The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-11-11
AnTmnnrfnnf Article.


4 deal fairly BY the United States in the dis
cussion Of the affairs Of Central America
Thev are pre.occupied with the idea that we
are conducting system OF expansion with
out any regard to the rights Of others, look
ing directly to the conquest OF the 1sthmus
States. and to the exclusive cont1ol Of the
Isthmus inter-o ceanie passages. So long
as this impression prevails, 1t is OF course
quite impossible that the real attitude OF this
Government can be understood. The Lon
don Daily Nsws' has recently served its read
ers with fearful programme OF aggression,
which IL not only attributes to "the WASH
iDgton Cabinet" bat against which II in.
vokes the interposition of the Governments
of England and France. Ii is little to the
credit, sagacity and intelligence of the NsloS
that Il noniiests so much ignorance OF the
position Of he United States, England and
France In regard to this whole Central Ame-
rican matter. aT
The policy of the United States is not to &C.
quirs Central America, or any part Of al, baI
10 open the Isthmus routes and TO haze them
fres to all The ioorld. This policy they have
distinctly avowed to the European States.
1t is we'll known in London as in the De.
partment at Washington in Paris IS by
the Governments of Nicaragua and Costa
Rica. There has been no concealment
about II. The Ne,Os ought to have known
it; the Patrie ought to have known it,
What is said by our foreign contemporaries
and our own press about the Belly contract
| is all the merest moonshine. We have TAX.
en- no exceptions to the conditions of that
contract. We care nothing about it. II
there are fifty such papers in existence it is
all the same to this Government. What
the United States objects to is the enforce
ment of any such covenants as would inter-
| fere with contracts previously made with
our citizens. That is all. The "Cabinet
at Washington" intend to maintain and en-.
force the rights OF American citizens, but
without special reference to the Isthmus
routes, which it is their purpose, os we have
said. to open to the commerce OF the whole
world.
What may have been the object of the
mission OF Sir William Ouseley to the Unit.
ed States in reference to Central Amerlcun
affairs, we are not able to say. II is certain
however, that it he had any special purpose
in view, he did mol think ii proper to make 1t
knowE to General CGSs. We are satisfied,
indeed, that he never made any proposition,
or even suggestion, during his residence in
this city, to t.Ie Secretary OF the State about
The concerns OF Central America. Lord
! Napier, it is equally well understood, has
! taken no exception to The despatch Gen.
eral Cass to General Lamar, our Minister to
Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which has in
part been made public Ii we aod to this
hn t,Ill nj
for the language used in the Belly contract,
and the equally satisfactory apology Of the
Costa Rican Government to General La-
mar on the same account, the fearful warn.
ings Of the Daily NstOs will DIV indie into pc.
lulnnce aud contempt. But we must go still
further. Mr.. Belly is regarded in Nicara.
qua, Costa Rica, London and Paris precise.
ly as he has been, from the first, regarded
by the Administrations "a mere adventur.
er, unworthy o: notice, and without the least
consideration OF any of the Governments re.
lerred to. The letter of Lord Malmesbury,
looking to the completion and use Of the
canal, amounts to nothing. II is precisely
,chdt General CaSs Wouid havs said, what
everybody claims and desires-the 0psainy Of
route for the free transit of the nations.
ly declared that, il they had understood l1r. !
Belly's purposes as they do now, they would
have made no contract with him.
The silly parade by the Putrie and the
NeWS about schemes D; maraudiEg conquest
by the United States is hardly worthy ot the |
least notice. An attempt is made to con.
meet The administration of Mr.. Buchanan
with Walker and his gang OF .GAiGuStsros, in
the very face OF the energetic measures
adopted short time ago TO suppress and
crush out that miserable counterfeit of Ame-
rican enterprise and patriotism. The poll
cy which controlled the President in exact.
ing the utmost enforcement of the laws
egainst the Walker marauders was simply
this He believed That The erpanSiue popers
Of The American Union Were quite sufficient,
1chen restricted within the limits Of laaO, 10
secure TO US all The advantages on tHjS con.
tinent which it was desirable 10 possess
Independent, then, OF the obligations which
rested upon him, as the Chief Magistrate Of
q great nation, 10 enforce it's rules Of Gov.
ernment, the dictates alike Of sound policy
and morals, demaDded that parties acting
without the authority of law against neigh.
boring Republic, with a view to it's snbjuga.
ton, should be arrested in their career, aat
puRished according TO their offences. The
Daily NeVS could not have been ignorant of
The conduct of "the Cabinet at Washing.
ton" in this respect; and yet they suggest
10 the Government of Nicaragua the pro-
perty of exacting reclamations upon the
United States in consequence of the iIlegal
conduct OF Walker and his men. We shalt
now expect the Ne,Os to insist that the AT.
'icaD tribes shall demand indemnfcations
't the Union, growing Out Of the illegal use
u its flag by pirates in capturing and carry
ng slaves to Cuba and Bfazil.
On this subject it may be interesting to {
he Negs to learn that the Costa Rican Gov.
have received Gen. Lamar, the ,
American Minister, with great cordially,
md have invited him to attend the Conven. .
ion of Central American States about TO be ,
leld, with a view TO effect the confederation
hereof.
We have, then, the distinct attitude of the +
United States in Central America-thelr de.
Ire to open the lsthnus routes TO the free t
Use OF the world, Their express reputation !
u all exclusive pretenslOns, Oi all Ueslre for {
he acquisition uf territory, and OF their in q
eniion only to do what England and F.ance {
md every other civilized Government never
alis to do IN like cascs-to protect the tights
IT American citizens. We have the con, &
substantially, we believe, in all
hese positions, OF the French and British
governments; and we are further led to con.
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