The North-Carolina standard., 1849-03-14
NORTH G IN ST ARD.
RALEIGH
WEDNEsDAY.yNIAR IL. 1919.
GEN. TAYLoR,s INAUGURAL.


Our readers viii find incur columns to-day, the In
augural Address of Gen. Taylor. OfcourseaI will
read it, and all will judge for themselves.
Itappears to be pretty well written. what there is of
it; but it abounds with vague generalities and some
very commonplace expressions He says the Con-
stit6tion Shall be his guide; and for his nerpreta
ton of that instrument, he win eok to the Supreme
Court and to the practice Of the government under
the earlier Presidents That sounds very well.
But schick of the earlier Presidents efersonor
Adams If Jefferson, his eye will be in the right
direction; but if Adams, who will answer for the
consequences Adams approved the Alien and Sc
diton laws-Jeferson opposed them. Which spirit,
we again ask, will the old General invoke ~
He says nothing, in so many words, about Slave
y; but ne remotely alludes to It when he declares
that " is for the soidos of Congress, in which all
legislative posvers uested By the Consuio 70 reg
uate these and other matters of domestic pokicy.''
The wisdom - of Congress indeed! Is he not
well aware that the wisdom of that body on this
subject has been but foolshness, distraction, and
bitterness? And yet not word of Tebuke to the
fanatics and agtatorsnot the first sentence of assu-
rance and encouragement to The outraged South, from
this owner of tthree hundred slaves! I'VE deeply
regret this ominous and striking silence. He might
have spoken under the circumstances, calmly and
truthfu1ly, and with power; but from some motive
we know not what-the opportunity was lost. Fifty
words from such man, at such a time, and under
all the circumstances words of the right sort,
might have done more for the South and for the
Union, than all the Congressional speeches and all
the newspaper articles for twelve-mopth, pat to-
gether. pt-@'si = d 49, -
In relation to the appointing power, Gen. Taylor
says ' so far as is possible for him to be nformed'
he viii make honesty, capacity, and fidelity indis
pensable prerequisites the bestowal of Office and
absence of either of these qualities shall be deemed
sufficient for removal That in our judgment;
is very fair and quite sound But will he stand to
it? Will he his SECRETARIES be 's informed " and do
the work of appointing and removing! And, all !
things else being even, will not the chances of
Whg to get Office and retain it. be little better. any
way, than those of Democrat? And if so, would
not that be deviation from the rule here laid down
But,we have no idea at present of reviewing this
Address and certainly, we have disposition to
find fault with it. There is with its contradictions,
its very plain trisms and its pretensions Repub
licansm " intermingled with some little Democracy
and greatdeal of Federais but the old General may
do better as he grows older-as Clay fouts hia and
goads him the one hand, and as GreeIy and Gid /
dings give him I" ultra Whg'' blows on the other.
ASIDE from all thls, however, Il DehooVes General
Taylor to remember that he is the President and not
his Cabinet And viii he, after receiving such ad
vice he may ask for, act for himself and Of him
self Will his hand alone be seen in hisworks,
and will he alone be responsible4 If so, whatever
he may do, the people will at least give him credit for
his independence but if he should shrink and shver
behind his Secretaries, and push forward Mr.. Mere
dith or Mr.. Coamer, any other Cabinet officer to
bear the blame and the brunt whenever he is sum-
moned to the bar of public opinion, his Admnistra-
ton will at once become contemplate in itself and
utterly powerless for good.