Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-22 00:00:00

AMERICAN AFFAIRS

(PROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

CONGRESS : ITS APPROACHING CLOSE ; THE CUBAN
QUESTION ; UNWILLINGNESS TO EFFECTUALLY
SUPPRESS THE SLAVE TRADE ; OPPOSITION TO
AN INCREASE OF THE TARIFF DUTIES; HIGHER
TAXATION THE ONLY REAL ALTERNATIVE ; THE
MINORITY'S DECLARATION AGAINST THE CUBAN
BILL. THE, LATE BURNS' CENTENARY CELEBRA-
'IONS ; RESULTS OF THE EXPORT AND IMPORT
, BALANCE IN FAVOUR OF THE UNITED
.ES; PREPARATIONS FOR A FAREWELL
BALL AT NEW YORK, TO LORD AND LADY
RUMOURED VISIT. OF SPURGEON AND

NAPIEI

DICKENS.

present Congress is drawing
, and yet is there but a mere
the public business, that was thought
,ent, really done. The Cuba matter,
.Ag as it is to the vanity., and gratifying to
mac ambition, of certain high-flown patriots, has
and attention which might, with
,ss, have been reserved for more
practical and more beneficial objects. The Pacific
Railroad is one of them ; and although it has been
discussed, the bill for accomplishing it has not
been thought worth pressing, so as to give
whatever of - into

The term of the

most u
flatterii

) a close

occupied tim

ason and fairne

carrying

effect at present so important a national work ;
so that it goes over -to the next Congress, to swell the
list of important questions which that body will
have the disposition of. The Slave-trade is another,
though a very different subject, urgently needing
Igislative attention. Yet has this, too, been set
aside for the present. In the House of Represen-
tatives, a preamble and resolutions, setting forth
that there was strong reason to apprehend that
the laws for the iniquitous trade are to be set at
ind their violation openly countenanced
d by a portion of the States ; that
st the slave traffic should
and that the President should
e sustained in enforcing such laws,
otion made to suspend the rules
)eing introduced ; but it was

detiane

at ail VI

to perm

aws a,zai

31 their

defeated by a large majority. Outside the Con-
gress, yet within the range of its influences,—
that is to say,.in what is called a " caucus" of the
democratic, or usual Government party of the
Senate—a resolution, to the effect " that the

revenues being insufficient to meet the expenses
Government, it is expedient to increase
rt duties to meet the deficiency"—was
md a totally different resolution, one,
>etting forth, that "it is inexpedient to

namely,

," was

change the law at the present session,
adopted by a large majority. All hope,
therefore, was at once abandoned of any modifica-
tions of the tariff, so far as this expiring Congress
is concerned,—this " caucus" resolution ending the
controversy ; so that any attempt on the part of
the House to change the law of 1857 with a
view to the relief of the treasury was sure to be
Yet this necessity is represented to
which especially requires relief at the
the present session,—that is, immediate
relief. It

in vain
be one

lands of

a financial necessity. The democratic
pity were told that they must confront the
dernalids of heavy expenses, small receipts, an
empty treasury, and an increasing public debt ;
1-qt they must decide whether these demands
e met by higher taxations upon imported
through a direct taxation of the people.
this View of the question they apparently
shirked. Further it was declared that the free
traders of the South must consent to higher duties
upon iron manufactures and other articles, or to a
direct tax upon their slaves, according to their
three-fifths ratio of representation in Congress.
alternative or the other, it is still insisted,
,e, and the longer a decision is evaded
the heavier will be the pressure when the day of
Settlement shall come. Such have been their
*----z--but they do not heed them.

