Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-16

rely upon. at a cnst of $3.50 900 000 Two
hundred theusand men ON the sisfhmus of
Darian. up 10 the Canada border. and the
Pacific well as the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts would be the least number OF lands
men, of standing army. that would au-
fhorIze The POSSESSION of such an immens- ex
tent OF country 1t could be accomplished:
small as our population il, in proportion 10
the immrnse territory 10 be defended. still it
could be accomplished. Bnt that il not the
dearest sacrifice that would have tn b. made;
the end would not be vet. They would have
TO wake up to sense of public clherti.s
swallowed mp in a military d'sp' tism. car
RED oxt through the hollow and empty form
oi free Constitution only.
Now. sir. is there any one who viii main.
tain that these apDrehensions of danger to
public liberty are imaginary if such policy
as is prnpoSsd by these high sources. is car
ried ou'? Is there NO danger to be- appr,-
hended to the public liberty. if the policy of
those whose y0racinus appetites, no; content
with Cuba. embrace all Mexico and Central
America is carried ont? 1t is this vOraci0us
passion tor expansion. that has caused excite
menf in the mind now tFat will result in
danger to the public liberties IF this country
in future time. T ere other causes: the
great change which has taken place in the
practical operation of this Government in the
last thirty years: the tendency TO general
corruption, misrulr. disorder; the greatly
diminished respect not to say cont mpt, that
is manifested for many of those guards that
the jealous founders Of this Republic threw
around the public liberty. Thi> proposition
To place at the disposal of the President. al
his discretion. limited only by the grn raj
object of it. would have startled the fathers
of he Republic as from a dream, and rails,
suspicious that conspiracy was afoOt to
overthrow the Constitute n. All sugges-
tions OF the danger of such a precedent are
laughed to sc0rn IN the present day. Then
there is that twin-born measure of the pres
ent one reported from the Committee an For
eign R'l'tions- proposing tn" surrender of
the war-making power 10 thT President That
Pre- ident of the United States should open
ly propose and urge, in special message,
as well as in his annual message, the surren-
der to him of What would virtually b' The
war-mak king power of this country. aud to
Sc, k of Congress a legal transfer 81 snch
power. is of itself enough to show that thos.
principles which heref ofore were regarded as
the main hulwark> of public liberty, are Jap
idlv losing their vitality.
Why Mr. President. if any other evidence
were wanting o! the decay of those sentiments
that have ever been regarded the surest
guarantee of public liorrty.u mighi be found
in the marked change which is taking place
in the spirit and objects of our policy in re-
lation to these very r publics of the South.
since the date OF their lndrpend nee. In
day was when those feeble and Inflated re
puhlies were taught to look to us their na
tural ally and prot ctor; but since then the'
have be, n forced to regard this Government
as a great political ogre that has sought t" in-
vrig1,. them into its embrace to YOUR them
| v Dture now to pr0pb sy, however eXtrava-
CANT it may seem to some here, that h. who
hall live 10 witness the consummation of this
policy. So earnestly advocated of extending
our dominion over the States of Mexico aud
Central America will have survived the lab
critics of bis country
The corrnpfible tendencies of this Govern
mrnt are already strong and powerful. if not
Irresistible. in beating down all but the forms.
the image 0t a free Constitution; and no free
Government can stand she vast accumulatioHs
of those causes which have proved fatal here
tofore 10 all republics, and which would ill.,
ryitahly attend the annexation of Il" st State.
Thy are to us forbidden fruit. Why. sir. no
poet ever tabled goddess of liberty within
the tropics Nodrraming theori-t yer piac d
Il republic there. L rep at again, they are to
forbidden fruit. and the prim val curse an
nounced the pcnalty of di~Obedience will
surely fall upou us as a free p Ople, FIVE are
guilty of this great transgr ssiOn. The day
then pluck hat fruit WE die.
Mr. President. have omitted MANY views
of this sui ject which proposed to take; but
under the circumstances. aud embarrassed al
am by the late p.ri"d in this discussion. |
felt that l was pretcrmitted from offering
them.