Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-07-10
THE CENF.L AMERICAN CUES
TTON-ENGLISH JEALOUSY
OF AMERICAN PROGRESS
tx a ALLnH-E-Il
TFroa ne Naaehester Guard

TEFua he Manchester GuariianI
A charge very commonly preferred against
the English government by American politicians
and newspaper writer's Is, thst its jealousy of
the future progress of the United States gives
rise to the disputes which spring up periodical
" between the two countries, and enbitter their
relations with each other; this Is charge not
always confined to the noisy and turbulent PoT-
ton of the American press and people, butts oc-
casionally TO be met with coming from men WHO
are friendly 10 England, and, on the whole rGas
sonabie and just In their remarks upon interDas
tional questions.
Is IT in any manner true-Gue in letter or in
spirit-that the dispute respecting Central Amer
ica arose from English jealousy Of American
progress, or English hostility to, or obstruction
Of Americanattenpts to establish means ofcom-
! nunication across the American continent? In
the first place, who began the CeEtral Amcri-
can dispute! Did it originate in any attempt on
the part of the English government, to resist or
impede, or in any manner to interfere with tA1
further Development of American power and in
Auence, or the establishment of inter-oceanic
communications Nothing Of the kind Eng
land has neither resisted any movement on the
/ part of the United States, nor addressed any de-
mands or responsiveness to the government at
I Washington on the subject of Central america,
on which any such charge could possibly be
/ founded The discussions which have recently
! been going on between the two governments
were w IOllB SuUL1l4E-
ed TO the English government by Mr.. Buchanan,
4 dated the 9th of January, 1854, demanding,
among other things, that England should give
up possession. among other territory, of the Isl
and of Ruatan, which had been for a number of
years occupied By British subjects, and which
had no possible connection with the Nicaraguan
or any other practicable route of communication
across Central America; and throughout the
whole of the ensuing discussions, the English
Government whose jealousy of American pro-
/ gross is alleged to have originated them, has
I stood entirely on the defensive against the az
grcssiye demands of the United States, just
; IT had stood in the Maine boundary, the Oregon,
and the Fishery questions, and, indeed, We be-
J lieve, in every diplomatic dispute between the
I two countries
Neither has England at any time, thrown OBJ
stacles in the way Of any American project for
establishing means of transit between the Allan
/ tic and the Pacific. When company composed
| of American citizens obtained charter from tho
state Of Guatemala, empowering them to
struct railroad across the IsthmuS of Panama,
they met with no hindrance, diplomatic 9th
erwise, from the English government. When
another company of American citizens obtained
charter from the state of Nicaragua, authori-
/ zing them to construct an intcr-oceanic commu-
nication by canal or a railroad between the At
lantic and Pacific, the English government most
readily acceded to the request Of the government
Of the United States to conclude treaty, placing
that communication, ofwhatever nature it might
be, under the JOINT protection of the two govern
ments.
From these grounds Engagement the English
government has never receded; though it seems
probable that the present government of the o.
nitcd States has taken n view of the compact
with England very different from that entertain
ed by their predecessors. The Clayton -Bulwer
treaty was by no means satisfactory to the vlo-
lent ant-English party in the United States, who
I contended that their government ought not to
have admitted the cooperation ofEngland i'll the
protection OF the transit route through Nieara-
qua, but have secured a monopoly of it for the
| United States. The men of that violent party
are in power; and their manifest object is to
get rid of the stipulations ofthe treaty by which
the government Ofthe United States bounditself
not to occupy, f0rtify, or coloniseany portion of
Central America. The pretended cause of the
present difiercnce,-thc British occupation of
| Ruatan,-isamatter of no consequence to any bo-
may probably serve the real purpose for which
it is put forward, the abrogation of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty, in order that advantage may be
taken of the success Ofany piratical invasion of
Central American territory, for gaining posses
sion of it by the United States. Now, whether
the treaty is renowned or maintained, we believe
the people of England do not care sixpence IF
:! the government of the United States should get
rid of the treaty, and obtain possession of Mica
raSua, which we have doubt is the real OBJ
Ijcct in view, we arc not aware that any import
ant English interest would be compromised by
it; aud, as to the United States, the possession
of Nicaragua, instead of increasing their power,
would only multiply the weak and assaiIabc
points, which they present to an enemy power
full at sea.