Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-02-27
Twcnty-fourtia Comprehensive ss.
IN SENATE

E@CGhG9sAUlaEtal CsS@- ASS'1
IN SENATE.
On Monday last after the Presidents message was
read -,
Mr. Clay rose to propose the proper disposition OF the
Message without being sure what would be The most
appropriate or agreeable to the Senate But Uei'fe nc
submitted any motion, lie hoped ne would Ut ailo"eu
express the satisfaction shared he was ccrtah oy every
member of the Senate which The anlcable termination
of our unhappy controversy with France hau Ptouuco'
And he could not withhold his congratulations Tor Tue
important agency which The senate hne eHefclSeu IN
bringing about this suspicious result II (sa'd Mr.. W
the Senate had not the last session, BY unanimous
vote declared its conviction that no legislation whatever
was necessary respect French relations at that
time; and if they had lent themselves to the pose OF
the Pres dent, to pass law authorizing Reprsa!S upon
French ploperly-docs, any man doubt that War,
with all its train OF horrors, would now BE- raging be,
tween two cnlg tened countries? Or II the Senate had
Welded TO the unconstitutional appropriation vi three
millions Of dollars rresponsiby proposed at The very
close of the last session. wsut any precautionary spe
ciGcaon Of object is there not cause to apprehend tal
instead Of enjoying all the blessings OF peace, We
should be suffering all the calamity Of most unneces-
sary power? :. -,
the qualification which all nust itcl from the happy ad-
lustment announced. Great mistakes, IN Tie ne
yo,ations and correspondence between the two Gu
Verunents have been conlnled both sides; but on
ali these l shall not dctaa the Senate 1t may mol,
however be without its lutuec use to advert Tor mo.
ment TO the chief obstacle which has o0Structed The
settlement Of the difference. That has been the as
serton of the prncx that when the President OF the
United States, charged BY c Constitution with mau-
tanning our intercourse with all foreign nalInns sends
u public message to Congress, publicly read III The
presence Of all the diplomatic carps assembled at Wash
nston and given to the whole world through the public
press no foreign Power has right to complain, 10 re.
nonstrae, 10 ask explanations OF any language used
towards itself however offensive that language may be-
am not about t. express any opinion upon that P:inci
pc but, if be true, all must agree that the Chief Ma
gsrate SHOULD use the utmost caution nnd cfcumspec,
ton in the official language OF such documents. All
must also admit the rule OF ocy; and consequent
w. that, although the King OF France, in addressing the
Chambers the King OF Great Bri;an in addressing
Parliament, should charge the United States with bad
faith, and the violation OF solemn pledges, and should
pending peaceful and earnest endeavors to settle con.
troyersy threaten appeal to turce tile United States
would be bound TO submit TO the insult and lndIsnlty
without complaint without remonstrunce, without the
poor satisfaction vi even asking an cxplanation
But let test the theory and the practice under this
principle during the present Administrations. Great
praise would be DUE if II br merhed Tor guarding our
domestic concerns against all foreign interference Or in
termeddlng. Blu! what pursued on the me-
Inorablc colonial question: llic Secretary Of State,
in giving instructions to the Minister Of the United
States at the Court oil Great Britain, authorised lin
to say that the Government OF the United States
that is to say preceding Admnisration-had insist
ed too long upon particular preenslo, and that 1t
had been condemned by the People OF the United
States. The attention Of Great Britain was challenged
to the parts which that question: had been acted
by the Administration, that is, to the parts re-
spectively taken by the Secretary Of State, by the
Secretary Of War, by The Secretary OF the IrcaSu'
ry, BY the Secretary Of he NavJ and by the Minis
Ter himself. in the Congress of the United States
Could there have been distinct or dangerous IN.
vtation to foreign Power in respect to our internal
concerns nrllgble hint to grant concessions
founded upon previous friendly services:
And what was this pretrnsion, regard to which the
prior Administration had displayed too much pert'nacl'
": 1t was nothing more less than the humble pr-
vege Of carrying products in our own vessels
10 British colonial ports the same conditions Us Snl-
lar products te brought there from any other place
in any other vcsScs-a privilege asserted 10y tir act OF
the Sd of March, lS23 for which, believe, the Sccre.
tary had himself voted.
But let Us test the principle alluded to by what has
transpired in negotiations and correspondence with
France alone Ii violated in l~U when MIR. RirEs
made an explanation to Prince roIcNAc OF message Of
The President to Congress which had gwen offence TO
France; and whea che then Secretary OF State aitlouSh
the Prince had been previously satlsied) pressed upon Mr.
R.vEs further and elaborate apology Tor The offensive
language ofthc message. II violated by Mr. LriSGs
TON when in January of last year, lie undertook, with
instructions, to explain the message OF DeccnbcT
1884 and surely it cannot be concnded that the case OF
an unauthorized cSpanat!nu which is subsequently APP
proved, is less strong than when the authority peceGeS
the explanation In the former instance the dangerous
precedent is set C minister's assuming 10 act without
Instructions 1t vulaiedin June last, when the Sec
reary of State with The previous authority OF the frcS
dent, in complimentary letter t" MIR. LifiNGsruN, APP
proved second time OF the explanation winch he had
Of December last when the President; almost in the
ry language, certainly embracing every idea, made the
explanations required by the Due de BRoGiE IN his de-
spatch 10 Nj. PAGEoT. 1t is manifest that, although the
copy of that despatch twice refused, and although
Mir FuRsYTm, three days after it first read by him.
transmitted to MIR. BAETox his final instructions, without
saying word about it, that the plnaory language
of the message made to conform exactly to the re-.
quirements o the despatch The message was prepared
10 obtain ,ciM France the merit OF satisfactory expaua-
tion and ,cith the Peoe g The T. States the merit at rrius-
ing upon high natl ,na ground all panalon. The Pr
sident protested that he would apogse and made
an apology that he would explain, and mslc
,isfaetory xplanatiou rejoice that France much US
think she has occasionally erred had the wisdom to
cognise and receive it as such. She had taken false
position in Withholding payment OF lust and uHeoG-
tested debt until supposed STAN indicted upon her
good faith and honor was etFaced. The best Sindcaon
of her good faith would have been the payment OF the
debit and when paid she would have been III talr and
disnteresed attitude for demanding satisfaction to her
nsuted honor. Finally, the princ pie alluded 10 was
violated in the terms in which the British mediation has
been accepted. Whilst the President will not, he de-
clares make France directly any explanation, Az t'e
MEANS putb him in the hands Of the common Me
dator to afford The most ample and satisfactory explana-
ton.
But will not longer dweli upon the painful incidents
of our late unfortunate controversy Let them be alb
sorbed in the general satisfaction which its happy
inaton will difse throug the land, bc rcco-
eced only to Guasa hereafter againYt the repetition Of
similar errors. We have escapsd-1 thxuk Cop
have escaped-from all danger of WAR Wits France
It would have been war; if il had broken out, the
da of an enlightened age, and highly dscredtabe
both partes-a war, in which neither civil liberty,
maritime, nor territorial rights national insepend.
ence true national honor waS lnyolsed-a war, OF
which the immediate unfortunate message,
md The ultimate object nconsderabe debt cancelled