Show the protectorate for mexico the fact that mexico has been in in a state of anarchy and revolution ever since ince it ceased t to 0 be a dependency of the of the crown of spain is is well known throughout hout the united states and to the whole civilized world yet few except thos those e who aho have paid special attention to the subject are aware aare how ruinously the civil dissentious dissent ions of that country have operated upon the interests of american citizens and how hov flagrant and frequent have been the violations cfall of all settled principles ples of international law by the autho ritus defalto de facto of the mexican republic that a country should be almost al mys frays carrying on civil war var that military chiefs should be constantly usurping g power over the people and constantly snatching at ching it from one another settin setting CP and putting down constitutions like the players in n a ten pin alley and to almost as little purpose that the governments succeeding each other in in such succession should all alike stand pow arless fir less before the arm of lawless violence that armed bands of insurrectionists should be holding possession of different portions of the republic and subjecting A t to the ever varying fortunes and ca of war vi ar and that rival parties should au all alike depend upon extorting money from foreigners for the means of carrying on these ruinous ruinous contests this te is is indeed a state of things which ex fin guilles guis bes the last hope of national regeneration Senra Uon to what purpose is is it that heaven has blessed such such a people with a ani benignant 9 nant climate with a productive toil il with mines of silver with the resources and means of greatness can the gifts of nature atone for this hopeless im im cecilita ceci lity of man by no means nei mex ico harlost has lost her morale and the history of nations show that this is is an incurable loss if she were only destitute of present pecuniary means those could be supplied but she has lost the moral force to regenerate herself and that makes her condition hopeless she owes american citizens ten millions of dollars and her treasury is is not only empty but her resources are exhausted and she has no wa nay to replenish it what is is worse these debts are all the time increasing increasing 0 simply because she is is all the time lime repeating ing the very ery outrages ages which have caused it it to ask for payment in in money is is what ft hat we w e have been doin doing for years to enforce it is is impossible some of our citizens have been ruined utterly in in fortune by these spoliations others have been imprisoned others have been arrested detained annoyed their bu business iness broken up mexico can not puni punish sh the authors of these outrages outi ages she cannot prevent ent their recurrence for the reason that murderers and plunderers take shelter under governments aich which exercise exercise a local jurisdiction by setting the central government at defiance and the central government itself promulgates its us decrees of spoliation upon the property of american residents because in its destitution it is is driven dav en like the famishing wolf to seize upon the most accessible prey and thus becomes a plunderer in in its turn would IV any of the powerful governments of europe euland england france russia have submitted to outrages like these from a weak neighbor the government of the united states though constantly accused of sinister designs upon mexico and of fomenting hostilities for the purpose of opening a door to their accomplishment has in in truth exhibited a forbearance which may safely challenge the old world to furnish a parallel all these injuries be it remembered are in in direct contravention bention of treaty stipulations the treaties have been carried out by us but mexico has failed on her part she bhe has pleaded inability not always aiwas in in good faith but we have known her weakness we have pitied and forborne our plundered merchants and hi hip p owners have asked whether some pity was not due to them and the blood of some murdered citizen has occa occasionally cried to us from the ground against the slowness of our deliberations now if we cast our eyes southward v we e see the territory of arizona which we n e acquired by purchase from mexico stretching far along the mexican frontier ier through it runs runs one of the post routes communicating between california nia and the atlantic states stales in it dwell ten thousand american citizens exposed to the depredations of mexicans who ar are e sheltered by the neighboring local jurisdiction ur adi sdi 1 action and to the incursions incursions of t hostile stile indians which those local authorities have not the will and the central government has not the ability if it has the will to repress the southern post route from the states to california may be broken up at any moment I 1 can imagine says the president no possible remedy for these evils euls and no mode of restoring law and order on that remote and unsettled frontier but for the government of the united states to assume a temporary protectorate over the northern portions of chihuahua and sonora and to establish military posts within the same and this I 1 earnestly wish recommended to congress this is is plain and emphatic and there is is no mistaking the import of this proposal mr forsyth has announced the suspension of the political relations of his legation with the mexican republic and it was deemed proper says the president to sanction anc tion his bra withdraws of the legation from the city of mexico here again there is is no mistaking the position of mr buchanan and we await with interest the action of congress upon these suggestions and recommendations made by the executive meanwhile have any of the nations of europe aught to say against the temporary protectorate 2 has england while the history of india is is fresh in in re collection collections 1 his has france now perfecting the conquest of algiers anything to say even if she has the right to speak speake or has russia moving down upon circa sia sia and stretching out into 2 we asli ask these questions not conceding the right of any european nation to in interfere with the affairs of the american continent for that subject is is well settled in in the minds minda of the american people but simply to enquire what could be said if anything provided the right to speak v were ere conceded in our treatment of mexico we w e do not propose to move forward upon a career of conquest as in in the case of ind india ia Cir cassia or algiers hut but to act upon the ground enunciated in in the presidents message that we have already exhausted every bev milder means of obtain obtaining in justice j utice and in in such a case this remedy of reprisals is is recognized by the laws of nations not only as just in itself but as a means of preventing actual war 11 in a future number we shall examine examine the he condition and resources of chihuahua and sonora with a view view of estimating ino the probable results of the proposed protectorate for good or for evil which are likely to ensue national san ban francisco cal |