American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1858-12-16
ESTABLISHED In IS2l

% sooHAs they "etc tptOcihtmeu. The sue
cessiYe governments have hiIpTded no bdeauate
Protection, either 10 Mexiea5f citizens ssI slor.
eigh residents, against .lawless violence,
Heretofore, seizure Of ile capital By mill
tafy chieItain has been generally followed By
at least the nominal snbnlgsiog Of the eonn-
try TO his rule for bhef pefiOd 'sbnt, not 20 az
the present crisis Of Mexican Affairs; "a civil
war hss been raging for some time thto6ahsvtJ
the Tepnblic. between The central governmeHt
at the city Of Me1ie0, which has endeavofedto
snbveTt the Constitution last framed BY mill
taTy power. and those who mn ntan the anthoF.-
ity Of that conaiitqtioh.. The sntagohjsiic
parties each hold poaseaSion Of 0fdiAeTebt States
Of The Kepublics and the fDghnes of war are
constantly changing, Aeanwl,ile, vthe most
ieprehensibie means have been employed by
bo'h parties 70 exhtdrt money from Io:egheHs
sswell az natives, TO carry this Tuinous
contest. The tIdih 3. .thatthis fnes country.
blessed With = productive soil ana, "a benign
climate, has been reduced Dy civil dfsaeisieu
TO condition Of ALMOST hopeless anarchy and
imbeciltty. u would be vain fpr this govern
meat 10 aitetnpt 10 ehfOree payhentir money
ot the claims or American citizens, now,
amounting to more than ten millions Of dollars
sgsfnst Mexico, beeause she is destitute of all
pecuniary meanstO satisfy these domands., 4
Our late minister was furnished with ample
powers and instructions for the adjustment OF,
all pending questions with the cegtraigoverKk
ment OF Mexico and he performed his duly with,
zeal and ability. The claims or our citizens,
someofthem arizins o1t Of the violation Of au
express provision Of tbei treaty Of Gaaduld5e
hldalgo, and others from gfoce injuries 10 per-
sons as Wen as properly, have remained, unre- 4
dressed and even unnoiiced. Remcnstrsnces,
against these grievances have been Addressed
without ehectto that Eotf fsnmentsI Meantinei
N various, parts OF tDe republic, instances have
been numerous OF the murder, iTnprlsonment-
and pIunder OF our citizens, BY different par
tlessclalmtng aud exercising a local iurisdic-,
iioa; but the central government, although
repeaicdly nTged thereto. have made n0ek6ft
either 70 punish The authors of,ihese outIsEes
or 70 prevent theirrecnnence. No American.
citizencan now visit Mexico on lawful busi-
ness without Imminent danger to his person
and proPsIly1 There j. no adequate pFotec-
ton toieither; sld in this respect our treaty
wIihthatrepu1iiea as almost a dead letter, IL
. This state Of affairs was .brougbt to a crisis
N May last BY the ptomulgation Of decree
levHnga contribution pro T0tg upon all thes
capital The republic, between, certain. SIZE
eIhed amov nts, whether, held by Mezieans OF
ioregners. MI. PoTsyth,regarding this decree.
N the light Of a forced 1oan," formally pro-,
and advised them not to pay | he 'eontribution
but to suffer it to be furci5ly exacted. Act
ing n?on this adviee, en- American refused TO
pay aythecoHtribuiioh and his property was zaiz1.
ed BY armed men to satisfy the afno5ut. Not
content with ibis, the gOyeJnmsnt proceeded
sun iurther and issued decree baRishing him
rom the country, Our, Minister Immediately
nothedgthem that II this decree, should be
carried into execution he would feeIft to- be
his duty, 10 adopt f'the most deciaed measures
that belonged to the powers anG Obligation of
the representative ofiiceH Notwithstanding
thisfEsrning, the Jahishinept was enforced. Z
and MI. Forsyth PROMPTLY Announced to the
The goyernmeBt the suspension OF The political
relationsof bis legation sEith them. ,ivintil th5
pleasure ,ol his wa goyernme at should be as
This eovemmert did not regard the ;con,ri1s.
bullion imposed by the decree Of the 18th Of.
