Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-07-17
OBJ fireman.
MONTPELIER, VT:
WEDNESDAY, JULY Il, 1867.
Secretary Stewards Mexican Policy.

Secretary SeWard'S Mexican Policy.
1t is a curious, though humliating n,
well as an intricate study for an American
to follow the crooked policy of Secretary
Seward in respect to Mexican affairs 1t ha.
been understood that our State Department
has from the outset protested against foreigr
Intervention in Mexico, yet the spirit in
which that protest has been made has been
such as to take from the protest all its eff
cacy Our readers viii remember that the
House of Representatives, two or three YEAR,
ago. passed a resolution rc-atiIrming the Mon
doctrine. and practically giving Maxi
milan notice 10 quit his new empire on this
continent, and Secretary Seward lost no
time in informing Napoleon that this action
of one branch of Congress was of no sort of
consequence. and should Mt disturb him for
moment; that the State Department man
aged the relations Of government with
foreign powers, and although that depart
ment and the people believed in the Monroe
doctrine, they should not enforce it. The
professed neutrality Of Secretary Seward 5
policy during the French invasion was in
fact about as useful to the invaders as was
the neutrality Of Great Britain to the rebels.
The expectation Of arms and munitions Of war
which the Mexicans needed and the French
did not need, was prohibited, but the mules
which the French general used in his march
against Puebla were procured from the Uni
ted States and our nOn-intcrvention in other
respects had, practically, about the same re-
suit Secretary Seward refused to recog-
nize Maximilian's empire and accredited
various gentlemen as ministers to the ,Juarez 5
government and these gentlemen drew their
salaries. but did mt 90 near Juarez. Mr..
Campbell, the last one of the lot, stopped at
New Orleans, and from that not very near
point 10 the court Of the Mexican Republic,
signalized himself and distinguished his
mission, by sending a note to the .Juarez
cabinet, at the suggestion of the Austrian
Minister at Washington, asking that the
lives of Macmillan and his generals might
be spared. Mr. Campbell in this note says
:. The Government Of the L nited States has
observed with much satisfaction the with
drawal of the French expeditionary forces in
Mexico and the advance of the armies Of the
Constitutional Government. The satisiac-
ton has been recently disturbed by the re
port it has received in regard To the severity
practiced on the prisoners of war taken by
YOUR armies at Zacatecas. Its fears, too.
have been thereby excited that in the event
of the capture of the Prince Maximlian and
the forces under him this severity might be
repeated
= The government inStructs Inc 10 ma e
known TO President .juarez, promptly and
earnestly, it's desire, that in case Of the cap
ture OF Prince Macmillan and his support
they may receive the humane treatment
accorded by civilized nations TO prisoners Of
war"
The Mexican government have not officially
answered this brilliant effort Of Mr.. Seward
TO pull Austrian chestnuts ont of this Mex
lean fire, for it could not recognize Mr.
Campbell, who had never presented his
credentials, a. having IN official character.
But singing reply to this impertinent in
reference has been written by member of
the Juarez's cabinet and published in Mex
lean paper, in which this attempt of Secre-
tary Seward is put in q light anything but
favorable 10 tho Secrotory-s Department
The writer says
What, the American Government has
been disturbed by the executions of the fill
busters captured at San Jacinto? The
emotion is rather untimely- We cannot
share its tender feelings because the land the
filibusters invaded is our own country, be
cause the invaders sacrificed during their
piratical war our own brothers because our
dearest interests would be imperiled if they
went UNPUBLISHED.
The Government of the nitcd States. as
an unimpassioned lOoker-on has been dis
turbed by massacres and our mistOr-
tunes. We who are actors in the drama
have different feeling in the matter.
VIII our Justice stem the current of the
sympathy of the Government The time
would be well suited for such a loss. We
could dispense with its sympathy as we dis
pensed with that Of the whole world during
five years.
Will civilized nations. on that account.
cease to esteem the Mexican Republic
Which civilized nations are those} The
European mOnarchs ? UHdt care nee for the
hdfred of infamous HlOnarciieS, tn trhich are
indebted for Intervention. The horrors Of icar.
and the Empire of Harimiian? What can
their hatred bring upon us that il has not
brought US already? And to what fear can
it give rise in the future? What action
did those civilized nations take when they
heard of the butcheries perpetrated by French
cOurt-martials, of the destruction of whole
cities by fire, and when they bcheld the scat
fold erected as Il consequence of the law of
October Sd?
Indeed, what say we of civilized nations ?
Where was the United States Government.
and what was it doing 10 mitigate the pun
ishment of prisoners, when the unfortunate
Republicans of Mexico were being barbarous-
Iv assacred duriuO the war br those in
whose behalf that same Government now APP
peals to our clemency?
The truth is that IL irds not an c0IahluHicd-
tion lCith the Empire. Was it not discussing
some measures with the Emperor of Austria.
the usurper's brother, or with the Emperor
of the French, his lord and tutor?
All the Government ofWashington. with
its power, its strength, its prestige, did moth
ing in behalf of the martyr Republic, and al
lowed its heroes 10 be called bandits, and
men of rank to be branded as executioncrs.
And now, that the valiant Republic had ris-
en- conquering, now that fate and heroism OF
its soldiers have placed in its power pirates
and traitors. and now that national justice
morality and the grief of nation that has
suffered so much demand that just punish
ment be mcted out to those men TO whom
our own soldiers can Justly give the name OF
bandits. Now our clemency is invoked In
their behalf and now we are threatened with
hatred now they pirate of civilization, and
claim impunity for those European advcn-
turers who were the mercenaries Of Il despot
with the sole mission to kill Mexicans.
They say to US that We must throw open
our sanctuary of justice, that a magistrate
of the United States may take his seat on the
bench, in order that we may lay at his feet our
sacred laws This, that the American mag
istrate to whom III matters not what we have