John L. O'Sullivan

“ It is by its fruits that a good government shall be known; and when its merits shall become manifest, the nations of the earth will not be slow to imitate them. It is by moral influences such as these that this republic is to extend its sway—by a “wise and masterly inactivity” which will bring other nations at our feet, suppliants for protection, not for forbearance. It is in this wise, we make no doubt, that the whole of this vast continent is destined one day to subscribe to the Constitution of the United States ”

“ That the theory so popular among Europeans, that a democratic government can only be successfully administered upon a limited territory, is absurd. Indeed, it is our firm conviction, for reasons which, on a fitting occasion, we are prepared to render, that a democratic is the only form of government which, over a territory relatively large, can endure and furnish adequate security to the rights of its people. ”

“ To enfranchise them, therefore, and give their representatives a voice in our legislature, would doubtless have the double effect of producing anarchy within their own borders, and of embarrassing our own interests to a most disastrous extent. Disregarding entirely the confusion which might result from such a step to the Mexicans themselves, how should we be able to exercise over them that federal supremacy which is necessary to the proper consolidation of the Union. Though that people were allowed to vote, it is doubtful if they could represent such a public sentiment as we would respect. ”

“ THE rapidity with which public opinion matures in this country, is one of the most extraordinary results of our peculiar political system. With our infinite newspaper circulation, and with party-organizations singularly complete and penetrating the uttermost recesses of the nation, a new doctrine can be suggested, discussed and determined on with as much, nay, more promptness than an ordinary suit at law can be begun and concluded. We are impressed especially with this peculiarity, in observing the present state of the public mind upon the subject of our relations with Mexico and Texas. ”

“ Of course, therefore, every people must grow its own political institutions, and every attempt to engraft a system of government upon a nation uneducated in its forms, or to confer upon it political privileges which its members know not how to exercise, must always result as such attempts always have done, either in revolution or in social oppression. ”

“ In view of these considerations, how should we estimate the fitness of the Mexican people to enter into the enjoyment of our political institutions. Taking that people as they are, and are likely to continue for the period within which the integrality of Mexico will probably continue, are they, or will they become, a valuable acquisition to us in any respect? Are there probably as many men in the whole Mexican Republic competent to exercise the elective franchise with the intelligence of the average American citizen as there were righteous men in Sodom when she was destroyed? ”

“ We believe no American is willing that we should suspend the advancing march of our civilisation, and return upon our steps, or motionless abide the coming of this semi-barbarous people, who are yet ignorant of the very elements of the science of political government, because the fortunes of war or successful revolution had made them subject to our laws; which leads us to consider the means by which free institutions may rightfully be propagated. ”

“ Democracies must make their conquests by moral agencies. If these are not sufficient, the conquest is robbery. By allowing to our people every inducement and opportunity for the utmost freedom of industry, we make them missionaries of our political science to every quarter of the globe. ”

“ All despotisms grow out of similar necessity. They are generally established for the protection of the people, though, of course, perpetuated through ignorance and fear. So Mexico at present needs a much stronger government than the United States. Her people may govern themselves, but they have long since learned that their happiness is concerned in being protected by a much stronger central police, and a more restrictive constitution than the American people would submit to, and hence they leave to a few what they dare not trust to more. ”

“ When, however, in the process of events, these elements of political education shall have found their way among them, as we trust they may at some future day, and they shall come to understand in some measure their relative duty to each other and to government, and can maintain for themselves individually their right to a free and equal representation before the law, let no one doubt that they will be but too anxious to ally themselves with this republic, from which they will have every thing to gain ”

“ Maintaining as we do, that a government in which the whole people are fairly represented, developes political science and advances national prosperity more rapidly than any other; and believing as we do, that the American people are more adequately represented in their laws than any other, we are bound to conclude that the distance between our political institutions and those of other nations is constantly increasing. ”

“ As that knowledge advances, will their capacity to govern themselves advance, and the necessity for legislative interference be superseded. According to their knowledge of, and respect for, the rights of a citizen, shall their freedom from governmental restraints be measured out to them, and every privilege which they learn to exercise wisely, government will be forced to relinquish, until each man becomes a law unto himself. ”

“ But the Federal government of a democracy must be advised by the constituency which is most interested in its action. Offices must be filled; protections and guaranties, both civil and military, must be furnished, according to the necessity and preferences of the people for whose benefit chiefly they are designed. In our own country at present it is comparatively easy to learn what these requirements are. Our people are accustomed to deliberate upon political measures, and know how to convey the fair result of their deliberations to the understanding of the central government. ”

“ So if a nation be ignorant and corrupt, or corruptible, its constituents will unite in tying each other up for their own protection. The Roman people made Augustus Emperor and prostrated the Senate, because that under their constitution, with an army and a population composed in controlling proportions of barbarians and slaves, they needed the protection of a vigorous government. ”

