The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-01-23
Central America.

published letter from I'll Thayer Of Mass,
then President Of tho New England Bml-
grant Aid Society, and prominent mover In
! the organization Of a similar association I'M
der charter obtained from the Legislature
Of New York, setting forth the purposes and
expectations Of the writer, and the more san
guine portion Of his associates, respecting the
colonization Of Virginia with free laborers
from the Middle and Northern States The
serio-eomie style Of this letter lefl most Of Ia
readers In doubt whether Il was intended TO
be a yeritablo representation of rs authors
sober thoughts and calculations, or only a
mock proclamation for the healthy excite
ment Of certain Southern editors and pollti-
ticians, suggesting TO them how the war In
behalf Of their "poenliar institution might
be possibly transferred from Kansas to the
heart Of the Old Dominion. But more re-
Gently the extensive purchase Of lands aud
the location Of a colony in Western Virginia
under the auspices Of the New York Emf.
grant Association ha, removed al doubt re-
speeting the import Of the letter In question.
In the peantme It's author has been cho-
sen to represent Massachusetts, IN part, in
the House Of Representatives at Washington.
The Globe Of the 9Th inst. published his first
speech IN Congress, delivered the day before,
in reference TO the Neutrality Laws and En-
grulion to Central America. 1t is just such
speech in matter aud style, as one
would expect after having read the letter re-
ferred to, pertinent, pithy and original, and
withal, 30 humorous and satirical, that the
House must have had, during is delivery,
season Of special recreation. Without quo
ting from the speech we will endoayor to
| give, in brief, its general drift and doctrines.
/ Passing over the discussion Of the Ncu-
tralityLaws and the arrest ofWalker By Com
modore Pauldipg upon Nicarnguan soil, and
assuming It to be already settled by the his
tory and character Of the American people,
that they wish TO Amerieanize Central Amer
icn, and that they can aud iciH do H. he pro-
cceds to discuss the manner and agency TO
be employed in the undertaking. Rcpudia-
ting oil violation Of national rights and treaty
I stiPalaiinnA.hc would accomplish the object
! hy organized emigration. The Narthern
States must furnish the material, aud there
fore It is assumed that they, rather than tho
Southern States, have immense interests in
yoycd in the settlement Of the Central.Amer
lean question, Like the Northern Nations
- Enlnne IN Tho nc of Tacilns. they are the
mandatory Of nations" Their redundant
aud lccming population, That las hitherto
| found an outlet in the general tide Of West
crn emigration, must ere long have vent in
some other direction. II is already turning
southwark, inundating Missouri and begin
ming 10 overflow the "Old Domiaion.r BY
the Census Of 1850, Massachusetts had one
! bundled and twenty-sevcn inhabitants to
square mile while the States bordering on
the Gulf have, sumo Of them, but a small
! fraction Of man within the same limits and
. in ali only about three white inhabitants to
/ square mile. Considering the facts us pre-
scnted by the Census, il is argued that, while
the descendants of the Pilgrims are in
/ tight place" hemmed in between the Rocky
Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, and must
soon have more room for expansion, the
/ States on the Gulf cannot afford TO spare a
single man for emigration. The financial
! pressure in Europe, it is estimated, will send
to our shores, during the coming year, not
less than half million of men. One half
that number from The Otdur nee t3tarus witt,
during the same time, change their location,
and these seven hundred and fifty thousand
men are enough to make eight States, pro-
yided that territory can be obtained for an
economical distribution.
But in addition to the necessity of finding
more room for the natural current of home
and foreign emigration, the commercial in
tcrests of the Eastern Atlantic States, strong
ly urge to movement in that direction. The
whale fisheries of the North Pacific, the grow
ing trade with Oregon, California and the
Western coast Of South America wiK the
Sandwich Islands, Japan and China, point to
the harbors and interoceanic thoroughfarcs
of Central America, as acquisitions to them
ofunloid prospective valAe The means of
attaining them set forth in the speech, are all
peacable and involve no breach of treaty stip-
ulatons. They are all embraced in Steam
Engines, Hotels and Farming utensils, with
small amount of concentrated Yankee en-
ierprise to put them all into productive ope-
ratiou.
But will not Central America if acquired
by voluntary annexation, when il shall have
been eolonized by our people, add Slave
States tothe Uuion There is. in the opin.
ion of Mr.. Thnyer, not the slightest danger
that Yankees witt Introduce slave labor in,o
Central America. So long," he says, "as
they can buy Negro power in Steam En-
CINE for ten dollars, and clothe and feed i,
for five dollars year, they are not the men
to give 81 900 for an African Slave, and $3.50
annually TO keep him in working order In.