Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1853-03-17
President Pierce's Inaugural.

President Pierce's Inaugural.
The friends of the new President surely viii
not find fault with the very complimentary no.
tee OF the inaugural, which appeared 10 the
last Watchman as editorial We thc editor is
wriing,l are very kindly disposed towards the
Young man who has SO un1ccounaby risen from
mcdiocrity--or respectabiIty at the most-to
the Presidential post; and as a clever young
man, thrown INTO difficult and dangerous posi-
ton, without that wisdom 10 Sustain which grows
out of long experience in craftsmanship, we are
curious to see how he viii carry himself, and de-
sirous to see him 90 it well. We were ready,
then, to take the inaugural kindly but VIC did
not ndite the compliments which the last Watch I
man contained. The style of the inaugural is
youthful--not vigorous. The President doubt /
less prepared every word Of it,; and if he con-
suited his cabinet at all, we venture the guess
that no man of them all suggested the alteration
Of word, the douing of an j. or the crossing of
al. Let it be compared with the sententious,
unadorned but dlgnifed inaugural of President
Taylor and most readers viii quickly tell which
author was the man, and which the boy The
style of the paper, however, is less to be regard
ed than it's substance-the manner less than the
matter. The inaugural has not great deal of
matter in it aud the little compared with most
inaugunls that there is in IL is not worthy Of
very high praise or very severe censure As to
foreign relations, and the rights of American
citizens over the world, Daniel Webster has of
late years expressed similar views in "a more
mastery way. As to Cuba, the new President
lodges both the ue,y old iogies and the roy
Young America, aud adopts substantially the
ground more eloquently declared in the late let
ter of Secretary Everett against the proposed
triparlite treaty As to Executive patronage,
President Plerces avowed opinions are not far
different from the Wing view Of the same sub
iect-though we doubt whether the new Prcsi-
dent icN be as liberal as the recent Wing adj
minlstmiion has been, OF caa be if he ,piH at
least half Of the ohicehoders under the late
Wing administration were locoocos If Prcsi-
dent Pierce intends to initiate that example, he
may as well dismiss at once the horde of office
seekers, which at this moment doubtless is in
number the quadruple Of all offices in the gift OF
the government Finally, as to internal matters,
we have not noticed one point in the inaugural
except reciprocity which may mean lree-trade
and may not " economy aud means of ma
tional defence, which were features of Taylor's,
as well as of nearly every one that preceded it,
and the " compromise" which every body sup
posed Pierce would swear by, Just as certainly
as he would take the oath of Office. II is no
/ ticeable, however, that the only feature of the
compromise which the President specially APP
proves IS the slave catching part. This would
be tolerable if the inference could be fairly
drawn that he does not consider one of the 9th
er features bndng-such as the admission of
states, with slavery which, at the time of the
compromise, were free. That feature makes
the extension Of slavery possible, while the fugi-
tive law only serves, land very feeble service II
49, 10 protect slavery where it already exists.
The first Is really the worst and most danger
Gus but II Is not noticed in the inaugural. and
we hope the President wall never have the occa-
sion to notice IT, either by recommending or ap-
proving of the admlss ION of any slave state.
formed from territory that was free when ac.
quired.
The matters omitted, il must be confessed. are
quite as worthy OF remark as those embraced in
the inaugural The Tarf-lntenal Improve
inents, embracing rivers aud harbors, the Allan
tic and the Pacific, the railway and the telegraph
the extension Of Commeme-the Public Lands /:
all OF these are great topics, which the Presi-
dent will have TO handle more or less within the
next four years. and either might well find
place IN the inaugural. Probably they are re-
served for particular consideration in the mean
time, with a view to full development in the
first message. If so-well the President will
do wisely, If he takes counsel of good adyizers
and celebrates on these matters. He is the first
of a new generation in the Presidential line
the first President Of the third era, Monroe clos,
ing that commenced by Washington, and Fill
more closing that commenced By John Quincy
Adams. Pierce also comes into power at the
commencement. OF new era in the world, when
| the gold Of California and Australia is stimula,-