Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-03-31
Mexico.

There Is no doubt that the Federal Ad-
m'nistration and the leaders Of the Demo
cratic party desire to enter upon a war in
Mexico. IN the hope Of thereby saving
themselves from defeat in the approaching
election at home, and Of retaining power,
winch the people Of this country are resolv.
ged shall nc longer remain in their hands
! 10 tins end Mr.. Buchanan last year beg
cd for millions Of dollars and Unrestricted
control OF the army and navy. To this
end, the famous proposition of establishing
prctectorate, which Mexico never asked
for, was devised. With the same purpose,
! Mr.. McLanc's treaty was negotiated with
Senor Jnrcz, in order that. under H. we
might have q pretext for invading and oc-
cupying that country. The same intention
is visible IN the orders lately issued TO disre.
gard the blockade Of Vera Cruz, about to
be established by Miramon as part of
his attempt to take that town from the
Constitutional party, and thus bring the
Iong-standing civil war to a period. 1t is
! evident on all hands that, if sufficiently
| plausible pretext can be found, the Prcsi.
dent and his advisers are resolved to make
war upon Mexico, as means of inGuenc.
ing the coming elections.
| Possibly it may I've thought that this pro-
text can be extracted from the recent can.
ture by the u S Squadron under Captain
Jarvis of the two armed steamers which
Miramon lately procured at Havana. -
Those vessels were taken, as appears by
the official reports Of our ofiicers-the story
Of the Mexicans not yet having reached US
simply because they opened FIRE on the
American Squadron, in reply to proper
demand to know their nationality; it being
assumed that U. S men,oiwar have an ab-
solute right to make and enforce such a de-
mand upon armed Mexican vessels in the
waters of Mexico. This right, however,
we suppose, cannot be maintained it ap-
pears, however, that the conflict is justified
on our part, on the ground that Juarez had
issued proclamation declaring these YES
sells to be pirates because they belonged to
| the Miramon faction but this certainly
! does not allow us to treat them piruticalv.
unlcSS it is our purpose to take part in the
civil war Our dispatch represents the
! Mexican commander, Marin as cOnfussing
! that his men fred against his order, and
that he could not control them; and we viii
not question that in response to an unpro-
voked and unjustifable attack, as this is al.
legged to have been, it was proper for Capt.
Jarvis to silence and capture the attacking
vessels, as he did. This would seem to
have practically ended both our quarrel
with Miramon and bis blockade of the port;
and to have settled these questions with
reason on our side; unless, indeed, it shall
| appear that the MeXicans had some provo.
cation which is not revealed in the brief
and one-sided narrative now laid before the
| public So far as this capture is concern.
| ed, hOwever-admitting that we had good
! right to make tit may, perhaps, be urg-
ed that Miramon is not sufficiently punish
ed by the loss of his steamers that he has
grossly insulted the flag of the Union, and
that we must send an army into Mexico to
enforce still further reparation, especially if
the bombardmcnt of Vera Cruz, which it
seems he began on the 18th inst, should
end in his capturing the place aud establish
ing his power in that important part of the
Republic But as Congress has hitherto
rejected all the schemes and occasions for a
war against Mexico, so ingeniously and per-
sistently contrived by the party now about
to go out Of power here we are confident
that the preteXt now osuht TO be construct
cd will be similarly set aside.
AS for the higher question Of republican
sympathies, our proper conrse is equally
clear Non-intervention in the civil con-
ficts of Mexico, or of other countries, is
the only wise and safe policy for the Gov
ernment of the United States. OF course,
our feelings are with the Liberal, Constitu-
tional party represented by JHarez, and we
shall sincerely rejoice when the principles
for which that party conteuds are establish
ed in Mexico aud elsewhere. But this does
not afford sufficient reason for our inter-
ference with armed force 10 impose these
principles upon the people of Mexico. II
the majority Of that people desire to be rul-
ed by Juarez, so much the better bnt il
they prefer the sway Of Miramon, aud o
the Church party, it. is uot for US to insS'
that they shall be governed otherwise.
NJ v Tribune