Mould t)

The o:

S Inevitab.

warnir

The report which the minority of the Committee
of Congress on Foreign Affairs has presented on
the Bill for authorising and enabling the President
to purchase Cuba, has not been without its effect
already upon the country. They declare in it,
that " in every view of the case, we are opposed
to the Bill submitted by the m5.i.,41-s; of tha
dint reetililmuuti WWI it be rejected by the
House." Various reasons are assigned, and strong
arguments are used in support of them. They
then declare their sentiments, in conclusion, " We
further beg leave to remark that, so far as terri-
tory, population, and magnitUde of resources are
concerned, the United States are now entirely
tare.- Expressions of fear, or appeals to the
imperative •and overuling law of self-preserva-
tion, as the motive for further acquisitions of
territory, are so groundless as scarcely to be
-worthy of any very serious consideration. The
safety of the United States depends upon a wise
education, of their own people, and a wise develop-
ment of their own resources. Let them follow, at
and abroad, the golden rule, which by the
•_ -himself, in a former communication to the
Senate (of January 7, 1858, relative to the capture
of General 'Walker), has been declared to be of
commandment, and no power on earth can
'tem. In that is their safety. let them
Aabitnally violate this rule, and no power on
earth can save them. In that is their danger.
Like all other people, we are governed by the
Laws under which the universe was created,
and, like the nations which have gone before
as, we shall reap :the rewards of obedience or
suffer the penalties of disobedience." • There is
a great deal of good common sense,- along with
much right principle, in this statement ; and the
time will not improbably come, when its truth will
be more generally acknowledged than it seems to

Presid

divine

he at prc
Th-- "

munh honou

low York Herald does not appear to think
if any at all, was done, in America,
A any rate, to the memory of the Scottish Bard,
by the recent celebrations of the "Burns Centenary,"
• though they seemed to be. It winds
era' good-natured • article by saying,
is all over; and may we ask, cal bone
icottish name been honoured ? Has one
hefame of the Caledonian bard been
1 P One fresh laurel added to the wreath
Is the name of Burns any

Ithusia

p a no.
i

lot on I

1, or Jess, now than it was a fortnight ago ?
o ' Smith, and Brown, and Jones, and
,ot we aired their oratory, or piped their
an. 'Sandy has a rather worse headache
lan flirt which follows the regular annual
irinking bout of his Burns Club—and that is all.
0, Brown, Smith*, Jones, and Robinson, the glory
----not Burns . and why not claim it boldly ?
you have uplifted the clay images
to-Jay's pretenders instead of your golden
satue of the Bard of Ayr, who was not a pre-
tender, nor a sham, nor a Pharisee, nor a fop,
",)r a fanatic"; nor a humbug, whatever other
as In-ty be laid at his door." There is, no
s,tlill",t'„Boeille unpalatable yet forcible truth in this.
the o.chcasion was. honoured, after a fashion, on
rz
'though 3' side of the Atlantic. And
übiquitous gentlemen in question
take advanta,
....,tort', yet int.the opportunity to "air
ey certainly gave
tpression to what mayso
regtharded as a national
ppreciation of his great
merits as a -poet of
ture:

,i.obinson

), San

N. table of the exp,)rt and impoorrt trade during
. '
published, hich was the
was so
0..,. year 1857—the last quarter
:lit aLe rs
tyi e
:..sastrous—has lately been
of the
ared for the use of Congress by the 814 e.
;Treasury. It gives. the value of the dero
duce exported as 293,758,279 dols. ; pro-
duce
re-exported as 30,886,142 dols ,---47e4'n
.. ;ports, theiltforc, as 324,644,421 dols. The' total
. • "
tot-I
imports, it sets down as 282,613,150 dols.—t
o.ainst the United States, 9 do Is., butrade in
0
• 43,710,442
:4vonr o the United States, 85,741,713 doll.
Leaking the actual balance in favour of the United
States 42,031,271 dols. But it is denied that this
is really a " balance of trade!' It is insisted upon,
zifieed, that there is,, that there can be, no such
thing. "If commerce between nations,,, it is
argued, "is nothing more than the exchange of the
surplus each has. after supplying his
,own wants
there can be no such thing as an adverse. balance
of trade ; for a surplus over what is required for
us has no value until it can be exchanged for