The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-01-07
rY OF EVANSVILLE.
President Message.

graph abstract. There Is nothing eXtraordl- E
nary about the document, excepting perhaps !
the peculiar circumstances under which it was {
delivered to Congress, the House not yet being |
organized, and therefore very properly refusing i
to receive the document. The message con-
tains great deal Of palaver about the Con- /
stitution, yet the President in thrusting his
message before Congress before its complete ]
organization, has to say the least of it, haz-
arded breach of the Constitution. He has
made an innovation, which is certainly bad
in precedent, and doubtful in propriety. Prob
ably he thought this so fast an age, that I
if the message were delayed much longer,
he might be under the trouble of writ
ing it over again, or the people would regard |
it as document Of antedeiuvian character.
But it is more likely that this message has
been thrust before Congress at this particular
time and in this unusual name, to give strength
to his party, and especially to the few repre-
sentatives of his party in the House, in view
of the organization of that body. The mes
sage is tribute to the South-it was intended
to please the South and to strengthen the Old
Line Democratic party in the South. Itlooks
touslike an electioneering document, and much
of it intended so especially forthis identical pur
pose, as to make any further delay Of its issue
in waiting for an organization of the House,
dangerous or weakening to its own party OBJ
ieets But the document is before the coun-
try.
The most important part of the message
relates to Foreign questions, and probably the
most important part of this is that relative to
the difference between this country and Great
Britain on the Central American question.
The ground occupied by the message, is ex-
actly contrary to that assumed by the Demo-
cratic party just after the conclusion of the
Clayton Bulwer treaty, when that party de-
clared what Great Britain is now insisting
upon, that her possessions or preLentions on
the coast of Central America were left I'M
touched by the Treaty, and that she only stip-
ulated not to establish new colonies. The pres
ent Democratic Administration assumes that
the Treaty sets aside certain territorial rights
and possessions enjoyed by Great Britain pre-
vious to the Treaty, The explicit letter of
the Treaty does not do this, so that it remains
to be shown what the message does not prove,
that it was the joint intention of the parties
to set aside these British claims. The Treaty
might very readily have stipulated this in its
body or on protocol, but it did not unfortunate
ly do so. The President denies that the BIRTHS h
had at the time Of the Treaty any such pos
sessions as they now claim, at least to the same
extent. He fears that with Great Britain now
occupying disputed territories and the treaty
on our part therefore practically null, that the
settlement of this question must be dangerous
to the present friendly relations of the two
countries.
The President starts out like lion on the
British recruiting business in this country, but
closes like lamb. He offers nothing new, MOI
does he tell anything which has not already
been sterreotyped in the newspapers. He lays
down the international law with terrible firm
ness, and proves very conclusively that Great
Britain k1aew she was violating our laws ii
raising recruits here; that he has presented
the case to the British Government, and Their
adds-"the subject is still under discussion
you in due time'' Gentle as a lamb.
The message discusses the Denmark Sound
Dues and lays before Congress sundry docu
ments more fully disclosing his views, anC
which will no doubt be needed to make hi
views palmer. He has but very little to say
about Cuba, and nothing about fillibustering il
that connection, unless it be contained in hi
wish to make some general arrangement will
Spain to prevent the recurrence of dfficultie
in Cuba. On the whole, our foreign relations
appear in very happy state, and will no doub
continue so if the present Administration dom
get tao hard pushed for electioneering hob
bies.
We refer to the message for details of ou
domestic matters, as given though information
furnished by the heads of Departments.
Over one third of the whole long message i
devoted to a speech on the subjects of the Con
stitutional Theory of the Government and tn
Constitutional Relations of Slavery. The ques
ton of Slavery is indeed the only thing
has in his eye, as he proceeds from the forma
ton of our Government to trace up the right
of States, until the great conclusion is arrive,
at that no State has right to interfere witt
the institutions of another State, to intermed
die in its local affairs to refuse to fulfill thei
obligations to each other, &c-all of which
we presume, every body but blinded bigots q
fanatics would have conceded without argr
ment.