Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-12-17
Ay.s'CAyHTRG l.xRGLyEs.y.
Thursday. December II. 1895.
TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

" { laid this ,olunlihous document before cur
readers asl Monday aud, as is our custom. We
nov proceed 10 offer icw remarks on us LEADING
promising that, though does not make
such display OF fine wrirne as some Of It's hredc-
eessoIS, scarcely rising to tie dignity of elo
quencc, is, as whole, not inferior to either Of
Item in point ofability and Importance nor ess
calculated to lekle the public ear, and TO fall in
with tie current Of popular feeling. Herein, in
deed, lies the of the long sustained ascendan-
g oi this administration, in despite Of the promu-
esllon Of leresles and the preparation of acts
which would lave involved its immediate predt :
c"ssor in intamy and ruin. 1t wells il, enormi-
Tres with the " speciouS show of reason" No mat
Ter how mischie, Gus and despotic may bc il, mea-
slres, II always has some Beal at hand TO gloss
Over ITS foul deeds 10y fair words; and it thus A.
dfoltly cnllstS public feeling in lis covert war a.
Ralnst the public Liberties. In review ing tie history
al the last eleven years, indeed, Ne could almost
wish that John Z. Adams had entrusted the task
81 dra'ringhis Annual Messages to some other pen,
winch, If less learned in the wisdom If the clos
ter, might have been better skilled in pa, inc upon
tn" public pulse for, atIoueh the superiority of
Mr.. Adams over most OF his contemporaries IN intel
lecndl vigor Is generally conceded, Yet ii is not
the less apparent tIat he is totally deficient in that
tact and kill, without which tie posscssor Of &C.
MUS is sort of Polyphcmus--a halfblind giant
dealing his ponderous blows on llcr lard, heed
is, whether tliey fall on tie sconcc of friend or
Zoe. 1t is undcnablc that 3Ir A. lost the prc,i-
ii A. IIs INN, It,t,,, \ IL
the victim OF Rhetoric aud Metaphor Had hc
never INDUCED his fancy in falfcating lighthouses
Of TIC skies, and his love OF argument bv demon
NiratmG that IL certain matters, pertaining 10 the
public good, our legislators are not pa>icd by
the will othis constituents" he would in all prob
ability have defeated the condemnation which va,
formed against him, many OF tie distinguished
parties to which already mourn, in sack cloth and
ASHES, their dclusiou aud folly. But to the Mes
saec.
/. Trench Reidtio"s-Th Tough no, the first in
ofdrr, 1t IS III Importance of the subjects embraced
II the Message. The negotiation having remain
ed N Hota9no, since the adjournment of the last
onfre>s, there is OF course very litc information
communicated 10 thc public, of which We were NOT
previously nres>cs,i,u. Tie French Chambers.
rs Is well known. shortly after the close of the late
Sonerc' slonal session, appropriated the sum ne
ecs'ary 10 cary into effect tie lac, mnit, trea-
y coupled, however, with the condition that a
satisfactory explanation >hoad be first mad,
ol certain offensive r,n all.s contained in the
Presidents Message, of December, 1854. Thr
question now Is, have these satisfactory ex-
plantations been given We drink tIst the
President, by endorsing Nj. Lningston's inoi-
hc's letter TO tic French Minister, which he in
forms us that he has done, as ell as hy several en-
prcs'lonS IN his late Message, has cone as far a,
the trcnchgos rnment has right to +, quile or en-
pett, and as far as public opinion al home will
s"s'''" MN IN gong lie asserts, most cmphali-
ealy' that II Is ridiculous to suppose that it wa,
ms intention 10 menace or insult the government
oil France, or TO attempt 10 cxtor from III,
Tears OF that nation what her sense OF Justice de.
hltd and lie feileratcs the declaration of the
Message OF 1884, that the remarks and continocn
recommendation therein made were net desione,
as menace or threat 1t seems to u.s. therefore
mat notwithstanding We are told that our Cbarn,
dies Ahnfes at Paris has leen instructed 10 NAL ,
an - o' III li' pay llii III ol he instruments
the indemnity now duc, with directions if they arc
not paid forthwith to leave Paris and althonal
We Nav" every reason to believe, from tie teuol
Of Our last adyeoS from France, that this demand
has been made and rejected, and at our Cbarec
Mr.. Baron) Is now on his way to the Ia,ed
States; yet,we no good reason to suppose
lhat there will be war between the two countries.
unless the Citizen king on his Ministry is prcdc-
iernlncd on baStlllticS, and is DESTROYS OF some
plausible preeNt to justify their CONNIE ncement.
The explanation given by the President. in his
last Message, We repeat, seems to us to be amply
satisfactory, though We roget to perceive that. in
tins opinion, we differ from some with whom We
generally concur in sentiment. Ii is not ". adj
NIT, to be questioned, that this explanation would
have been much more likely to have effected the
desirable object of preserving peace, had tho
President rot deemed it advisable to r,cani,nlato
the outrages upon our commerce which constitute
he basis OF our claim upon the French government
in language we'll calculated 10 inflamc rather than
paclty the national pride Of the over-scn>itiye
trcnChman, and had he not concluded his unno-
ccSsarily extended review of the French contra
sersy with declaration that he would never n,,L.
what, five understand the facts, has never been
required" an apoioSy' II the French poyern
mont l,t tll, inSult Sun,,,s,J I. .....-l-