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

: element, ageinst which their forecast gays
warning, to prove that their solieitude to re
{ move it had its root in that sound Juogmen
} and devoted love to the country, whicn mso
the strongest features of their characters, on'
] great difficulty INSTRUCTED these efforts. hman
} cipstion Yves easy, but the amalgamanoh OF sn'
I white and black races was abhorent, aud thel
. existence as equals, under the same Govern
| ment. was for that reason impossible. Thel
, were. nevertheless. resolved to make the ex
pertinent of the gradual abolition of Slavery
; hopinp that time would make some outlet Il
the degraded caste. i believe the existine
, circumstances on this continent now justify
that hope. The attempt of African COLOMBIA
ton TO relieve rs of the load has failed. The
Immense distance, and the barbarous state O
the mother country to which we would restore
its improved race that has arisen among Us
has paralyzed all the efforts of the benevolent
society that has labored 90 long in vain to form
q community in Liberia, which would draw
hence its Kindred emsncipated population, and
establish nation there to spread civilization
and religion over Africa. Time has shown
that the causes which have produced races
never to improve Africa, or to be improved
there, but to abandon it, and give their vigor
and derive their advancement in other climes,
are not to be reversed by the best efforts of the
best men. westward the star of empire
takes its way" is a prophecy which will find
its accomplishment within the tropics as well
as outside of them on this continent. Liberty
and security promote enterprise and industry
and 30 create that intelligence which brings in
Its train civilization and Christianity. Africa
is desert, in which every effort to propagate
the elements which lead to such results have
proved failures and for ages, Africa has ever
been the house of bondage"
AS Americans, it ia our first interest to take
care of this continent, and provide for the races
on whose faculties ard labors its advancement
depends In my opinion, the door is now open
ia Central America to receive the enfranchised
colored race born amongst us, and which has
received, with our language and the habits con-
tracted under our institutions, much that adapts
it to sustain part in giving stability to the in
situations copied from ours in the Central Amer
| lean Republics.
Mr.. Wells, an American gentleman of high
| talents and attachments, with view to promote
commercial enterprises originating with mer.
chant of New York, recently traversed Central
America under most favorable auspices, in order
to explore its resources, and obtain certain
mining and commercial privileges from the
Government of Honduras. His volume, pub.
lished at the close of the year 1856, and which
gives the condition of the country down to the
nation as to the capabilities of the country, and
the posture of the parties that distract it. 1t
shows on what the Liberals, who emancipated
the country from Spain, rely for the preserva-
ton of its freedom. He was intimate with
Cabanas, the late enlightened and most liberal
President of Honduras, whose policy he indi-
Gates In the brief passages now read from his
book:
Although, as Spanish American, Cabanas
was personally opposed, at the commencement
OF his administration, to the announcement of
enterprises through which strangers wonld be
likely to obtain dangerous ascendency in Cen
trail America, he was gradually induced, by the
influence of Seniors Cache and Mejia, his Min
listers, to dismiss these objections. In the
midst OF his harassing campaign in Gracias,
IN the month of July, he found time to turn
his attention toward the interoceanic railway
project; and to Cabanas should be ascribed
the double honor of corqueripg his Unborn
prejudices against foreigners, and of giving
the principal impulse to an enterprise likely
to assume an importance second to none in
the present age.
E" Actusted by the same laudable intentions,
and penetrated with the conviction that only
through Northern industry and enterprise can
the Spanish American races be raised to q
permanent grade of prosperity, Senior Barrun-
dia, then far advanced in years, and frequently
referred to in this sketch as a talented and
Jealous member of the Liberal party, was dis.
patched to Washington as the first diplomatic
agent ever sent to the United States BY Hon
duras, as distinct Power. His death at New
York, on the 9th of August, of the same year,
put an untimely end to the negotiations, and
frustrated the dawning hopes of the Liberals"
The precise object aimed at in the negotia.
| M 70
spicuous in the address of the Minister Bar
rundia, one of the great and learned men of the
country, the last of it's revolutionary stock,
whose eloquence and wisdom in It's councils
led the way TO the achievement of its independ-
ence. His presentation speech uttered the SEN
lments of the President of Honduras, as well
as those of the venerable patriot and states
man, and all the Liberals he led, who founded
that Republic on the basis of our North Ameri-
can Confederacy. Every word of it is preg-
nant with political meaning, to which time will
give effect, and the House cannot fail to mark
these sentences in the address, and give en-
phasis to the closing words:
The mission with which / am charged is
perhaps more significant than any which has
: yet originated in Central America, and its
objects are such as are seldom confded to an
ordinary legation. 1t relates to the vital in
against the antagonism of mouarchcal prin.
cples, which, unfortunately, in some parts of
this continent are seeking to change the bless
ings of liberty and independence for alien
PrOtectorates and irresponsible Relationships"
In little more than year afterwards, the
last words became facts. Carrera, mestizo,
OF mixed Spanish and Indian blood, had years
before, by the aid of his Indian allies, made
himself Dictator of Guatemala; then turning
his force against Cabanas, President of Hon.
duras and chief of the Liberals, he placed
Santos Guardiola, another mestizo, in a dicta.
torship over that State. 1t is with this latter
chieitaiu that the British Government has ne
gotlated Its treaty, resigning the Bay Islands
to the socalled Republic, but still holding them
under the alien protectorate " of British in.
sttutlonss l will read single page from the
lucid sketch given by Mr.. Wells's book, which
Is, IN fact, his report to the American merchants
who employed him to examine the state of the
country, IN which they designed to prosecute
| thelr commercial enterprises. In this passage
he makes an epitome which grasps the whole
history:
| " 1t will be seen that the main cause of the
devastating wars of Central America has been
the division of the States into irreconcilable
parties; one, advocating the continuance Of
! the obsolete forms of the Spanish viceroyalty,
and the revival of the extinct aristocraticai
institutions of the colonial period and the
ether, emulous of the astonishing progress
Of the United States under purely repn BIZ.
can government, vainly attempting to estab-
lish similar system, and shedding their best
blood in the thirty years struggle to that end
| "Of the patriotic motives of the Liberals,
scarcely one among the few native and foreign
writers upon the politics of Central America
bat pay deserved tribnte to their earnest ex-
ertioDs in behalf of their country. An Eng.
lish author includes in the Liberal party some