The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-05-13

uipiOmauc agent, MT. 'Squler, give reason Il
believe) of the people of Honduras. Barrundi,
says: faa.
She offers her commodious ports, her salu
brious climate, and her great but undevelopet
| resources, to the aid of this undertaking. an,
freely offers her rich and fertile country TO tn,
enterprise and industry of the American peo
pie. Honduras should be forever the FRIEND
and sister of the United States, and she look
hopefully to the latter for the support of he
liberty and Independence. May the Eterna
Disposer of events link together the people
of both by the unalterable tie of interest anc
future mutual prosperity"
BE concludes by repeating:
The earnest. solicitude of Honduras to es
tablish true and intimate fraternity with the
United States, in such form that both nations
may have q single interest for the common
cause of liberty, and in such manner thu,
Honduras may proceed to develop her latent
elements of prosperity, and to improve the
advantage of q position eminently favored BY
nature, without q fear of disturbance for the
future, either from cioil discord or exterior
aggression. Should such fortunate resul,
be attained, Honduras ,oiH yet present, in The
centre of the commercial soorld, the glorious
spectacle Of a free and prosperous people, sss
tanned by the generosity Of the great Anseri
can Republic"
To what a glorious and benevolent mission
was our country called by this invocation OF
Barrundia, compared with those vile bucca.
nearing expeditions set on foot by body OF
hhbnsting malcontents among us, enemies
alike of both Republics They want to set up
q Government under military rule" They
want to be associated with the slave Statee,
and exclude the psalm staging Yankees"
They want to repeal the edict emancipatipg
the slaves in the Central American States, and
enslave them again. And can any one doubt
whether these rapacious propsgandists of Sla-
very would hesitate, in case of success, to make
themselves amends for their tolls, sufferings,
and dangers, somewhat as Cortez turned these
conquests to account, acquired and held by
military ruler"
Connected with this over ure of Barrundia,
on the part of Honduras, freely Offering, g her
rich and fertile country (rich in gold and every
species of vegetation) to the enterprise and in
dustry of the American people," in return for
security from civil discord and foreign az.
gression," was another, which addressed itself
to the enterprising spirit of our great CONNER
cial cities. 1t was the grant of charter con-
ferring privileges of immense value, to be de,
rived from the construction of an inter-oceanic
railroad from the Atlantic bay of Honduras to
the bay of FoRsecs, on the Pacific. Mr.. Wells
glances at this when he arrives at Amapala,
which he mentions as the projected terminus
of the Honduras inter-oceanic railroad, which,
commencing on the Caribbean sea, is designed
to pass through the beautiful valley of Coma
qua, distance OF one hundred and sixty-eight
miles, and with an average grade, as the re-.
ports of the surveys of Mr.. E. G. Squier state,
Of only twenty eight feet to the mile" He
continues
"While Panama and Nicaragua were early
made the field of American enterprise for the
establishment of an inter-oceanic communities.
ton, it is a little singular that speeder atten.
was not directed to this route to the Pacific,
which is shorter than any other, not excepting
that of Tehauntepec, and offers facilities for
the construction of an inter-oceanic railroad,
not exceeded by any other"
He adds:
Extraordinary inducements are offered for
the furtherance of this great enterprise; one
of the principal of which is the existence of
safe and capacious harbors at either term.
nus, ian advantage not possessed by the TIE.
huantepec route,) and the comparative small
amount of grading and bridging to be DONE"
In the following paragraph he describes the
site of the intended terminus on the Pacific
side:
"The first impression on landing at Tigre
Island lin the bay on the Pacific side) is it's
splendid facilities for fertilization, and the
formation of great central commercial depot,
from which to command the trade of the
three States bordering on the bay of Fonseca
Its resources fully developed, Amapaia might
be made the most important port on the Pa
cific coast, south of San Francisco. In 1850,
Mr.. K. G. Squier, during his chargeship, for
warded series of dispatches to the United
States Government, in which he advocated
the advantages of entering into negotiations
with Honduras for the establishment of
naval station at Amspala. Should this plan
be adopted, the yearly increasing means of
communication between California and the
Eastern States would soon place a United
States squadron within seven days of Wash.
ington with the construction of the contem.
plated Honduras railroad, and the appliances
of telegraphs and steamers, Government or
ders of the most vital importance to the nation
could reach our squadron in the Pacific in
three and half days. The town is now the
principal, or rather the only real port where
large vessels or steamers may anchor and dis
charge, on the Pacific coast of the three Re.
publics of Honduras, San Salvador, or Mica
ragua"
Our Presidents, of late years, have not been
able to lift their vision to look beyond Presi-
dent-nominating convention. Without having
rendered service of any sort to recommend
them to the favor of the nation, these conven-
tional aspirants rely on their location in the
North, the skill in party tactics acquired by
them as subalterns at the drill, and the cum
ming acquired in the intrigues necessary to give
prominence to an eager ambition, without the
higher faculties to promote it, fitted these men
to become the instruments of section, to de-
feat the sound, settled policy of the nation.
Fillmore was too busy in making covert COM
phances to ingratiate himself with those press
ing from the South to extend the area of Sla-
very North and West, to listen to our Charge
IN Central America, when urging the expan-
sion OF our national greatness in direction to
have its just control over the continent and the
oceans that washed its shores. Pierce was so
sunk in submission to the plotters laboring to
crush Kansas under Slavery, that the overtures
OF Barrundia, which would have lifted whole
galaxy of independent States, with open bosom
to welcome the enterprise and industry of our
countrymen and the influence of our Govern
ment were UNDECIDED. The voice of an empire.
uttered by its noblest patriot and statesmen, its
eloquent philosopher, the scholar who modelled
its Government after our own, fell upon his
ears as4" upon the dull, cold ear of DEATH
Bot (" the day of small things" of enslayed
Presidents, of buccaneers, will pass away, and
the nation of the New World will resume the
attitude which the moral grandeur of the great
man who directed its affairs for the first half
century gave it. Then the time will come for a
new movement on this continent, which will
confer prosperity on three races of men.
Mr.. Chairman, it is evident to every man of
thought, that the freed blacks hold a place in
this country which cannot be maintained.
Those who have fed to the North are most IN.
welcome visiters. The strong pugnance of
the free white laborer to be yoked with the ne
gro refugee, breeds an enmity between races,
which must end in the exnnlsinn Of The latter