The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-07-11


.ional unity. We will cure the wounded, and we
will bury the dead with all the honors of war.
Let, then, the Kansas question be settled in the
right spirit. Let the South, If it wishes have fair
play. Let the Territory come in as slave
State, and there will be no further cause of dis
content The Union must and shall be pre-
served.
The Foreign Policy OF the Pierce Admins
trati0n.
In another column the reader will find an ar
ticle extracted from the Richmond Enq,arer-a
leading organ of the democracy in Virginia-on
the subject of the settlement Of the enlistment
dispute The writer conceives that the happy
solution Of that difficulty is wholly due to the
able diplomacy and uncommon skill of Mr.. Pre-
sident Pierce and Mr.. Secretary Marcy in ma
naging the controversy. And he points out with
obvious exultation how far Mr.. Marcy is, in his
opinion, superior to Daniel Webster, and how
generally the foreign policy Of the Pierce admit
nisration has excelled the policy of former cabi-
nets in ability, honesty, vigor, and every good
thing
The time is now fast approaching when that
administration will be brought to close. Its
foreign like its domestic policy, will soon be
matters of history, and history will form dis
passionate judgment thereon. If, as the Enquirer
thinks, that judgment will be favorable; if the
future historian shall laud Mr.. Pierce, and cele-
brate the 'unerring skill" of Mr.. Marcy, he must
do SO at the expense of the public of the present
day. He cannot praise the one without sighting
the other; for if Mr.. Marcy or Mr.. Pierce deserve
well Of their country, that country has been
most ungrateful to them. Both have sunk
to depth of unpopularity never reached by
any former statesman in this country. Neither
Mr.. Madison, when his weakness laid Wash
ington bare; nor Mr.. Adams, when people thought
he had juggled himself into the Presidency; nor
Mr.. Mr. Van Buren,, when he made his very name
Synonymous with Disaster nor Mr. Tyler, when
he killed himself and his friends; nor Mr.. Polk,
when he lost the Northwestern territory, ever
approached the contempt and the disgust with
which Franklin Pierce is regarded by the masses
reward of honest, skilful, conscientious service,
then great wrong is being done, and it hehoves
US to stop it. If, on the contrary, Pierce and
Marcy are only reaping the natural harvest of
their abors, then it is well that the sophistry Of
democratic organs like the Enquirer should be ex-
posed And that, so far as the foreign policy Of
the administration is concerned, shall be our pre-
sent business.
When the Pierce Cabinet assumed the direction
Of affairs, the foreign policy of the nation was
much embarrassed. With our great rival and
friend, Great Britain, we had three subjects Of
dispute-the fisheries, the Canadian Reciprocity
matter, the Central American question. Two Of
these, in which the United States were the plain
tiffs, were considerably emkittered and vexed the
third-the Canadian reciprocity measure-was
keeping alive feeling of uneasness in the Pro-
vinces, and tending every day to ALLEVIATE the
affections Of their people from England, and
fix them on this country. With Spain we had
several serious disputes, arising out of vari-
Gus outrages upon our flag, and interferences
with our commerce, which had taken place
of the Island Of Cuba. With regard to these
was questioned by well informed persons whether
the new administration-just elected by SO over
whelming q vote-would consent to accept
pecuniary indemnity, of whatever amount, in
satisfaction for these outrages. We had no quar-
rel with France, but the mischievous consequences
of her unfair commercial and port regulations had
become more and more felt by our merchants
and ship owners; and it was generally hoped that
the Pierce term would not elapse without q radi-
cal change here. With Denmark we had quar-
rel in reference to the Sound dues-they in
sisting on their retention, while our government
was committed by former administrations to de-
mand their abolition. Our relations with the
States Of Asia were confused and unsatisfactory.
While England, France and Russia were making
fresh treaties or acquiring fresh territory day
after day, we were standing by, looking on. But
IL was hoped that the japan cxpedition-which
the previous administration had organized
redeem credit and our name in this particular.
No shade overhung our relations with Mexico
or Central America, save that which proceeded
from the Clayton-Bulwer treaty; with the people
themselves we were on the best terms.
Such was the condition of the foreign policy of
the republic at the time Franklin Pierce was
elected President Let us now see what has
been done during the past four years to settle
these questions.
In the first place, with regard to England, we
have settled the Fishery and Canada Reciprocity
matter: but the most important of the three ques-
tions-the only one that really menaced the
peace OF the two countres-the Central Ameri-
can Disputes no nearer q settlement than IL
was. The reason of this is that England had an
interest in settling the former, but nothing in set
Ting this. With their usual address, the British
diplomatiss pressed toward settlement OF the
questions they wanted to get out of the way; and
with his usual obtuseness, Mr.. Marcy did not per-
ceive their drift and instead Of holding the Cana
da Reciprocity matter in allegiance until England
consented to close the negotiation on Central
America. he let them get all they wanted. and