The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-19

CTR PRESIDENTIAL LIsr-GESERAL ScoTr
AMONG THE SMALL FRY.-In connection with
the appointment of General Scott for the deli
cate duty of maintaining our territorial rights
on the Pacific coast, and our present relations
OF peace with England at the same time, we
have spoken of him as the great paciicator.
Nor can We recur to his important services in
this character, running through period of half
a century, nor can we reflect moment upon
the sound patriotic national principles which
have always governed him as a public man.
without being impressed with the superiority
Of his claims to the Presidency over those of
all the little housing politicians and mischief
making sectional Presidential aspirants of the
day.
Thus, taking General Scott as the standard
of our judgment, Seward dwindles down to the
pitiful proportions of sectional demagogue.
and WISE Davis and Senator Brown, in the
South, and Douglas on the stump in the West,
may all be properly slowed away in the same
basket. Nor do our democratic Presidential
aspirants of New York stand in much better
position; for, while we find Horatio Seymour
offering incense at the shrine of Buncombe in
the Northwest, we find Daniel S. Dickinson at
Syracuse consenting to play the ignoble part
of Whitewater to the INSCRIPTIONS Regency
gamesters for the Charleston Convention.
Among all such mere peddling and dwelling
! politicians, whose claims, hopes and purposes
! are limited to their party caucuses and the
! trickery of their party managers, General Scott
towers aloft like giant among the pigmies.
We still believe, too, that if his name were
actively started for the Presidency in behalf of
the great independent conservative body of the
people, he would still be found young enough
and strong enough to all our little politicians
and demagogues off the track. II is only upon
some such man of mark, whose patriotism is
! as broad as the Union, and whose history is his
! best platform, that the independent patriotic
men of the North and South can unite in 1860;
but, with such man, they can surely control
the result of the campaign. The democracy
have such man in Mr.. Buchanan; but he has
Withdrawn from the fight. Where have they
another competent to fill his place, and where
have the opposition another qualified to stand
as substitute for General Scott?
The Peace Mission for General Scott-Con-
hicting Claims to the San Juan Island.
The administration has become apprehensive
that the conflicting claims of the American and
British governments to the island Of San Juan
in the Straits of Fuca, may possibly lead to a
collision which might involve both governments
in hostilities. General Harvey has given proof
of his resolve to hold the island against all OPP
posing claims, while on the other hand Gov
ernor Douglas, of British Columbia, appears
to be equally resolved to make the claim of
his government prevail Harvey is impetuous,
and Douglas is obstinate, and hence the danger
of collision is imminent. The island is held
| by a detachment of our troops, but several
British armed vessels are cruising around it,
not only prepared to land an armed force there
but to resist the landing of any more American
troops. Such condition Of things is, to say
the least, dangerous; and it is an eminently
wise measure on the part Of our government
to despatch Lieutenant General Scott to the
scene of difficulty.
1t is not the first time that General SCOTS
talents as pacificator have been brought into
play in the service of the country In 1882 he
was selected by General Jackson to go to
South Carolina to put down the notification
movement, which threatened to involve the
peace and perpetuity of the Union. In this
service everything depended upon his pru-
dence and discretion His difficult and deli
cate mission was executed with the utmost sue
cess. Six years afterwards, when the move
ment of the Canadian patriots was causing SO
much excitement, General Scott was sent to the
Niagara frontier with instructions to defendour
own territory, if necessary, against invasion, or
to maintain peace throughout the borders.
Perhaps it is not too much to say that it was
| chiefly owing to his influence and exertions
that open hostilities did not break out between
England and the United States In the summer
Of the same year Is3s) he was sent to the
Southwest to direct the removal of the Cherokee
Indians to the far West, and when he returned
from the successful discharge of that mission he
found that his services as pacifcator were re-
quired by the government on the northeastern
frontier. The difficulty in regard to that from
tier had become so great and menacing that
| President Van Buren, announced in his message
the peace Of the to Congress that two nations
was daily and imminently endangered. On this
service he was brought into contact with Sir
John Harvey, an English officer, whose ac-
quaintance he had made years before, in the
war Of 1912, and who was the Governor of New
Brunswick. Their mutual friendship, and the
wise and conciliatory course which General
Scott pursued, dispelled the danger, and the
Aroostook difficulty was settled without resort
| to arms.
President Buchanan, therefore, in despatch
ing General Scott to San Juan, gives to the
English government the highest evidence Of his
desire to avoid the danger of drifting into hos
tilities. 1t is an assurance of the pacific inten-
tons Of our government in the matter Cover