, 1865-12-15
LAMARTlNE ON THE UNITED
STATES AND MEXICO.
Ingenious and Fancifu1 Defence
Of the French MeKi-
can Policy
AMERICA THE PROPERTY OF
EUROPE.
neview OF Iamartlne By the Paxis
Dcbatt.

N~>~A1A-A~>NN
Dcbats.
j. [cosiepondenco OF The N. Y. Ttmes.l
PANS, Friday, Nov. ~ 1865.
II. de Lamartine has at length found. or
rather taken occasion to unburden himself of
The ant1-Ametican blle which has been cor
rodIng in his cntrails cyer since the failure Of
his American begging embassy. We knew It
YVES there, and wondered 1t had not sooner
found exit. But 1t appears We have lost
nothing by waiting. The last number Of his
monthly periodical, Les Entre,;ens Lis&sra;res,
nous poet and politician, and deem It my
duty to transcribe IL here for you entire. Yos
Will no donbt find 1t magnificent nonse1r . !.
but NJ. Lamartine, though living retire. ~
outside Of tho circle Of the active por,u..i@aaa @
Of tho day, ia yet power with whnm ,ae
must count. Here 1t Is Just as v r,ttrns =
lam not afraid 10 say it boldly uotTitb.
standing the nalu5nl a.. Or position which NAV
s1ist ~ w. eT ~ Mt macy of the Republic
ana M In. o. 'as.s Luz against interests 50
defend in Mezior there is no nstr,n,;c onos
ton possible. The conception Of tho policy
" y. 1leAaSot sublime conception, concep-
tfon m1su 1derstood, Il shall explain further
on wny ia conception as Just as necessity, rs
Esst rs the ocean, "a new as all that which is
apropos, a conception Of statesmen, fecund
=. the future, conception ofsaiety for amer.
lea and for the world,
h.,aS. me Inust mere raise ourselves to great
o., o, !h'' policy. The hrat empire, purely
.4,tary empire, and which sold Louisiana tor
, u piece OF bread to feed It's armies, was never
capable Of conception which eqnal.ed this.
The iden Of bold md et1icaoious position
| to be taken in Mexico against the us1rpatioz
| of the United States Of America, Is now bu
just idea -,
Europe has the right to take this position
| Franco takes tho initiative.
| Let us examine tho right from this elevated
point Of view, from whence NC distinguish
the legitimacy OF things, and let us start from
this true but not radical position:
| The Globets the Property Of Han Tie reu
Continent, dn.eriea, il he Property Of Europe
| The Globe Il the property Of Mao the new
continent, America, Is the property OF Eu
| In starting from this principle, which has
become ut this moment fact. that the
American continent has become the collec.
tive property Of mankind, and not the dis.
rupted Union Of a single race without title
aud without right, at least srcr Spanish
America, and over the Latin race, mother oil
Ill civilization, tho principle Of the protec-
tfoD Of Europe md Of lis independence, at
least In the seventeen Republican States OF
South America, belongs evidently 10 rs md
a;l tho Powers Of the Old World. We must
be prepared for events; we must protect the
Latin race; we must, in the first place, take
position at the point menaced BY the United
States,
We must do this. or else We must declare
that the new continent the property of
Europe, IL to belong entirely In twenty five
years, perhaps, TO the armed prisoners who
recognize no other title for their usurpation
than thc!E eonyenienee, and Fho pernit thei1
citizens, like Walker, to raise individually
nacsta and armies against Cuba, while their
Federal General enters In the natne Of the
Union into Mexico, and from there into all
the civilized capitals Of South America!
Why, therefore, should Europe or the Old
and land for the United States, whilst, id the
Old World, NE recognize not only The hight OF
protecting such property o. Ia useful 10 ali, but
further the right to appropriate with indcm-
hity the right Of oil States and individuals 10.
