The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-26

1t is curious to contrast the extraordinary alac-
rty shown by Congress, in comforting discretionary
powers upon the PRESIDENT, in the conduct of our
Foreign Relations, with the exceeding paucity of
the means placed at his disposal to enable him to
exercise those powers. Only few weeks since
he was authorized by Joint Resolution of the
House and Senate, to take such steps as he should
think proper, for the purpose of obtaining redress
from Paraguay, for outrages committed upon
American commerce in the waters of La Plata.
Fortunately, Paraguay is feeble and insignificant
State. One or two vessels of war will probably
constitute sufficient squadron to compel COM
pllance with our demands. Had the case been
otherwise, the only effect of the action of Congress
would have been to burden the president with a
grave responsibility, without affording him any
adequate means of satisfactorily discharging it.
Now, it is suggested by Senator DOUGLAS to give
the PRESIDENT like discretionary powers to proceed
against England, France, or any other power,
that may at any time be guilty of ''hagrant
violation of the law of natons'' by encroach-
ments upon our soil, violence to our citizens or
dlsrespect to our flag. In all such cases, the
PRESIDENT is to be empowered to use 'tsuch force
las he may deem necessary, to prevent the perpe-
'tratlon OF such outrages, and to obtain just re-
'dress and satisfaction for the same, when perpera-
tied" The objections which are patent upon the
face of Senator DOUGLAS BILL and the reasons
which forbid any such grant of power as is therein
proposed, we have already discussed We now
wish to illustrate the practical absurdtv of any
such measure, in the existing state of our National
defences, and the present condition of our Military
and Naval Establishments. We do not mean to
imply any apprehension that such grant of discre-
tionary powers to the present Executive would
necessarily involve us, straightway, in war. We
have every confidence in the sound Judgment and
pacific intentions of the PRESIDENT. We simply
mean, that in authorship the PRESIDENT 'tto en-
poy such force as he may deem necessary" for
the vindication of the National honor and the
protection of our commerce, Congress would do
well in the first instance, to see whether any
'orce' exists adequate to the performance of this
duty. We have heretofore advocated such in
crease of the Army, as, we thought, was i'm
perativey required on account of the extent
of our military frontier, and the number of
exposed points which needed to be garrisoned.
We thought the exigcncies of the Mormon re-
bellion afforded favorable opportunity for max
ing such an increase, and seriously deprecated
the defeat OF the Army bill by the Senate We
THINK the present occasion equally opportune for
increasing the Navy When petty despot like
the tyrant LOPEZ, can venture to insult orr fao
and maltreat our citizens in the woterS IF In
Plata, and British gun-boats make y nraot;oo Of
systematically boarding and searching every vasse,
sailing under American colors, in the Cu,f of
Mexico, the necessity for larger naval establish
ment, than we at present possess. for tbo
adequate protection of our commerce from
such outrages, must be apparent to everybody.
None of the historical objections urged by Southern
gentlemen, of weak nerves and classical reading
against any increase of the Army, apply to the
Navy. Nobody ever heard of 'Pretorian CO.
hort of sailors, or of any free government ever
degeneratlng into Naval Oligarchy. Northern
scruples against giving the President soldiers, to
station in Kansas for the suppression of Northern
1reason' can not extend to giving him ships to
stitlon In the Gulf of Mexico, or in the China seas,
for the protection of Northern commerce. Instead
therefore, OF the six steam-soops suggested nv the
Naval Committee of the Senate let nc have a. oost
SIX umes mat number OF gun-boats, rs, we hope,
will be recommended by the Naval Committee of
the House. For the present, we want no mora
big ships for show. We want some little vessels
for use. A few frgates like the Niaoara tho
Minnesota, and the Wabash are we'll enough in their
way. Their spacious decks make capital ball
rooms equally adapted for the promenade or the
dance and they are therefore we-suited for yacht
ing service in the Mediterranean, for solemn