Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-01-07

these which authorize your naval officers Il
apply to US the VIlest epithets Of the Ian
gUage?
Scarcely, however. had the possession o
. Castillo Yicjo opened to US the way TO Lax
Nicarayua, and to the regaining of all W,
had lost by Capt. Davis's interference, thar
y most grievous wrong was again inflicted OF
US hy Commodore PIuIdiug, On the 9Th o.
December the latter officer summoned me t
surrender to him, and the Ncaraguan laj
vas a second time hauled down on Nicara
guam soil by the orders Of the United State
Navy.
1t would be supereTogatory, sir, for me Il
say that the act If Capt. Pauding was With
our vibrant Of law Much, too, as We fe.
The wrong, il was the act itself as much az
the amer in which it was done that cut u:
to the Quick We knew that the act was il
violation Of the sacred charter-the Cpnsti
tlti0n If the United States. We knew thai
an authority higher than that Of any Com
modlre-higher even than the President Of
the Ulited SlatcS-would Vindicate the sane
tits Of violated law, and punish the offenders
against the American Constitution. We
let. TOO that the august and most potent SOY
ereign-the people of the United States
would render Justice for the Injuries we sus'
tanned. But far more grieVous than the sur
render-far more Calling than - see our own
flag lowered on our own soil-was it to be
told that we were there 10 the dlshonor OF tae
l.. States. There were men on that sandy
beach Mr.. President, who had carried your
. h4gaiaft amidstthe thickest OF the foe, and one
had been promoted by predecessor in your
Office for first planting your cclors upon the
/ heights of Ccrro GJrlO. Others among them
had led your soldiers across the continent
and always in the path OF duty and of honor,
For such mcu 10 be told that they d;sgraced
the flag they once had served so nobly and
- we'll was pang sharper than that of death,
aud might have wrung tear from men har-
der and more callOus than be who Inflicted
the ireparable injury.
need not tell you that | was unable to
anticipate the act OF Capt. Paulding. Mill
tary necessity required me to hold Punta
Arenas. ana tue idea never entered my mind
that an American oticer protesting TO exc
cute the law, would so far forget his duty as
t. infringe not only well established lnterna-
tonaI law, bat also the requirements OF that
instrument with which are involved the best
hopes Of mankind, the Constitution Of the
United States. Even could | have foreseen
the action OF Capt. Paulding military res.
sons would have prevented me from leaving
tue Point. But il was impossible to imagine
that 50 violent a steT--marked as 1t was IN
irs details by conduct worthy Of soldiers In
the sack Of a towu-voull have been taken
by an officer ofthe United States navy. And,
Mr.. President, in the name Of the official
oath which you have taken in the presence
Of Almighty God, ] call upon you to punish
the offender and 70 right the wrong. pre-
sumo not TO direct your wisdom in the course
il shall pursue; but in the name Of the men
whose rights YOur officers have infringed, and
whose honor has been most harshly and
hecilessIy tramred in the dust, call for the
Justice il is your high prerogative to bestow.
Bnt permit me to conclude by I'D ling that,
in all events and under all circumstances,
there are duties and responsibilities from
which | and the cficers and men | represent
will no., dare not shrink No extreme of H.
legal Interference, no amount of hard words
" unjust epithgts can deter US from following
the path which j. before Us. The functlOna-
r!cs u: ne Government may exhaust upon
Us the cXpIctyeS Of the language; they may
insult tie public conscience, and degrade
their own character by applying to us all the
cpithct~ their morbid imaginatious suggest,
but, conscious Of the right and justice of our
cause, we shall not relax our efforts, nor be
driven into violation Of the Law. As long
as there is a Central American exiled from
bis native land, and deprived Of his property
and civil rights for the services he rendered
US, in evil ls we'll as good report, so long shall
our time aud cur energies, be devoted to the
work C! tbeirrest0rlt!0n. As long as the bones
If our companions in arms, murdered under
4 barbarous decree Of the Costa Ricar Gov
eminent, lie bleaching and unburried on
the hjll=ides Of Nicaragua, 50 long shall our
brains cJutr,vc, and our haGds labor for the
Justice which one day We will surely obtain.
Permit your officers, it you can, to trample
under foot the constitution and the laws; pass
Unn0tlCcd If you will, the mos: violent inva-
siOES OF individual rights and public duties;
treat with scIrn and contempt if you choose
the demands for justice which we humbly
and deerentally place at your feet, we will
not be cast down or dismaycd. We fight for
the rights of our race which have been de-
MED Us by IN ungrats'ul and degraded arts.
tlcracy. We strive to retain uusulIied the
device come Of our ancestors have borne on
many field "none shall wound us with i'm.
punity." And a. loog A. cur faith in right
eudurcS, and our confidence in the God of
our fathers remains mistaken, 30 long shall
we use all just and proper means u regain
whav has been wrongtuIly wrested from us.
have the honor to remain with high re-
5Pect, your Obedient servant
WILLIAM WALKER.
To his EIcelency the PRESIDENT Of the
United States.