The New York herald., 1871-01-16

Il
manifest destiny" is one Of the strangest
events in the history Of American politics.
That the party, however, rank and file, from
Congress to the remotest holes and corners Of
the United States, has stultifed or made fool
Of itself on this dogma Of manifest destiny" is
St. Domingo annexation movement. On the
late joint resolution passed by Congress look
ing to this annexation not q single democrat
| of either house was found In favor of the
measure. They all Joined the factious, radical
Sumner In opposing it, and the democratic
organs throughout the country on this ques-
ton have suddenly discovered that Sumner is
q statesman and patriot, and that Carl Schurz
is q hero. The reasons assigned by democratic
leaders, conventicles aud newspapers for this
ridiculous change Of front are very amusing.
| They charge in their virtuous indignation,
lation in lands and town lots, and stocks and
bonds-a lobby scheme to swindle the govern
ment and the poor islanders concerned; that it
means q sort Of filibustering spoliation, fear
full complications with foreign Powers, and
bloody, costly and disastrous war with Hayti,
or a succession of wars, the end of which will be
the end of our free institutions and the inaugu-
ration of military despotism.
Red Cloud has become q Quaker; Louis
Napoleon has exchanged the imperial splendors
of the Tuileries for the solitude of German
castle; the Pope-the Lord be with him-has
become o terrible Protestant; the Spanish
hidalgos, who believe themselves the greatest
people under the Sun, have chosen an Italian
for their King; John Quincy Adams, Of Mas
| sachusetts, chip of the old block and of the
old rock, goes for democracy, for free trade
but there are good reasons for all these things
hand, for the solid front of the democracy
against this St. Domingo annexation move
ment, Is the reason that, although good old
democratic thunder, 1t is democratic thunder
stolen by General Grant. The project from
democratic President would be all right, grand
and glorious; but from Grant, as the head and
leader Of the other party, it is fraud. This
is only another addition, however, to the budget
Of bunders which mark the history and the
defeats of the democracy since their disastrous
efforts to smuggle In the free soil Territory of
Kansas az s!sys State. They opposed on
party grounds the war for the Union, the
repeal of the fugitive slave law, the abolition
Of slavery at every step, the thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendments to the Consti-
tuition, and Southern reconstruction over every
foot Of the ground as now established; but
as the old pro-slavery and State sovereignty
party Of the country, there was to the demo-
Gratis at least the merit of consistency In all
these blunders. But there is not even this
excuse for the opposition of the party to this
annexation of st. Domingo.
The democratic party of the present day
claims to be the party Of jackson and Of JEFF
ferson, and to this day 1t plumes itself upon
its great measures Of annexation and ''mani-
fest destiny" The organs and orators of the
party still delight in harping upon the demo-
cratic purchase from the first Napoleon, in
1903. by Jefferson, for fifteen millions of
money, Of the great and invaluable Territory
Of Louisiana; and of the purchase from Spain,
in 1919, by Monroe, of the beautiful peninsula
of Florida, although these measures belong to
the old republican party, which was disbanded,
dissolved and dispersed in the Presidential
scrub race of 1924. The democratic party was
organized under jackson in 1928, and In the
cause of annexation it has not stopped at
trifes. Beginning with Texas in 1874, 1t did
not hesitate at this annexation, though warned
from Mexico that the seizure of certain terri
tories still claimed by that republic would re-
suit in war. The annexation, nevertheless, was
pushed through, and in spite of the warnings
DISASTROUS the war followed, till at last, with
General Scotts occupation of the city Of Mexi-
90, there was treaty of peace involving more
annexations. That treaty gave us not only
Texas, to the Rio Grande, but vast region
besides, embracing the extensive Territory of
New Mexico, part of Colorado and part of
Arizona, as now constituted, and the whole Of
Utah, and of the State of Nevada, and the i'm
perial State of California. Subsequently
there was another democratic treaty of an
nexation with Santa Anna, known as the
Gadsden treaty, whereby large addition of
desert territory for ten millions of dollars was
added to Arizona.
These democratic annexations cover one
third of the whole present area of the United
States, excluding Alaska. Nor did the ''un-
terrified democracy" of those days stop at
these stupendous schemes. While moving for
Texas they were clamorous for Oregon, and
Polk was elected upon this battle cry-'Texas
and Oregon The whole of Oregon or none!
Fifty -four forty or fight y The trouble was
that the Territory Of Oregon north of the forty
ninth degree of north latitude, known as Bri-
tish Columbia, covering an area of two hundred
and thirty thousand square miles, equal in ex-
tent to five States of the size of New York, we