The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-04
THE MEXICAN PROBLEM.

of these differences in the accumulated dis
asters that have befallen the country.
Its federal system Of government is federal but in
name To all intents and purposes, the contradiction
power, the consolidation of government IL eom
plce, revolution in the central capital is in fact
a revolution in the whpie republic Centralism was
not more absolute in Paris during the reign Of terror
than 1t bas been In the city of Mexico for the last
| thirty years whenever there has been government
there ofany vigor or vitality at all. When we re-
feet that the of the Mexican republic is great
the entire area Of the United States east OF tho
Mississippi river, and that the twenty-five States Of
which it is composed, have not governments pos
sessing half the real power and influence of our
county and hastings courts, we can realize the
absoluteiiess of the Capitalization that prevails
whenever the capital boasts government worthy of
the name. We doubt il our own republic, with all
the intelligence, all the conservatism, all the moral
ity, sober thought, and individual patriotism of our
people, could survive consolidation term OF four
years. What hope is there for Mexico, where all
these high individual qualities are wanting where
there is no popular intelligence or supremacy, no
popular sentiment or public opinion, no knit COM
munity, no political morale people in the rcpdb
can sense? Behold, in the fate Of Mexico the ex-
cellence of our own system! The picture of an
archy and desolation which she presents proclaims
the value to this Union and 10 republican freedom
of those Staterghs tenets which form the cardinal
articles of the democratic creed, and of the fifty
years exertions of tho democratic party of
try to preserve the federave character of our Union
and to enforce strict Interpretation of the oonsti
tuition.
Another notable feature in Mexican politics Is the
dsse Of the ballotbox. and the substitution of row
olutions for elections. Nothing could more conc,-
sively demonstrate the absence of popular control,
and the supremacy of individual aspiration than the
frequency of Pronunciamenos, the destruction Of the
ballobox. and the rapid succession of revolutions
They estimate the power of Mexican leader not by
the number of votes he can command but the mum
Der of soldiers prononcng in his name; not by the
States or departments espousing his cause, but
by the 6eld-pieces pointed by his generals at
their countrymen not by this or that election
of the people in his favor, bnt this or that mill
tary official g,onrneaSenio Such is republican
government in Mexico and there seems to be no
possible exit from the chaos and decentralization that
prevails, long as the present hybrid races consti-
tute the population Of the country, except through
some absolute and high handed autocracy. Here
again. is the lesson of Mexico profitable one to our
selves. We see in her condition The result of sub
situtng the musket for the ballotbox revolution
for the forms of law violence for legal voting. Jim
Lane in his dissoute career in Mexico failed not to
,,cI- IF Ia,
bis return. Accordingly he has inaugmrated the
Mexican system of politics in Kansas, and sent up an
issue to be decided by the supreme legislature of our
coniederacy, whether the ballotbox or the musket
is the true republican arbter Of discussion whether
elections under the law or the unciainentos of
revolutionsts shall be obeyed in our republic;
whether legal voting or outlaw violence is the pco-
pe's "own way of settling their domestic insttu-
tions contemplated by constitution.
The amalgamation and consequent decentralization
Of races, is another of the fruitful sources of de-
cline and decay in Mexico. Amalgamation nvaria-
bly, sinks the superior to the moral level of the
nferiorncvcr eIevates the lower to that of the high
cr II is doubtful whether, if the entire population
Of Mexico were of pure Castilian blood, they would
have proved themselves capable of selfgovcmment.
The largely Moorish and Oriental origin of the Span
is people, as distinguished from the Saxon and An
glican origin of our own---thc wide difference be-
tween the Spanish laws and institutions and the com
mon-law system Of Anglo-America- would seem to
argue against the capacity of even purely Spanish
race for self government, long seffgovern-
ment was esteemed All experiment. with u.s. But when
this doubt was complicated and aggravated by the
emancipation of the inferior races of Mexico and
the amagamaton Of all into triple hybrid mud
die Of bloods and colors the possibility Of healthy
and successful republican system in Mexico was
rendered hopeless indeed. And here, too, is les
son supplied to us by the experience of Mexico,
which ought forever TO shut the mouths of those
fanatics who are camorous against the late decision
Of Supreme Court, pronounciug the African negro
incapable of citizenship under the federal constitu
ton. We will say nothing of the rebnke which
this Mexican experiment administers to those ultra
abolitionsts Of country, who insist upon cman-
cipating the slaves Of our southern States and at
the same time upon reversing the decision of the
Supreme Court denying such emancipados the priv
ileges of citizenship
One other but by no means the least fruitful
source OF Generalization in Mexico, is the absorbing
wealth and degrading Influence OF the clerical order
We intend no bgoted reprosch to the peculiar de-
hi. \.