Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-08
From The Mem York Express.

| peiied 10 anO- tue opportunity IL 1lkeiy 10 De
thrown away. and the craftsmanship, when
wanted is not to be found. The loftiest flights
of Administrative policy. indeed. would ap-
pear just now to be incapable Of rising higher
than the level of the commonest POLITICIAN
and hence. instead of pursuing such a bold,
| resolute. and patriotic course towards our
anarchical neighbor, as the extraordinary
condition of affairs there would seem to sug-
gest.-the aggregate abilities Of the President
! and his constitutional advisers would seem to
be concentrated upon. and confined TO. the
admoni.iOn of disscntcrs from the Lecomp-
ton creed and the illumination of edicts and
bulls against unbelevers. While the fate OF
nations thus bangs trembling in the balance,
the Government is taken up with t'ifes. The
historians tell of Roman Emperor who could
busy himself only in catching flies while the
barbarian invaders. sweeping down from the
North were laundering at the gates. There
are no barbarians laundering at our doors. it
is truc.-hut have we no Emperor at Wash
ington catching flies?
It is now some weeks since the American
Minister. Mr. Forsyth, demanded and received
his passports. The faction at prese mt in the
+, CITY of Mexico. ii will he remembered, had
: undertaken to impose forced loan on Amer
lean citizens. and TO subject them to such other
( grievances as no government of spirit wOnid
submit to. Demands for redress from Mr.
FORSYTH met with no satisfaction, and, OF
! course there was nothing left for him to do
but to close the legation and come home
{ This course is understood TO have met with
/ the approval of the administration; yet, for
| some reason or other not quite clear the Min
| lister still fingers in Mexico. in conformity. it
| is said with instructions from the State De-
partment. The expectation seems to be that
| prOcrastnatiOn, delay, with an lnexhaustible
| supply Of patience and good nature. will, in
| time, redress all orr grievances. and obviate
| the necessity OF resofting to sterner argu-
ments to enforce orr claims. For our own
| part, we have no faith. now, in any such diia-
! tory experiments. If the American legation
| is really closed. as we are bound TO believe it
| is our citizens in Mexico are left without pro-
| lection while the not incousiderable mercan-
| tile interests we still have there are lett
prey to the various robber factions into which
| the country is divided. The wisest course for
| this Cover nment to pursue. in this emergen-
| CIV. we repeat, is TO strengthen its influence
| with the now known to be numerous class OF
| Mexicans who. wearied with anarchy, blood
| shed and robbery. are ready to encourage
| whatever steps the Cabinet at Washington
| NAV be disposed to pursue, with view TO
| vindicate the rights of its own citizens, pre-
| liminarily. by quelling the factions and re-
| storing something like law and order through
| ont the country. As things stand AT present
| wOuld seem that this can he best done by
| supporting General Vidaurri, now on his way
to the capital with an effective force. 10 upset
the ZulOaga government. few thousand
American bavonPts. between Vera Cruz ana
| the City of Mexico, is probably all that would
be needed. The presence of such force
| there. under the prudent and experienced
command of Lieut.. Gen. ScOtt-eVen II VI
| idaurri is beaten back (Which it is not likely
| he will bc). would give encouragement to the
Mexicans who are in favor of American IN
| reference but who dare not, at present. so
express themsrlves,-and thus. in any event,
prepare the way for some sort OF solution
! of this veyed question. Those American
troops would he rent, not as hostile invaders,
but As police force to keep the peace, and
| to reinstate order in land where both peace
| and order are virtually at an end. Justice to
ourselves would sanction the step,-and duty
| TO our neighbor would approveit. If Vldaurri
| succeed. we can then, in conjunction with
! him, come to some mutual UNDERSTANDING
! and, if expedient look to a consolidation oil
| inter, stS. If he does not succeed, even then
we shall be in an infinitely better position
| than we are at present to protect the hVes
| and property of our citizens, vindicate our
national dignity and give such a turn to al
fairs as will evcntuate in the settlement OF
what must otherwise remain eternally one OF
the most vexed of all our veXed questions
| At all events, something must be done, and
! done soon.
Things cannot remain much longer as at
| present. The cOuntry-in most deplorable
| condition at best-during the two years past.
| is getting worse and worse every day.
! People that have any prOperty-natives OF
the soil evcn-are leaving it every day. and,
| with some fifty thousand vagabond soldiers
! struggling over the country, killing. burning
| and DESTROYING. the whole country bids fair To
| be, ere long. a den Of thieves. The value OF
! property that has been sacrificed since the LIST
| of January last, we are assured, Is not less
| than 500 900 900. This may seem enormous
| but if il be considered that. to begin with.
there were immense losses Occasioned by
! weeks heavy firing in the city Of Mexico, a
! week or more firing in Guadalaiara, the battles
! in San Louis Zlcatccas, Guanaj Durango,
! Celaya. HrtDuatO MOraVatlO, Jalapa, OrlZa-
| va &c 81. the entire desertion OF Perote,
| and about twenty five other places of impor-
lance the abandonment OF hundreds Of ha-
! ciendas. and added to all these items, the eX-
| pensn of keeping up at least fifty thousand
soldiers the estimate, large as it is, will be
! fouud to he rather under, than above, the
! mark Not included in this computation.
| are the injuries to commerce. the expenses
! occasioned To thousands of families who have
been compelled to abandon their homes, nor
| the prospective losses of the thousands of
agricultnrists, whose crops and fields will go
neglected for long time, should order be re-
|
writing from the Capital, intensifes and fills
up the picture, thus:
| The two parties-the Church party and the
| LiberalS-have together about $4,000 men, IN
| the field These forces are scattered over the
| country from Eucatan to Sonora. They have
| no disciplined treasures To sustain these
| forces, and they are. therefore, compelled to
! live upon the country. Their morality not
being the highest. this necessity is easily COM
| piled with. and cities, towns, villages and ha-
| ciendas are put under contribution. and made
| to pay with horses, provisions, grain, money,
| clothing. &C. the expenses OF civil war. So
| rapacious have become the rbble sOldiery
| that the grosscst outra@es are committed on
| all the populations. Property is taken and
in many cases in the central parts of the Re
| public the women of the towns and villages
have been made subject TO the lusts of the
| sOldiery. To such an extent have outrages
been committed. that the people Of hundreds
| of haciendis and score or more OF consider
able towns have been forced to abandon their
homes and take refuge in the large cities.
| Places with populations from ten to fifty
thousand. have been almost or completely "a
| bandoned. Perote has been abandoned by It's
population for the last four months. San
Louis Potosi. "a place of fifty thousand popu-
| lation, has been mostly deserted. At last adj
| vices bat three shops were open in the whole
| place The citizens had fed to the mountain
| or larger cities.
| la the meantime. the commerce and indus
trial interests OF the country are fast going to
| ruin, and money is becoming a remarkably
scarce article in the channels of trade. Goods
have now been detained in Very Cruz for the
last eight months. The store houses of that
port are crowded, and much damage has come
| to all Glasses Of perishable articles by being
lcft so long at that uniavOrable point.
On this capital the Government is ruling
with rod of iron. Persons are thrown into