The Portland daily press., 1869-03-01
WASHINGTON, Feb. % 1869.
GEN. GRANTS po11cv

Letter from Washington.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. % 1869.
GEN. GRANTS POLICY.
There is one subject on which the Execu-
tive OF this Nation may very properly take
the initiative, because it is one which the
nature of the Government leaves very largely
IN his hands, and which cannot be provided
ior by legislation. refer to our foreign rela-
tions Those who have watched General
Grants course, and carefully studied the few
things which, becoming more or less public
are known to have emanated from him have
become satisfied that the President elect
had and still has decided views on several
questions. One of these is settled. Irefer to
the evacuation of Mexico by the French. and
the active opposition of the United States to
the so-calledempire of Maximilian. Anvone
who has been foolish enough to believe for a
moment that Seward, or any one Influenced
by him-as per Attorney General Eyarts.
l-could retain seat in Grants Cabi-
net, must entirely forget or be wholly TO-
norant of the struggle, well understood here
to have gone on for some months, between
General Grant and the Secretary of State as
to the rightpolicy to pursue toward the Aus
trian-French invaders. What Mr.. Stewards
views we've can be best understood, from that
trucking dispatch written to Louis Napoleon.
beg pardon to our minister Mr. Bigelow-
virtually stating that the United States
would recognize Macmillan if Napoleon
would withdraw the French troops. What
Grants views were can be be seen by the fol-
Owing extracts from letters written to the
President, one dated June 10th and the other
Sept. Isl 1865. In the first letter, Gen.
Grant says: ''In the first place, regard the
act OF attempting to establish monarchial
government on this continent in Mexico, by
foreign bayonets, as an act of hostility
against the government of the United
Statesv. H'1
In justification for open resistance to the
establishment of Maximilian's government
in Mexico" General Grant urges the un-
friendly nature of the French invasion, and
then points out with great force the fact that
"every act of the Empire of Macmillan has
been hostile to the government of the Uni
ted States." He then proposed a solemn
protest against the French invasion, and
| such intervention as would have insured Re-
publican freedom in Mexico. In the second
letter Grant declares that "To let the empire
| of Macmillan be established on our from
tier, is to permit an enemy to establish
himself who will require large standing ar
my to watch" Further on he says; aID
fine, would take such measures as would
secure the supremacy of Republican govern
ment in Mexico"
Though we have nothing so definite as this
in print with regard to the views expressed
by General Grant upon the relations of this
country and Great Britain. and the payment
OF the Alabama claims, yet it is well estab-
| lished as part of the unwritten history of
the first ten months following the assassina-
tion OF Mr. Lincoln, that General Grant urg-
ed upon Mr.. johnson the necessity of com
pelling Great Britain to recognize the wrong
done in the hasty recognition of belligerency
and in the violations of neutrality by the
Alabama's permitted escape, and by her subse-
| qucnt piracics. To bring about this recognition
Gen. Grant is well understood to have urged
the seizure of Canada. From opportunities
hae last summer of learning the views en-
tertainee at Head Quarters, by gentleman so
| closely related to the General as Generals
Rawlins, Parker, and others, fully believe
that had Gen. Grants advice been listened to
we should long since have had the Alabama
claims in process of settlement, and the Brit
ish Sovereignty on this continent in course of
extinguishment, by their own consent Gen.
Grant is not in favor of yielding the prece-
dent Great Britain's own conduct furnishes
us, in the event of that government being
embroiled with another, without such guar
antees and recompense as will satisfy the
world as well as Americans, that the wrong
done us has been repaid. When that comes
we may revise our International code, as
England now entreats US to- do.
Within few days the Tribune has pub
lished two lengthy editorial articles entitled
''The Alabama Wrong" the second of which
appears in to-day's edition. These articles
are of great significance. Here, they are
generally credited with being semi-author-
ative. The last article breaks ground delib-
erately, in favor of the session of the British
provinces, provided the people therein, by
vote, accept annexation; and the payment oil
the individual claims against Great Britain
for the Alabama piracies, as the only repara.
tion for the wrong done us during the war
Such a programme will be a bitter pill fol
John Bull, but he will have to swallow it, OF
worse-fght US with the Alabama prece
dent to guide us i'll redressing the wrongs ol
the past. have no doubt that the Tribune
reflects Gen. Grant views in this matter, !
am quite certain it does those often expressed
by his able chiefofstaf, Major General John
A. Rawlins.
The President elect entertains decided and
comprehensive views of the duty this Repub
lie ows to its struggling sisters on the Ameri-
can continent, and to those communities not
emancipated from Colonial rule; and he has
| also comprehensive ideas of what is to be the
future position of the United States on the
Pacific coast and ocean, and consequently Of
our relations with the great Asiatic hives
that in China, Japan and the Indian Archi-
| pecdSO are w Uc OuK ucAt uclSuUOrS anu DcSl
customers to the west of us. Nearly all
our old army officers have large ideas of the
continental and controlling character of our
Pacific possessions, and of the vast ortune
which lies awaiting depelopment in our
Asiatic commerce, Grant is behind none oi
them in these views. He has often express
ed them and delights to talk with men who
have an intelligent idea of the resources and
future of that coast.
Perhaps general conception of what the
new administration viii mean by a foreign
policy, can be found in the close of an article
which appeared last summer in the Washing
ton Chronicle, and which as I positively
know, was in great part eth
er copied from dispatches and papers
written by Gen. Grant himself, or paraphras
ed from notes furnished the writer of the ar
ticle by Gen. Rawlins. The article says
speaking of the protection due American cit
;1ons. ssVor will fbo ~protocfiop IF fhosn