The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1851-12-17
The Presidents Message.

dent Fillmore S last annual Message, and
we also presume, that each one has formed
an opinion respecting its merits rs a State
paper, %emenaung from So distinguished a
pablo ~hucionary. We have given it a
careful perusal, and We shall proceed to give
our opinion, SO as to compare notes and see
bow lar we agree with our patrons. We
would have YOU bear in mind, that in ap-
preaching this investigation, we speak not
as a political partizan. We speak OF it as a
free American citizen, whose sentiments diff
fer from those advocated by the Wing party
in the United States with Mr.. Fillmore at its
head.
The general tone Of the President in re.
gard 10 the expedition against Cuba, we
consider unfair and unworthy of that high
f%unctionary. In his anxiety to give itas bad
al appearance as possible, he is guilty o
inconsistencies in his statements, which are
any thing but creditable to such a document
as an annual message Of the President o.
the United States. We believe hat that of
fcer in communicating to Congress the state
of our affairs, both at home and abroad,
should give a plain, unvarnished Statement,
of facts" and not shield himself and party
by direct misrepresentation. But to the
Cuban matter.
He starts ont by asserting that the expe'
dition ~as gotten up JyJoreignerS who owed
the United States no allegiance, and who
abused our hospitality by making it the
base of their operations. But before he gets
through, he tells us that it "origindtea ril
citizens ofMs United States from motives o
base copidity." How the President can re
concile these two stories to each other, w
are ut loss to conjecture.
The anxiety of the President to blaekeI
the character OF the expedition and thos,
engaged in it, is too apparent to earn for thi'
par: Of the message the respect of the Amer
lean people.
He does not by any means present a full
and accurate history Of the origin of the ex
pedition, neither is it satisfactory of The
course pursued by the Government towards it
And WHY'S it, that he does not give us all the
facts iu relation to the disposition made by
the Cuban authorities, of the unfortunate
brave men who fell into their ruthless hands
1t seems as if the President, in his allu.
sions to the Cuba expedition, labors tc
make an apology for the black hearted and
damning barbarity practised by the Cuban
authorities, and for his own and Consu
Owens Indifference to the fate of the Amer.
leans who were engaged in the expedition
He relies solely upon the Spanish version 0
the affair as far as he could, at least it is SC
in regard to the unfortunate Crittenden and
his companions, to prove that these ner
were properly tried and condemned.
But does this answer the feelings of the
American people? Does these records prove
! hat Justice had been melted out impartial,
o these unfortunate men? If the record
in the possession of the President proved
his, why were they not laid tefpre the coun
try in the body of the message, SO that tn
public could read and Judge for themselves
The action of the Cuban authorities was no
free from fault, ond The cold-blooded butcher,
y the ffty-two unarmed men, as witnessed
on the 10Th of August last, was not in &C
cordancc with the usages of civilized war
Hare, even had they been taken in battle
much less captured on the open sea, fleeing
from the scene of conflict, four days out from
the shores of Cuba.
The "powcrs that be- at Westinghouse
not not expect or believe that public senti
ment will aequit them of bitter, deliberate
injustice in striving to blaeken and defam'
the memory of the unfortunate, yet brave
hearted men who perilled their lives in thu
expedition. They will be held up to the scorl
and contempt of the civilized world, and the.
will find, that for their infamous conduct il
this instance, that no one will be found, "s'
poor as to do them reverence"
Whether the act of freeing Cuba from tn
dominion Of Spain, would hazard the peac'
of our nation, is a question which Mr.. Fill
more has no right to decide either way.
The reader, relying alone upon the infor
nation and half-drawn conclusions of tn
message, would not learn that the Presiden
had actually commanded Consul Owen t
leave those engaged in the expedition t
whatever tats the Cuban authorities seen fl
to decree for them. He would not learn tina
that fate. before and after death had bee1
most cruel, inhuman, barbarous and unclvl
lied in every feature. He would not lear
that we have no pr OFF that a fair and impair
tiaI trial, had been awarded to those execu
ted on the 10Th OF August. He would nc
learn that the President had removed MI
Owen for obey ing die Instructions which til
Government at Washington had given hin
ito show no protection to those taken pr
soners." He perceive no allusion to the in
suit and violence which was committed b
the Spanish authorities, upon our Nations
Flag. which was borne BY the steamer "a