The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-07-28
NEW SERIES.

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end, therefore, our own country will not alone
be indebted for its freedom to the valor and pa
triotism of the noble band we greet here to-day
with thanks and blessings feel how feeble
any words are to express the deep feeling which
not only pervades this assembly, but which lives
in the hearts and speaks in the eyes of every
lover OF the human family throughout this
world, towards any man who has borne arms in
this cause for the love Of it. To their unex-
ampled bravery, to their patient labor, 10 their
endurance Of cold ard heat, hunger and thirst,
to their sufferings from wounds and disease, do
we owe 1t under Gods providence, that we have
not now, and possibly IN perpetuity, divided
and distracted country, and, consequent thereon,
the introduction of that accursed European sys-
TEN of mercenary standing armies, In whose
presence all liberty yanishes like mist. Long
may the survivors of this noble band live to en-
JOY the honors they are entitled to from the peo-
| pie for their services, a"J lnat choicest VI al
! pleas ures to sach neH--lo witness the prosper
/ lty, tranquility and happiness they have secured
: 10 their c9uutrymen. Perhaps there are some
of them some Of the younger sort, who would
ike also the smiles of their iaIr country women,
and might even prefer TO see themselves mirror
| ed in Il pair Of soft eyes to obtaining The hom-
/ age Of ell the rest of us. That may seem TO
/ be irrational TO some, but | confess that man
must be older than | am TO be astOnishcd at the
! preference, especially when the lasses Of w ash
ington, our famous highland beauties, are before
! him
( After the display Of such irresisti5e power
! by the American people, with our %e.'-.no"h
! disposition 10 deal justly with aA nations, "J
| ought TO expect 10 ENJOY L long peace. NO
I foreign nation would wantony provoke a con-
fct with Us, for, however powerful, II cannot
( hope for any but disastrous issue; and yet,
! but for my confidence IN the courage and pru-
dguce Of President Johnson, / should have serI-
Gus apprehcnsions of war with France, grow
/ ing out of the iil,judged course hitherto adop-
ted by our foreign department in relation to the
! interference Of Franco in Mexico. No one ac-
quanted with the subject can have failed TO OBJ
serve that this department of our Government
has hitherto pursued, and continues to pursue a
course in this matter strangely at variance with
the feelings of our people and with the recOg-
nized principles upon which our Government
| has uniformly acted.
The present ruler Of France has exhibited,
| throughout our Late struggle for existence,
most unfriendly spirit, and agailed himself Of
our emergencies to invade our sister republic of
| Mexico, subvert her Government, and cstab-
Iish there a military despotism, under the nom
inal head of an Austrian prince. Would the
crowned heads of Europe submit quietly to
similar intervention on our part to establish the
republican system in Hungary, Italy. or any
other European country where revolutionary
movements have arisen from time to time? We
know that such an act on our part would com
1 e ~
sor, seeking to overthrow their regal govern
ments-the political system of that continent.
! Is the invasion of Mexico by France, In the in
terests of absolutism, any less an act OF hosuL-
/ ty towards the United States and war on the
repu5licaHsystem Of this Certainly not. The
! proposition is too obvious to require argument
or authority to support it. This Is the glst OF
! the Monroe doctrine, as the manifesto made 10
preserve ourselves against this mode OF subvert-
Ing our popular institutions has been called, ev-
| er since President Monroe declared his purpose
| to resist such design when broached by the Ho-
| ly Alliance in 1928. He states the proposition
to which have alluded in this language: The
| political system Of the Allied Power is essential
! iy different in this respect from that OF AmeTi-
ca. And to the defence Of our own, which has
| been achieved by the loss Of so much bloodand
treasure, and matured 10y the wisdom Of their
most enlightened citizens, and under which we
! have enjoyed unexampled felicity, this whole ma
! ton IS devoted. We owe it, therefore, to can
! dor and to the amicable relations existing be-
/ tween the United States and those Powers, to
declare that we should consider any attempt
on their part TO extend their system to any pUr-
ton of this hemisphere as dangerous to peace
and safety" Again. in 1924, he SAID; III is
! impossible for the European Governments to
! interfere in their concerns (the affairs of Our
nei5hbor5,) especially in those ALLUDED to (thaiF
| systemsof epverum nt,) wbea are vite' wlt5-
out afi.allaz gs. insas1 the moGTc 80 .go5 msgl-
iia3aaa sgoa iaa.lsra Be In the present stale at
tAa ac haggvaaD the ae-tas d Tar .tmaF
be gst-8, u.d appear 10 be cqaay HpPlca-
bic to us. Could language be framed more
appropriate to portray the designs o. the French
Government in their Intervention in Mexico,
and the feelings of our peaple IN regard TO II
-agH the eepF 1eutasigas Of the people III The
session before the last. adopted q declaration Of
tHa same purpoft even at the r5a o. bringing
French reee ujtl5n and 9asa alliance % the reb-
els whilst our contest 7as az -he highest. There
is no blinking tbs fact shat the FRENCH war in
Mexico vas The Enpar9ras contingent IA aid Of
rhe rebellion against free governm int, and the
rebellion has not ended whilst French bayonets
maintain a despotsm there.
What can be more humbling to the pride Of
our country than to witness its Premier, through
our highest functionary abroad making the
degrading declaration that his countrymen be-
lieve that the Mexican people invited and bro't
in the foreign master while the very allies of
France in the origin Of The attempt turn their
backs on it a soon as tie real design of con-
quest was disclosed by Napoleon! Indeed, he
himself had tie frankness, when fairly embark
ed on its expedition, to despise such subterfuges
and to avow his real purpose to the world, pro-
claiming th rough the press of Europe that his