Year: 1867

tried TO acquire an island in the Mediterra-
mean The British Government has been
subjected to threatening letters about the
punishment of the Fenian pribOners in Canada.
Mr.. Fox was tOwed across the ocean in a
Monitor to go on junketing tour in Russia in
a half diplomatic capacity, that he might caress
the Car, and make faces at other sovereigns
with whom we were not on 80 good terms.
Above all, there always hung in the ar the
menace of ordering the French troops out OF
MexicO-a matter in which Mr.. Stewards dis
erection continually got the better of his valor,
and we never did Now, finally 1--WE hope it Is
finally) we have proposed treaty with Russia
for the acquisition of Russian America. This
we understand as merely one other item in the
same programme. The collapse OF the fresl-
dents home policy is so total and so disastrous
that attention must be diverted elsewhlther at
any cost. Russian America is a good way Off,
and so o good place on which to fix the puDne
eye.


Tie getting of all this land offers us no ad-
vantage that can cOunterbalance the objections
TO the treaty, when we come to deal with 1t as
a matter of public policy of grave moment to
this Republic. OF course, there are no argu-
ments that will have any weight with the
manifest dostinyr mob. who believe we
ought TO annex all British America
at weeks notice. But we are confident that
sober minded people will not be blinded
by the glitter of the prize held up to them
Whatever can be said in favor of acquisition
is said in the dispatches with which the State
Department has favored the public press. The
objections to it may be summed up briefly


|. We have more territory than we want
The United States now cover an area OF Ihree
Millions of square miles. At the close OF the
war for independence, we had 52O,68O square
miles, to which we added moro than as much
again by the purchase of Louisiana; 66,so
when we got Florida $4,000 with Texas
3O8,052 by the Oregon treaty; and by our
extraordinary bargains with Mexico 5jO,4j5
moro. We have at this moment hundreds Oh
millions of acres which the end OF this
century will not see TILED. We have
1900 miles of sea coast unsurpassed
for its harbors On the Pacific coast, our flag
covers 229i miles. Russian America would give
US about 100000 square miles of territory, and
would nearly double the length of our coast
line.


H. Tho tendency Of Republics is to expand
beyond the limit of economical control. To
the already vast domain embraced within our
jurisdiction, it is proposed TO add a territory
sparsely inhabited by Indians and traders. This
will involve the establishing at once of
Territorial Government the building of
forts, arsenals, Government offices, the en-
ploymeut of troops and ships of war, and the
paying Of n legion of public officials, good
mainly for drawing their salaries Nobody will
pretend that for many years this territory Will
begin 20 pay expenses. IL is to cost Us Seven
Millions of Dollars in hard cash (Greenbacks
not being q Legal Tender at lSt Petersburg)
and this money we have got TO raise by selling
more bonds IN Europe at seventy cents on the
dollar on which again interest will have to be
paid by laying fresh taxes on our sOrely bur
dened people II il luxury we are i'll no
condition to afford.


III. But it is not even luxury. We have
literally no Use for this territory, if we acquire
it. We do not want any more naval depots
on the Pacific than we now have. If the super
abundant energy of Young America cannot
find fields wide enough in the unoecupied lands
of the Great West. in the yet almost untouched
| resources of the Mining States and Territories,
we can secure additional facilities by a COM


mercal treaty with Russia. If she is willing
to sell all, she will sell part. But it
is idle TO talk of needing land,
or of needing more fisheries and fur-trading,
while labor is scarce in three-fourths of the
United States, and capital is daily sought
for the development of resources that promise
the surest and richest returns to enterprise
and thrift. Still less is there any call for the
occupation of Russian America for strategi-
"calr purposes. In peace, such occupation
to, ntain
warlike establishment. In war, it will prove
alike useless for aggression, and an incumb-
rance for defense. Against what dwellers at
the North Pole do we propose to commence
campaign9


". The territories we have acquired from
Mexico-Arzona New-Mexico, &c.-have cost
us n great deal more than they give us, and
are to-day drain upon our resources instead
of a help to them. BY so much as Rus
sian America is more distant, inaccessible,
and inhosptable, would it be more costly than
either of our most recent acquisitions. We
have no room for statistics, but the facts are
too notorious to be called in question.
Finally, the mere suggestion, which is put
forward at least semi officially, that the occu-
| patton of Russian America will be sort OF
menace to Great Britain by interposng between
her American possessions and the Pacific, ought
to condemn the whole project. We have no occa-
sion to be dealing in impertnences. If we want
quarrel with that power, we can have it any
day without going to the North Pacific Ocean
for pretext We see no reason to suppose
Great Britain woud qualrel-how could she
But we put ourselves in the attitude
of seeking ostentatiousy the friendship OF
power not friendly to England, and