Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1852-12-15
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

occur to us as bcing Of greatest interest
The sum and substance Of the rest we give
in our own language as briefly as possible
With all due respect for his Presidential
IIighncss we must premise our extracts by
saying that the very first short sentence we
meet with, is an utter mistake. A more eek
traordinary political event. than PIERcE's
almost unanimous elevation to the Presiden
cy, involving (as it has done) the entire
overthrow of the Wing Party, has not per-
haps occurred since the Revolution. Ap'
propriatc brevity characteristics the remaining
| portion of the exordium.
Fcllou. Ciii-cns of the Senate
and House Of Representatives:
The brief space which has elapsed since
the close of your last Session has bceu
marked by no extraordinary political event.
The quadrenni:,l election of Chief Magis.
tra,c has passed off with less than the usual
excitement However individuals and par
ties may have hecn disappointed in the re-
suit. it is nevertheless Il subject Of national
congratula,ion that the choice has been cf-
lectcd by the independent sullrages of free
people, undistusbcd by those influences
which in other countries have too often af
fected the purity OF popular elections.
Our grateful thanks are due to an ALL
merc!ul Providence, not only for staying
the pcstcncc which in different forms has
| Fdcsolatca some OF our cities, but for crown.
ing the aI,ors of the huslandman with an
abundant harvest, aud the nation generally
with the blessings of peace and prosperity.
Within few weeks the public mind has
been deeply affected by the death Of Daniel
Webster, filling at his deccase the office Of
Secretary Of State His associates in the
Executive government have sincerel y sym.
pat!,ized with his family aud the public gen.
orally on this mournful occasion. His COM
manding talents, his great political and pro-
fessiona cmiucnce his wclI.tried patriotism,
and his long and faithful services, in the
most important public trusts, have caused
his death to he lamented throughout the
country, and have earned for him lasting
place in our history.
After this follows a paragraph or two
about the Fisheries. That themair diIafirui.i
ty between our Government and England in
this matter has been terminated every news
naper reader knows. The President anti
cipates that the remsining points at issue
will be settled amicably during the ensuing
winter.
In reference to Cuba, the Message con.
tains the following statement aud opinions: {:
The affairs Of Cuba formed prominent
topic in my last animal message. They re-
main in an uneasy condition, and a feeling
Of alarm and irritation on the part Of the
Cuban authorities appears to exist. This
feeling has interfercd with the regular com.
mcrcial intercourse between the United
States and the island, and led to some acts
of which we have a right to complain. But
the Captain General of Caba is clothed with
no power to treat with foreign governments,
nor is he in any dcgrc under the control Of
the Spanish Minister at Washington. Any
communication which he may hold with an
agent of foreign power is informal and
matter of courtesy. Anxious to put an end
to the existing nconveniences, (which seem
to rest OH Il misconccption,) | directed the
newly appointed Minister to Mexico to visit
Havana, on his way to Vera Cruz. lie was
respectfully received by the Captain Gen
eral, who conferred with him freely on the
recent occurrences; but no permanent ar
rangement was effected.
In the mean time, the refusal of the Cap
tain General to allow passengers and the
mail to be landed in certain cases, for rea'
son which does not furnish in the opinion ol
this Government even a good presumptive
ground for such prohibition, has been
made the subject of serious remonstrance
il; Madrid and have no reason to doubt
that due respect will be paid by the gov
ernmcnt Of Her Catholic Majesty to the
representations which our Minister has been
instructed to make on the subject
1t is but Justice to the Captain General to
! add that bis conduct towards the steamers
employed to carry the mails Of the United
States to Havana has, with the exceptions
above alluded to, been marked with kind
ness and liberalty, and indicates no general
purpose of interfering with the commercial
correspondence and intercourse between the
island aud this country.
Early in the present year official notes
were received from the Ministers OF France
aud England, inviting the Government oi
the United States to become party with
Great Britain and France to tripartite
Convention, in virtue of which the three
powers shonld sevcraly and collectively dis.
claim, now and for the future, all intention
to obtain possession Of the Island of Cuba.
and should bind themselves to discounte,
nance all attempts to that effect on the part
of any power or individual whatever. This
invitation has been respectfully declined, for
reasons which it would occupy too much
space in this communication to state in de.
| tail, but which led me to think that the pro
posed measure would be of doubtful con
stitutionality, impoliic, and unavaIling.
! have, however, in common with several o.
my predecessors, directed the Ministers o.
France and England to he assured that the
United States entertain no designs agains
Cuba; but that, on the contrary, | SHOULD
regard its incorporation into the Union a
the present time as fraught with serious
peril.
Were this island comparatively destitute
of Inhabitants. or occupied by z kindrc,