Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-01-28
LprrER 80. u.-(coNcLrDEp.)

SnCc Wlln our .AUleT'Sai p'iNg' w. ~"
With envy an apprehension, our uneXampied
prosperity. and rapid acquisition Of power and
territory surprising their OWL. The imperial
lrspot Of France and his serf., must cordially
,ate a people among whom the emblem Of n
PROSTATE tyrant, accompanied with the signiti-
ant motto. "Sicsemper tyrannis," Is daily be.
m ancient grudge against Us. Added to that.
she may possibly apprchcnd from the general
:cnor Of the bill and Of the message. especially
from the Presidents earnest recommendations Of
I. Protcctorate over the Mexican Safes Of Chi
luahua and Sonora, and the establishment Of
military posts within the same, some new YER
;ion Of the Monroe doctrine" or Buchanan
doctrine still more extensive, bearing danger
,usly on her own American possessions. In
stigatcd BY such motives and feelings. pure
y selfish as they may be, but protesting solely
/ mlgnanilnnns desire to save the weak.
" battling with the strong, the sympathizing
rulers of France and England NAV demur to
,ur protcctorate. or attempt one for themselves
m, suSpecting possibly that our real design is
annexation, may bring into the melee. their
combined forces. land and naval, and claim a
share ofthe spoils-the Lions share. Our grow
ing and gallant navy. were every seaman a De.
c,tur. may by overwhelming numbers be sweep,
from the ocean, or b irie beneath its surface
our cities sackcd-our sea-board country nil.
LACED or depopulated. The President NAV say
when the War shall begin. Not all the wisdom
Of the nation can tell when or how it shall end
The little speck, now scarcely visible in the
Southern horizon, may grow into a c'oud dar.
xening earth and sky, and descend upon us in
wrath and ruin. And all for what? For mhat'
10 carry news TO California. and to protect a
few restless adventures. who choose to leave q
land Of liberty and abundance. and place them
selves beyond the limits Of orr jurisdiction
some, perhaps, with the honest purpose Of bet.
tering their md ion others. that they NAV
SIT by the fesh.pots Of Mexico: all. with a
knowledge that IN hOse remote regions, as the
President tells Us, there are fee wlite inAn6i-
taats 4; that hostile md predatory bands Of sa-
rage Indians, and Mexicans. scarcely less sa-
wage, roam professionally orer them and that
| the tocAt governments are perfectly helpless !:
and, consequently. unable to protect even their
own citizens. Let the bill pass. and how long
will it b. before SOM timid mail.carrier. or
some wandering knight, in quest Of adventures,
may dem md a military escort through the
length and breadth of these remote regions p
Nay, a single tiiibuSter, native or adopted. may
NiOll WV W ihuN' - N'fHfc ctttf, ttbtS lllO
bill, and claim that the President shall send the
land and naval forces to give him protection, and
full r:drrSs-t;a' is whaferer piundcr he can
5. izc. ard a lib ri bounty in choice lands.
As to the particular mail route. recently es.
tab,iShcd between our Atlantic and Pacific
possessions. its Importance can hardly be such
as to justify 20 costly a defence; and, MS for the
! few alventurerS, who can find no home in orr
town rich and spacious domains, State or Fcde.
raj, far better woull it be that they should be
left to meet the diff :ulties they choose to en-
counter, than that the sober people Of the
Union should be subjected to the cllamitics
and expenses Of war, to screen them from the
consequences Of their cupidity and wilfnl folly.
But suppose the objects Of the bill likely TO
be accomplished without serious difficulty; or
that Drawing all thu disastrous ch,nces OF war,
Congress shall adopt the scheme proposed by
the Committee; why. repeat, not include with
in its scope all nations without discrimination ?
If the principle asserted in the bill be sound.
that W. are bound to protect and redress every
citizen who may be injured or impcriled in a TO-
reign land, it applies with greater force to
wrongs done OF permitted by nations or their
authorities, where regular and efficient govern.
ments exist. thin by those where the local
governments are perfectly helpless" Why
shall we not apply the penalties Of the law
to our %neighbors on our Northern frontiers,
as well Us to those on our Southern? If it be
said that no danger is to be apprehended from
the British colonies, then We shall encounter no
danger of n collision with them, and they can
have no right to complain that 4 sound princi-
pie, applicable to other foreigners on our Dor
der, is applied also to them. But have they
always, or do they now stand in so friendly an
attitude towards us: On the contrary, it is
notorious that. from n distant period, property
Of great value, rightfully belonging 10 our citi-
zcns under their State Laws, and recognized by
the comp ict Of Union. has been withheld
by the permission or connivance of the
Canadian authorities. British and colonial
Canada is at this time believed to be the prin-
! cipal depot of the underground rail road com.
p%auicS, eng igcl in all lucting slaves. or enabling
them to escape from their lawful owncrS; and
it is certain that no attempt by the latter
to reclaim them coull BE- mad. but at
the imminent hazard Of liberty and life
But these arc S,uthern grieranceS-and as
likely to be redrcSsed by the authorities at
Montreal, or London, as by those in Washing.
ton. Let us refer, then, to one more calculated
to interest the feelings Of our Northern
brethren-bccauSc inflicted on themselves. |
allude to the outrage perpetrated during Mr..
Van Buren'S administration, on the soil OF the
Empire State, By the destruction Of the steam
boat Caroline. and the alleged murder Of one
Of her crew. No event, perhaps. ever more
strongly excited the Indignation Of the .Amcri-
can people throughout the Union: and yet, no
bill was passed 10 place the land and naval
forces at the disposal Of the President with Il
view to rcdress-no Protectorate, nor military
post. was established by us within the limits Of
the offending province. The fermcnt gradually
subsidized. Tine matter went into diplomacy.
The British Government avowed and justified
the Outrage" Our Government slumbered-
profoundly; and after Il drowSy negotiation Of
! five years, the affair was settled under another
! administration BY whit was called an apology.
The British Government. without any atone
| mcnt for the murder, or indemnity for the pro-
! perty destroyed, still insisting on its insulting
plea of justification, expressed its regrets, &C.,
! AMI We accepted them. After So successful an
experiment. Canada may venture again to per-
pctra,e a similar 'outrage-beyond all COM
! p%ariSon greater than any we can ever apprc-
head from the distracted and iinbccilc States OIL
| orr Southern borders. BY all means, then, let
Canada b, embraced in the bill. If we may
not have military post, along the line of the
underground rail road, to protect or redress
Southern wrongs, let us ~atleast station an armed
force, and erect a protec,orate,. in Grand Island
for the security Of life and property on our
Northern frontier.
If | have any correct idea Of the meaning of
the term .fiiibustering. I take it to be q war or
war. like expedition, carried on rithout hwfni
authority, by the people of one State against
those Of anothcr-,sp ,cially against such States
as Ito use the strong language of the President
are reduced BY civil discussions to Il condition
of almost hopeless anarchy and imbccility."-
Now such seems to me the precise character
of the measures contemplated by our Govern
mcnt. The objects, let us hope, are not those
,,,l..-t - ,.,rotn ipliviiun1S nm.