The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-04-03
CENTRAL AMERICA
tFrOm tho London Times, March Q }


United States closing lie session. The American
Congress adjourned the Attn inst but about fort
night before it separated received message from the
President which s deserving Of some attention this
side of the Atlantic Mr.. Buchanan points out TO the
Legislature what he conoeves 10 be defect in the Auer
Constitution and asks for powers which the founders
of the Union only did not assign 10 the chief mags
ttate of the republic but which they probably designed
% withhold Nevertheless, think the President has
good grounds for his representations though the ccum
stances are not little extraordinary The executive
government of the United States differs In this mpoI ant
particular from those of Europe that IL does not possess
the power of making War be declared in the
American Union by Congress alone In the of hos
tile attacks upon American territory this restriction is
far suspended that the President at employ the
forces of the nation for national Defence but saving this
natural exception the head of the republic Is poweress
1t requires no words TO indicate the motives by
which the trainers of the American Constitution
were actuated la making this provision, nor Is 1t
likely indeed, that its expedency would have been ever
questioned except for state of things which the con-
temporares of Washington would have been the very
last linen in the world to foresee believe. The simple
fact u.s. that in all the States of America but that of the
Union itself republicansm has proved failure, and the
consequence of this failure is that the President called
upon to deal with circumstances which under system
OF better organized communities could never have arisen
In Mexico instance the condition of affairs is such
that really responsible administration can be said to
exist IL there any government of this character
the power of the United States would of itself be su
cient security for the rights of American citizens but in
the anarchy which prevails the once civilized domin
ions of Montezura these ordinary guarantees lose all
their force The factions by which Mexico is avaged
have no fear of rebution before their eyes their very
want of character gives them IMMUNITY and they venture
upon outrages from which any accountable government
would shrink in dismay In the same manner the pas
sage of the sthmus which has become the highway
of the American world unsafe road in Greece
SYRIA 80 that Mr. Buchanans countrymen cannot reckon
on protection for themselves or their property.
The force required for the coercion terror of the of
we have mentioned apply to small well great
and the employment of arms against an independent
State whatever may be its dimensions character is
an act of war; the President stands forbidden from the
exercise of even the smallest control of war
boat with dozen marines, might answer every purpose
in making American rights respected single cannon
shot the guns of sloop would probably bring the
authorities of port to terms But Mr.. Buchanan
not order gun TO be fired seaman to be landed
and MS his neghbors perfectly of his pedca
ment they presume accordingly The case is aggravated
by contrast presented in other quarters France and
England send their ships to Vera Cruz for the pro-
lection of their respective citizens and it is known that
they can promptly follow up word with blow. MIR.
Buchanan also send American vessel into the har
bor but in this the captain demonstrate only,
and requires appeal to Congress before there can be
any appeal force Under these circumstances Mr. Blu
chanan asks for such partial relaxation of the con-
sttutonal law will enable bin TO encounter these small
contingencies. The founders of the Union doubt
imagined that momentous question that of peace
or war would receive all the better consideration from
the delays and the difficulties with which they enveloped
it, but their CONCENTRATIONS did not include transactions
of such characte have since been witnessed. Mr.
Buchanan wishes not to make in any ordinary sense
of the term but to obtain general authority to protect
American citizens in their passage the lsthmus by
any of the routes in He aludes to notorious reasons
for pesumng that the necessity of such action may arise
and in this event he would be compelled either to remain
passive spectator of the offence to take upon him
self the responsibility of exceeding the law. He admits
without h. station that in such an emergency he would
venture upoa the espas but he reasonably desires to be
relieved from dsagreeable alternative by previous
Legislation Congress no thinks, should pass act
thozng the President to employ the land and sea forces
of the Union in securing the passage of the lsthmus
such limitations and provisions being affixed to the
ablo IOT the preserYa-
ton of principles established Its not to be denied that
distinct considerations of small importance involved
in this question, but without concerning ourselves with
these at present must needs point out the charao-
which in this document is ascbed by the representa-
tive of republic to republican communities Mr. Blu
chanan fain to observe that from the very hour when
their independence first achieved all the republics
south of the United States have UNFORTUNATELY been in
state of revolution and civil war He speaks of the
bandtt which incst neighborng republic of Mexico,
always claiming to belong to other of the hos
tile parties and he ntmates that any acts of brigand
age may at any time be anticipated from such people
without chance of prevention redress the part of
the government of the country That this picture is not
overdrawn regards the Mexican territories well
aware and it is of the most striking features Of
utterly powerless against any serious approach of their
formidable neighbor nevertheless rash enough to
venture upon every species of provocaon They insult
and plumber citizens of the greatest States in the
world British French American indscrimi-
natey, with as little Arabs Maays,
and furnish anybody with justification for attacking
them IL has been often said that weak governments
are the very who take the greatest liberties
but the is still where there is government
at ALL Mr.. Buchanans argument is, that throughout
the States in question there does not exist the power
even il the will be presumed to provide American ct
zens with protection for life property and know
very well that this description of affairs is perfectly true
Whether the American Congress will grant the powers
CURED on whether it will think that the terror of Ame
the disposal Of the legislature alone remains to be SEEM
but the appeal ITSELF and above ALL the circumstances
which it is based merit passing reflection Repub
canis though aided by all the favorable circumstances
of supenbundant territory and external peace has failed
In the examples before u.s. to furnish any guarantee for
happiness order civilization. Yet the inhabt
ants of these regions in great part of good Euro
pean they had shown themselves capable under
other governments of very considerable progress and
when.sthey threw off that government and began to
act for themselves, they retained framework of civil
and ecclesiastical organization which might have been of
great assistance to them The result however is what
we see The very Indians of the plains might the
territories of Mexico il there but Mexcans
prevent them This contamination indeed of o nation S
ruin thought to be impending some ten years ago.
and it is avowey for the control of these audacious
tribes that the President recently proposed the establish
American garrison in the northern provinces
of the anarchical republic IL democratic institutions
could secure good government Mexico ought to have
been one of the bestgoverned countries under the
We can hardly say il is of the worst governed
for it is not governed at ALL but it has aen at any rate
l.