Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-05-01
RIG HMOND, VA.
Wednesday Morning, May LIST, 1850.
r SEE FIRST PAGE.
THE PRESIDENTS VIEWS.


Tn the remarks we took occasion to make on
Saturday last in reference to the tenor OF certain
articles in the Washington Republic, which indi-
Gated the anxiety of the Editors of that paper
for the admission of California, independently OF
any settlement of the slavery question in the Ter
ritories, we demanded to know whether these art-
cles represented the views of the President, and
frankly declared that such were the fact the Ad-
ministration could not be sustained in the
South. At the same time, we protested our utter
discredt of the inference, apparently to be drawn
from the Republics course, that the President was
really throwing his personal influence in favor of
the policy of which Mr. Benton is the leading sup
porter in the Senate, and against the great scheme
of settlement which is so nobly advocated by Mr.
Clay, Mr. Webster, and Gen. Cass.
In our postscript yesterday, we briefly noticed
formal correction, by the National Intelligencer
of a report sent to the North by certain Washing
ton correspondents, 'that the President of the Uni
ted States will veto the bill for the admission of
the State of California into the Union, should it be
accompanied by Territorial bills or other mea-
sures" The following are all the remarks of the
Editors on the subject:
THE President has never assumed any such ground
One of the greatest complaints now made against him
by his opponents is that he declines to interfere with or
to attempt to control the legislation OF Congress He
has pc rouned his constitutional duty and fully recon-
mended regard the newly acquired territory, such
in his judgment are best calculated to pro-
harmony and good feeling, by avoiding the unne
cessay discussion OF the agatng questions OF the day
He has attempted by any other to influence
control the opinion OF Congress in reference to this
vexed question nor any of his Cabinet Ministers
The President having performed his whole duty in this
particular leaves the decision OF the subject to the wis
dom and patriotism of that enlightened body, whose
constitutional duty it is to assist him in the admnisa
ton OF the government and to whom he looks with con-
dence for satisfactory adjustment OF the whole matter
Amidst the storm OF political and party STRIFE he bears
with him the consciousness OF rectitude, which he knows
will carry him trumphanty through all dangers, and
hrmness OF purpose upon which good men may con-
hdenty rely for the safety OF the Republic under any
possible emergency"
These statements of the National Inteligencer
0he authenticity of which, in all particulars, the
scrupulous exactness of that journal will permit
one to doubt 60, it will be observed, material
ly beyond the point of simply denying Gen. Tay-
lor's intention to veto the Compromise bill, should
it be sent to him from the two Houses of Con-
gress. They assure the public, that whilst he
thinks the policy recommended by him, sbest cal
culated to promote harmony and good feeling by
ting questions Of the day." he leaves the subject to
the decision of Congress- and looks to it, with
fidence, 'yfor satisfactory adjustment Of the
avhole matter" If this declaration is designed to
be significant of anything it is that the President
cordially seconds, with his best wishes, the efforts
of the friends of ga satisfactory adjustment" and
stands prepared to give the most favourable result
of those efforts his official sanction We have
not doubted, from the first, that these were the
patriotic views of President Taylor himself
They are not the views Swallowed forth by the ar
ticles of the Republic, which, in effect, call upon
Congress to admit California singly, and call upon
the Wing party especially to support that policy,
at the very moment when the issue of settle
ment is staked upon the union of the California
and Territory bills.
We did not need the limitations of the Nation
al Intelligencer to be ourselves well assured,
that General Taylor's paramount desire is, that
some final settlement of the vexatious ques-
ton of slavery should be accomplished by Con-
gress The existence of that desire in his bo-
som is entirely incompatible with the supposition
that he is willing to hazard the success ola compro
mise by insisting upon his own plan in preference
to the scheme which all the true friends of the
Union in the Senate are using their best energies
to carry. For this reason, we believed that the Re-
pubc's appeals to Congress and the Wing party
to pass the California bill alone, were not to be
regarded as indicative of the Presidents desire
to stake his administration upon that policy.