The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-08


importance Of the principle involved in the Lennon
slave case, he has ordered appeal from the deci
sion which was given to the Supreme Court of this
city, and be recommends the employment OF counsel
ard the payment Of all necessary expenses. The
Governor expresses himself satisfied with the exist
ing condition Of federal and foreign relations and
says he has seen nothing yet to weaken the hope
that the South may be permitted to enjoy season Of
repose from the irritating interference of free soiis
at the North. Governor johnson win probably wake
up on this subject before the close of the present
session OF Congress.
After spending about two weeks in balotting for
a United States Senator, the Vermont Legislature
yesterday adjourned without having accomplished
their object.
Nothing has been received from Halifax relative
to the wreck of the steamship Humboldt in addition
to what was published yesterday. We have else
where given an account of the vessel, which
will be found interesting. Her mails viii be for
warded by the Canada, which is about due at Hall
fax with three days later advices from Europe.
The foreign news brought by the Humboldt caused
decline Of about si1pence per barrel in State
brands of flour, while wheat remained the with
good inquiry fer prime qualities. Indian corn was
easier Cotton closed steady at previous quotations.
ter trsDsactrg large amount of important business,
adjourned until Friday. The Board, after long and
spirited debate CONQUERED in giving to the Manhat
tan Railroad Company the privilege Of laying their
rails in Broadway, from the South ferry to Manhat-
tanville under such regulations, terms, conditions,
stipulatons and resolutions as may be from time to
time imposed by the Common Council. 1t was "a
ther curious that the Board should have the pre-
ttop 70 IN, oh hon
derman Temann offered, on the behalf of RESPONSE
bic and well known persons, the sum Of 100000
per annum for the gram; but this was scarcely heed
ed by the members, who, after considerable noise,
succeeded in concurrng with the other Board by
q vote Of IA to 5-all the wing members voting in
! the minority. On motion of Alderman sturtevant,
the documents were sent forthwith to the Mayor for
bis signature or, what is most likely, his Veto"
We have verbatim report of the debate in type,
but it is unfortunately crowded out of this days pa
per.
Another of the funny affairs so often occasioned
by the interference of strong minded women" oc-
CURED last night The different literary societies of
this city called convention Of delegates from each
society to take measures for general union Of all.
The Laight Street Lyceum sent four delegates-tvo
men and two women. The appearance Of the petit
coats of course created the usual amount Of fun and
excitement We have full report Of the meeting,
which we viii perhaps publish when we get through
with the public documents now claiming our CO
lumns.
We elsewhere publish very full repor! of the
great operate case now under investigation in the
Superior Court, being the prosecution Of the NEW
YORK HERALD by Mr.. Fry, late manager Of the
Astor Place Opera. The proceedings will, no doubt,
be read with great interest by all classes and partcu
larly by those conversant with musical matters in |
this city.
The True Position of the Cabinet and its
Supporters.
The closer we read President Pierces Mes
sage the less light does it appear to throw on
the position of his administration To say SO
little in SO many words must have tasked the
Presidents mind severely. Talleyrand's maxim
could hardly have been better illustrated; the
illustrous Bishop of Autun could not have
used language better calculated for the con-
cealment Of thought. Whatever we may think
of the dexterity thus displayed the Presidents
silence on point on which we had right to
expect information imposes duty on us which
we shall be careful to discharge. The country
cannot remain in ignorance of the true bearings
of the government, because its chief does not |
choose to acknowledge them. They cannot |
be found in its written or spoken decla- |
rations. From the President down to Mr.. |
Cushing. we regret to say that all the members |
of the administration have invariably pursued |
the Talleyrand policy, and sought to mislead |
the public whenever they addressed it, The |
inaugural proclaimed one doctrine, and the |
Cabinet pursued another-Jefferson Davis wrote |
in one sense, Caleb Cushing in the opposite
Marcy, Guthrie and the Union all spoke just
what suited the emergency of the moment
equally regardless of principle, pledges and
consistency. We should therefore undertake
both an Improbable. and hopeless task were we |
to endeavor to deduce any settled rule of action
from the collected manifestoes of the Cabinet |
We shall be more likely to attain our object if |
we draw sponge over all that has been said
and written, and, setting words aside as mere
empty sound, devote our whole attention to the
spirit and morale of the acts Of the government.
These speak for themselves. To begin with
the appointment Of free sellers to of1ice-the
promotion Of such men as Cochrane and Fowler
to fat berths: This was, we may say, the first
striking out of Gen. Pierce's administration.
These men, with the rest of their faction, had
never changed their views. They were STILL in
1853, as staunch in their treason as they were
in ls4s. They did not pretend to be less of free
sellers when they were appointed than when
Van Buren, ran for President. Yet the adminis-
tration promoted them in preference to the
friends of the Union Called to account for thus |
violating the tact pledge accepted by Gen
Pierce, and ignoring the strong Union senti-
ment which had elected him, it took refuge in |
the Baltimore platform, and asserted that the |
free soilers agreed to it But not nine months
afterwards the Cabinet organ comes forward
Lnldlu and tnlla that Tho d