Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-01-02
WHOLE NO. 1920.

been presented to us, have made the impress
sion upon my mind that, however exception
able it might be in my humble judgment, and
however in bad taste, that was not pointfor us
to settle" de g,istiJus non est disputandun !"
but | regard it rather as the ebultion of an
impotent sort of rage on the part of disap-
pointed, ambitious man, worthy of no partic-
ular notice / believe that scarcely a man,
perhaps not one, can now be found in this
body, who would have ever desired that any
/ such matter should be there but it is there.
1t comes er cdthedrd. II comes indorsed by
the highest executive officer of this Govern
ment. 1t is sent to the world with that in
dorsement, backed by that authority. l do
not therefore wonder that IL should be thought
worthy of some answer.
Now, sir, what are the leading features of
this part of the messagei The President
seems to have reversed the order in which the
Constitution puts the schedule of his duties
f 1t provides that the President shall, from
time 60 time, give TO the Congress nfor-
nation Of the State of the Union. and rccOm-
mend to their consideration such measures as
he shall Judge necessary and expedient -
What does this means 1t is that he shall
lay before Congress the condition of the coun-
try, with a view TO showing them the necessi-
ty of the measures he recommends but he
revorses that order entirely in this message
lie says it is his duty to recommend such
/ measures as he thinks proper and also his
duty to lay before Congress the condition of
the country; the state of the nation; whoth-
er that condition requires any action or not,
or whether he recommends any action not.
That is a new vcrsion--a new order of things.
! The leading features of this part of the mes
sage which / regard as worthy of any consid-
af all ,4e oxf rh.ob
; chall read. Speaking of the recent presi-
dental canvass in the country he says:
, Under the shelter Of this great liberty
That is, the liberty of advancing their own
opinions
meut they assa associations have been formed in
Of the States Of individuals who, pretending seek only
present or future inchoato States Of the unon
rcaiV iuaamcd with desire to change the domestic in
stituuons of existing States"
This is direct charge of false pretenses
"Ihey seek objec, which they we'll kio,o to be a
revolutionary one"
Again
"Wen knowing that such. and such only, arc the
means and the consequences Of their plans and purposes
for civil by doing everything in their power to deprive
the Constitution and the laws Of moral authority
Again
"1his attempt has been pointedly rcbuked."
What attempt;
''Ihe attempt Of portion Of the States by section
al organization and movement, to Wsp the control Of
the Government
e ! wish TO call attention to another express
sion which is not particularly y offensive in its
, manner but in reference to the subject-mat-
ter contained
90 nReyolutionar, disorder in Kansas had its origin in
projects cnton deliberately arranged by certain
members Of that Congress which enacted the law for the
organization Of the Territory. And when propagandist
colonization Of Kansas had thus been undertaken in
section Of the Union for the systematic promotion Of its
peculiar views of policy, there cnsned, a matter Of
o tons"
There is one other feature which is too OBJ
vious to require quotation, and that is a charge
l that regular course of aggression upon the
rights and privileges of the southern part of
the United States has been undertaken and
t prosecuted.
Such are some of the slight charges which
this message contains. They are couched in
no uncquivocal terms there can be no mis-
take about them. Shall gentlemen tell us that
it is in bad taste now for us to presume to say
, anything about this subject here Did we
begin it even upon this occasion: The course
of gentlemen on this matter really reminds
me of a good anecdote that recollect used to
be told by the late Judge Mckinley When
some lynching operation was going on in one
Of our southern States, there happened to be
a stranger present, who protested against that
kind of violence He was taken aside by one
of the gentlemen present, who said to him
" Stranger, this is free country, and we shall
do as we please about this business and YOU
shall not say anything about it." Laughter
That is their definition of liberty. The Pres
ident msy say and do precisely what he pleas
es about this business, and we shall not say
anything about it. l think we are called up
on rightly and fairly to say something.
The President talks great deal about what
! he considers settled by this election, and the
rebukes which it has dealt out. do not
know what has been settled by this election
except one thing, and that is what was said
, by the gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr.
Biglcr that Mr.. Buchanan has been elected
President; and believe that is all that has
been settled by the election. If anything
else is settled, it should be settled by major
; tiles and / cannot but observe that gentle
men on the other side, in talking about major
! tiles, always put down, as against the Repub-
lioan party, or their candidate, Mr. Fremont
the whole number of votes cast for Mr.. Bu-
I chanan and the whole number of votes cast
for Mr.. Fillmore. They add them together,
and then tell us how we are rebuked. Thus
the majority against Mr. Fremont was com
Mr.. Fillmore united; but the majority against
Mr.. Buchanan was not the vote of Mr.. Fill
more and Mr.. Fremont united. That is an
other thing. You must have it arranged a.
rithmetically, like the old notion Of the boys
when at -play-heads | win, tails you
; lose. Laughter,
! What was the leading feature of the vote
t cast for Mr. Fillmore; What principle did
, Mr.. Fillmore holds l do not know whether
! his party had very full platform of resolu-
tions but | ask what did Mr.. Fillmore hold
on this great topic Of which we are speaking,
{ What are we talking about The repeal of
; the Missouri Compromise and the enactment
, of the Kansas-Nebraska law, and the princi-
{ Piles involved in that measure. What did Mr.
Fillmore say of that, publicly and openly TO
the world; That the repeal of the Missouri
/ compromise line the Pandora's box of all
our troubles / take it that those who voted
for him thought Then, on this very point
? upon which we are now talking, and which
gentlemen say was AT issue in the election,
} the votes for Mr., Fillmore and for Mr.. Fremont
, should be counted together; and they, put to-
gether, decide against the doctrines of the