The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-06-10

EiSWIHg TIE IhNdS CoiiN "tA4eh AS>-t0
! capitulation of Walker and his forces IN Nlca-
ragua to commander Davis. of the U. 5, sloop-
of-war St. Mary's. arrives at the following con
illusions:
Putting all tie facts together, it is made clear
! that captain Davis went 10 Rlvas determined TO
! effect the evacuation of the country by Walker
at all events, and to employ the power OF the
! United States to compel it. He first betook
himselfto the camp of the allies, and maze MS
arrangements with them, and obtained thelf
cheerful acquescence in the plan he had devls-
ed which was to demand of Walker the aban-
donment of the country, and If he should hest
tate, to employ the forces of the United States
which were at his disposal, in making Walker, $
condition SO desperate that he would be con-
strained to comply. -
The bias of his mind was evident, IN his re
sort, in the first instance, to the camp OF The al
/ les his settlement with them OF the line OF his
conduct; his peremptory notlceto general val
ker that his condition was desperate, ana SUB
mission his only alternative to total destruction,
his refusal to meet with, or confer with general
Walker, to ascertain the truth about his report
ed condition, and in the extraordinary notice
which he gave to general Henningsen, that ne
I should seize the Granada and thus cut OF all
possible chance of relief for the beleaguered
garrison g. .ss.-....-s- o..,. j.,
! There can be no doubt that the seizure would
4 have been not merely departure from neutral
! itv but positive act of war. There is no doubt
that the threat was an act of hostility scarcely
less positive The difference between them is
merely that between ranging the broadsde OF
man of-war, ready TO open upon merchant
vessel, and the actual firing of the guns. The
guns would be fired if the threat were not sui
ficient, and so the notice by commander Davis,
that the Granada should be seized-if Walker
did not submit to his terms-was as much ar
act of warfare. as though the submission had
been exacted by actual force, carried to blood
shed.
A subsisting government in Nicaragua, re-
cognised by Davis himself as fact, and IN the
). worst view one of two eontendlng governments
in foreign State, was thus foreibly subverted
by the act of the naval power of the U. States
This is no light matter to be investigated and
the responsibility fixed. Capt. Davis is report,
ed to have said that he acted under instructions
from the administration at Washington. They
were not from this Buchanan's admlnlstra
ton. He quoted them as the instructions o
the cabinet Of Mr.. Pierce. and that he consld
cred them as still in force, because there hac
been time, since the Inauguration OF Mr.. Buch
anan, to revise or countermand them, and tina
; he had not received any communication at all
| This statement shows that he must have beer
acting under general Instructions, of which the
application to particular crisis was left in some
degree to his discretion. The state of affairs a
Rvas, in May, could not have been the basi:
: e Il, Eah
e ruary, at Washington, and the very novelty o
I the position might have made him cautious
= about taking great responsibilities which woule
involve the new administration against the
: will, and might misinterpret the old. In NJ
: case do we believe that this cabinet would jus
f tifv the attitude of commander Davis, in con
straining general Walker to give up the strug
gle in Nicaragua, by employing or threatening
: to employ against him the navy OF the United
States. Mr.. Marcy was never we'll wlsher tt
e Walker, but we doubt whether he ever issuee
an order, or vested an authority in any body
which can justify such acts.
1t is no defence to reply that Walkers con
dition was desperate, and that it were really
+ humane step 10 rescue him. His case Nigh
. have been very critical without iustlfyng thu
t summary manner in which unlawful power wa
= exercised, to dispose of him, against his VIII
. without asking his concurrence, on consultin!
u his wants or wishes IF it were what Davi
If thought it, the manly and honorable way wa
if to deal with him courteously, with the respec
+ due to the misfortunes of brave man, not t
stretch power odiousy so as to exact from hin
an unwilling submission 10 foreign influence I'm
e lawfully exercised.
=, The capacity Or the incapacity of Walker t.
maintain himself longer is no defence for tn
! interference of commander Davis. a mission
i Of mere humanity unaccompanled by pohtica
y objects could have obtained all its objects, il
;. another way, without compromising the char
:, acter Of our own county, its neutrality, or 1t
justice. . ,.... -a
These proceedings of the commander of th
IS St. Mary's will, doubtless, be made the subiec
h of official inquiry at Washington, where the,
e will have before them all the correspondent
d and all the instructions of the government, ant
e we venture to prophecy that captain Davis vii
u not be sustained
Il As the editors of the Picayune were warn
= personal friends of general Walker. when th
4 latter edited the Crescent few years ago, W
presume that the foregoing remarks embed
the opinion of the Nicaraguan chief in regar
! to the manner in which bis career was brou Oh
= to an abrupt close. But we incline to the belle
: that our respected contemporary is mistaken i
supposing that the executive will not approx
y the course pursued by commander Davis.
fact the executive cannot do otherwise than ap
t. pfove his acts if they were, asreported, in &C
/ -cordance with the instructions of the Pierc
e administration which, not having been re
:. voked by the present executive, remained i
. full force, and commander Davis was compelle
/. to obey them. The officers of our navy hav
). never, on an important and delicate point, act
2 ed in opposition to the instructions issued fror
u the executive mansion. ~ -
!, General Walker, by request, addressed th
: citizens of New Orleans, on the evening of tb
7 3oth ult., giving detailed account of his ad
!, ventures and exploits, and declaring his reso
luton to make another attempt to organise
government in Nicaragua. large concours
!, of people were in attendance, who listened t
/