The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-12-29

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but if he should be tolerated in Mexico till our
next Presidential election, that election would
involve a popular verdict upon the Monroe
doctrine which would be decisive--peace or
war.
Modern Civilization and Ancient Theo-
ries-The Influences of tho Railroad
and the Telegraph ON Nations.
Our latest news from Europe gives intina-
ton Of possible changes in the national life Of
Spain, Of Belgium and Of Great Britain. From
Spain we hear family the suggestion that the
Portuguese frontier should be obliterated;
that the Iberian and the Lusitanian should for
get their ancient quarrels; that Spaniard and
nation. In relation to Belgium it is rumored
chat an arrangement for its partition is already
concluded, by which its effects will pass to
Holland, Prussia and France. In the English
papers we find further expression of that
readiness to dissolve colonial connections
which, in its full development, will disintegrate
the British empire by stripping that Power oil its
vast foreign dependencies. At first glance
these projected possibilities seem to have only
the most airy basis, and little or no relation to
one another. Indeed, as on the one hand we
see the breaking Of great Powers into smaller,
and on the other the consolidation of smaller
into great ones, they appear 10 be direct con-
traries, and suggest only inextricable confu-
sion in government relations. Looked at more
closely, however, they will appear in their true
light, as correlative results Of law Of national
life; and it will also be seen that, although now
regarded by the mass as bare possibilities,
they are the inevitable facts Of the future.
Modern civilization has changed the con-
dition OF national existence, In the earliest
ages great empires formed around the person
of some hero, and great hereditary monsrcbies
were kept together by religious machinery
that imposed upon the people with the notion
that the monarch was Of superior essence to
other men, bora Of the gods and descended
from heaven. This machinery still exists in
China, where the ordinary formula of royalty
styles the Emperor brother OF the sun and
cousin Of the planets. But as the world grew
more intelligent bold rebels came up every
where to question these divine origins. or to
assert equally divine ones, and the great ~
wieldy realms were broken up md gave place
to numberless small States. Then came the
time when great realms were only kept to-
gcther by the transcendent genius Of the ruler.
1t was no longer sufficient to declare the King
greater than other men--he had to be greater
and to control abby . superior intellect The
great Khosroo, Cambyses, Semiramis, Alex
snder, Timer Bee and Charlemagne are ex-
amples Of such. rulers. Charlcmagne kept sll
Europe in one power at a time when the COM
msn necessities of NATIONALLY life tended 10 break
up great empires. Consequently he was NO
sooner dead than the empire went to pieces
and divided into dukedoms and States o.
numerous and different rs the interests
and prejudices of the people who had
submitted 10 his rule. 1t could not be other
wise; for in that age of imperfect communica-
ton nations could not be properly governed
by Power resident thousands Of miles away.
Mountains, rivers, forests, Indictment seasons,
the absence Of roads, separated the parts Of an
empire from one another, 50 that II required
months for the DEGREES Of central Power to
reach through the realm. Small States were,
therefore, necessity Of government
That condition Of nationsl existence pre-
vailed in Europe for hundreds Of years, and
has been accepted BY all the philosophers and
made the basis Of learned arguments on the in
hersnt weakness Of Powers that are territori-
ally great 1t has been applied against Russia,
and, worse still, against the United States. It
Is the meaning Of De Tocqueville's phrase that
our country Is 70 giant without bones" Euro
pean writer's saw In our vast expansion the
certainty Of our ruin, and rested upon the Mon
roe doctrine, that was TO spread us out
further, ~ their best ally against us.
But these shortsighted persons have failed
TO notice that the circumstances that
weakened Powers Of great territorial ex-
tent no longer exist. They shut their eyes to
the fact that the power that kept nations small
by necessity has passed away. They leave the
railroad, the steamboat and the electric tele-
graph out Of their arguments---that Is, they
leave out the present time. They set them
selves down az II Y were the good year four
teen hundred, and reason accordingly. They
forget that modern invention has we'll nigh
annihilated time and space, and that BY the
present system OF ntsrcommunication oil Eu-
rope Is practically no larger than any little
single State ives In the Middle Ages.
Dat though he philosoPAsy forget tbs