The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-02-03
The Mexican Treaty.
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times.
The opposition which has thus far been
aroused in this country to the ratification
of Mr.. McLane's recent treaty with Mexico
has been of mainly partisan character. 1t
has been assumed that no treaty negotiated
under Mr.. Buchanan's administration could
possibly be advantageous to the interests of
the country or the world and this pre-
sumptlve argument against the most impor
tant achievement OF recent American diplO
macy has been too commonly accepted
without inquiry by thousands of the public,
merely because the very name of Mexico has
become odious in their ears. It. is we'll,
however, to remember that when California
was coded to US, the same general disposition
to think slightly of all Spanish America,
made the most intelligent men in the nation
blind to the value of the acquisition, which
might never have been developed to this
day had not the instincts of the American
settler been considerably more catholic than
the prejudices of the American Politician
There is dawning hope now discernible on
the horizon, we are glad to believe, that the
mercantile common sense and enterprise of
the American people may do as good SER
vice in the case of Mexico, as they have
already done in the case of California
While party manGuverers are doing their
best to blacken the Mexican Treaty as q
mere scheme for conjuring four millions of
dollars into the pockets of some designing
Democratic cabal, the r-sighted, practical
men who know what Mexico is, and what a
vast treasure-house Of wealth and prosperity
there awaits the magic open sesame of civil
lied commerce, are giving US every day fresh
indications of their faith in the results which
must flow from Mr.. McLane's conventions
so soon as they shall be fairly put into force.
The commerce Of Mexico. even in these
degenerate days, is, as we have already very
frequently set forth, of immense actual value
The official estimate of exports and imports
into that country for the year 1858 reaches
total of over $540OO,OOO, and the enor-
nous contraband trade carried on upon the
Pacific frontier undoubtedly swells this
amount to at least $l00,OOO,OOO annually
Of this trade the proportion absorbed by
England is so vast as to be positively dis
graceful to the enterprise and judgment of
this country. With Southampton, her
nearest harbor, distant twenty days by steam
from Vera Cruz, England takes of the Off
cial trade-valuation of Mexico $33,00O00O
annually. With New Orleans lying at
three days sail from Vera Cruz, the United
States take of the same amount less than
| $9,O0O,0OO. In other words, while the dis
lance between England and Mexico is six
times as great as the distance between Mex
leo and the United States Gulf-ports, the
commerce of England with Mexico is more
than three times heavier than our own. The
blunders of American and the skill of Eng
lish diplomatists in the past, may doubtless
account in part for this discreditable state
of things; but its most potent source is to
be sought in the fact, that while England
has girdled Spanish America with steamers,
her flag visiting more than sixty ports by
steam between Havana and Vera Cruz,
Carthagena and Panama, in the circuit of
the Spanish seas, our own is
known only to Panama, Havana and Aspin-
wall. Steam has made her the peaceful
Cortez Of modern Mexico.
The ores of Sonora and Arizona have
been carried to England rather than to
America, simply because we would make no
provision for taking them. The terms of
Mr.. McLane's treaty promise so radical and
wholesome a change in the conditions
under which our trade with Mexico
may hereafter be carried on, that while
the matter is still pending, prepare.
lions are mailing to seize the precious prizes
of enterprise at the earliest possible mo-
ment. We have already called attention to
the arrangements making for the establish
ment of direct line of steamers between
New York and Vera Cruz, by way of
Havana. At the Staten Island Smelling
Works, the ores of the Western Mexico
Coast are beginning to be received, and
passing through our Assay Office into the
circulation of the country. A mail line of
steamers, to leave Mobile and New Orleans
four times month for the circuit of the
Mexican Gulf, has already been organized,
and has received from the Mexican Govern.
ment important port privileges, with mail
contract subsidy of $4,000 per annum.
These things are but the premonitory SYM
toms Of the vivid movements in our Mexi-
can relations which must follow Immediate
ly upon the establishment of the conventions
negotiated by Mr.. McLane. They merit
the serious consideration of all those states
men who do not wish to sacrifice great,
substantial, enduring rational advantage to
trivial momentary advantage of party or
of faction.