Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-05
WHOLE NO. 362.
Debate in the Senate.
CENTRAL AMERICA : MONROE DOCTRINE.
IN SENATE,
~ DIANhAE,
MONDAY, December 81, 1855.

MosDAY, December 81, 1855.
The annual message Of the President Of the Uni
ted States having been received and read
Mr.. CLAYTON. Mr.. President, rarely since
the origin OF this government has an Executive
Message been sent TO this body treating of topics
Of more interest and Importance than that which
is now upon your table, and which has just been
read. do not rise, cir, for the purpose Of dis
cussing the subjects that embraced in it; that
would be contrary to the ancient usage of the
body, and am not disposed to introduce any in.
novations. But, sir, 1t does seem to me that thele
s one subject presented prominently in the fore
ground oil that message on which it may be proper
now to cay few words, before submitting the
ordinary motion to print the message for the use
of the Senate.
The President has informed us, In one of tho
first paragraphs of his message that the most inn
portant subject in tho foreign relations of this
country, is that which is connected with the treaty
of the 10th Of April, 1850 in regard to the coun-
try called Central America. He tells us, after two
years at least of aborious negotiations with Great
Britain, our Minister has entirely failed to bring
the British government to fair construction Of
the treaty-such an Interpretation Of it ss one Of
the British Minister'S at the head of the foreign
Office, himself construed it, since the exchange of
ratiications ON the 4th Of July, 1850. This, the
President says, may seriously involve US, and he
apprehends the consequence may be rupture of
our TeldtlOub Will uTSdL DTllHln. *IOncurr1QC.
generally, In all that the President has said upon
this subject, from hearing it read at the table,
desire to make few remarks in regard to il, for
the purpose Of showing our countrymen--at the
same time that the message goes forth to them
the soundness OF the grounds upon which the
President has undertaken to conduct the negote-
tions with the government of Great Britain, the
strength OF our own position, and the oppressive
injustice OF the government of Great Britain against
us.
We have never seen nation so anxious to break
relations of peace with any European country.
However 1t may be charged upon us, the history
of our country will show, from the beginning of
this government, that We have long and often
borne outrageous injuries from other countries and
have been among the last to resort to the ultima
ratio. Great Britain, on the other hand, wher-
ever she is trespassed upon, is prompt to ayenee
the wrong She goes to war and breaks up peace
ful relations with other governments and countries
upon grounds which we have never assumed She
takes upon herself to break up the peace of EG-
rope, by asserting the integrity and independence
of the Ottoman Empire--an Empire in whose ter
ritory she has no claim and no direct interest Sic
goes to war upon the ground that the balance Of
power in Europe is disturbed by the conduct Of
the government Of Russia. She assumes to her
self the right to regulate the affairs of the world
beyond her own territory We have never made
any such assumption.
It has long been apparent to us, and it was clear
to her at the time when we made the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo and annexed our possess
on the Pacific coast to this country, that there was
portion of territory outside the limits of the Uni
ted States, in reference to which our interests
we're peculiar, and in regard to which it was i'm
possible for u.s. consistently with what was due to
ourselves to permit any other great maritime pa-
ton to occupy it exclusively, so as to enable them
to shut US out of it at their will Sir, with that
keenness of sagacty which has distinguished Brit
sh statesmen, and am sorry to Say, too, with
that sel6shness which has often characterized
them, that the very moment Great Britain discov-
cred that we were about permanently to annex to
the United States, California, and New Mexico she
sent an armed expedition from jamaica with two
ships of war, entered the river San Juan de Mica
ragua, took the town Of that ancient name, called
it Greytown, stormed the fort of Serrapaqui, and
proclaimed her own terms to people who had
gallantly but unsuccessfully fought in defence Of
their own territory, and have proved themselves
our friends in an emergency, for which we ought
to be grateful.
Sir, it is impossible for any man who desires to
seek for truth in investigating this subject to over
look the fact that Great Britain placed herself
across all the passages to California in Central
America, just at the moment when she saw the
United States were about to acquire California and
New Mexico. For what purpose was it !? do not
resort to mere coincidenfs always to furnish argu-
ments; but when one so striking as this presents
itself my mind it at least furnishes substantial
reason for demanding from such government as
that of Great Britain why this country was seized
and then scizsd by them. II, as Lord Palmerston
has undertaken to- assert they bad title, as allies
of the Mosquito Indians there for two hundred
years back, why was it that they solemnly aban-
doned all pretensions to any part Of the country,
and dismantled all their forts, in obedience to the
treaty of 1856 with Spain, and repudisted all con-
nexion with the Mosquito Indians ? They after
wards resumed their disreputable alliance with
those miserable barbarians, and seized their coun-
try by force of arms, at the critical moment when
IL became necessary for them to hold II n means
OF obstruction to fence athwart the only pas
sages we had to our Pacific territories.
Sir, a brief history Of the events which have oc-
CURED relating to that country win fully vindicate
the statement contained in the Presidents Message
and hope the Senate will pardon me if pass that
subjects shortly in review When the old English
buccaneers fret began to interrupt the Spansh
possessions in the Isthmus Great Britain had no
title or pretension Of title there. Her first claim
to a mere tenancy at the Balize, under Spain, was
founded on the possession Of these buccaneers,
Their usurpations of territory without the shadow
Of title, led to the treaty of Paris of 1853, in
which she agreed to demolsh all the Notifications
they had erected in every part of the country, or
condition that they should be allowed to cut log
wood. She afterwards violated that treaty, and
went into q war with Spain, and in her declaration
of that war in 1850, assigned this grievance as
ground of the war. The result was that in 1888,
after she had vainly attempted to retain her pos
session there, she made another treaty with Spain,
by which she agreed again to leave the whole
country and TO abandon the entire Isthmus, except
the tt,erysi itory Of Balize, where she only TO
have the h~a to cut dye-wood and mahogany.
She did not snen undertake to claim any dominion
at the Balize, or in any portion Of the Isthmus.
The words used in the treaty were, that all the
English on the Spanish continent should retire
Al IL L. D. J.