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But if any other exhibition of its direful etfects be wanting, it is furnished in the history of a people whose career is familiar to us all. Look at ~Iexjco. A few ye:irs ago she awoke from the lethargy of centuries, and in the majesty of eight millions of people, shook Castilian bondage from her like "de1c drops fro11~ a lio11s ma.ne''. But see her now-the miserable victim of self oppression and debase- ment-torn to pieces by civil discord--bleeding at eYery pore by party rage--her resources exhausted-her strength defied, and her very name despised. These are the bitter fruits of that dreadful mania which makes a whole people offer up, at the shrine of dema- gogues, that devotion and sacrifice which is due alone to their.country. :Mexico had the -chivalry to conquer, without virtue to profit by it. Her patl'iots achieYed independence, and demagogues ruined her hopes. Enemy as sho is to us, I am not a foe to her freedom; for next to t be · safety and welfare of my own land, I should rejoice to see our free principles and liberal instutitions engrafted into her government, so that they might finally spread their benign influence over the whole continent of America. Once we had the promise of this in the open- ing career of a bold champion of freedom, who sick of the woes of his distl'acted -country, called upon the •virtuous of all parties to unite with him in the expulsion of faction, and in the chastisement of a bloated priesthood. He published to his countrymen a system of government ,l'hich promised order, stability and safety. It ,ms re- ceived with acclamation. Thousands g-athered around his standard. They came with high hopes nnd devoted hearts. The cannon soon spoke upon tlie mountains, and the enemies of order trembled. Foes fled before him-rche1lion hid his l1ead, and even audacious begotry quailed in the glance of his eye. He was born to command: and all voices hailed him the Savior of his Country. But mark the sequel. No sooner was he firmly planted in power, the idol of the people - with every obstacle removed to tl1e introduction o~ his new ord<'r of things-all eyes expecting and all hearts desiring it-when lo! the veil-the silver veil-was. drawn aside, and instead of the mild fea- tures of the patriot, the foul visage of l\fokanna, with its ter1·ific deformity, burst upon tho astonished nation, and "grinned horribly a ghastly smile." And did not a thousand weapons leap indignnntly from their scabbards, to avenge such perfidy f No, surely. His duped and deluded followei·s "dropped some natural tears, but wiped them s,oon; '' and instead of seeking merited vengeance for the treachery, they became more wedded to the traitor: so that he still WC'nt on, con- quering and to conquer, until he waved his banner over bl<'ecling Zacatecas and stamped in the hnrning characters of h<'ll, his eternal Rhame on the walls of Bcxnr. And do you ask the moral of this tale f The discerning mind will rend in it the awful truth-that party is as cruel as the grave--thnt its bonds a.re as strong ns death-that there js no receding from its nnhnllow·<'d infntuntioi:i, and that he who enrolls his nnme under itc, bloody flag, divorces himself from humanity, and .forever sells bis soul to the powers of darkness. Let us all profit by the lesson, and flee the danger.
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