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

occur to us as being of greatest interest
The sum and substance of the rest we Civ,
in onr own language as briefly as possible
With all due respect for his Presidential
1Iighncss we must premise our extracts by
saving that the very first short sentence w
meet with is an utter mistake. A more EEK
traordinary political event. than PIERCE
almost unanimous elevation to the Presden
cy, involving las it has done) the entire
overthrow of the Wlig Party, has not per
haps occurred since tue Revolution. APP
propriatc brevity characteristics the remaining
portion of the exordium.
Fcllow. Cii=cns Of the Senate
and House Of Representatives.:
The brief space which has elapsed since
the close of your last Scssinn has been
marked hy no extraordinary political event
The quadrennia election of Chief iIagis.
tratc has passed off with less than the usual
excitement However individuals and par.
ties may have been disappointed in she re.
suit. it is nevertheless subject of national
congratua,ion that the choice has heen cf-
fectcd by the independent sull'rages of free
people, undsturbcd by those influences
which in other countries have too often af.
f.cted the purity of popular elections.
Our grateful thanks are due to an ALI
merci!ul Providence, not only for staying
the pestilcncc which in different forms has
dcsolatrd some of our cities, but for crown.
ing the lalors of the husl,andman with an
abundant harvest, and the nation generally
with the blessings of peace and prosperity.
Within few weeks the public mind has
|cen deeply affected by the death of Daniel
Webster, Gllng at his deccase the office of
Secretary of State His associates in the
Executive government have sincerely SYM
pat!,ized with his family and The public gen.
orally on this mournful occasion. His COM
manding talents, his great political and pro-
fessiona cnincnce, his wclI.tried patriotism,
and his long and faithful services, in the
most important public trusts, have caused
his death to he lamrnted throughout the
country, and have earned for him lasting
place in our history.
After this ,fnllows a paragraph or two
about the Fisheries. That tiTemaia difficult:
ty between our Government and England in
this matter has been terminated every news
raper reader knows The President anti
cii,ates that the remsining points at issue
will be settled amically 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 feeling
of alarm and irritation on the part OF the
Cuban authorities appears to exist This
feeling has intcrfercd with the regular com.
mcrcial intercourse between the United
States and the island, and led to some acts
of which we have right to complain. But
the Captain General of Caba is clothed with
no power to treat with foreign governments,
nor is he in any degee 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 Inconvenience, (which seem
to rest OIL a misconccpton,) 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
rangcme,t was effected.
ln 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 oil
this Government even n good presnmptive
ground for such prohibition, has been
made the subject Of a 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 liberality, and indicates no general
purpose of interfering with the commercial
correspondence aud intercourse between the
island aud this country.
Early in the present year official notes
were received from the Ministers OF France
and England, inviting the Government oI
the United States to become party with
Great Britain and France to a tripartte
Convention, in virtue Of which the three
powers shonld severaly y 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 OH the par
of any power or individual whatever. This
! invitation has been respectfully declined, fol
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, impoltic, and unavaing.
| have, however, in common with several o
my predecessors, directed the. Ministers o
France and England to be assured that th'
United States entertain no designs agains
Cuba; but that, on the contrary, | shoult
regard its incorporation into the Union a
the present time as traught with serious
peril.
Were this island comparatively destitute
4 L..