St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-10-01
WHAT EUROPE EXPECTED TO Do
snaHE1 81. '""'o'A'

7 / afss8 - 81 II
The people Of the Northern portion Of
the United States have been more OF less
excited during the past two years, on &C.
count Of the threatening attitude Of Ger
tain European powers toaching our M
tional affairs. Indeed, there has been
more cause for the fears expressed than
has been suspected BY large majority Of
those most directly interested,
It is now we'll known that a dissolution
Of the Union has been the hope and ex-
pectation Of a number Of the most "in6us'
entail politicians and statesmen Of the
South. They have, been preparing for
the event number Of years-dating back
probably to days Of notification in South
Carolina. Not only had they been pre-
pairing for it, but they were using every
cxc,tion in their power to hasten its con-
summation To recapitulate their opera
atoms of preparation, would be but rep
petition of what is now familiar to all
Suffice it to say they were prepared and
the election Of Lincoln served as pre-
text for opening the contest, while the
first shot fired at the fated Sumptcr was
signal to other nations, as well as warn:
ing to the unsuspecting North, that they
were indeed ready. We say "unsuspect-
ing" for, although the whole matter had
been talked over time after time, by and
between the parties interested although
European Journals took up the theme and
those most friendly to monarchy pointed
out the advantages to be derived by their
respective powers from this dissolution.
Yet the people Of the Moth could not be
made to believe bat that the blood that
coursed the veins of the illustrious WASH
ington, Marion, Sumpter, Lee and Gaines,
still mingled with that OF their descend
ants, and that nothing could happen be-
meath the canopy Of heaven by which
they could be induced to bctray the i'm
portant trust eonfided to their keeping, BY
their immortal ancestors. In this, howev'
er, time has proven that the people Of the
north were mistaken. The dissolution of
the Union was matter perfectly under
stood by the leading southern statesmen,
and certain European powers; long too,
before the tocsin of rebellion was sound
cd from the bell to ers at Charleston.
Almost simultaneous with the breaking
out of the rebellion, British, French and
Spanish troops were hurried to Mexico for
| Iav P1otvnueu purpose OF enforcing the
payment Of certain monies, said to be due
the subjects of these allied powers. These
claims, compared to the enormous expense
of fitting out the expedition, sink into Ut
ter insigni6cancc. And besides this, it
is we'll known that these claims-long-
standing as they were, and accumulated
under as aggravating circumstances as cod
lie imagined-were yet Of that nature as
would have made them easily adjusted,
under that liberal form of government the
Republicans of that country were eBdeav-
oring to estab fish at the time of its inva-
sion. VI
But, it was not until the troops OF the
three powers had landed on Mexican: soil,
and their ships had blockaded the Me1i-
can ports, that the people Of the United
States would believe they saw the real de-
signs Of the invading forces. The enor-
nous % claims they had crossed the ocean
for the purpose Of adjusting, were really
insignificant. The people, whose country
they were invading and whose commerce
they were destroying, were weak and I'M
beetle compared to the vast resources of
the invaders, rendered doubly so by the
intestine war then raging within its bor-
ders. They found them an easy prey, and
to what particular desire? There can be
but one conclusion-the establishing of a.
Empire on this continent, and, We may
safely say, Empires, beginning with Mex
leo, aud extending them by conquest or
otherwise, until the term Republic should
be word only used to express peculiar
form Of government, once attempted by
a professedly free people, but which had
also proven failure! ... ..
That this was the real design of the al
lied powers, there can be no doubling.
Governments Of Republican form are
hateful as we'll as detrimental to Monarch
les and it is but natural that they should
seek any pretext for their overthrow. The
United States had become mighty Re-
public, and its Influence as such was being
felt aud feared by all who wore the sem