The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-24
OUR RELATIONS WITH PARAGUAY. .


country for some certain summary. and eff
iccrual system Of asserting and enforcing the many
Just reclamations Of our citizens against foreign
countries by the government of the United States.
Hundreds of cases, meritorious, just, and reason
able within themselves, have lain dormant in the De
parent of State for years, in consequence OF want
of power ON the part of the Executive, as well as
from an indifference in constantly changing Con-
gress to foreign interests-an indifference which
from the attention given to other engrossing
issues growing out Of our uubounded material pros
perity ia the Interior.
This feeling has been nowhere more strongly man
ifesed than in the passage of the resolution relating
to Paraguay at the last session Of Congress IL has
always been the complaint Of Americans in foreign
countries that they left to "the accidents and
chances" of life and native shrewdness, to secure
rights which the British government would boldly
assert by the guns of her ubiquitous squadrons. II
is no uncommon thing to hear them oxcaim would
to God that We could have wise, paternal and pro-
tecting government at home, which would give some
Just attention to its enterprispg people scattered
all over the world, instead of occupying lis whole
available time and talent in political and party in
trigung What a blessing to us, could we but have
government with one-haf the energy and bold
ness manifested everywhere by Great BritanW
These complaints are generally uttered thoughtless-
ly against the administration, without rejecting that
they directly from the ineficiency and ndier-
enee Of Congress- and that the Presidents hands
tied because Of total want Of authority and Of the
entire indifference of the public to anything beyond
the local political characteristics of their represent
atives This course of action, however, seems now
to have been entirely reversed in the energetic rec
concentrations of President Buchanan in connexion
with the special power conferred upon him in the case
ofParaguay The claims on Paraguay are large, just,
and most reasonable The selfish and unjust ia
ken by the rather dynastc Lopez while
it offers ndignity to country violates its pghted
faith and patented concessions to people; des
polling their rights, confscaing their property,
and despotically driving them like criminals from
the country. Such being the condition Of our rela-
lions with Paraguay, it was but the utterance Of
the universal public wish when the President rec
commended, in his very first annual message, that
Congress- should at once enable him to assert and
enforce rights npon that country. The passage
y
fully Congress sympathized with the determined
views and energetic action of the President, and
how gladly all parties in that body hailed a new and
hopeful era in our foreign reclamations. The Presi-
dent, as seems to be his fervent wish in everything
reflected faithfully the popular viii and the passage
of this resolution Immediately followed by that
of another proposed by Mr. Benjamin, requesting
the Department of State to make up, and furnish at
the opening of the next session Of Congress- com
pete list of all the claims of our citizens against for
eign countries
1t is, therefore, in view of the Inauguration Of
new line of foreign policy that we regard with pc
culiar interest the reclamations on Paraguay and
the first expedition to be sent from the country in
pursuance of that policy. 1t is no mere clap-trap
with the President. He believes that our citizens
are equtabIy entitled to indemnify; and he is deter
mined that they shall have it, far the energetic
action of the government is concerned in securing it.
His projs is simple and direct The expedition has
been very much delayed on account of the great diff
fculty of finding in our small navy the proper ma
tsries; the ascent of the Paraguay river requiring
email light draught steamers, of which we have but
very inadequate supply. The Secretary of the
Navy has, however, prosecuted his preparations
with the quiet and unfaltering energy for which he
is distinguished, and will be ready to send to
La Plata fleet amply adequate to the speedy reduc-
ton Of the defences at Humaia, above the Tries
Bocas, and those the capital at Asuneion
The Paraguay and Parana rivers arc now open to
tho free navigation Of the world by the treaty con-
cIuded with Brazil and the Argentine Confederation
u. r rnrc 4 Ii