The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-03-07

Il ace on the 4th Instant has left most iorsaida-
bic budget Of legislative omissions failures, dell
cienciGs aad unfinished business 70 the now Con-
eress, which may thus be called together some
months in advance Of the first Monday in Decen-
Der next.
The prominent recommendations of the Prcsi-
dents annual Message Of last December, WERE
touching cur foreign affairs, temporary mill
tary occupation Of the northern provinces Of
Mexico; authority to the Executive to employ
the army and navy, If necessary, in behalf of the
peace and neutrality of the Isthmus transits of
Central America; and special appropriation to
enable the President 10 enter into active nego-
tatOns for the purchase Of the island of Cuba.
Concerning our internal affairs, the leading
features Of the Message were, an appeal to Con-
gress in behalf Of o general bankrupt law, in
GLIDING corporations; Recommendation in favor
of some positive legislation in behalf Of rail-
road from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific
ocean; and an appeal for the relief of an OK
hausted treasury, through modification of the
tariff, embracing euch specific duties rs would
afford some encouraging incidental protection to
our home manufactures, while increasing the
treasury receipts from the foreign imports thus
assessed.
Such, foreign and domestic, were the bold,
practical, expedient and popular recommends
tons Of the last annual Message of Mr.. Blu
chanan And what has this Thirty-fifth demo-
cratic Congress left upon the record in response
to these leading recommendations? Nothing
literally nothing. The Cuba question, the affairs
Of Mexico and Central America, the bankrupt
question, and the demands of rapidly increas-
ing public debt, and of an empty treasury, re-
main substantially untouched by Congress. The
last act Of the session was the authority given to
Mr.. Cobb to reissue twenty millions of treasury
notes, or, in other words, to 60 upon tick for
twenty millions more, to make up the deficiencies
in his current receipts through the ensuing fiscal
year.
In addition to this imposing schedule of Con-
gressional omissions and failures all the appro-
pratiOns for the Post Office Department exceed
ing, In the aggregate, twenty millions ofdollars-
have fallen through from certain disagreements
between the two houses and among the several
Presidential cliques and factions thereof Thus
in reference to this important department of the
public service, the administration has to deter
mine whether the government can most wisely
undertake to live upon the money of the mail
contractors Till December, or resort to an extra
session Of the new Congress, or shut up the post
Offices and stop the transportation of the mails
In any event, the budget of business of the new
Congress will comprehend, first, our relations
with Mexico, Central America and Cuba-rela-
tons which, from the active and compre-
hensive ntrigues OF England and France,
cannot be much longer neglected; second
ly, public debt hard upon q hundred
millions, all told, heavy expenditures, deficient
receipts, and various retrenchments in the
appropriations of the late session, which are
no retrenchments at all-such retrenchments, for
instance, as those suspending the work on the
Treasury building and the new wings of the
Capitol, and on the Washington city water
works. These are items which must be paid,
and the extension Of time expedient adopted by
Congress will, in the end, rather increase than
diminish the appropriations thus put Off
But why all this budget of blunders, this bung-
ling work upon the regular appropriation bills
and this ignoring, lodging and suffocation in
Congress Of all the great landmarks of the Prcsi
dents foreign and domestic policy? The list of
party aspirants, local and sectional cliques, min
ing and undermining, plotting and counterpart
ting for the Presidential succession, will furnish
the solution to the whole mystery. Thus, the
democratic managers of the great spoils and
plumber game for 1850 have abandoned the ad-
ministration because they have failed to use il
for their selfish schemes, and because it is taken
for granted that, as Mr.. Buchanan is out of the
way, the only thing now to be looked after is the
Charleston Convention. There is, also, very
fair prospect that the Presidential election of
1860 will be o scrub race, and that the election
may thus be thrown into Congress.
In the meantime, the beleagured democracy
arc ON the eve of their Southern elections for the
new Congress, and if they would save the House
Of Representatives. upon u small margin for
gains, they must gain, instead of losing, a few
members Hence the course of the Southern
democracy in this last Congress. To save
themselves at home in these approaching Con-
gressional elections, they have choked off a mo-
difcation of the tariff, they have enforced con-
siderable number Of mock retrenchments, inter-
mixed with lew real reductions, and have fallen
back upon the beggarly expedient Of running
into debt to the extent of an additional sum of
twenty millions or more, rather than run the
risk Of facing the music Of increased duties upon
foreign imports or inevitable direct taxation.
On the other hand, the Presidential schemcrs
Of the Northern republican camp were equally
busy, at the late session, especially in shaping
their policy in Congress for buncombe Presiden-
tial electionering. The Homestead bill, which
passed the House, and which only failed il the
Senate, we suppose, for want Of time, was nothing
but bold agrarian experiment for the next
Presidency; and If the grant of free farm of
lGo acres Of the public lands TO every applicant
upon the simple condition Of cultvaing it. IL not