The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-27
TIL Il REP y BLIC.
WASHIN GTON:
MONDAY MORNING, MAY 81. 1850.
The President and Mr.. Cls

1t is now more than six months since
the President of the United States, in a
message to Congress transmitting infor-
nation in answer to resolution OF the
House of Representatives on the subject
of California and New Mexico, pursuant
to the provision of the Constitution which
makes it the duty of the Executive from
time to time to recommend to Congress
such measures as he may deem necessary
and expedient, pointed out the course of
policy which, in his opinion, under all the
circumstances of the case, it would be
most wise to pursue in reference to the
government of the territory acquired from
Mexico by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidal-
go. To that subject, and that subject
alone, did the recommendations contained
in his message refer. To none other did
he conceive it to be his duty, on that oc-
casion, to call the attention of Congress.
Thadthe line of policy then recommended
by him was, at the time, most favorably
received by the people of the United
States, and was generally accepted by
them as satisfactory, and as probably the
best which existing circumstances render
ed practicable, we presume no one will
pretend to deny.
litter the President had recommended
to Congress the plan of proceeding which
he deemed best, various other plans were
offered by individual members of the Sen
ate, and more recently another has ema-
mated from a committee of thirteen men,
bers of the Senate, to whom the subject
had been referred This is known as
the Compromise. During the discussions
which from day to day sprung up and
were continued in the Senate, with regard
to the relative merits of these plans, and
to the best mode of disposing of the sub
ject, it began to be rumored that the Pres
ident had changed has opinion in regard to
the policy originally recommended by him,
and that he thought better of some other
plan. Positive statements to that effect
were made in the public prints, and began
to obtain very general credence. I'm
der these circumstances, it was alike due
to the President, to the public, and, in
particular manner, 10 those members of
Congress who preferred the line of policy
recommended by him to any other, and
who had from the beginning stood ready
to support it, that the misrepresentation
should be corrected. He accordingly
authorized us to say that no such change
of opinion as that attributed to him
had taken place, and that he was still
firm in the belief that the policy re-
commended by him was, under all the
circumstances of the case, the best that
was practicable. This simple corec-
ton of current misapprehensions and
Misrepresentation, in relation to an al
legged change Of opinion by the President,
on the subject Of great measure of pub
lie policy which he had, on his official re-
sponsibility, recommended to Congress,
and which had numerous supporters in
that body-this mere enunciation of
truth which it was due to himself, to Con-
gress, and TO the people of the United
States, should be made known, has, il
appears, been singularly misconceived as
to its object, and as strangely received in
certain quarters. The Union newspaper,
the sole organ, in this city, of the Demo
cratic party, CONSTITUTES it into an indica-
ton that the PRESIDENT is opposed to
"the Compromise (Which means the
Compromise in all its parts and prov-
sions-and that he is ''against the settle
ment of the slavery question:"
The enunciation was also received, it APP
pears, "with profound surprise and regret"
by distinguished Wing Senator, Mr. CLAY,
who, the day after the enumeration, on Tues
day the 21stinstant, in the discharge of ga
painful duty" felt himself called upon to
contrast the plan proposed by the PREsI-
DENT with the compromise plan. This he
did by "simile." 'Here," said he, care
five wounds-one, two, three, four,
and fve-bleeding and threatening the
well-being, II not the existence Of the
body polite. What is the plan of the
{ PRESIDENT Is il to heal all these
wounds , No such thing. II is only to
heal one of the five, and to leave the
others to bleed more profusely than ever,
by the sole admission Of California, even
if il should produce death itself" These
FIVE wounds the Senator then proceeded to
describe. "First," said he, ''there is Cali
fornia; there are the territories, second;
there is the question Of the boundary of
Texas, the third; there is the fugitive
slave bill, the fourth; and there is the
question of the slave trade in the District
of Columbia, the fifth. The PRESIDENT,
instead of proposing plan comprehend