
| every other people. We occupy the best portion
of continent, with no neghbors but colony, and
o worn out, anarchical despotsm. We are the
olny people whose own land, without colonial de.
| Tendencies, is washed by the two great oceans OF
| the world. Our agricultural productions are more
varied and more essential 10 civilized life, and 10
| human progress-our mineral and manufacturing
resources vast--our facilities and capacity Tor
| internal and foreign commerce more extended
than those of any other people living under one
government. A continent, to great extent, un-
| explored and exhaustIess IN its yet hidden wealth
is at our feet. European trade seeks the great East
| through avenues which at our doors, or must
| be made through our own limits. Europe, Asia,
Africa and the isles OF the sea, lying all around
us, look TO us as the rising power, through the
| agency Of whose example, and ever widening and
| extending though peaceful influences, the bless
ings Of liberty, civilization, and religion, are des-
tined to triumph over the barbarism and supcrsti-
ton of the millions of the world. And shall such
people refuse to lay hold upon their destiny, and
act upon the high mission to which II is called
| A mission so full of hope, though 80 laden with
responsibility, which, If properly directed, must
make our confederscy the harbinger Of peace TO
the world, as well as the peaceful arbiter of its
| destiny.
The SENTINEL viii, therefore, advocate bold
and earnest foreign policy, such as the condition OF
the country demands; but it will advocate il under
the flag OF the country-nowhere else. Its foreign
policy must be consistent with the spotless honor
and tnimpeachable good faith of the country. TO
be respectable at home and abroad, and TO be great
in the eyes of the world, II must ask for nothing
but what is right, and submit TO nothing that u
wrong. II must be liberal and magnanimous 70
the rights Of others, and firm and immoveable in
insisting on its own. II must, in fine, be true to
it's own interests, rights and honor-it cannot then
be false TO those Of other nations
Such, then, is the chart by which we shall be
guided. Independent and free, we shall endeavol
to be honest and truthful The true friends O
democratic principles we shall cordially support
and defend Its enemies IN the field or in.ambusf
we shall oppose, and on all proper occasions de