The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1836-02-12
NO. 500.


" ShOnld the President he observes,
do an official o. executive act affecting a
foreign power. ar use sxeep,iOnah.e lan-
suage IN addressing il through his Nuns
Ter. ar through theirs. or should lar
BE- passed injurious io The dIgamg og
another nalon. in all those and other
similar eases, demand for ex,lana-
lions would be respectfully Fecelted aud
answered in the msup'r that Ius;,ce and
regard 10 the dignity Of the cump.sln.
ing country would require"
But lie maintains iIlal those principles,
the wisdom 81 which i evident. are NOT
applicable 10 an aci " which the Press,
dent, sole representative Of the NJ IN
towards foreign powers. gives 20 "n.
gress an account oi the situation oi tor.
eign relations.
1.-The utmost freedom, !" says N. Llv
ingsi0n. " The utmost freedom from all
restraint IN the details in which he -
obliged 70 enter. OF international c".,trGs
aud Of the measures IL nla;!oa 10 hem.
Is essential to The proper perlormance u
ihi- important parl of hIs fnnC',us. lie
must exercise them without h.'m. g n
linuaiiy before him ine fear "t offer a
the susceptibility ol -thef po"'rs whose
conduci he is obliged 10 nouc. &"
!" Were any foreign pow &c ronnn>
ues NJ. Livingston. peTm."',. IL an
! the communications ui thf !.>,u.u.e,
their complaints. whether re-. az AiI, ~.
!. sd. would involve the COUNTRY "a "a, g
! nual controversies. for. the r.g '.u.g
admi;ed IL would be drtI 10 ~, e
n il. by demanding disaror al Vi every
! phrase they might deem offensive. a,d
, an explanation of every word TO which
! an improper Interpretation ould he Civ.
! en-. The principle. therefore. has been
adopted. thai no foreign power has
right I" ask for explanations nj any hing
that The President 10 The exercise Vi his
functions thinks proper To communicate
! 10 Congress. OF OF any course he ma, adj
wise them 10 pursue"
We cannot. sir. admit such 4 princis
pie: We cannot admit II. At least, without
! condition or limit, in al absolute. gene-
I raj or perempiory sense.
! Ii does not depend upon a nation. from
the mere fact Of its having adopted such
. or such form of Government. 10 acquire
, With regard 10 foreign powers. more
! rights than il would have had. or to ar.
| rogaie TO itself other rights than those il
: would have enjoyed under any o.ket
7 form Of Government,
. Natives are free to choose without any
; constrainI, the Government they please,
precisely for this reason and under this
+. conditun--that such a choice concerns
{ them exclusively, and that Whatever tha,
I choice NAV he, it cannot affect the rights
: or inJurc the legitimate Interests of Other
: nations.
: Now, HlS ''.c acknowledged RICH, Of
, every Government, when the legal re-
c preventative, ~hsn the Official organ Of
another Government Expresses himself
publicly IN reference to n. in language
E whIrh IL deemed cfitn.l,C. to 4, mend an
? explanation Of 1t. Such aurll the Com
. 'umuou Of the United States can neither
: abolish. mod.'t, nor restrict 1t IS an
International night fun drot internationally
= 1t 'ltts tie ps"p}c of the | ntcl States
I" t1t.dr he power ri tic mon hetveeu
= a President and Congress BE il so.
h ItsnIts them to oh!Ige the President to
= give publicly to Congress an accom-, of
= the state OF Foreign Relations Their
d night is unquestlonahlc. Blu, tia, the
President Of the United States, the nfIi-
i. clal organ, the legal representative of the
Union towards foreign nations, thereby
c acquires the right 10 press himself pub
!. llcly upon foreign governments in Ian,
4 guage offensive to those governments,
s that he should, in asserting the Liberty,
= the freedom necessary Tor such comm.
Z nicalions, dispense himself with all re-
. serve m his language, aud with all re-
: sponslbllty towards the powers whom
= that language concerns, that is what VIC
S cannot admit.
i lrrespoIsIbility (l'inviolabilitei whether
d il relates 10 persons, to acts, or 70 words,
: irresponsibllity, when il is legally est1.
: blshed, is a purely national INSTITUTION.
/. purely internal regulation, and can never
e be used az argument in The intercourse
$ which governments hold with each o.hrr.
e IL it we're otherwise, and il We were
C disposed. after the example Of VI. LIVING
sion, to carry the argument 10 IFS extreme
e consequences, i, might be maintained
d that the President OF the United States
d has the right, provided il be in message
e to Congress, 10 impu;e publicly to iorels n
e governments and foreign nations, the
it most odious acts, the most perver, e
intentions. 10 hold them up publicly to
., the anlmadversion OF the world. wlthou,
|. those governments or nations having the
= right to manifest the slightest rescu,>
ment, since, according To thus very strange
lie doctrine, they would not even be allow I'd
N to take official notice of il.
Is To state such doctrine is 10 refute il.