The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-02-26

The following Message Of the President,
asking Congress to place the army and navy
at his command to protect the transit routeF
across the isthrnus in Central America, was
laid before Congress on Monday:
To the Senete and House Of Representa-
tires The brief period which remains Of
your present session, and the great urgency
and importance of legislative action before
its termination, for the protection of Ameri-
can citizens and their property, whilst in
transit across the isthmus, between our At
lantic and Pacific possessions, render it my
duty to recall this subject 10 your notice. |
have heretofore presented it in my annual
messages of December 1857 and 1888, to
which beg leave to refer. In the latter |
state that the Executive Government Of this
/ country. in its Intercourse with foreign ma
tons, is limited to the employment Of diplo.
macy alone; where this tails 1t can proceed
no further. 1t cannot legitimately resort to
force without the direct authority of Con-
/ cress, except in resisting and repelIimg hos
/ tile attacks 1t would have no authority to
/ enter the Territories Of Nicaragua, even to
/ prevent the destruction of the transit and
/ protect the lives and property of our OWN
/ citizens on their passage. IL is true that on
a sudden emergency of this character the
/ President would direct any armed force in
the vicinity to march to their relief, but IN
doing this he would act upon his own res
ponsihility. Under those circumstances |
/ earnestly recommend tn Congress the pas
/ sage of an act authorizing the President, I'M
/ der such restrictions as they deem proper,
! to employ the land and naval forces of the
| United States in preventing the transit from
being INSTRUCTED or closed by lawess yio
! lence, and in protecting the lives and pro-
perry of American citizens travelling there
/ upon, requiring at the same time that these
forces shall be Withdrawn the moment the
danger shall have passed away Without
such a provision our citizens will be con-
stantly exposed to reference in their pro-
eress by lawless violence.
A similar necessity exists for the passage
Of such an act for the protection of the Pan
ANA and Tehuantepec routes. Another
subject equally important demands the at
tention of the Senate at this, the last ses-
sion of Congress. The republics south OF the
! United States on this continent have untor-
tunately been in state Of revolution and
civil war ever since they achieved their In
! dependence. AS one or another party has
prevailed and obtained possession of their
ports open to foreign commerce, they have
seized and coniiscated American vessels and
their cargoes in an arbitrary and lawess
manner, and exacted from American cti-
| zens by forced loans. and other violent pro-
ceedings, to enable them to carry on hostil-
| tiles. The Executive Government of Great
| Britain, France and other countries, possess
! ing the war making power, can promptly
empty the necessary means to enforce inn
| mediate redress for the similar outrages up.
on their subjccts-not SO the Executive
Government of the Unlimited States. If the
President orders vessel of.war to any of
these ports to demand prompt redress for
outrases committed, the offending pa rites
arc well aware that the commander ould
do no more than demonstrate. He ca n re-
sort to no hostile act. the question must
then be referred to diplomacy. In many cases
adequate redress can never. be obtain ed. Thus
American citizens are deprived of the same
protection under the flag of their own eoun-
try which the subjects of other nations en-
joy.
The remedy for this state Of things can
only be supplied by Congress, since the
constitution has confded to that body alone
the power to make war. Without the
authority of Congress the President cannot
lawfully direct any force. however near it
NAV be to the scene of difficulty, to enter the
territory of Mexico, or Nicaragua, or New
Granada, for the purpose of defending the
persons and property of American citizens,