May last TO- beina stEictness afoTced laan, ,'sf
and as such prohibited by the tenth article Of
the treaty Of 1926 between Great Britain and
Mexicq,to ihebeHeEts Of which AThericn ciii.
zens are entitled by treaty !; yet the imposition
o. the eentTlbHtlon gpon afqTieRnerS was esa:
sideTed an unjust and oppressive measnEes--
Hesiaes. internal factions in other parts Of The.
EepUbite were at the same time ievying similar
e&aGlieRS .np0H tho ipgppoTty0f our citizens.
and interJnpting, theirzcommeree.' There had
heen an entire failure on ihe part -four Minis5
ter TO secure. redress for the wrongs which
our citizens had'endqted, not ~ithstsnding bss
persefving iAh5frem the temper man
hest'd W the Mexiean goSemmept he had re-
peatedlY assured rs that no .kiySrable change
could be expected. until The United States;
should give striking evtdence OF their will
end power to protect their citisepssP and that
oha fceI II a
for our gneysnces." From this statement OF
/. facts u would have been worse than idle 10
direct Mr.. Forsyth to retrace his steps and re- ,
sumo diplomatic relations with that .geyeEngi
,menE and itwas, ifheTe fore, deemed proper to
sanction his withdraw Of the legation from
the city o! Mexico. .
" Abundant causes now undoubtedly exist for
a resort TO hostilIties agaiust the government !
sill holding possession ofthe capital. Should
they .sncceed in subdHing the constitutional
-forces, ell reasonable hope will then have eE-
pred OF . peaceful settlement Of -our difictl- I
ties. 11g sYtlim'tI als q t2eti7i = ff-
Onsthe other hand. should the constitutional
party prevail, and their authority be establish
ed over the Republic, there is reason 10, hope
that they viii be animated by less unfriend-i
~ spHit and may grant that redress to Ameri-
can citizeu-which justice requires, so far as
ehcy iainy posoCoS Tue u1tduo. nut IOE tuto ca
'peetationI shoald at once have reccommen
died to Congressto grant the necessary power
to thePresdent, to take possession OF asuiilc-
lent portion Of The remote and unsettled terri
tory of lMsSieosto e;held in pledge until our
injuries shall be redIessed aud our Just demandgl
be satisfied; We have alteady, exhausted eve
lTyl miider means of obtaining justlce- insuchl
acpse;itbis a remedy Of feprissl is Recognized BY
the, law Of nations,nbt only as just TO itselIbut
asa means ospreventing actual war, ID ls., +.
n But there issanctheT view Of our islatiods
with MeNco, afiSinR from the unhappy condi- (,
non pfaffhiTS along cur southwestern frontier,
which demands immediate aetious In ttst re ~
mote Iegion, where there sre but few white
Inhabitants, large bands Of hostile and nJeda-5
tory India1s roam propseuousy over the
Mexican States Of ChihuahU6 and Sonora and
our adjoining Territories. The local, govern :
ments Of = these States are perfectly helplsss,f I
and are kept in state Of constant alagnl ~
the Indiahsy They have not tie powell ";
they possessed The viii, sven to festfhn law
less Mekicans iIom passing the boFder and
committing dtpTcduliohs on our remote set
tlers. Aslale of analrhy and violepce prevails
throughout that distant ffonsieE. The laws are
a dead letter, and LIE aud property are whol-
'ly insecure. For this reason the settlement
OF Arizona is arrested, whilstit 10 Of great inn
portance that chain Of inhabitants should ex-s
tend all along its southern border, SUFFICIENT
for rtheir own protection and that Of the United
States mail ii'passing to and from Caiifornib.--
Well founded ppptehensions are now enter
alped, that the Indians, and wandeEing sxla.
cans equally lawless. may reak.upthe inT
porsant stage and postal cOmmunlcatioprecenF