The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-04-30
gerona nbtrusIon Of foreign labor and capitol,

nut little 70 say 1 htn NOT HNth ~ ~"
gressiye, aud am content % leave II vheTe
Washington placed u, upon that Wihe, Nlrtu-
Gus and safe mnHim-''Peace with kll nations,
entangling alliance with none" The greedy
and indisehminate appetite for foreign aequi-
silon, which makes us eoSNt our neghboTb
lands and devise cunning schemes frget
them, has little Of my fympathy. view u
~ a sort Of political gluitony, as dangerous
10 our body polite As gluit6ny 10 20 the nat
ural producing disease certainly has
tening deatif probably. Those ~ our pOtiti-
clans who are afflicted with this morbid APP
petite are wont 10 cite the purchase Of Louis
lana and Florida, a. giving eountenanoe 10
their inordinAte desires. But the cases are
wholly unlike in almost every particular.
Louisiana was indispensable 10 our ful and
safe enjoyment of an immense region which
was already owned, and its acquisition gave
ua the unqnestoned control of that noble
system of Mississippi waters, which nature
/ seems 90 have made 20 be one and indiyis-
! BILE, and rounded on tho map Of the nation
into one uniform and eompncted whole
Nothing remained 20 mar and distgure, eur
/ national plat, but Florida, and that was de
sirabo, less for is Intrinsic value, than be
cause II would form a dangerous means Of
annoy anoo, in case Of war with maritime
power, surrounded ~ Il 10, on three sides by
the ocean, and touching three Of our present
states, With no barrier between. The popu.
lAton Of Louisiana and Florida, when aequr-
ed, WA very small compared with the large
meas Of the territory and lying in contact
with the states, was easily and quickly alb
sorbed into and assmilated with the mass of
our people Those countriis wero acquired
moreover, IN the most peaceful and friendly
manner, and ior satisfactory consideration
am not one Of those who believe that the
United States Is not an independent and safe
nation, be;ause Cuba il not u part Of il. On
the contrary, believe that We are quite ca
pahle Of self'deienee, even II the "Qucen Of |
the Antilles" we're a provence Of England, |
France or Russia and surely while Il re-
mains an apendage of a comparatively feeble /
nation, CUBA has much more cause 20 fear us /
than We have 10 fear Cuba. In fact, gentle /
men, cannot help doubling the honesty of |
the cowhrdly argument by which we are urg- /
ed 10 rob poor old Spain OF the last remnant /
OF her western empire for fear that she ,
might use Il TO rob US.
For the last few year, in the attempt to |
govern our home territories Of Kansas and |
Utah, we have not very we'll maintained the !
dignity and justice Of the nation. nor secured
the peace aud prosperity Of the subject peo-
pie. Can We hope To do better with the va
rious mixed races Of Mexico. Central and
South America, and the West India Islands
some Of those countries have been trying
for fifty years TO establish republican govern.
ments on our model but In every instance
have miserably failed and yet there was no
obstqcle to complete success but their own
Still less am inclined to sec absorbed 10.
TO our system, 'on an equal footing with the
original states the various and mixed races
amounting 10 know not how many mil
lions) which nhAbit the continent and islands
south Of our present border ! am not viii
Ting 10 innoculatc our body polite with the
virus Of their diseases. political and social
diseases which with them are chronic and |
hereditary, and with US could hardly fail TO
produce corruption in the head and weakness
in the members.
Our own country as Il is in position, form
and size is a wonder which prooaims a Wis.
dom above the Wit OF man. Large enough
tor utir t,,isiefits for centuries to cnme.-All
in the temperate zone. and therefore capable
Of a homogeneous population, ye; 80 diversi. :
fed in climates and soils as TO produce eve,
rything that is necessary 10 the comfort and
wealth of great people. Bounded east and
west by great oceans and bisected in the
middle By n mighty river, which drains aud
fructihes the continent and binds together
the most southern and northern portions of
our land by bond stronger than iron. De
side all this, it is new and growing-the
strongest on the continent, with TO neighbor
whose power it fears, or Of whose ambition il
has cause TO be jealous. Surely such coun-
try is great enough aud good enough Tor all
the ends Of honest ambition and vrtuous
power.
II seems to me that an efficient, home-lov-
ing government, moderate and economical in
it's administration, peaceful in its objects and
Just to all nations need hnVe no fear Of in
vnsion at home or serious aggression abroad.
The nations of Europe have to stand contin-
ually in defence Of their existence, but the
conquest of our country by foreign power
is simply impossible, and no nation is so alb
surd as to entertain the thought. We may
conquer ourselves by local strifes and section
al animositics, and when BY our folly and .
wickedncss we have accomplished that great
calamity, there will be none to pity us for the
consequences of so great q crime.
The present position of the administration |
is n sorrowful commentary upon the broad |
democracy OF its professions. " In theory the
people have the right and ability to do any
thing, in practice are verging rapidly TO
the one-man power. The president, the os-
tensible head of the national democrats is
eagerly striving TO concentrate power in his
own hands, and thus to set aside both the !
people and their representatives in the actu-
al affairs of government Having empted |
the treasury which heGound full, and living |
precariouly upon borrowed money, he now
demands Of Congress to entrust to his un-
checked discretion the war power, the purse
and the sword. First. he asks Congress to |
authorize him by statute to use the army to
take military possession OF the Northern |
Mexico, and hold i, under his protectorafe, |
and as = security for debts due to our citi- |
zens--ciUl possession would not answer. for
that might expose him, as in the case of Kan
sas, to be annoyed by a factous Congress
and a rebellous territorial Legislature.
Secondly, Not content with this he do
mapds the discretionary power to use the ar
my and navy in the south, also in blockading |
the coast and marching his troops into The |
interior of Mexico and New Granada TO pro-
tect our citizens against all evil-doers along |
the transit routes of Tehauntenec and Pam |