The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-03
THE MEXICAN QUESTION.

ate on Mexican affairs was prepared
with the cOgnizance, if not the APP
prevail, of the Emperor, as some pretend
TO believe, the return of the French
army may not take place as soon as ex
pected. Marshal Forey knows the sub
ject well-no man better and his state
ments bear the impress of truth. M.
ROuher tried to lessen the effect which
his words might produce out of doors by
affirming that the opinion of the gov
ernment was not affected by anything
the late communicating chief of the
French army in Mexico said; that the
sentiments expressed in the speech
from the throne were still the same and
that the Marshal gave utterance to his
own private views and to those of no
one else. M. Rouher is Minister of
State, and i'm theory Prime Minister;but
it is no more than theory, and M.
Rouher knows it very well. The
"opinion of the government" Gf by
government is meant the members of
the Cabinet only is, no doubt, the same
il always was, and it was from the out
set as much opposed to the expedition
TO Mexico as that of the public general
ly. But 1t sometimes occurs that the
views of the Emperor are different from
those of his Ministers, and they never
were more SO than on this question of
Mexico. it' ' '@t'
Nothing shows more clearly the igno-
rance of the semi-Of1icial writers who
have been describing Mexico as now
perfectly able to take care OF herself,
than Marshal Forey's speech. The ac-
count he gives of the country and the
disastrous consequences of the imme-
diate departure of the French must be
correct, and known TO be so by the EN-
peror. The marshal complains that the
great idea' developed in his Majestys
! letter to the commander of the forces is
not rightly understood in France, and
he declares it as his deliberate opinion
that it would be highly dangerous to
bring back the troops. TO speak of
national spirit existing in Mexico is
absurd. There is no national spirit
there, and if such thing as national
spirit ever existed, long continued mon
archy has annihilated it. The moment
the army returned from Mexico, the
whole of the French residents would
| have to return with it, and if they re.
manned would be exposed to acts of
violence more ini1uitous than any yet
| witnessed. But it is not FrencI citizens
aud French interests only that have to
| Ue ucItuueu. TGduCc ItluSC nave re-
| gard to the population who received her
soldiers with open arms, and who cannot
| be abandoned to their enemies. When
! people say that those who cried "Viva
I MaXmilann should now defend him.
! they do not reflect that the Mexicans
have not acquired sufficient confidence
| in their own strength, for they have
| been utterly demora.ized by those who
| oppressed and plundered them. They
must be allowed time to grow into
strength and courage; but France must
continue by their side and help them to
support the government they have
chosen for themselves. France, surely,
would not incur the reproach of not
! having fully comprehended the great
| idea of the Emperor; but, above all, she
cannot deliver up these populations to
the vengeance of their oppressOrs. AT
the very first Intelligence of the retreat
| of the French, the promoters of discord
would reappear on the scene. The brig
ands who are now scattered would
once more rally round the flag of j ua-
| req. .r. H..., rsU
The Marshal gave as proof of what
he stated, the fact that even at this day
the towns evacuated by the French
troops are at once abandoned by the in.
habitants, so intense is the dread of re-
prisals from the partisans of Juarez.
Macmillan is doing his best to regener-
ate that unhappy country. He is organ
izing the army, the finances, public in
structiOn, the administration of justice
He listens to the advice of those sent
out to him by the Emperor NapoleOn;
and the Mexicans have before theireyes
as a model the courage aud discipline of
| the French army. With respect to the
| relations subsisting between France and
the United States, Marshal Forey OBJ
served he was not competent to say any
more than this-he had too much es
TEEN for the great American Republic
to think that it would prefer republic
of plunderers and brigands in Mexico to
a monarchy with honorable men, based
on the principles of civilization. tl
O. He asked what must now be done to
complete the moral work which France
has undertaken. His deliberate opin-
ion was that more troops must be sent
to Mexico, and, as this statement called
forth murmurs among the Senators, he
added that If not more troops, at least
those that were there should remain,
and more sacrifices in money must be
made 1t was once said that France
was rich enough to pay for her glory;
and would it be glorious to leave imper-
feet the enterprise she has commenced
in a distant land? He admitted that
money had its Importance; but was it
right that, for a mere sum of money,
the realization of so great design, con-
ceived by the Emperor, should be
endangered? He did not think so,
When the Marshal concluded his
speech a few Senators said, 'rVery good,
very good;" but even these few APP
plauded him less because they agreed
with him as to the necessity of fresh
sacrifices OF men and money, than out
OF compliment to himself. L
cannot say what truth there is in the
rumor that there was any concert be-
tween Marshal Forey and the Emperor.
but / believe. that the sentiments TO
which he gave utterance are not very
different from those of the Emperor
though he declared that he merely smoke
for himself. With regard to the danger
which the MarshalSaid would be sure to
follow from the withdrawal of the
French army, La France observes:
1.-Two considerations reassure us. The
first, that no one in France and no one
out of France can desire or hope that we
should quit Mexico, and abandon, with
out guarantee, to the hazard of violent
reaction and anarchical passions the in
terests which we went to tn at country to
guard. The second is, that if we quit
Mexico the respect due to our name and |