The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-04

those who held it by conquest II
we took il and held it by the same
title. they could not complain. IhelT
title is legal. and our title would also
be legal" one is tempted here 10
INQUIRE whether the franers of these
resolutions ever lnCugnt o. "Hh1 men
call hunor.
The South and the West had agreed
upon a war program at Balumore'
they increased their demands every
day after the var began: they won
to their cause many OF the ablest
organs Of public opinion IN the
North. such as the New York Sun. the
Evening Post. which was now calling
upon the Government TO hurry 70
fulfil the manifest destiny Of humblnS
and subduing the devoted race and
Of taking upon ourselves
the fulflment OF the purposes or
Providence in regard to these neigh
bors OF ours" and the Washington
Union. which needed no persuasion
from the West, preached daily the
same doctrine. Before Congress as
sembled in December every influence
had been brought to bear upon the
President to induce him, who already
inclined to such a course, to recon-
mend in the annual message the COR
plete ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of Mexico.
Two obstacles were in the way and
they saved to the conquered country,
for the moment, it's national exist
nee: the administration had in April
preceding sent Nicholas Trist, an
amateur diplomat, to Mexico with
definite instructions to treat on the
basis of the annexation Of Texas, New
eXicO, Arizona, and California. TrlSt
had quarreled with General Scott and
had been recalled. He patched up a
peace with the general and refused to
recognize his recall. With the support
Of Scott, an ardent Wing, who en-
jOyed the prospect of embarrassing
his own Government, Trist negotiated
a treaty securing all hat a been
Washington where it was received
on the night Of February 10, 1S4S.
The other obstacle was the fact that
the House Of Representatives, which
was to the imperialists a doubtful
quantity, had been chosen in the sum
mer and autumn of 1916. before the
thirst for all of Mexico had developed,
and when the Wing outcry against
the name of beginning the war was
most effective. But after considera-
BILE study of the situation in Congress
In the winter of 1S47-48, l am on
WINGED that even the House would
have yielded a it not been for the
embarrassing arguments which the
irregular Trist treaty gave to the OPP
m "a VIZ oSAiS I"A
ism Of the time. The President, as
fortune would have it, was a man Of
strong %scruples and he did not know
how to undo the work OF his own
agent, much as he would have liked
to do SO. Perhaps another such
crisis will find a more versatile Presi-
dent in office.
But the ab1est member OF the cabi-
net, Walker, supported by Buchanan,
the Secretary of State. and a candi-
date for the next Democratic nomi-
nation, insisted that the opportunity
must not be allowed to pass The Vice
President, George M. Dallas, a
brother-in-law Of Walker, favored
then as before both "all of Mexico"
of the Senate majority were commit
ted to the same view.
Meanwhile, conditions in Europe
had SO changed and become SO criti-
cal that American politicians who
might otherwise have feared interven-
ton felt perfectly safe and free to
proceed along any lines their inter
ests or their cupidity suggested.
Franco was in the throes of revoiu-
ton, and Germany and Italy were
following suit as rapidly as possible.
This situation gave England as much
to do in Europe as she could wei! at
tend to, and consequently the region
W. Wv oI lS 'uIl VI lfItAICO Uc-
came an open field to American ag-
erosion. George Bancroft, minister
to the court Of ST. James, wrote to
Secretary Buchanan that Europe
thought that it would be a blessing
to the world if the United States
would assume the tutelage Of Mex
ico." But we may safely assume that
the great historian had not found il
difficult to arrive at this conclusion
for in the Baltimore convention,
where he was a delegate from Mas
sachusetts, he had distinguished him
self by the following speech: W are
willing that the decision Of this con
ventiOn shall carry joy to the democ-
: racy from Maine to Louisiana. We
are willing to roll it westward-anC
that it sha carry hope to the valley
OF the West, and make glad the hearts
: OF those who dwell on the banks OF
the Colorado and the Rio del NOrte.'
, / To ~ HanrJ IN 0rdanf vn2n,