Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-28

responsibility That would have ended the matter and
eft our Government free to pursue hereafter any
IN regard 70 Mexico which regard to its own safety and
dignity and the coDnexon between its interests aud those
OF q neehborlng republic, might demand"
Well, what less than this has our Government
said in the subjoined extract from the despatch of
Mr.. Seward, addressed to Mr. Dayton under date
Of September 26, 1868, quoted by us at greater
length few days agoy The Secretary then wrote
as follows:
While cannot confess to fear on the part Of this
Government that any all of the maritime Powers
combining win tho Insurgents could overthrow it, yet it
would have been maniiestly presumptuous at any time
sncs TINS distraction seized the American people, to
sucn an Intervention to have spared any al
lowablo means OF preventing The unceasing efforts OF
tits Department 10 that direction have resulted from this
everpresfnt confederation H in its communications the
majestic efforts of the Government to rubdue the nsurrac
on and to the temptation which il offered 10 for
egn POWERS, have not figured largely Impress my
correspondents with the conviction that the President re-
les always msny on the national power and not the
iorDoarance OF those who 1t apprehended may become
s enemies 1t IS because the duty Of drawing forth and
directing the armed power of the nation has rested upon
distinct departments while to this belonged the
psclA guy holding watch against foreign insult inru-
This Government believes that foreign resistance or at
tempts to control American civilization must and will fail
before the ceaseess and ACTIVITY of mata
rial moral and political forces which peculiarly belong to
the American continent Nor do the United States deny
that 10 their opinion their safety and the cheerful
70 wnich they aspire are intimately dependent
the continuance of free republican institutions throughout
america They have submitted these opinions to the EN-
peror OF France on proper occasions worthy of his
serious consideration IN determining how he would
duct ana close what might prove successful in Mex
CO. Nor necessary to practice upon the point
tnat France should, upon due confederation determine
20 adopt policy Mexico adverse to the American opn
ions and sentiments which have described that pocv
would probably scatter seeds which would be fruitful OF
jealouses which might ultimately rpen into collision be
France and the United States and other American
Republics" =.
I've not unobservant Of the progress of events
az home and abroad and in no case are we likely to
neglect such provision for safety as every SOW
eregn STATE must always be prepared to fall back upon
"n1h nations with which they have lived in friendship
cease to respect their moral and treaty obligations
-FOUR own discretion will be your guide as 70 how far and
IN what way the public interests will be promoted by sub
hitting these views to the consideration of M Drouyn de
PHuys"
La the light Of the copious citations we have
thus made from the documents which contain the
full history Of this question, and after the clear
statement thus given of the position taken by the
Administration on it, we may perhaps be pardon
ed in suggesting to our jealous New York contem-
poraries that when they call for Congressional
inquiry into this matter it might perhaps be bet
ter to address themselves to perusa Of the papers
already communicated to Congress before looking
to the columns of the London Daily News for in
struction in the premises. If there is any want Of
infor oaton on the subject it is not for the want
of light, but of eyes to read the record that has
been plainly set before the country. Aud we
greatly mistake the judgment of the people if they
do not estimate at their proper value the wisdom
of complaints which, as now directed against the
prudential policy pursued by the State Depart
msnt in this delicate complication, involve the
approval of that would have precisely con-
CURED with the most fervent aspirations Of the
allies and agents of secession in Paris By being
less prudent the Secretary of State might perhaps
have made Mr.. Davis, in Richmond, Mr.. Slidell,
in Paris, and the Editor of the Commercial Ad-
yertiser, in New York, all equally happy, but loyal
citizens, who do not allow their zeal to ourun TIER
discretion, may be permitted to doubt whether such
compound satisfaction might not have been pur-
chased at too great cost. Where the paths of
duty, of consistency and of safety parallel with
each other, it would have been = criminal blunder
to have crossed all three by the adoption Of any
policy which contemplated actual intervention, or
indulged in the threat Of Intervention against the
alleged designs of France in Mexico, while we were
at the same time protesting vehemently against
the right of France of any other nation to inter-
fere In our domestic difficulties.