The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-27

Affair Settled.
Many weeks ago, shortly after the appoint
ment Of Count Walewski to the French Foreign
Office, we heard that the Dillon difficulty had
been settled. It was understood in a general
way that both Mr.. Mason and Count Walewski
had made slight concessions, so as to meet each
other half way, and that the arrangement was
satisfactory to the honor Of both parties We
are now enabled to state that the settlement
consists in the appointment of a new French
consul to San Francisco in the stead of Mr.. Dill
Ion, whose erequatur is revoked the United
States government agreeing to salute the new
Consuls flag with as many guns as French
honor may deem necessary. Thus ends diff
Guilty which at one time appeared pregnant
with trouble for both countries, and actually
did impede the settlement of questions of far
more Importance which were pending at the
moment.
There was, in fact, no necessity for any mis-
understanding on the point. IfMr. Marcy had
been man of experience in foreign politics,
had he even possessed an ordinary acquaint-
ance with the rules of public international
law, the affair need never have gone beyond
the San Francisco newspapers. Even Mr.. Ma
son could have settled it with N. de Persigny
when the papers first went to Paris, had the
State Department forborne to interfere in its
accustomed vexatious and laundering manner.
But no sooner had our Minister placed the
negotiation in train, and come to YER
bal understanding with the French Secretary,
than Mr.. Marcy interferes, as usual, and the
whole negotiation is brought to an end Yet
clearer case than this one it is not possible to
conceive. Any experienced consular clerk
could have settled it in half an hour. 1t has
been suggested that Mr.. Marcy refused to
confirm the offer made by Mr.. Mason in the ne
gotiation with Persigny, through an impression
that the evaporation of the people of San
Francisco would not suffer the execution Of
any concessions made by the United States
government. This appears an unwarrantable
supposition We need not travel SO far to find
out the motives Of the Secretary's conduct. He
acted as we have related, in pursuance of the
uniform line of policy he has chalked out for
himself-a policy whose chief principle is never
to allow subordinate to manage negotiation
lesthe should make some political capital out of
it. He would not suffer Mr.. Soule to conclude his
Spanish negotiation, because he saw plainly
enough that it would have the effect Of render
ing the latter popular here; and therefore
placed him in q position where he had no
choice but to be stultiied or to resign. He
meddled in like manner with Mr.. Buchanan
until the latter was on the point and actually
did threaten to return home, and lay the whole
case before the country. And now we find
him meddling with Mr.. Mason, breaking off his
negotiation with Persigny, and only allowing
him to conclude bargain with Walewski,
when the interests of the. trade of California
would brook no further delay. In fact, Marcy
has make up his mind to be able to say that he
is the State; he makes it an essential condition
of Office that all-from his colleagues in the
cabinet to the country postmasters be
mere tools of his, the slaves who do his bid
ding.
We are perhaps doing politicians too much
honor when we express surprise that men Of
any spirit at all should be found willing to
work on such terms 1t is perhaps true, after
sent administration, independence of feeling
is too rare to be an impediment to the thorough
accomplishment Of the Marcy policy. Souls
are drug in the market.
As for the country, it cares very little how
its servants distribute power and responsibility
SO their work be properly done. Whether
Marcy is the Sultan Of the United States and
the foreign ministers the lacqueys who kiss his
feet, or not matters not an iota: but the people
require that the public service shall be pro-
perly performed. And when they find that the
ignorance and inexperiencc of the Secretary of
State have protracted a consular difficulty for
some two years, and narrowly escaped inter-
rupting our friendly relations with one of our
best customers and most valued allies, they may
we'll cry out in the language Of the chairman
Of the Hard Shell Convention:-"To speak i'll
Of this administration is like kicking dead
dog"
ACCIDENTS TO FooT PASSENGERS FROM CARE
LESS DRIvING.-Thc pressure upon our public
thoroughfares, caused by the peculiarties of
the site upon which our city is built, and the in
difference that is manifested by our Corporation
for its relief renders our principal streets ex-
ceedngly dangerous for foot passengers How
many accidents do we daily hear Of arising from
the overcrowded and almost impossible state
of Broadway? Take it at certain hours of the
day, and it is venture attended with no
small peril to attempt to cross it. Until the
pressure of conveyances upon this huge artery
of city circulation is diminished by some Of
the numerous plans suggested for its relief, we
fear that these accidents will continue to be
Of frequent occurrence. In the meanwhile
something might be done to abate the evil, by
stringent police regulations, and by suing the
owners Of vehicles, by whom these casualties
are caused. There is very common errorprc-
valent-that, as regards the centre Of the pub
l;o tay ,;.,tt