Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-31
Tho Presidents Message.

| day morning. Following tho example OF Presi-
dent piEscr or n similar occasion, Mr.. BrcuASAN
sends in his Message before the organization OF
the House Of Representatives. lie Is evidently
Disguised with tho diseraditable spectacle which
the House of Representatives daily presents. and
is determined longer to give II his indircctap-
prevail by the Withholding of his annual Message.
The Message is u plain, business-like. unambi-
| tious, aud unprctcntious document The Pres-
dent wastes no words upon anything, except upon
our relations with China; and upon this subject
| he il tcdously verbose and unnecessarily minnie
Touching the lIarpers Ferry affair, We confess to
q degree of disappointment in the Presidents
treatment Of it. lie condemns it, it is trne-con-
demns it in very decided language-bul it is plain
lie com iders it matter Of but thrilling import
ance. A couple Of paragraphs only are devoted
to IN event that has created profound sensation
not only in this country but throughout the civil
Used world. A couple Of brief paragraphs.
which might very we'll have constituted part OF
tho leader of n new spaper. is all the President
furnishes in the way oi comment, upon the late
REASONABLE and wicked invasion Of u sovereign
STATED Surely, Mr.. Buchanan, rs the he nj Of the
Republic sht have betrayed some little concern
about this unprcced, ntrd event in our history ASA
nation Surely. lac might have given us some
thing better than n c1mmon-p place expression of
| regret, and tissue Of moral maxims. after the
manner of Joseph Surface in tho play. But it is
| evident that Mr.. Buchanan, like most Of the peo-
pie Of tho North. DIES not appreciate the true
significance, nor the inevitable effect upon South
ern public sentiment, of the late loray upon llar-
l. IL, 81,
ton much more seriously than his Message gives
evidence of, if he would answer to the expecta.
tons of the universal Southern sentiment upon
this subject.
Thus CURLY, aad almost contemptuousy, dis
missing tho affair ut llarpers Ferry, the Presi-
dent next proceeds to discussion Of the question
of slavery in the ferritures; and upon this point
| he reasons well and sounily lie accepts, eve
nv lawabidlng citizen should do, the decision OF
the Supreme Court that the rights Of all sorts Of
property in the Tcrrtorics--olavery included-are
, equally sacred lie admits that every kind Of
property in tho Territories is entitled toproection.
The President declares that neither Congress-
nor tho Territorial Legislature, nor any human
power nas any Authority to annul or impair this
vested right" thus. at blow, he demo-
shes the doctrine OF both the Republican party
and Mr. Senator Douglas lie might have been
more explicit in telling us how this protection is
| to be secured aud entorccd-but in consde .aton
of tho sound general princi Pies he lays down, we
shall not complain .oo greyously of his neglect
in this respect So seldom, indeed, do we find
Northern Democrat disposed to concede even thus
much to the clams of Justices and equality Of right,
4
ulous. Tho fact that the President was under
stood to occupy different ground during his candi-
dacy for the Office he holds-and the general
belief that no could not have been elected upon
any other platform-shull not prevent from
awarding him, now that the object Of his ambition
has been gratifed, whatever need Of praise may
be justly due him.
For tho rest of the Message our commentator,
we are sorry osay, must lie sparingly given
Without space to allude in detail to the various
subjects which the President discusses and tho
recommendation thu, he makes, We may say that
he fails to defend, in humble judgment, the
policy of the Administration in respec. of several
matters of foreign concern. The expedition to
Paraguay is explained AMI extolcl-Lut popular
| judgment has long since lccn passed upon that
enterprise, and it has been pronounced failure
and almost q ridiculous failure. The President
repeats his former recommendations about IN ap.
preparation for the purpose of trying to obtain
Cuba-a perfectly absurd and impractcnbc
scheme, ind one which the late Senator Broder-
lex declared project to procnro corruption fund
for the next Presidential election. Equally OBJ
| jectionable is the recommendation with regard to
| Me The sunprcilluus irb
the President speaks Of that unfortunate nation.
coupled with his proposition to march troops into
her territory under the stale old cry Of obtaining
indemnity for the past and security for the future
is the very worst policy, it seems to us, thut can
he suggested If Mr.. Buchanan means that
We are to act the highway robLer, and seize Next
CT by force, without rhyme or reason, he ought 10
have come out boldly aud said SO, and taken the
consequences. The CALLED pride Of Mexico will
hardly submit. with Indifference, to the supcrcil-
iousness with which the President speaks of her;
Us if she were, indeed, nation uf no power, and
entitled to no exhibition Of international comfy
and respect
The President recommends Territorial Govern
ment for Arizouia. Believing this to be plum
der scheme-like all the other propositions for
organising Territories in the Western wills-we
trust that Congress will repeat its wise action of
last winter and consign the whole batch Of Ter
rtorial bills to destruction at one blow Tie
Government is robbed enough already.
The President repeats his recommendation of n
Pacific Railroad. lie cnnnngly lodges behind
the war-makipg power of the Constitution for au-
thority to construct the work The idea Of making
Pa Railroad, under this power is, however