Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-04-22

a.
and desnise6 nv his fellow citizens, II he auop'-
cd he conventional cour,esies and huihilid'!ons
nj Errone,n poten,ales His oihce y inc iiio>'
honorable in the EARTH his respohsioniy - '''e
creates, To disturb the nnanlmity ol inc cut
raj Union even for an imagined Object OF mora
Inv. is the most slupendous crime VI "h'Cn ~"
man nature can be guilty To extend lha' Union,
indefinitely in all directions, Is the ciiilei ms
and nnhlest instinct: TO be comprehended III H.,
the greatest felicity that can happen 10 any race ..
men his The ONLY security for peace. Al '',iS
NAV mean much or little, bui, III 'le VIZ 49,
it is the language OF men VINO are iio' eo''''e
but founding an empire. .;n,, ch.s-
We, in The old world, nave lons s.n. Is. .i ,s.,
tised one anolher's desires 10 AZ eas' VIC n ,s
guage of modesly and nulna ueie,en ~
Pres;den, i mi oyerawed By the presence oil one
sovere;on mower in The length and breadth OF ms
con,;nent Hence he feels no indecencv IN eN-
messing in clarifying every aggressive impulse
ofthe hear, The citizen, he says, must rejoice
,pi,on /, frontier line is removed, when he can
communicate freely. commercially and political
lv with h;S neiohb0rs without The restrictions OF
trade ar The interference OF foreign ciaiii's, anu
fore;gn nolit;cs and morals. When such re]oi-
cipgs are arguments, then we may reasonap'Y
fear c,r The invdous frontier lines oil The OIL Law
renee M, n sneak oilhat other on The westward
~ Inc ROCKY Mountains. But other difficulties
will arise h.torc ina. day. Neither Democracy
nor Federation can solge the great problem OF So
ciely Government is not 50 easy taSh: lne
creature Of \ mob election, addressing ms clcd
Tors NAV talk in the same breath ol clustering an
nations in n constitutional unity, ana ihefuic:ihs
moral and religious interference pel"eeh 'ie N
hahitan,s OF adjacent valleys; out human Nature
has ASSIGNED less 10 system and more 10 splrllu-
al in1uences She will soon detect the hollow
ness OF union without unity, and OF political
combination that aims 10 embrace The world,
while il is afraid 10 interfere with The groSsest So
cial conceptions in its own bosom.
In The inaugural address delivered by Inc new
President on The 4lh of March, we ind faithfully
re. produced all the worst characteristics oil the
American statesmen whoha been in power since
the withdrawal Of Mr. Webster from the Cabinet
of Washington If Mr. Polk was chosen as the
representative of,hc party which makes
slavery, Reputation, and foreign aggression us
claims 10 distinction, we are bound 10 acknow
ledge tina, be has not swerved from the intentions
of his constituents. His language on all lIese
subjects has the same unblushing impudence
which belonged 10 his predecessor, and which we
had fondly masned that no one else could Tlvai !;
bu, in his mouth il has this very serious assrava-
lion that il conyinces Us lie is prepared 10 begin
where the others leave off We had carefully
guarded ourselves against any preconcepiions
hostile 10 Mr. Polk; and we had endeavored 10
persuade ourselves tina. we should lind more mo-
deration in his own conduct than IN that oil ms
adherens but The indulsent illusion is complete
" dispelled bv the first words he uters; ana Inc
anxiety which was necessarily awakened by MT.
Tyler's strange and incongruous efforts, Is rem
dered infinitely greater by declarations from the
new President OF al least equal violence, and, we
fear, much more significance.
One of The first sentiments uttered By MIR. 70 X,
after an eyordium, in which the most admirable
and wisest system OF well-regulaled SELF govern.
ment among men ever devised by human minds,
receives verY able panegyrc, is that OF deep
regret al The schemes and agitalions oil misgaioeu
persons, whose object is The destruction oil dones
tic institutions existing in other sections Oh .he
country" Amongst other nations, The expression
domestic institutions" desgnaes all that IS most
sacred among men; in the u States, il expresses
tina, stale Of bondage which is most abhorred by
the free-ltat system OF slavery which other
have practised, which some have re-
which all deplore, but which the poii'i-
clans OF the u States have alone the courageto Gu
logic and defend.
