The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-08
rnANcr IN AMrRIcAN roLrr1os-

the earth exhibits high Biouataius. dosp goTges,
aud fertile plains - does lhs political landscape
furnish It's giddy heights u power, H. broken.
disor,lered aud useless places lis valleys " pro
duction, its homes, aud IL sseuss u peace and
contentmenL So Gao IN the worlds history Il has
been found impossible ior any one people % ca
ercse a controlling power over all the others, aud q
We are to Judge by the present condition q the ha
man family, the future il not likely 10 change exist
ing rules in this respect Il is foftuaAiu indeed, that
the various races have been widely separated
from each other Acting upon just principles Of a.
tereourse one with another, their common coed i
sure to be consulted What the people have most
to fear is the ambition Of political leaders
whose first object is TO make name which shah be
the terror Of the world. An Europe Is under bes'd-
age for the maintenance Of this principle. Il Is the
controlling power in every council, the soul 81
every organisation, the life Of all government
in the European States. We are not Of those who
believe that the popular mind across the water IL
sufficiently armed with intelligence aud enlightened
by experience to vndicate its own independence
and freedom But, while this is the better Judgment
upon the subject there is justification for the po-
litca leaders who the power placed IN their
hands to damage Cypress any portion OF the hu-
man family There is not executive officer IN all
the world who is ignorant Of the duties which are
intrusted to his administration nor one WHO does
not fully understand that the people OF the
United States maintain their political institutions
on the sole basis of promoting and protecting the
industry of the nation. In any technical sense, as
,ha ala nl,,ituf
ments Of Europe, have no political institutions
at all Ours is pure democracy, acting through
representative forms, and for the sole advantage of
the people themselves 1t is no part of the theory
of our system that special benefits shall accrue to
individuals political fortunes shall be made or
recognised when made. There no such tenurcs,
no such TITLES in name or deed We employ agents
who can never rise above the Office to which they are
promoted or lay the least claim thereto, except on
the basis of credentials furnished from time to time
by the people themselves.
What folly it is to attach ambitious motives to
such people How absurd it is to talk of check
ing their progress limiting their action, binding
their energies We have been led to these obser-
vations by the perusa of an article from the Paris
Paric, which formally protests against the doctrine
that Europe is not to interfere in the political affairs
of this continent and which repudates and ridicues
the declarations of Mr.. Monroe on the subject The
Pat,ie says
.srhe United States will not effect in the world wi a.
powerful Russia, with her army Of million of men, with
her fleets with the genius of her Cars and with the dis
cipnc and tenacy of her inhabitants has not been
able to do in Europe They will not succeed in contest
ing her legitimate share OF influence wherever she may
,Ilx We In al n
them but they must know that Europe will not allow
herself either to be excluded Inundated 1t is neces
sary that they should know that will not abandon
either in the Atlantic the Mediterranean, or the Black
Sea the cause of right and of civilization.
We can say to our French contemporary, in the
spirit of absolute faith in the honesty and energy of
the American people, that our 'army of laborers"
employed in feeding the people of those European
countries where populations crowd heavily upon
production is more powerful than "Russia with her
million of men and her fleets" We have more con-
fidence in the genius and power of the American
mechanic in the intelligence, sagacty, and industry
of the American agriculturalist than the Patrie has
or can possibly have in the genius Of the Cars and
the discipline and tenaciy of the Russian sodiery.
Our transatlantic contemporary patronizingly tells
us that it is not the intention of the European gov
ernments TO 'oppress uS we are ohly 10 pe
taught that in the conduct of American affairs their
| Intervention and direction is to be admitted All
this sounds very well, and we presume is intended
to open to the United States field for active inter-
ference in the political concerns of Europe If the
rule is to be enforced here, take it it is so be-
cause il is ust-because iii the affairs of the world
all the nations are equally interested and have
equal right to be heard.
| If France is to be heard in Mexico and Central
America, we must be heard in Italy, in Turkey, in
all Europe, indeed. We maintain that all the abso-
| utstic governments temporary in their very
nature that they provisional institutions to be
enforced only till such time the people can be
enlightened and prepared to assume control; that
the source of all rightful government is in the peo-
! pie. In this view the institutions of the United
States the only permanent political organizations
! of the world and hence have a sovereign right
! to interfere elsewhere that we may hasten on the
| work of universal assimilation to system. But
this is not the view which the Patre takes of the
matter European intervention in American affairs is
demanded we are told by the interests of civilization
| The cause of human progress, the highest develop
ment of the intellect, the principles of sound moral
ty call for the active interference OF the French gov
crnment in the concerns Of this continent And are
blunhy informed that army and navy are toe