“ If Mexico can’t be qualified by the annexation to enjoy the privileges of the other States of the Union, the other States must consent to abandon those privileges until the constitution which is necessary to protect the rights of all, shall bear equally upon the privileges of all. For, as we stated before, the nation must be governed by its average intelligence. ”

“ To protect the Mexican citizen in the enjoyment of his property and rights, would require the arm of a much more vigorous and centralized government than ours is at present, or than its true friends wish it to become. ”

“ The feeling upon our western border, we are pained to think anything but healthy upon this subject; and if, as there is certainly some reason to fear, we should be obliged, in self-defence, to assume an aggressive attitude towards Mexico, and our armies should once enter her territories, wise must be the statesman that can foresee an end short of absolute subjugation at once, or by fomenting a spirit of national hostility between us, which must ultimately lead to such a result. ”

“ Beyond a question the entire Mexican vote would be substantially below our national average both in purity and intelligence. The Mexican people are unaccustomed to the duties of self-government, and for years to come must travel up through numberless processes of political emancipation before they can dispense with restraints which the Saxon family threw off more than three hundred years ago. ”

“ The impotence of the Mexican Government has been already discovered to be only less than its folly, and all apprehension from that quarter is giving place to speculations upon the probable consequences of annexing Mexico or some portion of her territory to our Republic. That that country is destined to become an integral portion of these United States at some future period, is a pretty universal conviction. ”

“ But with a system of representation so complete as ours, aided by the facilities furnished by modern science and art for the circulation of opinion, these difficulties disappear, and with a proper constitutional definition, and establishment of the true functions of the central and local governments, the superficies of a territory, or the number of its inhabitants have not necessarily anything to do with the practicability of combining their political interests under one central administration. ”

“ We may seem to be taking a great deal for granted, in discussing thus early the consequences of extending our territorial limits further to the westward than the boundaries of Texas, and to be unmindful of Mrs. Glass’s instructions in cooking a fish—first catch it. We believe, however, that our word, if wise in itself, is not premature. It is an opinion dangerously prevalent among some of our over-wise politicians that the events of the late presidential election was determined entirely by the views which the successful candidates entertained in favor of the Annexation of Texas to this Union. ”

“ He takes part in every occurrence in the place; he practices the art of government in the small sphere within his reach; he accustoms himself to those forms which can alone ensure the steady progress of liberty ”

“ This misapprehension of the true feeling which disposed this country to look with such favor upon the annexation of Texas is very likely to produce the very state of public opinion which is erroneously supposed already to exist, and which would lead to that very result, the consequences of which we have endeavored to consider, much sooner than is dreamed of by those who are most reckless in giving the impulse. ”

“ The people cannot all command ships, and lead armies, and administer justice. Here, then, they were obliged to abandon their principles, and act through representatives. The ancient democracies, however, were too jealous of delegating these powers to extend it far in legislation. More than six or ten thousand persons at the utmost could not, from the very nature of the case, assemble to decide upon any public measure—hence only a limited territory could be properly governed under a single constitution. ”

“ Now this average should be kept just so low as to include within the beneficent influences of the national policy, all who can and choose to enjoy it without disturbing the general tendency of our legislation towards decentralization, and towards the enlargement of the rights of the individual man. When that tendency is reversed, it is a sign that the quality of the government is deteriorating. ”

“ It is this habit of, and capacity for, self-government in our small districts, in our municipal corporations, in our ecclesiastical or elumosynary societies, that distinguish our people fundamentally from the Mexicans. ”

“ There are other questions, however, to be disposed of in determining upon the expediency of enlarging the territories of a nation which are not so clear. In a representative government, the laws embody the average political intelligence of the electors; that is, their average knowledge of the true functions and processes of government. ”

“ It is, after all, this mutual distrust among the Mexicans which makes them yield the management of public affairs so fully to individual rulers; and it is this same distrust of the popular intent which the world over gives the despot his perilous power. ”

“ It is thought by others that the internal dissensions of the Mexican States will continue to become more violent when the weakness of their present administration becomes known, and that the departments conterminous with Texas will be tempted to follow her example, declare their independence, receive aid from Texas as she did formerly from the United States, and finally, like her, ask to join our confederacy. ”

“ We should be obliged to disregard the apparent wishes of such a people, and govern them instead of permitting them to govern themselves, or else submit them and ourselves to difficulties, the extent of which it is impossible to divine. ”

“ In establishing commercial and other business relations with and in the territories of our neighbors, they beget a community of interest between us: they obtain a confidence and respect for our institutions and spread an acquaintance with many of their merits which in time work influences far more efficacious and permanent than were experienced from all the arbitrary codes ever proclaimed by the renowned lawgivers of antiquity. ”

“ The moment that event shall transpire, the young men at least, of this generation might expect to see the termination of Mexico’s independent national existence, and the Congress of the United States of America proclaiming its laws to the Pacific. ”

“ They wanted some supreme power to whom the republic and its more wealthy citizens might be made accountable. The population of the Empire had become so excessive and incongruous that there was no prevailing and conservative public opinion which could direct the enacting or the administration of the laws. ”