Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-05-22
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT
PIERCE.
The President ON Thursday transmitted
to both Houses of Congress special mes
cage on Nicaragua affairs, which concludes
with the following:
When, therefore, some time since, new
Minister from the Republic of Nicaragua
presented himself, bearing the commission
OF President Rivas, he must and would have
been received as such, unless he was found
on inquiry subject to personal exception,
but Tor the absence of satisfactory Informal
ton upon the question whether President
Rivas was IN tact the head of an established
Government of the Republic of Nicaragua,
doubt as to which arose not only from the
circumstance of his avowed association with
armed emigrants recently from the United
Stases, but that the proposed Minister him
self was of that class of persons, and not
otherwise or previously a citizen of Nicara-
qua.
Another Minister from the Republic of
Nicaragua has now presented himself, and
has been received as such, satisfactory evil
dence appearing that he represents the Gov
ernmcnt de facto. and SO far as such exists,
the Government dc jure of that Republic.
That reception, while in accordance with
the established policy of the United States,
was likewise called for by the most impera-
tive special exigencies, which require that
this Government shall enter at once into d.
plomatic relations with that of Nicaragua.
In the first place, difference has occurred
between the Government of President Ri
vas and the Nicaragua Transit Company,
which involves the necessity of inquiry into
rights of citizens of the United States, who
allege that they have been aggrieved by the
acts of the former, and claim protection and
redress at the hands of their Government
In the second place. the interoceanic COM
munication by the way of Nicaragua is eff
fectually interrupted, and the persons and
property of unoffending private citizens of
the United States in that country require
the attention of their Government. Neither
of these objects can receive due considera-
ton without resumption of diplomatic inter-
course with the Government of Nicaragua.
Further than this, the documents COM
municated show that, while the interoceanic
transit by the way of Nicaragua is cut off,
disturbances at Panama have occurred to
obstruct, temporarily at least, that by the
way of New Granada, involving the sacrifice
Of the lives and property of citizens of the
United States. A special commissioner has
been dispatched to Panama to investigate
the facts of this occurrence, with view
particularly to the redress of parties ag-
grieved But measures of another class
will be demanded for the future security of
interoceanic communication by this as by
the other routes of the Isthmus.
1t would be difficult to suggest a single
object of interest, external or internal, more
important to the United States than the
maintenance of the communication, by land
and sea, between the Atlantic and Pacific
States and Territories of the Union. It is
a material element Of the national integrity
and sovereignty.
I have adopted such precautionary mea-
sures and have taken such action for the
purpose of afosding security to the several
transit routes Of Central America, and to
the persons and property of citizens of the
United States connected with or using the
same, as are within my constitutional power
and existing circumstances have seemed to
demand Should these measures prove in
adequate to the object, that fact will be COM
municated to Congress, with such recon-
mendations as the exigency of the ease may
indicate FRANKLIN PIERCE.
Washington, Nay Is, 1856.