Bedford inquirer and chronicle. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1854-1857, 1856-01-04
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

! 10 leai ~. that l'reSinent TtAfee, contrary 70
i established usage. has delivered his Annual
Message to Congress before the oreanizatie0
Of the House The act was uncalled for,
Z as it was ret Of so great import ance as to
allow Of this unasal course, aud still further
proves the incapacity Of the man for the
station. H1r are glad the House took the
course it dill on the question, by a vote OF
Of l26 to 81 refusing to its reading, and
finally laid The whole subject on the table
The following extracts on tho subject are
from couple Of our most va lued exchanges +:
president Pierce has surprised the coun-
try BY sending in his annual message without
waiting until the organization of the House
had pat Congress in q proper condition to
inform him Of its meeting aud readiness TO
.eceiye any communication lac might wish
to make. Tie usual course pursued BY the
two Houses in first organising and then APP
pointing joint committees to inform the
President officially Of the fact, Is the pro-
due! Of custom and not of positive law, and
tie President, therefore, in the unusual
course pursued has net violated any Consti-
tptioual enactment, though be has utterly
defed long established usage, and placed
both himself ami Congress in an anomalous
position. ia necessity that may involve
SO many emblrrassments forced urpn the
President this course, il must be regretted, /,
fit was needlessly assumed he cln scarcely
escape the severe condemnation of the coan-
try. The reasons that Induced him thus
deliver lis message to Congress in advance
Of TIC organization Of the House are briefly
stated b. himself. Ills convictions Of duty
would not permit him ''longer 10 postpone
the discharge of the obiigation enjoined by
the constitution upou the President to give
% Congress information Of tue state Of the
Union, aud recommend to their coasidera-
ton such measures as he shall Judge naces-
saYy anl expediant. Br!fimre .7merican,
Gas might have been expected, cxtraordi-
nary course pursued by the President in
thas thrustims forward bis Message, before
the House Of Representatives has elected
presiding officer, and is members have been
duly qualified, and therefore before Con-
gress llas been really organized, and in a
condition to be officially communicated with
BY the Executive, illiclteda long and ani-
mated discussion IN the House. IL which bis
cwn political friends freely admitted it to
be an innovation, bat Justified it under the
pecnliar circumstances of tie case, while
the opposition members, generally, opposed
it being read, and deprecated the establish-
inent Of : pgeealons wlieh might. in time,
lead to great abuse q power and serious
mischief.
For ourselves, We cannot regard it other
wise thah as characteristic Of the weakness
and imbeclity with which all tho acts Of
President Pierce are signalized Like
child with a toy, or Christmas present,
that eanuot wait for the return to home of
spa to dinner, to show bis prize, and must
needs therefore run to meet him, and dis
close the secret before his return lone, SO
President Pierce, after having lis message
locked up for four weeks, dreaming over it
By night and watching it By day, eouli no
longer cat nor sleep without understanding
hiIlselfto Congress, and show'ny the coun-
try what apreeious a document they have
been deprived the reading Of for one long
nonth. The course pursued b. him IS
simple and childish, and, if this wera all,
il might be allowed to pass as but another
evidence ofins utter untitness for the high
place 10 which his couu;rymea have elevated
him; but ii ma serve as precedent, and
regarding ii in that hight, his conduct IS not
orly arrogant and presumptious, but de-
serves condemnation and rebuke. We have
heard hat one explanation, which, whie it
would be no justification, might be deemed
some sort Of an excuse, and that is, that tie
Message was probably forwarded to Eng
land at the meeting Of Congress, aBd there
was danger, in case of any longer delay of
its delivery to Congress, of its reaching the
people OF this country in t5e English jour
nails that viii be brought by the next steamer
before its actual communication 10 Con
gress.
OF the contents of the Message We have
net now the space to speak. We have read
it tcarefully, and, as we did not expect much,
we are in no way disappointed. 1t gives
fling a, John Bull, and feels the public
pulse for war with Great Britain, recon-
mends still further reduction ofthe Tariff,
and an adherence 10 the ad uaIorem Free
Trade system, and emits quantity Of patriotic
gas Of devotion to the Union. Taken as a
whole. there is but one thing to commend,
and that IS its breyity, and yet for all it
contsins, i, might have easily been kept
within one-half its present size. -Pasildsi-
pdia Daily .Heles.