Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-13
New Statue of Jefferson Davis Will Be Among Heroes at Capit

tanned from Mexico by GadSoen 1or
&c., 100000.
C~o-existent with that nation-de-
veloping plan, there ran another which
our modern times is seeing carried To
success. 1t was nothing less than the
dream of securing protectorates over
Central America and parts Of Mica
rauga. Cuba had at first been in
cluded in this vision of wider bound
aries for the United States. but that
dream was shattered in the fiasco OF
the Ostend manifesto. Davis saw
clearly enough that travellers and car
goes of commerce made their chosen
passage to the Pacific through Mica
rauga. 1t was n Of natures routes
and the line OF q future railroad or
canal. Through a man named walker,
who furnished American forces TO aid
a revolution In that country, Davis
came close to realizing his aim, but
events came to pass that frustrated, not
only this scheme to create a sphere of
influence to the south, but also that
great plan Of arterial rail building to
the west. /.
In all these matters the North had
voiced It's opposition, on the ground
that the fulillment OF such plans
meant the inevitable extension OF slav-
ery. but this objection would in time
have been skillfully met and nullified,
as had similar enterprises once vigor-
ously denounced, had Douglas not
opened the whole question OF slavery
by his Kansas-Nebraska bill. A sort OF
tacit agreement had been reached by
the whole country with the Compromise
of 1850, and that agreement never TO
bring up the question of slavery again
had been violated by this insistent
voice that would organize that vast area
known as Nebraska on the principle OF
squatter sovereignty. This new bli mao
an amendment in 1t which repealed the
Missouri Compromise of 1920. a sacred
pledge In the eyes OF the North.
Strange as IL may seem, since DAVIS
did not like Douglas, it was left for
Davis to secure a special hearing with
Pierce so that Douglas could persuade
the President to agree to this amend
ment.
!, This was in 1854, and so f~ar-reaching
were its consequences as to include the
multiplying of all the wide imperialistic
schemes of Pierce and Davis. No addi-
tional territory by nature favorable 10
slavery could now be added when the
great Nebraskan area was open to the
slave and no project to weld by faclle
transportation the West and South
could be permitted while the Northwest
was open to the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the
South. 1t was q period OF bitter re-
elimination. with Douglas probably
bidding for the presidency. The debates
In Congress and the articles in the press
conferred on but one subject--the re-
nounced and never-to-be discussed
again subject of the extension OF
slavery.
And Davis, who loved the Union In
spite of his allegiance to the doctrine OF
States rights, was the instrument OF all
this destructive force for his construc-
tive scheme Of consolidation and pro-
tectorate. No doubt this bringing OF
Douglas into the presence Of Pierce was
the momentous act In the whole cabinet
career OF Davis. Had he omitted this
he might have gone down In history as
q statesman of large and humane
plans builder, indeed, Of . vast EN-.
pire.
BY 1856 Davis was again In the SEN
ate. The country was on the brink
of civil war, and a committee wa:
| appointed to draw up a compromise
to prevent that disaster. Davis was