The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-09-08

There is no doubt but that President
Pierce and those of his Cabinet who have
expressed no opinion on the subject, or have
none to express, are endeavorng to creep
out of the Pacific Railroad project, to which
they had been committed as Cabinet and
heads of party, by the speeches of Messrs.
Davis and Guthrie, and the silent assent oil
the President at the time. They have doubt
less realized that many prominent Democrat
ic papers and leaders, have no idea OF follow
ing in any such path, one SO utterly opposed
to what they conceive to be the past Prin-
ciples OF the Democratic party. Whatever
they have realized, the anxious expectations
formed by many of the people, that the Pre-
sident would in his next annual message,
make warm and decided Recommendation
in favor of the General Government embark
ing at once in the enterprise of making the
roads now fat being dispelled.
The Washington Union is evidently try
ing to take back track, and appears to be
regretting it took SO decided stand in favor
of the Government building the road. AS a
contemporary remarks, the EXPLANATIONS and
equivocations of the Union, justly excite
doubts, that President Pierce had no OPT
Mons on the subject, and did not know really
what he would do-his decision being con-
trolled by party policy, not public good and
constitutional right.
The fears that some have entertained about
the President being disposed to take back
track, are now revolved into almost GER
tainty. The Richmond Democratic Enquir-
er insists that the following opinions express
ed by the New Hampshire Union Democrat,
the organ and mouth piece of Gen. Pierce,
may be regarded as an expression of Presi-
dent Piefce's opinion. The Democrat sets
out by stIgmatizing the Pacific Railroad pro-
ject as "Gorgon'' which has raised It's head
within the Democratic household, and says:
We regard it as a monster whose enormi,y
can only be measured by its length-as much
beyond any former conception of iniquity, as
it must transcend all such in magnitude and
cost. AS sucn, we mean to oppose it to the
'sbitter end.''
We need not say that there is no expressed
authority in the constitution for such an en-
terprise. No one pretends there is. 1t is
based upon a mere inferential power-and
that extorted by the most shameful looseness
of construction. The Washington Union, as
we have said, advocates it as a military ne
cessity-planting itself upon the ,car poper
in the constitution. The pretext is that war
may come-that California, in its opulent
weakness, will be likely to fall an easy VIC
tim to any foe which may assail her. and that
we are, therefore, under political and frater-
nal obligations o"come to the rescue" by
means OF the Pacific Railroad.
The hypothesis upon which this argument
is based, are as star fetched aud little wo.th''
as the conclusions to which they lead.
We should not be surprised if this very
question resulted in a change in the Cabinet.
There are already rumors TO that effect, and
the result does not look so unreasonable as
at fl list sight it nigh, seem. What will our
neighbor of the Enquirer do then! Will he
90 out with Davis an Guthrie whom he has
been backing, or will he '.jump Jim Crow
and alight on the back of the President! We
should be sorry to see his ineffably bright
light extinguished.