The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-12-03

nc oegAn III. Win rnelOrlc ana lteIary HOurisuca
His message, which will be found elsewhere, re-
minds one of that famous Inaugural Address
which ne made, now near four years ago, when
he and good many others expected that he was
going to turn out q second jackson. He has
since then turned out-merely poor Pierce and
his composition shows the effect of the fall He
is rhetorical stil but with the rhetoric is min
gled an unusual amount Of special pleading.
He is as fustain as ever; but this time, he seems
to be on the defensive, and to be angrily engaged
in warding Off the blows of some unseen adver-
sary.
One half Of the message or thereabouts is de-
voted to special plea on the Kansas question.
The general idea is that the Northern men are
very unprincipled set of rascals, who give the
government no end of trouble, and would have
blown the Union TO the four winds but for the
foresight and the wisdom and the energy Of poor
Pierce. OF course 70 establish this he needs to
adopt all the old democratic tricks, and dissimu-
late pretty extensively ; to assert that the sup
porters of Fremont were " infamed with desire
TO change the domestic institutions OF existing
States y to sure the supporters of Fremont
that : their course has no other possible outlet
than dsunion and civil war y to state that the
opponents of military despotism in Kansas want
new laws of restriction to force free Institutions
upon the Territories and generally TO misrepresent
the whole course of events during the past two
years. And, after all, when the whole special
plea has been completed, be is forced to admit in
the first place that the government of Kansas
- a.
he uses-without hindrance from the general
government; aud, secondly, that there are on
the statute book of Kansas laws violative of the
constitution which nevertheless this same
Franklin Pierce employed the forces OF the gene
raj government in enforcing He endeavors to
excuse himself by laying the blame on the "peo-
pie Of the North and South" But this is ridicu-
lous The people" of the North and South
took very little interest i'll Kansas. A few per-
sons North and South went to Kansas to settle.
A few were sent by rabid abolitionists from New
England 10 see that the Territory was abolition
lied. A few more from Missouri were sent in
by the slave interest to see that the Territory
was prepared to be slave State. Under these
circumstances, what was the duty OF the general
government? Clearly to take no part in the
controversy, but TO see that the Territorial act
was fairly and freely carried out. What did
it do? 1t interfered in the controversy d.
rectly and openly, by taking the side Of the
slave interest, and censuriDg one set Of
invaders only; and having by its counte-
nance and support, helped the Missourian
invaders to seize The polls and choose a
Territorial Legislature for Kansas, it sent
the United Sales troops into the Territory IN or
der 70 carry out by force the laws which the Pre-
sident nov ccnfes-es to have been '.violative of
the constitution and to force slavery upon the
people of Kansas with fire and sword 1t will
take good deal Of special pleading to satisfy
the people of the United States that this policy
was Just or creditable
So far as The rest Of the message Is concerned, 1t
is satisfactory enough The public debt has been
reduced from Sc, 129 937 10 30,731, III; forty
five millions or dollars and over having been paid
of. The revenue from customs has exceeded
SCI 900 900; on the strength Of which, and Ia
view OF the probability that forty-eght millions
will cover the annual expenditure for the next
four years, the President reiterates bis reconmen-
dalton that the tariff be remodsled and the da-
ties reduced. The receipts from public lands
have been SS,S2l,4li, on sales Of 9,227,S7s
acres. The deficiency in the Poet Office is 81
5s7, 0i6, being larger deficiency than last year
by three-quartcrs Of million.
With foreign powers. all our disputes are in a
fair way Of adjustment. Mr.. Dallas has con-
cludcd treaty settling the Central American
question; and all the other points in dispute with
Great Britain viii soon he settled. No allusion
is made in The message TO the non.appointment of
q British Minister. The Danish Sound dues
question will 1t is hoped, be at last settled In an
amicable manner. The President announces that
Russia has agreed to hr. Msrcy's proposition in
reference 10 maritime warfare: that the Emperor
Of france has expressed his general approval OF
ii: and that the Congress Of Paris may possibly
lead to its general adoption. Walker in Mica
ragua is passed over rather CONTEMPORARY; but
the recent new Granadian attempt to levy exor-
bitant toll on American property crossing the
Isthmus Il stated to b. unwarrantahle, and 10 call
for resistance To these several subjects We shall
recur separately.
Mn. BucHASAN's TyAUCUTAr---On Friday last.
one hundred Students of Franklin and Mar