264 HILLS AND LAKES. 



as ready for a scrimmage, and that could strike just 

 as hard, as themselves, and no mistake. There 

 wouldn't be any struttin 7 about, and talkin' big, and 

 threatening' to raise cain, generally, and if there was, 

 there would be somebody on the other side, rollin' up 

 their sleeves, and showin' a pretty big bunch of bones, 

 that could hit hard, when blows come to be the order 

 of the day. The States of Mexico could go on, 

 workin' their mines, and improvin' their people, and 

 takin' care of their inside affairs, while the general 

 government would see that nobody troubled them 

 from without. Now, Squire, I don't see why Mexico 

 wouldn't be happier, and more prosperous, and better 

 off every way, inside of the Union, than she is out of 

 it. She'd have her own home legislator, and govern- 

 ment, and an equal voice with the same number of 

 people of New York, in the general government. It's 

 my opinion, when once fairly in, you couldn't drive 

 her out without resortin' to a much greater amount of 

 oppression and wrong, than can be practiced under 

 our form of government. What would be thus true 

 of Mexico, would be true of all the other govern- 

 ments, down to South America. 'Twould be so much 

 to their interest to be inside of the line fence, that it's 