MIR. Polk reserves his compassion, however, LOT
other objects. Happy would j! be, says he
"for indebted States if they were freed from
their liabilities, many Of which were lncau-
rously contracted" That sentiment Will m
deed find an echo in every debtors goal allo'
the world We who leel Tor slaves more Than
for Slave-owners, are apt 10 think unpaid cred-
Tors even more 10 be pi,ed than profgae debt
orS; but in The New World these things are re-
yersed "The sound moral, ana honorable feel
ing of the people OF The indebted States cannot
b. questioned, says the President; but whilst sym
pa,hies and euloges are showered upon them,
what, with one recent exception, has become ol
their unpaid dividends?
Alttrtwu such paragraphs as these, our readers
will mol be surprised al anything that may to-
low, more especially with reference TO The To-
reign relations OF the Union. lie repeated al
ter il has been contradicled and secuted by all
well.iniormed and honest men. is lie raised TO
a higher power-the square OF he. Mr.. ~
Ter animated in message some time ago, Thai
doubts were entertained by some whether Texas
had not originally formed part OF the territory
Of The United States and been improperly alien
ated from il; but Mr. Polk resolulely aiiirms
that Texas was once part OF our country
was unwiscly ce1ed away 10 foreign power, IS
now independent, and possesses an undonht-
ed right 10 merge her sovereignty in ours. =
The whole assertion is utterly groundless-trst
because Texas formed no part OF Louisiana
when sold by France and secondly, because
the boundary treaty with Spain, concluded in
1919, defnilively wiped ont all such equvocal
claims forever But in this discussion no ar
gllnent is practicable; the wolf is resolved on
Selling his prey, and II signifies but liue that
the lamb stood drinking lower down the brock.
Mr.. Polk holds somewhat similar, though less
precise language, as 10 the Oregon territory. He
pledges himself al The very outset OF his career,
and with the full knowledge That negolations are
actually going on between his Cabinet and Great
Britain, that the American title 10 the country OF
the Oregon is clear and unquesionabe. But ii
may spare time, likely 10 he consumed in n very
Improbable discussion, if we express an opinion
at least as decided as his own, that, in spite of
his marauders, and what he terms his constiiu-
tional rights, The territory Of The Oregon will ne
yer be wrcstcd from the British Crown, To which
il belongs, hut i,y war Mr. Polk AYERS that. 10
enlarge The limits Of The Union, is 10 extend The
dominion Of peace over additional territories and
increasing millions; hnl H. will find, that when
they are SO far extended 4. L. include The riehliul
possessions of the British Empire, lhcy will en-
counter the hostility AMI lie resolution of peo-
pie not inferior TO The ropalace Of America 10
spirit or in resources.
From he Loa!oa Post, .Harch IS.
Whatever may be thought of The message Of
President Polk as hold adaptation OF his ooen.
ing address 10 the auiacous views of The ultra
Democratic party, it is, in other respects, but
poor performance. Iii. very boasllul, and YET 50
uaS6iliuliy constructed, that The reader is allowed
10 espy The nakedness Of The land through The
chinks OF the triumphant covering OF words which
the President would cast upon ii. He begins by
describing his new office as "lhe most honorable
and responsible on earth" Presently, afterwards
he states thai he is a young man. He need scarce
" have made the announcement. Such bombast
sufficiently indicates that he is young indeed in
his appreciation Of the true dignity OF high po-
sition.
In The next paragraph, he admits the political
perplexites and difficulties which beset the u s.
He avows, that at the present time, "great dversi
" oil opinion prevails in regard 10 the principles
and policy which should characterize The admin
is,raion of the Government" This looks like an
honest confession; bu; in few paragraphs more
the message writer jumps of INTO very dfe.
rent view of the matter. He boasts of the plainly
written Constitution of the U. States, (which binds
together, in The bonds of peace and union, The
great and increasing family OF free and indepen-