The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-22
AMERICANA IN PARIS.


49, 0oA A..Aos1 Aoae'A ~
The President of the United States assumes this day.
the supreme power in that great and
tiers the duties OF the Office to which he elected
in December last by large majority Of his fellow c
Gems in almost every State of the Union. No has
stances favorable than General Pierce He finds
his country In state Of universal and unexamped
prosperity No question Of immediate interest urgent
tegrity Of the Union The majority, which has suddenly
borne him from comparatively obscure position to be
at to OF his ppos, TO
policy Of the United states win henceforward be
more openly directed to the unrest ricted freedom
of commercial intercourse, both with the contiguous
provinces Of the British empire and with foreign coun
apt to excite the passions of the American people, and
sometimes threaten to ebroi them with their nsghbors
General Pierce takes the in an interval Of
the world are tranquil, and we hope pacific. In
mentng upon the discussions which have lately
in the public assemblies of the United States it is well to
bear in mind that much is said than meant or
will be DONE Mr.. Cass' declamatory orations on the
Monroe doctrine qualified by his own sturdy OPPOSE
ton to the schemes Of the buccaneers Cuba and we
have reason to hope that the ferd appeals made to the
passions Of the nation delicate points of nterna
tonal law will have DO serious effect the policy of the
Union towards the rest of the world.
General Pierce has observed most discreet and states
manhke reserve during the whole period whsh has
elapsed between his election and his induction to Office
He has carefully avoided all those demonstrations which
popular enthusiasm and curiosity would readily have
awarded to successful candidate He has not allowed
pledge to his lips in public written declaration
to proce ed from his So little known of his past life
fettered by anything he may have said done in any
former capacity and though it must be confessed that
the credit he has hitherto obtained is in great mea-
sure hypothetical no one succeeded better ia pre-
serving the mystery OF undiscosed greatness or in
avoiding the advertisements that precede Office Even
the selection Of his confidential advisers has been
kept profound secret, and in country where every
thing is bruitd about and every scheme discussed be-
forehand by million Of voices, the real character and
policy Of the new government at Washington is little
to be guessed ut as the of pope in newly
bled conclaye the policy Of absolute sovereign who
has just assembled the throne Probably the reason of
the apparent indifference of the American people to those
considerations, which would to be of essential con-
sequence under an elective government is that they
well assured that under whatsoever the
OF public affairs will be pretty nearly the They
gard the first officers of State the servants rather than
the rulers of the people, and they satisfied with the
conviction that whoever may be trusted with the man
bidding.
DUE however, to the statesmen Of tho whig party
in the United States-of whom in official capacity
take leave for time-to ackno Wedge the ability
and prudence with which they have on many occasions
found means to control and direct the popular WILL often
upinstructed misguided especially questions affect
ing the relations of tee Union with foreign powers That
IS the lasting glory OF Mr. Clay Mr.. Webster, and
recently of Mr.. Everett and although they have
tanly never sacrificed ot OF what could be considered
aye wisely and hoaoraby endeavored sometimes at the
a;acu,t;es Ss Sa =" 1870 Gy neotiaen
more factous portion Of the community, only against
the government but against its foreign allies.
III tHe very IaEG communication addressed by Mr..
Everett to the Senate have striking example Of the
results Of this good feeling and orbearance and it
possibly teach General Cass lesson to find that ut
the very time when he was mschievousy laborng
tract quarrel out of the treaty OF Great Britain for the
establishment of ship canal through Central America
the British government was, in conjunction with the
American Secretary of State dspaesonatey considering
the best means of securing the independence of that pas
sage and freely resgnng come of the protecting rights
which It has long exercised por Of those terri
tories II may be in the recollection of readers that
we have more than discussed tie anomalous and
inconvenent claims on the Mosquito coast to which
Lord Palmerston appeared, when he held the
office OF Foreign Secretary to attach undue impor
lance He even traced the boundary line of Mosquts
across the swamps and serras of Honduras invested
ilerate and half clothed savage with the attributes
Of sovereignty king Of the Mosquitoes, though the
power exercised in his name really belonged either to
British subjects lately committee of A,neri-
can citizens Lord John Russell has very wisely put an
end to this farce which exposed to the respc visibility
OF defending the Independence of territory not our
and he has thus given both to the United States and to
central America, the strongest proof of respect
Tor the Clayton and Bulwer treaty and of our repuc
nance to extend the British territories in that part
Of the globe; The only point, against which It il
TO provide is the possibility of preienson on tho part
OF the Nicaragua government to convert the passage of
the san Juan into monopoly The object of the treaty
with the United States and Of whole policy is aim
ply to promote, on the easiest TERMS the execution of
ship canal the shmus and to secure its freedom
and neutrality. With this view IL has been pronosed t
convert the city and port into free haven and n the
event OF the canal being executed it hardly fail to
become one OF the most important commercial positions
~ ". S'ope connctnS Europe with the Australian coli
ncnt and the islands of the Pacific and the eastern
sels The proposal is creditabc to the English min
istry, and the spirit in which it is made is that
which ought to characterize relations with the
American people. This is not the FIRST instance in
which Great Britain has shown that on tie fair
held 81 commercial competition seek for exclusive
advantages We ask than TO stand on the same
public rights other nations and we have set the ex
ample Of the policy profess by opening oar own ports
and trade as widely possible to the rest of the world
MI Everett, though the organ Of government not pro-
Tossing the principles CT free trade has done justice to
our motives in bis communication; and he has also
sought to mark bis administration by the settlement Of
the question OF the fisheries and Colonial trade on fair
terms, and even II is ad by the signature of treaty.
for international copyright 10 which his attention has
no doubt been particularly directed by his own literary
connections. II Is TO be feared however, that in these
matters the thread OF his Official life viii be cut before
they can be completed, and he will leave the work
which he has begun to be concluded By his successors