Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-12-14
The Message.

and rare merit, to begin with-it is short.
1t may be read through at one sitting,
without firing the reader; and that is
more than could have been said of many
similar documents that have issued from
the White House during the last twenty
years.
The Message begging with reference to
our foreign relations, which, we regret to
be informed, are not as satisfactory and
pacific as could be wished. The President
hints at, rather than directly alludes to
difficulties with foreign nations, which por-
tend danger but he says enough to create
a feeling of uneasiness and distrust in the
public mind. Under these circumstances,
his recommenda to the forti6cation and
defence of our line ofsea-coast, carries with
it extraordinary weight, and will be uni
venally seconded.
The Presidents statement of the opera
tons of the National Treasury, is encour.
aging and satisfactory. He gives us the
gratifying assurance that the expenditures
of the Government, great as they necessa-
rily are by reason of the war, are not be-
yond the resources of the loyal people.
The recommendations of the Message
are neither numerous or of grave impor-
tance. The majority of them will be gen.
orally approved. The expediency of some
will be questioned AS, for example, that
relative to the recognition of the indepen-
deuce and sovereignty of the negro gov
ernment of Hayti and Liberia.
The reason which the President gives
for not filing the vacancies on the Supreme
Bench, are commendable aud just. They
indicate a desire to treat the South fairly
if the opportunity were presented,
A considerable portion Of the Message
is taken up with the subject of the War +;
and here we are glad to see that the Presi-
dent unequivocally declares "Me integrity
Of the Union' to be "the primary object
of the contest on our part" With regard
to the slaves employed in the rebel SER
vice, who have been liberated under the
Act of Congress of Ausust 9, 1861, entitled
"An Act to Confscate Property used for
Insurrectionary Purposes" the President
saws that numbers of them are already
dependent on the Government, and must
be provided for in some way. He does
not adopt Secretary Cameron's mischiev-
GUS idea of arming these liberated slaves,
and placing them upon an equal footing
with the brave white citizens who have
volunteered so generously and nobly IN
the service of the Union but in far
more prudent and conservative spirit, he
recommends their colonization in some
foreign territory of congenial climate, t'
be acquired for the purpose-whlch, a
restoration to their master is a presen
impossibility, is the next best thing tina
can be done with them.
The President inspires us with conh
dence in his intentions, by saying that vi
considering the policy to be adopted 10
suppressing the insurrection," he has "bee
anxious and careful that the inevitabl
conaic for this purpose shall not degener
ate into a violent and rcmorseless revolu
tionary struggle" He reiterates tn
Jacksonian declaration that "Ihe On'o
must be preserved'-"and hence all il
dispensible means must be employed''-
But, he adds, with cautious prudence
and au evident consciousness of th
weghty responsibilities that rest upo
him " We shall not be in haste to dt
termine that radical and eTtreme mea sure
,chich mag reach the loyal as 'ceN as Il
disloyal, are Indispensable
Upon the whole, the Message is dec
dedly conservative in its tone. But thel
, is too much cause for fear that its mode
ate counsels will not prevail in the Cab
!, net, or with the Republicans in CongreS
Already we see on the part of the MAORI
in that body, evidences of a haste and
impatence to resort to extreme measur
which neither State exigency or Milital
necessity demands, and which, therefor
can be productive of no good end.
Our UNION PRIsoNERs.-It has be-
| stated that the Colonels who are held
). close confinement. at the South, to answ
= the fate of the privateers, are not perm
|. ted to receive money from their friends
}. This is worse treatment than the privatet
). have. The Government has been cxcec
h ingly lenient with them. They have be
n allowed to receive whatever is sent the
n and have had tobacco, pipes, soap, c
!. thing, and articles of comfort contribut