Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-03-08
THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

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In state of mind as impartial as is possible for
persons who have long had fixed opinions all
great points of national policy and duty, we have
carefully read through the Inaugural Address of the
new President
Plain and unpretending composition, it in
cludes some sentiments which have our entire APP
probation, and especially the passage which ex-
presses attachment and DEVOTION before all things,
to the Union of the States, and that which speaks
of the Limitation to the rights of maorites, and the
necessity of their combining themselves within the
pale Of the Constitutional which necessity recent
illustrations occur to our mind, which we dare say
did not to the Presidents. There are in the Ad-
dress some phrases Of doubtful character upon
which we are quite willing to put the most favor
able construction they are susceptible Of There is
one of these, however, which will probably be gen.
orally construed unfavorably to the Tariff policy,
to which indebted for the restored credit and
advanced prosperity upon which the President
himself feicitates the country. With regard to this
policy, we have only to repeat, what we said in
substance before the delivery of the Inaugural that
the established policy of the Government i'll this
respect is one over which the President has no
power, without the cooperation Of Congress. Oh
such cooperation, to any extent by which that
policy can be seriously affected, we have not the
slightest apprehension. The next Congress, If i,
be not Whig or Conservative in both branches
will be Destructive in neither.
We wish we could say that we were as favora-
bly, impressed by other parts of the Address as by
those to which we have referred. To be frank
upon the subject we had no right to expect that il
would be particularly accordant with our opinions
on several points, and we have of course no reason
to be disappointed that it is not SO. The points of
the Address to which we particularly object the
eulogy Of the odious Veto power the unnecessary
fling at those who endeavored to avert the public
and private distress which followed the refusal TO
renew the charter of the defunc Bank of the United
States all that part of the Address which relates to
the Texas question; and the unnecessary introduc-
ton into such document of the Oregon question
qualified though it be with the intmaon that every
obligation imposed by treaty or conventional stpu-
latons in regard to that matter should be sacredly
respected. We sincerely wish that the President had
confined himself to the enuncation, in respect to
our Foreign Relations, of general principles such
he has expressed in the following sentences:
(" In the management Of our foreign relations it
will be my aim to observe careful respect for the
rights of other nations, while our own will be the
subject Of constant watchfuness. Equal and exact
Justice should characterize all our intercourse with
foreign countries"
These are maxims which, il faithfully adhered
to- cannot fail to point the President to an honest
policy, and ensure to him an honorable fame.
There is sentence towards the close of the Adj
dress which we should be glad to be able to con-
strae, as il is construed by some to indicate de-
termination TO act President independently Of
party considerations. The essence of il, however
seems to us to lie in the phrase which we have
emphasized in the following extract and to acknow.
ledge himself bound, beyond the power Of emancipa
ton, to party principles and measures
although, in our country, the Chief Magistrate
must almost Of necessity be chosen by a parv
AND STAND PLEDGED TO ITS PRINcrpLEs AND MA.
suREs yet in his official action he should not he
President of part only, but of the whole People
Of the United States"
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