Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-12-12
THE FREE PRESS.
GLo. W. q. @. BENEDICT, Edifors and Proprietor,
~ For terms SEE last PAGE. IT
BURLINGTON /:
FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER - 1856.


nc tTtsiUent'k message.
President Pierce began his career with de-
claring that slavery agitation should receive
no aid and comfort from his administration
that he should do all in his power to prevent
it yet he has done more to promote it than
all the men, taken together, who occupied the
presidential chair before him. Determined
to keep up his character in this respect to
the last, he occupies the entire first half of
his present message with the worst sort of
slavery agitation possible. large portion
of it consists of slanderous and dishonest
attack upon that large portion of the people
of the nation who have sought to prevent,
by proper and constitutional means, the con-
summation of that great wrong which was
done by the repeal, under his own auspices,
of the sth section of the Missouri Compro-
mise act. We call it a Sldndcrous attack, be-
cause when he charges them with an inten-
tion to interfere with the constitutional
rights of the people of the slaveholding
| States-with an endedror to prepare the peo-
pie of the United States for ciril ,car by doing
everything in their power to deprive the
Constitution and the laws of moral authorit u
with matchmaking the people with rec,.
procal hatred, and educating them : O stand
face to face as enemies, rather thar shoulder
to shoulder as friends and with much more
of like sort, he charges thea falsely. We
call it dishonest attack, because franklin
Pierce, blinded as he is by partizan preu-
dice, and foggy-headed as he is on manv
| points, is not so ignorant Ounce as not to
hnow that they whom he thus indecently
assails, have at all times disclaimed in the
most direct terms such sentimcnts-tbat
neither in their speeches, or in their plat
forms, or in the character of the men whom
they have set up for Office, is there any
ground for such scandalous assertions. They
have fit place nowhere, except in the bitter
partizan speeches and editorials Of the most
thorough going pro-slavery politicians Of the
South, and Of their selfish and corrupt re-
tainers in the North
As to the argument by which the Prcsi.
sidcnt attempts to show that it was all right
to repeal the Missouri Compromise clause
referred to-that those opposed to that
repeal are chargeable with all the wrongs
which lave followed it-that his own course
in the matter has been altogether bamecss
that the murders, robberies. arsons. false
imprisonments, usurpations of authority in
Kansas (hardly worth making much fuss
about, he implias) were all beyond his reach
for prevention or redress, it is too shallow
to deceive any but the most ignorant
The whole nation is scandalizcd 10y such an
exhibition of bitter party slang and stumr.
speech sophistry from its chief magistrate
Mr.. Picrce's former messages showed too
much of those qualities for his credit or that
of the nation but the present, in these res
pects far outruns all before it.
After the President has got through with
the political pottifogging of his message and
taken up the business condition Of the coun.
try and its foreign relations, he gets along
very fairly in plain and straight forward
and summary way. For details the long
reports of the several heads of dcpartments
must be studied
The nation is at peace with all the ,ror,J
a new treaty with Great Britain. if nm.
proved, is expected to dispose of the Central
America difficulties. What the points of the
Treaty are, we are not informed The fishery
troubles are not wholly through with.
owing to the difficulty of deciding what is a
river and where river ends but it is hored
that what the commissioners cant tell, an
umpire can.
We continue to pay the Sound dues to
Denmark, but under a protest, subject to
future adjustment
As to disputes with Spain about our COM
mercial intercourse with Cuba, matters are
yet all in the wind.
N. b. Not word is said about the doc
trine of the Ostend manifesto.
There is quite n prospect that the mari
time nations of Europe and America vii.
agree to put stop to all privataerins. We
will agree to it, the President SAYS. if the
arrangement shall exempt all private pro-
perty of subjects and citizens of beligcrents
from seizure on all the high seas ,cxcrpt when
contraband, as well by public rs by private
armed vessels. Why the rule should not
extend to private property on 1aad as well as
on sea, we do not clearly perceive
We have a good deal of fault to find with
Mexico but do not propose to fight her a gain
at least not yet, We are going to argue
with her for while longer.
As to Nicaragua, we do not quite know
what to do. The Acknowledgement Of Padre
Will on the part of the Rivas- Walker roy-
eminent, did not amount to much and prac-
tically it has sort-o' gone for nothing They
are in a snarl there. Two parties have sent
diplomatic representatives to Wasbir rton.-
Not knowing which is genuine and which
bogus, or whether both are not cou,I,
worthless, we do not admit either-sbaIl
wait and see.
The Congress of New Granada has undor.
taken to gouge us in the way of taxinc orr
mail matter which goes across the Istbmus
most outrageously, We will not stand it
We have demanded full PREPARATION for the
loss of life and property caused in the Pana-
ma riot, last April, and we now keen and
mean to keep some of our armed vesselsin tho
harbors of Panama and Aspinwall to prevent
further trouble, TIL the New Granadian
government have provided some sure way to
keep the peace there.
Of course it would not do to end the mes
sage without general laudation of ourselves
our forefathers, our institutions and our nd
ministration of government, all round. In
all these respects the President thinks we
are about perfect, The chief source Of dan
ger seems to be IN tho fact that we are foo
strong, and considering that our chief bust
ness, as he views it, is to grow stronger
that danger must be considerable We must