Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-04-12

pedrauCe aJ leaSJy dn lmmencc dis
barity OF physical force on the side Of
Texas. The Mexican republic again
is rallying its forces under a new
leader and menacing fresh invasion
TO recover its lost domian.
"Upon the issue of this threatened
invasion, the independence of Texas
may be considered as suspended. and
were there nothing peculiar in the re-
lations between the United states and
Texas, our acknowledgment of its in
depeudedce at such a crisis could
scarcely be regarded as consistent
with the prudent reserve with whic h
we haYe hitherto held ourselves bound
to treat ali similar questions.
Thereupon Andrew Jackson pro-
ceeded to consider the risk-that there
might be imputed to the United States
motives of selfish interests in view
OF the former claim vn our part to
the territory of Texas, and of the
avowed purpose of the Texans in
seeking recognition of independence
as an incident to the Incorporation Of
Texas in the Union, concluding thus:
prudence, therefore, seems to die
tate that we should stand aloof and
maintain our present attitude, if rot
until Mexico itself or one of the great
powers shall recognize the iudepen-
dence Of the new government, at least
until the lapse of time or the course
of events shall have proved beyond
cavil or dispute the ability of the peo-
pie of that country to maintain their
separate sovereignty and to uphold
the government constituted by them.
Neither of the contending parties can
justly complain of this course, BY
pursuing it we are but carrying out
the long established policy of our gov
ernment,a policy which has secured to
us respect and influence abroad and
inspired confidence at home"
These are the words of Andrew
Jackson. They are evidence that the
United States. in addition to the
test imposed by public law as the con-
dition of the recognition of the in
dependence of neutral state, to wit:
that the revolted state shall "consti
tute in fact body polite, having
governmen in substance as we'll as in
name, possessed of the elements of
stability" and forming de facto "to
OF no nn
reasonably capable of discharg-
hng the duties of a state, has
imposed for its own government in
dealing with cases like these, the fur
ther condition that recognition Of an
independent state is not due to a re-
volted dependency until the danger of
it's being again subjugated by the
parent state has entirely passed
away" This extreme test vas, in
fact, applied in the case OF Texas.
The congress to whom President
Jackson referred the question as one
probably leading to war, and there
fore an appropriate subject for ''pre-
vious understanding with that body
with whom war can alone be declared.
and by whom all tho provisions for
sustaining its perils must be fur
nished, left the matter Of the eXecu-
tive, providing merely for the sending
of diplomatic agents when the presi-
dent should be satisfied that the re-
public of Texas had become an "inde-
pendent state"
1t was so recognized by President
Van Buren, who commissioned a
charge d'affaires March 7, 1887, after
Mexico had abandoned an attempt to
conquer the Texas territory, and then
there was at the Jime no bona fide
contest going on between the insur-
gent provinces and its former soyer-
eign.
said in my message of December
last: "It is to be seriously considered
whether the Cuban government pos
sesses beyond dispute the attributes
Uf statehood, which alone can demand
the recognition of belligerency, in its
favor."
The same requirement must GER
tainly be no less seriously considered
when the graver issue of recognizing
independence is in question, for no
less positive test can be applied to the
greater act than to the lesser, while
on the ether hand the influences and
consequences of the struggle depend
ing upon the internal policy of the
recognizing sGate, which form impor-
tant fectors when the recognition Of
belligerency is concerned, are second
ary if not rightly eliminable factors