Renunciation under such circumstances would have been equivalent in International Law to abandonment, and that would have been equivalent to anarchy and a race for seizure among the nations that could get there quickest.
Reid warns that renouncing sovereignty without a clear plan could lead to chaos and international conflict.
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And next, shall we not probably fare best in the end if we try to profit somewhat by the experience others have had in like cases?
Public sentiment was against the sale of lands to the Yankees; “Get white laborers,” they urged, “and in a year you’ll make enough to be able to hold on to your lands.
With her, then, we should most sedulously cherish a cordial friendship, and nothing would tend more to knit our affections than to be fighting once more, side by side, in the same cause.
You see, General, this is alarming, and you must acknowledge that we are not safe.