Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1859-04-28


il not the sole, is the chief end Of govern
ment.
And, it is for the governing power to
judge, in every instance, what kind and
what degree Of protection is nee6ful-wheth-
er navy TO guard our commerce all around
the world, or an army to defend the coun-
try against armed invasion from without,
or domestic insurrection from within; or a
tariff to protect our home industry against
the dangerous obtrusion OF foreign labor and
capital.
OF the existence Of the power and duty
of the government to protect the people in
their persons, their property, their industry
and their locomotIon, have no doubt; but
the time, the mode and the measure Of pro-
lection, being always questions of policy
and prudence, mast of necessity be left to
the wisdom and patriotism Of those whose
duty it is 10 make laws for the good gov
ernment of the country. And with them
freely leave it, as the safest, and indeed,
the only constitutional depository of the
power.
As 10 our Foreign Policy generally, l
have but little to say. am net much OF
progressive, and am content 10 leave it
where Washington placed it, upon that wise,
virtuous, safe maxim-"Peace with all ma
tions, entangling alliance with none." The
greedy and indiscriminate appetite for for
eign acquisition, which makes us covet our
neighbours lands, and devise cunning
schemes 10 get them, has little of my SYM
pathy. ! view it as a sort of political glut-
tony, as dangerous to our body polite as
glu,tOny is to the natural producing
disease certainly, fastening death, probably.
Those of our politicians who are afflicted
with this morbid appetite are wont to cite
the purchase Of Louisiana and Florida, as
giving cOuntenance to their inordidats de-
sires. Bat the cases are wholly unlike in
almost every particular. Louisiana was
Indispensable TO Our full and safe enjoyment
Of an immense region which was already
owned, and lis acquisition gave us the un-
questioned control Of that noble system oi
Mississippi waters, which nature seems tc
have made 10 be one and indivisibe, and
rounded off the map Of the nation inte one
uniform and compacted whole. Nothing
remained tomar and dIs6gure our nationa
plat, but Florida, and that was desirable
less for its intrinsic value, than because il
would form a dangerous means of annoy.
ance, in case Of war with Maratime pow.
er, surrounded as it is, on three sides b,
the ocean, and touching three of our present
States, with no barrier between. The pop
ulation of Louisiana and Florida, when &C.
quired, was very small compared with the
largeness of the territory; and, lying in con-
tact with the States, was easily and quickly
absorbed into and assimilated with the mas,
Of our people. Those countries were &c.
quired, moreover, in the most peaceful and
friendly manner, and for satisfactory con-
sideration.
Now, without any right or any necessity
il is hard TO tell what we do not claim in al
the continent south OF Us. and the adjacent
islands. Cuba is TO be the first fruit of our
grasping enterprise, and that is 10 be gotten
at oil hazards, by peaceful purchase if we
can, by war and conquest if We must. But
Cuba is onl ly an outpost 10 the Empire oil
Islands and continental countries that are 10
follow. A leading Senator has lately de.
clared lin debate on the Thirty Million bill J
that we must not only have Cuba, but all
the islands from Cape Florida to the Span
ish Main, so as TO surround the Gulf oil
Mexico and Caribbean Sea, and make them
cur "n,are clauSum," like the MediIsrra-
mean, in old times, when The Roman Empe.
ror ruled both its shores, from the pillars o.
Hercules 10 the Hellespont. This claim o.
mare noStrum implies, of course, that W.
must own the continent that bounds our sec
on the west, as well as the string Of Island:
that inclose it on the east-that is, Mexico
Central America, and all South America
so far south at least as the Oronoco. Ii
that wide compass Of sea and land there ar
good many native governments, and prov
inces belonging TO the strongest maritime
powers, and narrow continental isthmns
which we ourselves, as well as Englan,
and France, are wont TO call the highcay O
nations. To fulfill the grand conception
and perfect our tropical empire, We mus
buy or conquer all these torrid countrie.
and their mongrel populations. As to buy
ing them, it strikes me that we had bette
| wait awhile, at least until the Governmen
has ceased to borrow money to pay its eur
| rent expenses. And as to conquering thsr
j, perhaps it would be prudent to pause an
L - o,I