The true Democrat., 1856-06-03
MORNING, JUNE 3, l85

of geographical vicinity or of commercial in- tercourSe. Such is more emphatically the si- tuation of the United States with respect to the republics of Mexico and of Central Ame- rica.
 Notwithstanding, however, the relative re- moteness of the European States from Ame- rlca, facts of the same order have not failed to appear conspicuously in their intercourse with Spansh-American republics. Great Britain has repeatedly been constrained to resort to measures of force for the protection of British interests in those countries. France found it necessary to attack the castle of San Juan D'Ulloa, and even to debark troops at Vera Cruz, in order to obtain redress of wrongs done Frenchmen in Mexico.
 1 What is memorableJ in this respect, in the conduct and policy of the United States, is, that while it would be as easy for us to annex and absorb new territories from America as it is for European States to do this in Asia or Africa, and while, if done by us, 1t might be justified as well on the alleged ground of the advantage which would accrue therefrom to the territories annexed and absorbed, yet we have abStained from doing it in obedience to considerations of right not less than policy, and, that, while the courageous and self-reliant spirit of our people prompts them to hardy enterprises, and they occasionally yield to the temptation of taking part i'll the troubles of countries near at hand where they know how potential their influence, moral and material, must be- the American government has unitorml y and steadily resisted all attempts of individuals in the United States to undertake armed aggressions against friendly Spanish American republics.
 While the present incumbent of the execu tive office has been in dischare of its duties, he has never failed to exert all the authority in him vested, to repress such enterprises, be- cause they are ill violation of the law of the land which the constitution requires him to ex- ecute faithfully, because they are contrary to the policy of the government and because to permit them would be departure from good faith towards those American republics in amity with Us, which are entitled to, and will never cease to enjoy in their calamities. the cor dial sympathy, and in their prosperity the eh- cient good will, of the government and the peo- pie of thc United States.
 To say that our laws in this respect are sometimes violated or successfully evaded, is only to say what is true of all laws in all countries, but not more so n 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 foreign military enlistments or expeditions, within our territory
  and, 50 far as the nature of things permits, as we'll in repression of private persons as of the official agents of other governments both of Europe and America.
 Among the Central American republics 10 which modern events have imparted most pro- mlnence, is that of Nicaragua, by reason oI its particular position to the Isthmus. Citizens of the United States have established in Is terri 1 tory a regular interoceanic transit ronte second only III utility and value to the one previously established in the territory of New Granada. The condition of Nicaragua would, it is believ- ed, have been much more prosperous than 1t has been but for the occupation of its only At lantic port by a foreign power, and for the dis turbmg authority, set up and sustained by the same power in portion of its territory, by means of which its domestic sovereignty was
 impaired, its public lands were withheld from settlement and it was deprived of all the maritime revenue which it would otherwise collect on imported merchadise at San Juan del Norte
 In these circumstances of the political de hhty of the Republic of Nicaragua, and when its inhabitants were exhausted by long contin- ued civil war between parties, neither of them strong enough to overcome the other, or perma- nently maintain internal tranquility, one of the contending factions of the republic invited the assistance and cooperation of small body of citizens of the United States from the State of California, whose presence, as it appears, put all end at once to civil war, and restored ap- parent order throughout the territory of Nca- ragua, with new administration, having at its head a distinguished ndividua by birth ci- tizen of the republic D. Patrico Riyas as its provisional president.
 It Is the established policy of the United States to recognize all governments without question of their source or their organization, or the means by which the governing persons attain their power, provided there be govern nent de .t1cto, accepted by the people of the country, and with reserve only of time as the recognition of revolutionary governments ars- ing ont of the subdivision of parent state, , with which we are ill relations of amitv. We do not go behind the fact of foreign govern ment exercising sctua power, to investigate questions of legitimacy. We do not inquire into the cause which may have led to change of government. To Us it is indifferent whether successful revolution has been aided by foreign
 intervention or not--~hethcr instruction has overthrown the existing government and another has been established in its place, ac- cordng to pre-eXiSting forms, or in manner adopted for the occasion hy those whom we may find in actual possession of power. All these matters we leave to the people and public authorities of the particular country to deter mine: and their determination, whether tbe by positive action or by ascertained acquieScence, 1t is to us sufficient warraty of the legitimacy of the new government
 During the sXty-Seven years which have elapsed since the establishment of the existing government of the United States, in all of which time the Union has maintained undisturbed do- mestic tronquility, we have had occasion to re- cognizc governments de frcto, founded by do- mestc revolution or military invasion from abroad, in many of the governments of Europe. It is the more imparativey necessary to apply this rule to the Spanish American Republics in consideration of the frequent and no: seldom anamoous charges of organization or adminis- traton which they undergo, and the revolution- ary nature of most of these changes, of which the recent series of revolutions in the Mexican Republic is an example, where five successive revolutionary governments have made their ap- pearance in the course of few months, and been recognized successively each as the polit- ical power of the country, by the United States.
 : When, therefore, sometime Since new mn- : ister from the republic of Nicaragua presented ) himself, bearing the commission of President Rivas, he must and would been received as u,h, unless he was found on inquiry, subject to personal exception, but for the absence of satisfactory information upon the question whether President Rvas was in fact the head : of an established government of the republic of Nicaragua, doubt as to which arose not only from the circumstances of his avowed associa. ! ton with armed emigranti, recently from the } United States, but that the proposed minister ) himself was of that class of persons, and not } otherwise or previously citizen of Nicaragua r Another minister from the republic of Nica- ragua has now presented himself and has been received as such, satisfactory evidence appear ing that he represents the government de tacto , and, so far as such exists, the government de jure, of that republic. That reception, while } in accordance with the established policy of the United States was likewise called for by most imperative special exigencies which ', .l.zl