Weekly North Carolina standard., 1858-06-02
SPEECH OF HON. THOs. L. CL1NGMAN,

SPEECH OF HON. THOS. l.. CLINGMAN,
Or NORTH CAROLINA,
Aqainst the Clayton Buzaoer Treaty, and IN tauo7
of american ascendancy an the Gulf Of Necaco
and, Central lAmerica.-Delicered in the House Q,
Representatives., May 3, 1858.
ARREST wALKER-cENTRAL AMERICA.
CONCLUDED
The second Power is that which exists in south
western Europe on comparatively small area. The
French Empire in Europe, including the island OF
Corsica, consists of only two hundred and five
thousand square mes-less than the area of the
State of Texas. But there is in that territory a
population Of nearly forty million people-actve,
energetic, highly civilized intelligent and brave and
constituting in my opinion, the most formidable
military Power that the sun has ever shone upon.-
If the ascendency of France is not as striking as
was that of imperial Rome it is because her neigh
bors and rivals vastly superior to the seml-6ar-
barous nations which the Roman eagles directed
their victorious flight. France is now occupying
northern Africa, and have no doubt that cVlliza-
ton will be benefited by it.
The third Power is that which rests on a little
island in the Atlantic ocean-an island less than
several States of this Union. But its dominions
have been extended to every zone, till they girde
the entire globe. Great Britain controls larger
amount of the earths than has been ever here
tofore subjected to one Government. She has under
her dominion more than two hundred million peo-
ple-neary one fourth of the whole human race
She has subjected to her every variety of men,
from the Caucasian down to the negro.
The fourth Power is that which exists on this
western continent 1t has sprung up so suddenly,
and it's progress has been so rapid, compared with
the old empires that it reminds me of the vision of
Daniel, of the he goat that came from the West so
rapidly that he touched not the ground. 1t is only
little more than fifty years since Talleyrand said
H.
bones or nerves. Since that day, however, the bone
has been hardening, the muscles swelling, and the
snews toughening; and the United States
stand among the great Powers of the earth. We
have territory of about three million square miles
as much as imperial Rome had in her palmiest
days; and though only one third much the
territory of England or of Russia, yet when
you consider the compactness of this country and
its qualities, it is vastly superior to either. At
least two thirds of the territory Of the United States
is capable of settlement If it was all settled up as
densely as Massachusetts, and as Rhode Island are,
it would have population of above two hundred
milon-more than all Europe now has. We have
q front on both the great oceans We have the
Gulf of Mexico-our western Mediterranean-ono our
southern border. Nopoleon l. attempted to make
the European Mediterranean French lake, and fail.
ed in it. If the United States are true to them
selves they will make the Gulf of Mexico great
American lake, supplied by that grand artery which
drains the magnificent Mississippi basin. When
you remember, therefore, the character of our ter
ritory, its compactness, its fertility its favorable
climate, and its productions, with its active intelli-
gent, and moral population, it must be admitted by
every one that there is no power earth which
has greater advantages than have.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, we. too, have subjected to our
control some Of the inferior races. Let us for
moment, draw comparison between the United
States and these other Powers l will take Great
Britain, not only because she is most like u.s. but be-
cause she makes the greatest preenton to enlarged
philanthropy, civilization and general humanity,
and because she holds great variety of under
her dominion; but especially because the real ques
tion is, shall Great Britain or the United States
control this Central American country?" Let us
make the comparison, then. Great Britain has sub
jected to her in India hundred and seventy NIL.
lion people. The Government, in large sections,
owns the land, and obliges the occupants to cult
vate it as tenants. Lord Brougham, in one of his
speeches in the British Parliament, said that eight
teen twentieths of the gross products of the soil
were drawn away from its cultivators in certain To-
calities. No man believes that tie inhabitants of
any country can live the tenth of all the pro-
ducts, or even one fourth-perhaps not one half if
you take large district into view. And therefore,
according to Bishop Heber and other British writer's,
millions of people die in India annually from op-
preston and famine. Some men have said-wheth-
er truly or not cannot tell-that the population Of
that country has diminished by thirty million since
Great Britain got control of it. But this much is
certain few years ago the British Government
sent commission to India to examine into its con-
dtlon and it reported that to collect taxes torture
was applied to the tenants, and that hundreds of
thousands CT men and women die annually under
these tortures, because they do not pay up their
small rents
Now, will do Engshmen thej justice to say, that
IN my Judgment they cannot approve of any such
thing. l am satisfied that the Government itself
does not sanction it. That country is governed by
the East India Company--a great fillibustering
company, chartered to acquire territory for the
British Government and retained for that purpose
Corporations are habituay soulless.
Now look for moment, at the manner in which
We have treated the aborigines of this country
Since the formation of the Constitution of the Uni
ted States, do not believe that we have ever de-
Prived any Indian tribe Of property. Wherever we
nave acquired their territory we have given them
an an equivalent There is not an Indian tribe in the
united States that has not more land than it can
cultivate. And so far from compelling them to la
Dor and pay taxes, we actually expend large sums
for keeping them alive.
Again, Sir, the United States and Great Britain
nave both been large importers of negro slaves to
America. Into the United States there have been
brought nearly four hundred thousand negro slaves.
and they have increased to four million-ten times
the original number. Into the British colonies there
haye been one million seven hundred thousand i'm.
ported and the proportionate increase would have
made them at the present time seventeen million.
But, IN point OF fact, there only six hundred
thousand Into Jamaica alone, the British and
Spanlards have carried eight hundred and ninety
thousand negroes; and at the emancipation, in
1882 there were only three hundred and eleven
thousand ieft-one third of the original number. I
need not enlarge on the fact of the vast increase of
slaves IN this country, of their condition being above
that which their race has ever occupied anywhere,
and OF their immense productions. Compare that
with the degraded position of the British islands
Great Britain, however, emancipated her slaves.
and the consequence has been that her colonies are
IIapsing into barbarism and savagery To relieve
her islands from their unfortunate and desoIate con-
diton, Great Britain mas adonted annther &C