The St. Johns herald., 1886-08-26

joles and chili colorado; and woe betide the poor wretch charged with criminal offense, who IS too poor to satisfy the cupidity of the judge, or who, like Cutting, has aroused the absurd national vanity or hate of the Mexican race.
 There is,.o such safeguard to personal liberty in Mexico as the writ of habeas corpus, or anything corresponding with it, so that pri- soner. once in the clutches of the law, is wholly at the mercy of the judge in the case. who may order his trial the day after his arrest. or may keep him in prison for years without trial. In all capital cases, or in trials for serious ,otfenses, the record of the case has to be sent up to the Supreme Court for review and confirmation or reversal. Here again the unfortunate prisoner falls into hands of another set of hungry judges, and unless he can pay well for an earlier consideration, his case may not be reached in twelve months after his acquittal. have known and could cite cases to sup port every one of these allegations, some of them attended with the most shocking disregard of justice and common humanity.
 The feeling of the Mexicans to- ward Americans cannot be defined by simple declaration. It is some what complex, the underlying stratum being, doubtless, hate, growing out of the ever present fear of ultimate absorption by the Colossus of the North" This sen timent is somewhat modified by the hope of individual gain, resulting from the inflow of American capi- tai into their country, But these material considerations are not al- ways strong enough to repress their inborn hate of everything Ameri- can, and to prevent its occasional outbreak, as exhibited in the case of Cutting
 The Mexicans have inherited but little from the Spaniards except the beautiful Castilian language and the enormous Castilian pride, and I have little hope that they will yield up Cutting without a fight. Starting out with the idea that we were not much in earnest about him, they have got themselves so committed that they would now re- gard his surrender as a national humiliation. Under these circum- stances there seems nothing tor our Government to do but to insist up- on its demand, and, if it is refused, to enforce Cuttings release by the use of gunpowder.
 War, under almost any circum- stances, is to be deplored and war of aggression, or for the ac- quisition of territory from a weak neighbor, is barbarous and inhu- man. But there are circumstances when it is justifiable and may eventuate in blessing to both par ties engaged in it; and l am in- clined to believe that war with Mexico, on such a provocation as she is now affording us, would be case in point.
 Leaving out of consideration the probable acquisition of territory which would probably result from a war with our nearest southern neighbor, it would go great way to blot out the bitter memories of our civil contest. Northern and Southern soldiers, on Mexican bat tlefelds, would be brothers; and and rebel and yankee would march together to battle under the same flag and under the same leaders. The people at home would soon come to share the feeling of the soldiers of their respective sections in the field, and would be again brothers as their fathers were in 1783, 1915 and 1S4S.
 Mr. Cleveland, chosen as the President of a restored Union, is nre-eninent1v fitted I,v his frnness