Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-05-06

Americans. We may rely upon it, the truth
has been told US, and that truth is that, fort
night ago, from fifteen to twenty 1.-THE latter
may be as near the truth as the former) of our
countrymen were brutally murdered while
others were robbed, and vast number kept In
terror OF their lives, by a band of negroes,
half breeds, and Spanish Indians living at
Panama.
This is the return we receive for building no
Panama and preventing its falling into utter
decay aud ruin. This is our reward for hold
ing ont hand to Central America when ma
ture and itself presaged its relapse under the
dominion Of the beasts of the forest. This is
pay for the activity, and enterprise, and labor,
and vitality we have placed in that long desc
late region.
Nor does the Panama case stand alone
North, foolish war, forced upon the Nicara-
guans by Costa Rican prejudice of race has
closed the nearest route TO the Pacific. Here,
1t seems, there has yet been no butchery of
Americans, save of those adventurous men who
dlsclaimed the protection of their country and
fell in the open field. But still, these men of
Walkers are blood of our blood and bone Of
our bone. We know that they did no moral
wrong that the war with Costa Rica was not
of their seeking; that it is waged with relent-
less and cruel fury by the Costa Ricans, who
openlyavow their wish to extermnate the Anglo
Saxon race in Central America. Now, we can
not be Indifferent to all this. Mr. Pierce may
refuse to recognise Walker and the old fogy
world may call him iibuster but this don't
prevent good many of US feeling for the brave
fellows who are being shot down or chopped
to pieces with Spanish machetes at Rivas. At
any rate, the stoppage of the Nicaraguan route
Is great injury 10 American interests. Cali.
tornia and Oregon are not worth six months
purchase to us if we cannot get across the
Isthmus And if the route by Panama is only
to be traversed at the cost of a bloody street
fight, while the route by Nicaragua is blocked
until the Costa Ricans have cut the throats of
every Anglo-Saxon in that State, the sooner
we negotiate with Great Britain or with Cali
fornia herself for transfer of our Pacific pos
sessions the better.
1t is competent in Mr. Pierce to relieve US
in some part of this necessity. An American
frigate stationed at Panama would doubtless
awe the natives into quiet On the other
hand, it is competent TO Gen. Walkers friends
here and at San Francisco-and in this con.
nection we will take leave to say that they
seem to have made but poor return for the
enormous sacrifices Walker made for them
to reopen the passage at some early day. The
talk about English frigates, Costa Ricans and
fllibusteros is all bosh. If Mr.. Morgan and
Mr.. Garrison want to reopen the passage,
they can do SO, and if they are real friends of
Walker they will.
But all this will not satisfy the American
people. If twenty or more Americans can be
butchered with the connivance Of the authori-
ties in any foreign port, without redress being
sought and obtained, it will not be safe for us
to travel, and we had better, when we 90
abroad, call OURSELVES subjects of Queen Vic
toria, or the Emperor Alexander Demand
should instantly be made on the President of
New Granada for satisfaction. Twenty-four
hours should be allowed him to deliberate If
at the end Of that time satisfactory answer
had not been received, a party of marines and
sailors should be landed, and the ringleaders
of the murderous mob on the 18th of April
seized and tried by court martial. If found
guilty, they should be hanged in a row on the
Jetty at Panama.
This might not be according to the formulas
Of Grotus. But is what Andrew Jackson
would have done in the like case, and as.
suredly it would teach these Central Americans
MOTTO modest Anglo-Saxons in future