Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-12-14
The Message. -

its instrume ntaty; and that he does not consider
the National Government as an important element
or hardly useful means ''in maintaining ana per-
netunting the Union or in giving to 1t vitality Ct
being and greatl ess." This may seem TO De a
strong charge; but he who will carefully consluer
this document, will find that it is true. In proof
Of il, we quote the following paragraphs which
stand together in the message, and after them, and
in this connection will quote all that even by IN
ference, can be said to bear upon this question in
The late series or Laws, called The Compromi'e:
"Recurring 10 those principles which constitute
che orrnnic basis Of union, perceive that, vast
nS are the functions aud the duties OF the Federal
Cover ment, vested in, or intruSted to us thres
great departments, the legislative, executive anu
judicial vet the substantive power, the popular
force, and the large capacities for social and ma
teriai development exist in the respective States,
which. all being of themselves well constituted
rennbics, MS they proceeded, they alone are Cd
,sbe of maintaining and peTpetuattng the AmerI-
can onion.
line of action IN the specific and limited powers
conferred on it by the Constitution, chiefly as 10
those things in which the States have a common
interest in Their relations 10 one another ana to
foreign governments; while the great mass OF IN
tereSts which belong TO cultivated men, Inc orui.
Tary business Of life, the springs OF INDUSTRY All
the diversified personal and domestic affairs oil So
ciety rest securely upon the general pot9
srs of the people OF the several States. There IS
the reetue democracy Of the nation, anu theTe the
pitai essence Of its being and its greatness.
''Ofthe practical consequences which flow from
the nature of the federal government, the primary
one is the duty Of administering with INTEGRITY ana
fidelity the high trust Teposed IN II oy Tue constr
tutiur eSpeciallY in tine application OF the PH6Ee
funds, as drawn by taxation from the people,
and appropriated to specific objects by Congress.
Happily have no occasion 10 suggest any radi-
cal changes in the financial policy of the govern
ment."
The composition of these passages is so OBJ
scure, that one cannot fail to perceive that they
are pprposely dark, and were designed 10 mean
much or little, any thing or nothing, as might best
suit the Iancy of the reader, unless his Excellen-
cy has less intellect than ever we supposed him 10
have.
The sense OF The first of the above paragraphs,
is certainly 10 be found in the two or three last
lines. In them he says 1.-The States alone are ca
pabIe OF maintaining and perpetuating the I'M
ion" So it will be found, that the next para
eraph is in harmony with the first one, and that its
real meaning is to be found in the last line or two
where he says 'lhe1e is the efectual democracy
OF the nation-and there is the vital essence of its
being and its greatness" When lie uses the word
"there' what does he mean! Certainly what he
lust before called, the preserved powets of the
people of the several States" and when he speaks
of the Uitdl essence of its being and greatness
of what is he speaking, as having vitality OF be-
ing and greatness? Manifestly of tn e nation, the
idea OF which he had before expressed by the
words, "The Federal Government, and without
which we are not one nation but thirty nGtiOnS
The sense then OF the whole when stript of its
verbiage, is that the vitality and being of the
tern States and their greatness depend not on the
government of the Union, but on the reserved pow
ers OF the States, and that tile Government of the
United States can only be maintained and peipetu
ated by the States. According 10 this log C, the
preservation Of our Union, is in no way dependent
on the active measures and laws of the National
Observation-Disclosures, says the President, "the
States can alone maintain it." But dbl ever &C.
cur to his ExceIlency, that it was the Federal Con-
stitution and government which created and gave
being 10 the Union, and that the power of the ere
ator would naturally be regarded by all men as
OF some account in preserving the creature. We
did not however make these selections from the
message TO prove second time that the President
little comprehends the nature and principles OF
the government over which he was by mistake
called to presi de; but 10 prove that he has low
and dangerous Lotions to the value and uses of
the national government.
The last of the paragraph before quoted, shows
that in his opinion, the primary and most imPor-
tant duty Of the federal government is TO dsburse
'.the public funds" 1efer to it as another evil
dence of the mean aud crude views lie entertains
OF the Nalional:. Government. 1t is a marvel, how
any respectable gentleman, much less the Chief
Magistrate himself could venture such an obser-
walton OF the government of the States. Its true,
that to say of any government, its principal unc-
ton is TO collect and isbutse taxes. is torepresent
il TO the people in odious light, and to make
them dislike and contemn, rather than TO love and
respect 1t.
Butw 20 further: we think q candid and fair
consideration of the Message, will prove that the
President is not partial TO the series OF Laws call
ed the Comprise; and that his feelings and his
sympathies are in fact with the Nulfers aud Free
soilers. The paragraphs last quoted prove this
II the vita iy, being and greatness of the United
States, and their maintenance and perpetuity, de-
pend not on its own constitution, laws and policy,
but on the States alone, we confess we can see no
utility or merit in tue compromise. But it is
worthy of observation, that if it were the PreS-
dents object 10 damage the Compromise and its adj
vocaes in the minds of the people, we see no more
ready way Of accomplishing his purpose, than the
expression of such views and sentiments on his
part. And the fact that the word compromise is
No where 10 be found in the message, but IS careful
ly excluded from it, looks very much though he
designed 10 impair it in the affections of the peo-
Ile.
In our next we will give those passages from the
Messare in which, II at all, he intended TO speak
of those measures, usually called the Compromise
Laws, and we will show that they are of the same
character with the last extracts and tend rather TO
to public favor the enemies. than the
fisndsof the compromise-are, in fact, in harmony
with the letters to and removal Of Collector BrOn-
son. .,., 1850, l.