Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-12-02
WASHINGTO N NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Inc Presid ants Messags.-The President
transmitted to Congress at little past noon
to-day, his annual message. Marked attention
was paid its reading.
Inc moments before we 20 to press do not
allow Us now to comment so fully upon the i'm
port ant document as its merit and character
d" srve.
Warm conmendation Is on all sides bestowed
on the pertinent and forcible allusion, made in
the Introduction, to the recent Presidential
election and its result, and to the stern rebuke,
which, by their votes, the United States havo
administered to those who would by geograph-
zeal organizations act aggressively upon the
institutions of citizens of nearly one-hslf of the
thirty one States of tho confederation, and who
by concesling the real purposes had in view,
BY raising up false issues, or by Disgusting and
eomplicating real ones, have brought the
nation to the brink of disunion and civil war.
broad line Of distinction is drawn and main.
tanned between the selfish, designing leaders
in this movement of active enmity to constltu
tional right, and the honest masses of the peo-
pie who, though deceived by wicked men,
would shrink with unaffected horror from any
conscious act of disunion.
The first third and more, of the message,
seems sequel to that timely and excellent
portion of tho last annual message which dis
cussed the constitutional theory Of the Gov
eminent and its relations to slavery, and
which was the first broadsids in the present
conflict between the Constitution and section
war now fairly engaged between centralism
on the one hand, and State rights, State
equality, individual rights and individual
equality on the other. 1t explains that the
1t may be, is not whether the institution of
slavery shall be carried into new territory of
the West, not whether Shareholders or non
Shareholders shall occupy new inchoate States,
but whether the actual residents Of new Ter
rtories shall be permitted, under the national
Constitution and the organic law Of the Terri
tory, to choose for themselves, without the
coercion of Congress, under what domestic
regulations they will live. 1t places before all
who have eyes to gee, what acts of aggression
men in Northern States have perpetrated
against their fellow citizens Of the South. 1t
points to their refusal to carry out the clause
of the Constitution providing for the return of
fusitives from service
That portion of the document which dis
cusses the Missouri restriction" and its re-
peal by the passage OF the Nebraska and
Kansas bill, leaves not a single plank to the
leaders Of the Republican party. 1t exhausts
the subject 1t states, in unequivocal terms,
the undoubted legal truth that the restriction
OF 1870 was unconstitutional, and hence a
mere rullity. 1t exposes and makes manifest
to every man, of sufficient intelligence to read
and appreciate the purpOrt OF the simplest
provision Of law, the stupendous falsehood
that the repeal of the Missouri restriction was
ga breach of faith" 1t makes apparent the
absurdity Of the proposition, that no Congress
can repeal any law which q former Congress has
made perpetual in terms. 1t calls attention to
the fact that the Constitution itself, solemn com.
pact though it be, is open to amendment. 1t
annihilates the baseless assumption of Repub-
H,an party ism, that the Kansas bill origin
ated in tne conception of extending tie limits
of slave labor, by showing that the repeal of
a statute like the Missouri restriction, already
one way or the other, and also by pointing out
the fact that slave labor could have gone into
Kansas Sc well without thst repeal as with it,
The absurd aud mOnstTous calumny, that free
labor, with fair field and open competition,
needs special legislation for its protection
against slave labor, is refuted by unanswera-
bic logi,.
From this train of thought, of which We can.
not give 1.-THE, the President passes to con-
sidsratiOn Of affairs in Kansas, and to the
Iamentable agitation there, which he AYERS
was planned In Washington by certain mem.
bers Of Congress, and systematically carried
on by them, in conjunction with bad men in
both portions Of the Union, for party purposes
and selfish ends lie protests that the condi.
ton Of things in that Territory has been ex.
aggerated for improper purposes, by these
men, and that nO scenes Of violence and dis
order have occurred there to equal in enor-
nifty what has been transporting In large cities
in the States lie announces that, through
the wisdom and energy Of Governor Geary,
and the prudence and frmness of the military
officer in command there, entire tranquility il
now restored in the Territory, without the
shedding Of ono drop of blood by the forces of
the Government Comment is properly and
forcibly made upoa tas sbsurdity and stupid
ity of those who think that the Executive has
the power to interfere in and regulate local
elections in that Territory and to prevent Vio-
,ense g. the polls, any more than in Baltimore
or New Orleans. The hope is announced that
ell unconstitutional laws or unjust enactments
will be purged from tls code of Kansas.
After the expression, among others, Of such
orthodox and statesmanlike views q public
policy in relation to Kansas, tho Presidsnt
xoas 70 tho cnns;5orotion Of Tim oo,o.,n. IS