The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-03-21

TX HERALD, WEDNESDA
The Mexican Question at q crfsis--rho
Capture OF the Corsatr ships.
The news from Vera Cruz has rung like
trumpet through the land, and, following so
quickly as 1t does on the footsteps Of the black
republican party combination in the Senate to
defeat the Mexican and Nicaragua treaties, 1t
rings with an ominous import to the political
leaders that can stoop to make party combi-
nation against treaties STIMULATING for the de-
fence of the interests and rights of American
citizens.
For more than forty years Mr.. Buchanan has
been in public life as representative in Con-
gress, Senator, minister to foreign courts, Sec
rotary Of. State, and President and for all this
time he has seen, as has every other man who
has watched the course of our national history,
how defenceless are our citizens and how i'm
potent is our government, under Its present
system, to defend them In their just rights in
foreign ports and lands. So palpable has this
fact become, that not seldom have American
ships in foreign ports, and American citizens
abroad, taken refuge under our community
of language with England, and sought that
protection which our government would not
extend to them from English consuls and the
English flag. And more than this, 30 evident
has our executive weakness as nation to pro-
tect the individual rights of our citizens be-
come, that everywhere, at least among the
minor and irresponsible officials abroad, the
sdment Of the negro ruler at Hayd, that
AM1icans were nothing but nation of shop
keepers, has come to be the ruling impression.
This fact has for years vexed every member Of
Congress with petitions from constituents for
redress. 1t has harassed every one of our
foreign Ministers and Consuls; it has piled up
the State Department with complaints and
claims, and has loaded our diplomatic cores
pondence with every court, with Diplomatic
circumstances which remain UNDECIDED, be
cause it is everywhere known that our govern
ment has no power to proceed further than the
writing Of despatch in pursuit of individual
justice for our citizens, and that Congress will
not listen to individual complaints.
Mr.. Buchanan has had abundant occasion, in
every public station that he has occupied, to
see the scorn in which the name of
American is held from this state of
things, and to see, also, and perhaps to feel,
the blush of shame which it has 30 frequently
brought to the American cheek. And thou
sands of others have had occasion to see and
to feel it, too. Animated by the sentiment
which the fact must create in every American
bosom, the President has for years endeavored
to induce Congress to remove this stain from
our national honor, by empowering the execu.
tive with that authority which should belong
to the Office for the protection of our individual
citizens abroad. Congress has persistently
neglected to act, or even to discuss the subject.
The President, then, in view of the vast inte-
rests which are continually imperilled in their
transit through and intercourse with the
Isthmus countries south of us, endeavored to
secure this protection by treaty stipulation.
With Nicaragua and Mexico he succeeded, and
the treaties were laid before the Senate for
ratification. Here, then, rises up the unpatri.
otto and selfish spirit Of partisanship, and the
black republican Senators band together on
purely party grounds, and, rejecting the treaty
with Nicaragua, even after having specially
stricken out the clause authorizing the protec-
ton Of our own citizens, threatened the pending
one with Mexico with the same fate, because
it admits and establishes the same principles
But the republ cans now see the mistake they
made, and, according to our telegraph de-
spatch Of last night, have had the Nicaragua
treaty reconsidered.
1t is on the heels of these selfish party move
ments that the lightning flashes over the coun-
try the fact that our navy has captured and
sent in as prizes the two corsair ships fitted up
! by Miramon at Havana, and sent from there to
co operate with his attack on Vera Cruz. With
out port in the republic, a rebellious Gene
raj in the interior Of the country sends few
hundred thousand dollars to Havana, and there
subordinate officers of the most corrupt and
bigotted court in Europe, in utter violation Of
the comfy Of nations, wink at the fitting out
Of two armed cruisers to vex the commerce of
the Gulf. Mexico has not had q national or
merchant ship for years, nor, out Of the canoe
and bungo service of her shore lagoons and
rivers, has she a single sailor Yet in Havana,
where every Spanish sailor is matriculated by
the government, where authority is most des-
potic, and no Spanish or foreign sailor can
ship without special permit from the pro-
per officer, ever vigilant for his exces-
siye fee, set of adventures can fit out
two armed steamers, whose crews must neces-
sarily be Spaniards, and whose only stimulus
can be the hope of plumber Of any homes
trader that might attempt to break their self
authorized and self established blockade. The
course of the authorities of Cuba in this matter
is on par with their old time winnings at the
Quitting pirates of the Gulf, which made the