The Arkansas advocate., 1835-01-16
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6th, 1894.

10 the Editor Qf the Courier {. Eaqairer.
 That portion of the Presidents Mes- sage which relates to our difference with France. continues to exciteAmuch conver. satlon. The friends of the administration have already commenced tho drill system on the subject Immediately after the promulgation of the message, doubts were entertained whether Gen. Jackson really wIshedanauthority to grant lettersIof marque and reprlsal. All believed, that if the authority was granted, it would be exercised, ane that war would be the inevitable result
 The President, however, has removed these doubts. He has declared, in the most solemn manner, that if congress refuses to sustain him, he avill resign the siation he noac Jsas. 1 mention this fact, as an evi- dence of his determination, if 1t can be &C., complished, to involve the country in a conflict with France.
 The pertinacity of Gen. ..ackson. on this point, reminds me of an anecdete that occurred shortly after the close of the late, war. The general was about retiring from the army. Mir. Monroe, than Presi- dent, had 1t i'll contemplation to offer him the appointment of minister to France He consulted Mir. Jefferson on the sub- ject. The sage of Monticello replied "What send Jackson to France? Send him to France l-Why he would involve you in war in less than six monthso
 The Van Buren Jacksonnen for hereaf- ter, you may be assured, there is, in fact, two kinds of Jacksonmen1 are drilling for the war movement. They think of propo- sing, In the House, reference so much of the message as relates to the French, to a select committee, and to place at the head of that committee Col. Richard M. John- SOD. This, you will perceive, would give the affair a military instead of diplomatic aspect. The party have the powerof car rying the measure through the House, and there appears but little diposition among the wings to interfere with their arrangements, They are non-committed. They say, gen- erally, if the President, and those who act with him, are desirous of a war experiment., why, then, s.War let itbe.n t a.t A -.
 Gen. Jackson stated yesterday, that he had received adyices tha: the Chambers would be convened a month earlier than the period to which they had been prorogued, December 18th. To friend of hls he undertook to explain the reason of this ear ly session. He said that he had written d letter himself to Mir. Livingston, our mih- lssef at that court, stating his utimatum and authorizing him to eommnnieate its contents to the king. The reference to be drawn is. that the; French ministers became 1 alarmed, and therefore, were about to con. vene the deputies, for the purpose of pro-
 curing their action upon the subject, with a. little delay as possible. lis to be hoped ha so much Of the statement as. retefs fo the
 meeting, may be true, because they nigh possibly pass the appropriation bill before 1 they received the message of the President After its receipt, the affair will assume l different aspect. It IS to be feared, howe yer, that change of ministers may tend tc procrastinate the call, and that the Chamber, may not get together before the middle O December.
 Fancy, late Secretary of the Treasury has been here for the last two weeks. Ie IS at the Presidents house, and has been un. well for some days. lie came here, proba. ply, to aid in preparing the message. His chamber, for the time being, Is in the eau. GUS room. 1t Is here, at the .sround table, that the President, Messrs. Blair, Kendall and Fancy, discuss and settle the affairs ol the nation.
 MT. Frelinghuysen, and another gentle man, called to pay thelr respects to the Pres ident He reported, at the ..sround table, the occurrence, and sagely concluded, and so stated, that this visit was evidence that MT. Frehnghuysen, was becoming sick ol the party with whom he had heretofore act ed, and was now anxious to make his peace at the White House. .aA ..
 1t may not be within your recollection, but it IS fact, that the Postmaster Gene ral, in one of his attempts, to explain the causes why the Department had become SC much embarrassed, ascrbed it in great de. gree, to the abuse of the franking privi lege. He stated, us an example, case where member of Congress, during ;he last session, had tranked so many letters to lis own town, that the fees of the post. master in that place. at two cents per let ter (which is allowed to postmasters or free lettersl amounted to the sum totaa of all the. postage collected in that office and upwards of one hundred dollars more. which hundred dollars had to be drawn from the Treasury to pay the postmaster in addi- ton to all his collections. This was con- sidered such an extraordinary case, that Mir. Grundy and others of the Senate Commit tee on Post Offices, felt t to be, their duty to enquire into the facts, and request the