Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-05-16

| Win solcltuue anu regret on tner own ac-
| count, while il has been the source of con-
tinual embarrassment in our public and pri-
vate relations with them. In the midst of
the violent revolutions and the wars by which
tney are continually agitated, their public
autnorites are unable to afford due protection
TO foreigners and to foreign interests within
their territory, or even TO defend their own
soil against individual aggressors. foreign or
domestic, the burden of the inconveniences
ana losses OF which, therefore, devolyes, in no
lnconslderable degree, upon the foreign States
associated with them in close relations of geo
graphical vicinity or Of commercial inter
course.
Such is, more emphaticalIy, the situation
Of the United States with respect to the repub-
lies OF Mexico and OF Central America Not
| withstaDding, however, the relative remote
ness of the European States from America,
| facts of the same order have not failed to ap-
pear conspicuously in their intercourse with
Spanish American republics. Great Britain
has repeatedly been constrained to recur to
measures of force for the protection Of British
| interests in those countries. France found it
| necessary to attack the castle Of San Juan de
| tlua, and even to debark troops at Vera Cruz.
| IN order to obtain redress Of wrongs done TO
| Frenchmen in Mexico.
| What is memorable in this respect In the
conduct and policy Of the United States is, that
| while 1t would be as easy for US 10 annex and
| absorb new territories from America as IL is
| for European States to do this in Asia or Afri-
ca, and while, if done by US, it might be
justified as well on the alleged ground of the
| advantage which would accrue therefrom to
the territories annexed and absorbed, vet we
have abstsined from doing it, in obedience to
considerations of right not less than Of policy;
and that, while the courageous and self-reliant
spirit OF our people prompts them to hardy en-
terprlses, and they occasionally yield to the
| temptation Of taking part in the troubles of
4 4 vrb fbou E,a -
| potential their influence, moral and material,
| must be, the American government has uni
| formly and steadily resisted all attempts Of
individuals in the United States to undertake
armed aggression against friendly Spanish
American republics.
| While the present incumbent Of the ex-
| ecutive Office has been in discharge Of its
| duties, he has never failed to exert all the
| authority in him vested TO repress such enter
| prises, because they are in violation OF the
| law of the land, which the constitution re-
| quires him to execute faithfully: because thev
are contrary to the policy of the government;
| and because to permit them would be de-
| parture from good faith towards those Ameri-
can republics in amity with US which are en-
| titled to, and will never cease TO enjoy in
their calamities the cordial sympathy, and in
| their prosperity the efficient good will, of the
government and OF the people Of the United
States.
To say that our laws in this respect are
sometimes violated, or successfully eVaded. il
only to say what is true of all laws in all
countries, but not more so in the United States
| than in any one whatever Of the countries of
Europe Suffice it to repeat that the laws of
| the United States PROHIBITING all foreign mill
| tary enliStments or expeditions within our ter
| ritory have been executed with impartial good
| faith, and, so far as the nature of things per-
| mits, as well in repression Of private persons
| as of the official agents of other governments,
both of Europe and America.
Among the Central American republics IN
which modern events have impaired most
prominence, is that Of Nicaragua, by reason
Of its particular position on the isthmus Cit
liens Of the United States have established in
its territory regular interoceanic transit
route, second only in utility and value to the
one previously established in the territory of
New Granada. The condition of Nicaragua
would, it is believed, have been much moro
pros osperous than il has been but for the occu-
patton Of its only Atlantic port by a foreign
power, and of the disturbing authority set up
and sustained by the same power in a portion
of its terri tory, by means Of which its domes-
tic sovereignty was impaired, its public lands
were withheld from settlement, and it was de-
prived Of all the maritime revenue which it
would otherwise c)lle,t on imported merchan-
disc at San Juan del Norte
In these circumstances Of the political de-
bility Of the republic Of Nicaragua, and when
tinued civil war between parties, neither of
them strong enough to overcome the other, or
permanently maintain internal tranouility
one of the cOntending factions of the republic
invited the assistance and cooperation of a
small body Of citizens of the United States
from the State Of California, whose presence,
as IL appears, put an end at once to civil war
and restored apparent order throughout the
territory Of Nicaragua, with a new admins
tration, having at its head a distinguished
individual, by birth citizen Of the republic.
ID. Patricio Rivas, as its Provisional Presi-
dent.
1t is the established policy of the United
States to recognise all governments without
question of their source, or their organization,
or Of the means by which the governing per.
sons attain their power, provided there be
government de Jacto accepted by the people
OF the country, and with reserve only Of time
as to the recognition Of revolutionary govern
ments arising out of the subdivision of parent
States with which we are in relations of amity.
We do not 60 behind the fact Of foreign gov
ernment exercising actual power to investi-
gate questions Of legitimacy; we do not inquire
into the causes which may have led 10 change
of government To us il is Indifferent whether
a successful revolution has been aided bv for
eign Intervention or not; whether insur.
rection has overthrown existing government
and another has been established in its place
according to pre-existing forms, or in a man
ner adopted for the occasion by those whom
We may find in the actual possession Of power.
All these matters We leave to the people and
public authorities Of the particular country to
determine and their determination, whether
it be by positive action OF by ascertained sc-
quiescence. is to US a sufficient warranty Of the
legitimacy of the new government
Daring the sixty seven years which have
elapsed since the establishment of the exist
ing Government of the United States, in all
which time this Union has maintained undis-
turbed domestic tranquility, we have had
occasion to recognise governments de facto.
founded either by domestic revolution or by
military invasion from abroad, in many Of the
governments Of Europe.
1t is the more imperatively necessary to ap-
ply this rule to the Spanish American repub-
lics In consideration of the frequent and not
seldom anomalous changes Of Organization or
which they undergo and the
revolutionary nature of most Of these changes,
OF which the recent series of revolutions in the