I have been listening to a great series of courses on American History by Eric Daniels. Currently I am in the 4th of the series, The History of America – Part 4: The Industrial Republic, 1877-1920, which is discussing a pivotal period in history when we really started to move towards becoming a mixed economy, welfare state.

During one of the lectures in this course he quotes Daniel Webster, who served two times as Secretary of State and twice declined the offer to be Vice President saying, “I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead and in my coffin.” (Both times when he had been offered the Vice Presidency, the President died in office.) I was intrigued by the quotation, so I looked for the source of it which was a letter written in 1850, while in his second stint as Secretary of State, to the Ambassador from the Austrian Empire.

The first quotation deals with the interest the American government had in the revolution in Hungary, where there was a struggle for Hungary to become independent from the Austrian Empire.

…if the United States wish success to countries contending for popular constitutions and national independence, it is only because they regard such constitutions and such national independence, not as imaginary, but as real blessings.  They claim no right, however, to take part in the struggles of foreign powers in order to promote these ends. [emphasis mine]

The second quotation refers to the reaction of the Austrian government to our sending an confidential agent, Mr. Mann, to Hungary to get first hand information of the events there. While Mr. Mann did not advertise his status, which would likely have distorted any observations he might have made, if indeed he was allowed to make them, he did have a commission from the United States government. He was not what we would consider a spy today, nor did the American government consider him one at that time. (see the sidebar)

Had the Imperial government of Austria subjected Mr. Mann for the treatment of a spy, it would have placed itself without the pale of civilized nations; and the Cabinet of Vienna may be assured, that if it had carried, or attempted to carry, any such lawless purpose into effect, in the case of an authorized agent of this government, the spirit of the people of this country would have demanded immediate hostilities to be waged by the utmost exertion of the power of the republic, military and naval. [emphasis mine]

Given the current administration’s apparent lack of a principled foreign policy – see their desire to involve the United States in Libya and Syria (which I wrote about here) when there were no national interests of America at stake as well as failure to act decisively when American lives were taken such as in the attack on the consulate in Benghazi – it was refreshing to read of a time when the government of the United States protected the rights of their citizens while only acting to protect our national interest.