The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-12-14

F08 49,
The remarks Of the World will be accepted
BY every intelligent reader, not prejudiced
by devotion 10 Aboliiionism, as eminen;ly
just, The article exhausls the small sub
ject OF its criticism, and leaves nothing
more 10 be said -
TIE PREsIDEET'e MESSAGE
Considering that the President whose
fourth annual message is now before Us, is
20 preside for four years more over the des-
TIMES of the country, through a period of
difficulty and peril, it would crafty The ma
lional pride, even OF his political opponents,
If this document exhibited him as a states
man OF good. abilities. But we have not
that consolation. A more tame, i%eiune,
common-2lace state paper never emanaIed
from a man clothed with high Responsible
lies II il, IT. the main, q tepid recital Of
certain points and statistics from The reports
OF the heads Of The Executive Departments,
Ia a style not better than is attained BY ev-
cry abridger Of documents in a news
II does not reach even the subordinate mer-
lis Of method and PREPARATION. The navy,
which has done next 10 nothing besides
maintaining the blockade, occupies FIVE
times the space given to the army and the
notice OF our military operations is in two
widely separated parts, a. il the materials
OF the message had been tumbled together
By accident. Faults of arrangement. how
erty Of matter. The breviiy OF the message
would, under any circumstances, be a merit,
bot in this case the merit would have been
more conspicuous, had il been still shorter.
Succinciness resulting from ~closeness and
condensation, is a very different thing from
the penury OF a barren intellect. The in
ieIleciual poverty of the message is in no
degree aroned for by patriotic fervor or ele-
vatiou OF sentiment. II is amazing that a
man called 10 be the chief actor in the most
momentous civil struggle The world ever
saw is lifted 10 no inspiration. II Mr.. Lin
coin understood his epoch, one would naln-
rally expect that is grandeur would impress
his imagination. Bat the message is as
cold as il is feeble. We would not be IN
derslood by this criticism as implying thai
a state paper should ever be a rhapsody
bot a mind deeply impressed easily stirs
other minds TO their pro.oundest depths
without any breach of decorum. Forecast
ing sagacity and a vigorous grasp OF The
situation would be worth all the feeling in
The world ; but when a Chief Magistrate
cannot instruct and guide, i, would be some
partial atonemeSt il he could inspire, cleo
|irify, or encourage. Bat in MIR. Lincoln
debility of intellect keeps company with a
|torpor and vplgarity OF feeling. He never
|rises TO The level. or even appreciates the
|proprieties Of a great OCCASION The coarse
and scanIy drspery in which he clothes his
|Fiarveling conceptions is perhaps a merit /;
b can at any rate, be said in his favor that
|his style matches well with his matter.
10 each OF his last Two messages, MIR.
lincoln made a iaborieus effort to rise above
the dead level Of commonplace, by the
preservation Of a project. But in both cases
'hie Feat of craftsmanship was unsuccessful
20 1862 be expounGed at great length a
scheme for compensated emancipation in
Pill The slave States, TO be completed by the
year 1870. This was the only salient thing
in that message ; but it was treated with
contempt even by his own party. Il did
not live long enough 10 cry ; so far as we
can recollect, il never received The compli
ment OF Discussion in the body 10 which il
WAS addressed 10 1863 he propouuded
hnother scheme, buI TO escape the con-
smpions treatment of It's predecessor. IL
vas cnnninely devised TO dispense with
he Congressional cooperation. This was
ne famous Reconstruction project, in which
9 'astuteIy argued iLat setting up new
Iate governments and prescribing the quail
locations Tor suffrage was a right which he
Fouid exercise in virtue of-Ihe pardonins
bower! His own parry in Congress was SO
ar from acquiescIng in this odd assump-
ion. that they i~nterposed and passed an act
b supersede his plan I; and when he vetoed
the Republican chairmeD OF the appro-
kfiale commisees of the two houses gave
I'M a public %cssiigation in a paper marked
great force of reasoning and vigor OF in.
~ecfise- Even The parry convention tina.
ominaled him for re election was prudent
ssy OF endorsing his Reconstruction pro-
ect. Warned by these failures. he makes
the present message no attempt 10 turn
is vehicle (no coach, bu, a carr out OF
he rut of irite common place. He con-
MS his ambition with dull abstracts OF the
7nrts Of his secretaries, and servile ech-
~ The Republican press With one or
B significant exceptions, there is not a
v 'dsa in the message certainly none
n any mortal will remember when the
sase is a month old.
such a document affords no scope for
x,icular Il is beneath II. Il is