things useful to alls
The principle Of the protection OF interests
useful TO: Al which applies to commune,
entire! Evidently not. We do not say
appropriate the United state5 Of spanlah
America their proper organic anarchy will
exproprfate them sufficiently! But VIC say
Europe has the right, and We add, the obllga-
tion, OF not giving over to them the Latin
race, Spanish America, the halfwh'ch still re-
main hee and Independent Of that magnificent
part Of the globe, more than half OF the
Heaven, the earth and the population Of the
New Worldl
What arc the collective, sacred possessions,
the necessities Of mankind at largo that The
policy OF the Old World CANNOT and ought
United States Of English American
These tf,tutrs nrc fTLe cAnftal nf thu enttre
world, used By few, necessary to all, in onr
stnte OF civilization and In our system OF sx-
change, which renders to us all moueycd
gold, as necessary e. bread. The mf3es OF
gold nrc therel
In the second place, the food Of the Old
World-the wheat, lour, corn, potatoes on
which people snbsist, and Of which the pri-
wilton in the years Of farniDe might product
IN Europe incalcnlable calamit1ss and de-
st1uctlons Of populations.
have become in tie last few years especially,
by the salaries they assure to at least forty
millions Of workmen IN cotton, the veritable
and Indispensable aipes1dtum Of wages and Of
life.
In anc, commerce, which compels rs 10
maintain navy aud sailors, q floating popn-
latlon, incalculable as q number Of men fed
ment Of our national power. To permit the
United States to renew the folly Of tho first
empire, to establish an antf-Europeau block
ade, no longer on their ports alone, but On
the world, as they have Just proclaimed 1t, is
no longer poltroonery, It IL to accept what
New York offers us, i Is to abdicate naviga-
tion, commerce, cotton, free trade. the ma
rine Of the Old World, 1t Is not to live but on
the death Of 1Iie-
Thus who does not know that the grain Of
Amer1ca, Of the Valley OF the Mississippi cs-
pecially, ! does not constitute the worlds
grnnary In case Of famine, as Sicily Was the
s5 e Of asstsV ns ea1 P he ss1
In the immense mines OF Mexico, and Peru
and Sonora, and that these mines, given up TO
their natural prnductircncss By good sys-
TEN Of drainagc, will place all the capita1in
gold md silver of the universe In the hands
Of the United States, masters Of the two
master of capital Is the master Of interest, mud
that Europe, delivered up to this country Of
mo1opelies, will be forever subject to Its des-
potfem9 Who does not know that, masters
Of the price Of gold and silver, they will be
masters nlso Of our most vital industries, and
that theircoalition already organized against
our industry in silks, which rivals their indus
tissues, and the second capital Of France:
VINO doecs not know that In dcpriying us OK
in dcprising themselves by the extinction Of
the South, OF the element Of this industry IN
Europe, cotton, they will continue to starve,
Is they have already starved, eight million Of
laud, five millions in Austria, and thus take
Europe BY famine at every caprice Of their ar-
bltEnTy interests? Who does not know, in
lne, that our commerce and navigation Will
be subject to the same. destruction as our
products?
In a1l this We discover evidently the secret
thought which inspired the Mexican expedi-
lion, IN expedition which bears the appear
anee OF q te1nerity without compensation; and
behind which alone in France have seen the
general utility.
Frnnce has not comprehendcd this expedi-
lion. Why? will venture to reply: be-
cause In the commencement It wns neither e1-
plained nor cxplaiuablc. It was bscause this
idea of taking a position In Mexico against
The United States WIS not to be exclusively
French, hut European It was neccssary"to
consult together, to agree frankly on COM
France, accnacd Of secret Intentions, WIS sus-
pccted by England aud Spain. They believed
thnt she simply desired to draw her two allies
into war Of Intervention for purely French
and mouarchtal Interests, Instead OF combining
with London and Madrid nm armed, dlsinter-
son they suspected md ut last abandoned
France. But one of two things wns true:
either France was sincere and wished to act in
the common interest, and In this case there
ought to have been frank explanations In I'd
vance, aud no action but after. . diplomatic
and military European agreement on M equal
footing of force, which would thus give no
motive for complaints OF rctlcence or want of
rankness against the Intervention; or France,
acting alone, ought to have acted with force
worthy Of herself, and not commence By
planting her protecting flag in. Mexico with =
handful Of heroic men, abandoned By. their
au1lliarles and insufficient for the accomplish
nent of the origina! conception
In these facts lie the yice Of the enterprise
and the reasons why the people in France
have not comprchended It, why Spain, has
had suspicion Of II, and why EnGlanG has
the matter Is better understood, will bsin9
back England and Spain to 1t, or sho will act
alone with preponderating forces. Spanish
America will thus be protected, the United