Washington telegraph., 1856-12-17
[ Telcgrophed to the ~ o. Crescent
ASSEMBLING OF CONGRESS.
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.


the President, he delivered his message to
that body at noon to-day.
The opening of the message is devoted
to review of the condition Of the domes-
tic interests of the country. Its agricul-
tural, mining, manufacturing and COM
mercial interests are in prosperous con-
dition, and the steady advancement Of the
wealth and population of the Union beto-
ken the predominant spirit of intelligence
and patriotism which has ever distinguish
ed the people of the United States of Amer
lea.
He alludes to the late national election,
and says that the people have assented to
the constitutional equality of each, and
that all the States of the Union, as States,
have affirmed the constitutional equality
of all citizens OF the United States, as
citizens, whatever their religion or wher-
ever their place Of birth or residence.
They have maintained the inviolability
of the constitutional rights OF the differ
ent sections of the Union, and proclaimed
their devoted and unalterable attachment
to the Union and the Constitution He
elnphaticaiIy condemns the idea of organ
izing in the United States mere geograph-
ical parties, and of nlarshaling in hostile
array the different parts of the country.
He continues at much length an account
OF our sectional controversy, and condemns
in unequiyocal terms the action of the alb
clifton party at the North He believes
that the great body of that party, who in
considerately took this false step, are sin
cerely attached TO the Constitution and the
Union
Among the long series Of acts of indi-
rect aggression, the first was the strenu-
Gus agitation, by the citizens Of the North
ern States, in Congress and out of it, of
the question of negro emancipation in the
Southern States
The second was to facilitate the escape
Of persons held to service in the Southern
States, and to prevent their extradition
when reclaimed, according 10 the provis-
ions OF the Constitution of the United
States
The third was in connection with the
organization of Territorial governments,
and the admission Of new States. That
question was for a time disposed of by the
adoption Of Z geographical line of lilnita-
ton, which was acquicsced In rather than
approved, by the different States of the
Union Il stood on the statute books Of
the country, however, for a number of
years, and the people of the respective
States acquisced in the re-enactment OF
the principle, as applied to Texas, and
were prepared to acquicsce in the further
application to territory acquired by the
United States from Mexico.
But this proposition was successfully re-
sisted BY Representatives in Congress from
Northern States, who, regardless Of the
statute line Of limitation, insisted upon
applying q restriction in regard to negro
slavery to new territory generally, whether
lying North OF South of it, thereby repeal
ing it as Legislative Compromise; and,
on the part of the North, persisting in Vi
olating the compact, if, indeed, any com
pact existed. Thereupon this enactment
ceased to have binding virtue in any
sense, whether as respects either the North
OR the South and SO in effect it was treat
ed on the occasion of the admission of
California as a State, and the Territorial
organization Of New Mexico, Utah and
Washington Territories.
Such was the state OF this question
when the time arrived for the organization
Of the Territories of Kansas and Nebras-
ka. In the course of constitutional enqui-
~ and reflection, it had now, at length,
come to be clearly seen that Congress does
not possess the constitutional power to I'M
pose restrictions of this character upon
any present or future State of the Union
In long series OF decisions on the full
est argument and most deliberate consid-
Grafton, the Supreme Court had finally de-
termined this point in every form under
which the question could arise-whether
as affecting public or private rights in
questions of public domain, religion, nav
igation and servitude.
The several States of the Union are. by
force of the Constitution, co-equal in do
mestic legislative power, and Congress can
not change d law of domestic relation in
Maine no more than it can declare those
of the State of Missouri a nullity. It
takes away no right, and it confers none
So repeal viii be only to remove imperfec-
tons from the statute, without affecting
either in the sense of prohibition, the ac-
tions of the States or their citizens.
Still, when nominal restrictions cf this
nature, already dead in usage or law, was
in positive terms repealed by the last Con-
gress in clause of the act organizing the
territories of Kansas and Nebraska-that
repeal was made the occasion of wide
spread and dangerous agitation concerning
the affairs of the Territory of Kansas
The President says that many acts of
disorder have been, undeniably, perpetra-
ted, tending to occasion the interruption
rather than the permanent suspension
Of the regular government. Aggressive
and most reprehensible incursions into
the territory were undertaken By citizens
OF both the North and the South; and
there has existed within it state of in
surrection against the constituted authori-
| ties, not without countenance from incon-
siderate persons in each of those :wo great
sections of the Union
These difficulties have been extravagant-