Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-04-19
aMistellanu.
Annexation of Dominica
SPEECH OF SENATOR NsRR1L1.


Iect portions of it only, for publication. In
the introduction Mr.. Morrill, says:
That the message from the President, ac
companying the report Of the commissioners
has my cordial approval. If partisan
press has heretofore assailed his character
that. IN the face Of the report, will be Nc
longer possible The President wisely RENTS
the question to the voice of the people, anC
stands, as at his Inauguration, with no policy
To enforce against their wishes. This | re-
card az an end Of a vexed question a; and
should not have trespassed upon the patience
of the Senate ONLY that | think it Just and
fair that some Of the reasons for regarding
the annexaton Of Santo Domingo with dis
favor should be allowed to have utterance al
the same time with the dissemination OF a
report which Is likely 10 attract more or less
the attention Of the country.
Differing as ! do from the President "a to
his Santo Domingo policy. it is only just to
say in the outset that | have ever freely ac-
corded to him the credit Of being actuated
by the purest motives in whatever he has
done to promote the swift accomplishment of
annexation. La his methods he may have
c1mnJted errors, but his Intentions | feel
eonhdent will bear the scrutiny of the final
iuigc Of all men. Let those who have done
trucr and braver work for their country, if
any such there be, assal President Grant,
but as fo7 me hold no title to give point to
any sentence with the purpose Of inhicting a
stain upon his reputation.
The rcport of the commissioners may speak
well Of the climate because, in FIVE weeks, it
never hurt them favorably Of the soil be-
cause it really produces bananas and pine
appIes. never seen in Ohio. New York, or
Massachusetts, slightingly Of the iron, cop
per. and gold mines, as they had annihlated
.. distance, the only thing that " lends en-
chantment to the view and the inhabitants
NAV not have been aware that they were ex-
uected 10 produce anything valuable OF this
sort despOndingly OF finding coal at Samana,
where there is only poor show OF Ignite ,
but the report will be we'll sprinkled with
salt-SvTacuse must look after its saltness -
and vet il will be found neither more ex-
haustIve nor reliable than large number of
works from the hands of impartial travellers
= ho have heretofore visited the island and
devoted far more time to the investigation of
facts Their report may be faithful rs to
what they saw, but it cannot supersede au-
thOrlties Of equal character and much larger
opportunities, and will be chiefly valuable
for vindicating, " hat needed no vIndicatiOn,
the personal integrity of the PresI dent and
that Of the gallant young officer charged
with negotiating the defeated treaty.
BULLY AMONG REPUBLICS NOT LOVED.
Our reputation among our sister republics
In America is not wholly unblemished, nor
is it, fear, likely to grow brighter by the
history of the SantO Domingo complications
Not that we have in our foreign relations
ALWAYS been in the wrong, but that we seem
to have possessed n wonderful aptitude to get
cmbrOiled with weaker natOnalitles. All
remember the circumstances OF our troubles
with Mexico, or of her troubles with US. We
tore from her side the large State Of Texas,
and when she pOuted about the extravagant
boundary claimed, we declared that war ex-
listed by her act, and fought bloody battles
for three years to make her surrender and
sell two or three more large States but the
wounds Of poor Mexico have been bleeding
ever since, and if we are looked upon with
any favor, it is when in comparison with the
French
He next alIudes to the affair at Greytown,
the career of the fllibuster, Walker, our
dealings with Paraguay. Cuba, Peru, and
Brazil, and closes the unpleasant recital by
the very pertinent inquiry
ARE OUR PEOPLE NOW HOMOGENEOUS?
1t is useless to disguise the fact that the
people Of a portion OF our present territory
have not become asslmilated with the Amer
lean people and American institutions, and
the time when they will do so must be com
puted, not by years, but by generations. 10
saw nothing of our lately acquired Siberia,
commonly called Alaska, 1t must be conceded
that Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and that
portion Of Texas bordering upon Mexico are
vet not only essentially un-Amerlcan, but
thev have no overwhelming attachment to
our form of government nor to the Anglo
Saxon race. Their first love was of a differ
ent complexion. Ii the strong arm of the
United states should at any time become
weak, it would receive no succor from these
localities, (the conspicuous acquisitions OF
manifest destiny but their population would
at any time, most likely, flock TO the banner
of any cooked hat revolutIOnist Their civ
iIization is at variance and not in harmony
with our own. Having little. commerce and
almost wholly destitute of educational instI-
tutions they are making no advances in the
arts or sciences, literature or politics, and
are neither better nor worse than they were
wears ago. 1t is certainly matter to be
regretted that any portion Of our Uniou
should seem to lag in the rear Of the highest
type of civilization, but it must lie a sorry
consolation to them or TO US to add TO the
Union still darker patches IN order to give to
the places Indicated the conspicuous advan-
tages Of a contrast 1t is also to be appTe-
hended that the late masters of the emanci-
pated race in the southern States Will make
few sacrifices for the enlightenment of that
race OF do anything which will elevate the
coIOred people above dependence The un-
finching policy Of all the states lately in
rebellion would seem to be to subordinate the
black man, intellectually as well as pOliti-
cally and TO give him no means OF support
except in accordance with cOmpacts to which
he Is not equal party. Under system
like this, millions OF freedmen may continue
to have their ancient ignorance fOstered and
perpetuated, and the prospect of making
them intelligent citizens, enjoying the pro-
lection of our governmental they can be
said to enjoy it-and giving in return full
equivalent therefor, Will not very speedily be
realized. The result is that the master race,
embittered by defeat in the recent conflict.
studies political revenge for the future, and
the freedman is TO be kept in such poverty
and ignorance as to make him OF little value
to himself and Of still less to his country.
BAY OF SANTANA COSTLY ELEPHANT.
One of the arguments in behalf of annex
alton is that VIC need the bay of Sanama as
a harbor for the protection of our commerce.
Why do we need it? Certainly not for
coaling station unless we first carry coal
there Santo Domingo embraces the eastern
most part of the island, far beyond St. Thorn
as, Cuba, and Jamaica, and almost entirely
outside of the ordinary routes of commerce,
with the Atlantic on one side and the Car
ibbean sea on the other. Even the steam
ships Tor Aspinwall pass west of Hayti, and
of course far out of the way of Sanama,
which Is six degrees east of New York. The
trade of Vera Cruz and the Gulf States
passes between the Florida Keys and Cuba
being much the shortest distance-and, when
returning north, of course all vessels seek to
secure the considerable advantage of the
Gulf stream. The perils of foreign owner
ship of the West India Islands have not
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