He  will  not  deny  that  we  ought  to  have
diplomatic  relations  wherever  we  have  exten-
sive and  valuable  commerce;  and,  par  excel-
Unee,  with  the  States  of  South  America.  The
very  fact  that  the  Governments  of  those  States
remain  yet  unsettled,  and  that  the  hand  of
a  despotic  anarchy  clutches  all  that  can  be
reached  by  transient  power,  is  the  strongest
reason  why  it  is  expedient  that  we  should  have
at  the  ear  of  each  succeeding  chief  who  rises
for  a  day  to  the  seat  of  power,  a  representative
of  this  Government,  who  shall  whisper  in  his
ear,  "  Keep  your  hands  off  the  property  of  my
countrymen ;  if  you  touch  it,  I  shall  invoke  a
visit  from  our  vessels  of  war :  and,  when  they
appear,  you  will  have  to  relinquish  all  you
take."  Should  an  intimation  like  this  reach
the  apprehension  of  any  one  of  those  mush-
room despots  who  wield  in  succession  the  puny
forces  of  those  Governments,  I  pretend  to  say
— ^yes,  sir,  I  '^take  the  responsibility"  to
predict — there  is  not  one  of  tnem  but  would
hold  off  his  hand.  Let  him  but  understand
that  any  one  of  the  vessels  of  our  gallant  navy,
be  it  but  the  smallest  schooner,  is  within  caU,
he  wUl  be  careful  how  he  touches  American
persons  or  property.  And,  although  I  profess
to  be  as  much  the  friend  of  economy  as  the
honorable  gentleman  from  Massachusetts,  I  do
t^ink  that  four  thousand  five  hundred  dollars
win  be  wdl  spent,  if  it  save  but  one  ship^s
cargo,  or  one  American  seaman,  from  the  ruf-
fian grasp  of  one  of  these  puny  potentates.
