Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-12-10
THE PREsIDENT,s MESSAGE


and his messages continue to grow in length
proportionally, no newspaper can print them
and no man can find time to read them. We
have before us his second annual message de-
livcred on the 9th inst. 1t would about All our
daily paper on all sides, and two full sides Of
our weekly paper. We can give our readers
all the main points oft (leaving out the
augmentation, in one fifth of the space
The first topic is Kansas, which occupies
about one fifth of the message this is, we
suppose, to make it plain that that subject
is done with, as the democratic papers say ;
yet the very length and character of his dis
cussion shows that Mr.. Buchanan is still
very uneasy about it.
lie takes the extra,iudcal talk of Judge
laney, attached to the bred Scott decision
Tor an incontrovcrtble decision of the r. 8
supreme Court, that shareholders can take
their slaves into any Territory and hold them
there s~nL - .L-i I---.A--., q,
lty can stop them. Thus, according to James
Buchanan, Slavery has a preference orer
Freedom in settling the Territories Slave
holders can make the Territories slaveholdinp
but trcemen cannot make them free.
lie treats the acts of the Bogus Territorial
Leglsature-a bodr put into power by arm
ed rutians Of Missouri-as those of n lawful
Legislature, and all refusal by the people to
acknowledge its authority, and all proposi-
tfons by them for frame of government in
accordance with the wishes of the actual in
habltants of Kansas, as rebellious and rcvo-
lutionary acts. lie uphods the action of the
iamous Lecompton Convention; and iustifies
his attempt to have Kansas admitted with
that pro-slavcry Constitution without sub.
mission OF it to the people, although the peo-
pie were known t, be against it. He thinks
" was oil trifllng consequence whether the
people OF Kansas were allowed to vote what
'helr own State Constitution should he or
we're lett, after it was imposed upon them, to
alter it, if they could.
lie IS satisfied with the English Bill"
since he could not have his own measure
carried.
Ito takes the ground that the people of
hahsas have no right to form another Con-
sunni, preparatory to admission into the
ohion' till the population equals OF exceeds
the ratio required to elect member of Con-
gress in the old States.
lie thinks there ought to be settled rule
'lat hereafter no State shall be admitted
with population less than the ratio for A
representative requires, except, however, that
1t would be unjust, he says" to give this
rule retrospective application, and exclude
q state which, acting upon the past practice
Oh the government, has already formed its
constitution, elected its legislative and other
olncers, and is now prepared to enter the
Union. We understand this to refer to
Oregon, where Democracy is in the ascen-
dant but Kansas, which "acted upon the
past practice of the government MS other
States have done and been admitted, is to be-
kept out The injustice he speaks of has
not been feared when the States to come in
we're slave States; it is only to be feared in
his view when the State is to be n strong
toned free Stat.
The whole of the message, so far as Kansas
concerned, is marked by the same misstate-
ments OF fact, the same perversions of history,
the same sympathy with all the atrocious
wrongs committed to establish slavery in
Kansas which have charact erized Mr. Buchan
ans writings and doings from first to last.
10 support this statement of ours. we COPY
the Kansas chapter of the message at length.
UTAH AFFAIRS.
The President says Utah was in a state of
rebellion year ago, and cost what it
would, the rebellion must be suppressed. He
appointed new Governor, Gov. Cumming,
and other officers, and sent an army. as n
posse eom'tatus, to protect them in executing
the laws In conformity to the procama-
ton OF Gov. Young and the orders of those
acting under him on the 18th of October 1857
the Mormons captured IS wagons loaded
with provisions and tents and drove away
several hundred animals, and the army was
lett In great restitution and distress for the
winter. Everything was done that could be
|
sident sent Messrs. Powell and McCulloch to
L tab with proclamation Of pardon for all
treasons and seditons to those who would
submit, and an assurance that no lenitv
would be shown to those who should per-
sist in their rebellion. Good results seem to
haye'f9llowed the action of the L. S. govern
ment, he says and " the Governor and other
civil officers Of Utah, are now performing
their appropriate functions without resis-
lance. The authority of the constitution and
the laws has been fully restored, and peace
prevails throughout the Territory"
Some OF the troops sent to Utah are yet in
the vicinity of Salt Lake City, the rest be-
ing ordered to Oregon to suppress Indian
hostilities. The President recommends that
the benefits of our land laws and pre-emp- ,
ton system be extended to the people of
Utah, by the establishment of land Office in
that Territory.
CHINA AND JAPAN.
We quote from the message on these sub
jects
You were informed by my last annual message,
that our minister instructed, |
to occupy neutral position in the hostilites con-
Quoted by Great Britain and France against Canton.
He was, however, at the same time directed to CO.
operate cordially with tho British and French
Ministers, in all peaceful measures to secure by
treaty those just concessions to foreign commerce
which the nations Of the world had right to de- i
mand. 1t was impossible for me to proceed fur ,
Their than this my authority, without
usurpng the making power which, under the
Constitution, belongs exclusively to Congress
Besides, after a careful examination of the ma
ture and extent of our grievances, did not be-