The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-12-18
State OF Maine.
The Presidents Message.

paper to-day, to the publication OF the
Presidents message, which We give en-.
tire to the exclusion Of other matter Of
Importance. The message being the first
Of President Buchanan, was looked for
with some interest, and no small share Of
curiosity, mainly, to see what course the
President would take in relation TO Kan.
sas matters. While many portions OF
the message will receive almost universal
appreciation, and the country generally
will be Pleased to learn that our relations
with foreign countries are in harmoni.
Gus state, and that the President does
neither sanction the proceedings Of the
Mormons in Utah, or the fllibustcring Of
Walker in Central America, very large
portion of the people, especially of the
free States, and his political friends will
read with sorrow his suggestions relating
to Kansas matters, and will perceive with
regret, that he supports the ragmufiin
border ruflian constitution which the Lc-
compton convention is cndcavoring to
force upon the people of Kansas, and
while he says he regrets that that Con.
vcntion did not submit the whole con-
stitution, he endorses tho action of that
convention in its refusal to allow the
people to decide for themselves as to
what shall be tho character Of their in
situations, insisting that the Kansas Ne
braska Act did not require that the
whole constitution should be submitted
to them for approval. lie avows that
the constitution is legally valid, and must
be recognized rs such, and that if the
people Of Kansas decline to vote upon
the clause which is submitted, they alone
will be responsible for the consequences
of years OF disccrd and probably civil
war il they cnsuc.
The President takes the extraordinary
ground that the Kansas Nebraska act in
guarantying that the people should be
left "free to form and regulate their do
mestic institutions in their own way had
reference merely TO the institution Of
slavery and did not insure them any di-
rect voice upon other subjects. He re-
pcats that the slaves now in the territory
were carried there "under tie constitution
ofMe United States and therein justifes
tina, clause in the Lccompton constitution
which secures and pcrpetuatcs the tenure
on the slaves now in the territory. The
Presidents reasoning to sustain these ex-
traordinary assumptions is hardly worthy
the name Of argument - is as puerilc as
the suggestions are in themselves out
ragcous. They amount simply to an as
scrtion that willie the term popular SOW
ercignty may authorize the people to say
whether they will adopt slavery or not
it has no signiticancy when applied to
any thing else. We have not space for
elaborate comment Of this part OF the
message, nor is it necessary. 1t stands
forth in all It's palpablc nakcdncss, and
hideousncss Of proportions to the people,
and no candid man who reads it will fail
to perceive that the President stands on
the question of extending slavery into the
territories on the most ultra Southern
ground, and is ready to sacrifice the most
cherished ideas Of popular governments,
as well as his own consistency, TO satisfy |
the clamor ofthc slave olgarchy. There
is one part of the message which strikes
us as not only being in bad taste but is
also exceedingly ccnsurablc for its tone.
The President says, with flourish of
language which sounds like the crack Of
the ovenccr's whip, that "Kansas has oc-
cupicd too much Of the public attention.
1t is high time that this should be given
to far more important Objects We do
not think the time has come when the
people will go to tho President and in.
quirc of him what subjects shall occupy
their a,tention-and their reply to this
bit of insolent interference will be, every
where, "Mr. Buchanan it is none Of your
business what VIC, the people, turn our
attention to provided we violate no law,
and exercise only our constitutional rights
and you, although you arc President,
would be better employed in discharging
your constitutional duties, than in exhib-
ting proncncss to NEEDLE with that
which no public duty requires you TO
do" This is matter which concerns
the people, and not the President, and j,
is now apparent that he will find enough
to do to keep his political friends in
Washington straight, without telling the
people at large, how they shall be occu-
pied. Already mutiny exists in the
Democratic camp at Washington, grow
ing out of the Kansas question, and the
chief mutineer is Senator Douglass, who
takes issue with President and declares
the position Of the President inconsistent
with the intent and meaning Of the Kan.
sas Nebraska act, and subvcnivc Of the
pledges given by the democratic party in
the Presidential election.