Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-03-14

on the questions which arose during his congress.
sional career. There was no necessity, there
fore, for him to tell what every one knew, and
there was no propriety in entering Into mi
mute political discussion in his inaugural. Had
he done SO, the Richmond Times would have as
sailed him for it with as much zeal and more
reason than it assaiIs him for not doing so. The
complaints of that journal are 10 the last degrse
absurd. 1t is not the duty of the President to
recommend measures nine months in advance of
the meeting of Cong ress, and before he enters
upon the discharge of his duties. An Inaugural
address is not message to the two houses of
Congress; yet the Richmond Times in its wis
dom, not only complains because General Pierce
did not tell the nation Oh the 9TH of March what
the nation knew, but it complains that he did
hot consider special and particular measures, bills
and propositions, and define his position as to
general principles on which the Wing press
throughout the canvass affirmed he was fully and
entirely committed.
In answer to all this we have to say that if
Gen. Pierce had aohoIty abssained, as Gen. Taylor
did, from foreshadowing his future policy in his
Inaugural, there would have been no just ground
for cavil or complaint. We agree with the
Union thatit is not the duty of the President
on such occasions to indulge in potica discussions
or to recommend measures. But General Pierce
acted on different principle. He discussed the
foreign policy of the country at considerable
length, and announced his views aud intentions
with reference to severed important questions
with an air of great candour and explictness
His address was Landed to the skies by his parti-
sans as frank, manly aud complete exposition of
his Embellishments
But we showed that there were garipg and
significant omissions in the naugural-thatital al
most wholly ignored the great practical questions
OF the day, and we asked then, as We ask now,
why the President was so garrulous and commu-
NEGATIVE on one class of topics, and so silent and
reserved on another. When he undertook to
make an erpose of his opinions. he should have
made clear breast of it. We deny that the
foreign policy ofthis country is of more import
ance than its domestic, and we can conceive no
good reason why General Pierce should have
taken the trouble to give us his opinions in res
Pect to the former, whilst he preserved almost q
profound silence in regard to the latter. We
repeat thet it looks as though he desired to shroud
his opinions in the mysterious folds of the Balti-
more platform, and to keep up the deception
practised upon the people by the trainers of that
oracular creed.
But the Union contends that General Pierce's
opinions on the questions to which we have
alluded, are known, and that there was no neces-
sity for his announcing them to the nation on tho
4th of March. Why, then, did the President
deem it nee essary to declare his belief that the
Constitution recognized slavery? Will the
T1piop IN tl,ot IL -,
the people Why did he declare that the South
was entitled to Fugitive Slave law? Did the
Democrats of the South vote for him in ignorance
of his opinions on this point? Why did he
pledge himself to the maintenance of the Com
promise Was there any doubt as 90 his views
Oh this question, that rendered it necessary for
him to announce them The Unions defence
is wholly insufficient. Gen. Pierce did think
there necessity for ''teing the nation
whas it already knew in respect to some ot5his
opinions, but dscreetly shrunk from an avogal of
others, in regard to which the people were not
so fortunate. If the Democracy choose to ex-
cuse the Presidents silence on the Tariff, In.
ternal improvements the Public Lands, and
other important questions, on the ground that it
was no part OF his duty to discuss :hem in an
Inaugural address, we are content. But let them
cease to eulogise that address as fair full and
candid exposition of thu authors opin ions. If
General Pierce is to be lauded for having SO
openly proclaimed hisviews on our foreign policy,
he should be visited with CONNIE nsurate share
of censure for his silence in respect to domestic
questions.