The Portland daily press., 1867-01-07
The Pre.iaen,,. Message i'm France.


The comments OF the French press on the
Message OF President johnson are not partc-
ularly fiattering either to the document or its
author lie Pays merely says:
The message docs not appear to us destined
to met with great success The document
will perhaps gain when we shall have read it
at leisure, which we have not yet done from the
late hour at which We have received It,
The Debats uses the following language;
The Presidents Message is not precisely dis
tinguished for its tact and moderation; it Is the
work. not penetrated with the grave RESPONSE
billy which his high functions con er on LIN,
but of a vulgar, ambitious man. mucn inoie
concerned about his own future thah .na' VI
his country; for Mr.. johnson seems only 70
have aimed at fattering the passions VI the
people in order to reco'ei for 80 $3.50
which is escaping from hIin AS iar as FRANCE
Ia concerned IL may well be remembered that,
in virtue of convention betW cen The United
States and nhe French government, the latter
undertook to withdraw It's troops from Mexico
in three detachments 1.-THE first Ut which was to
come home in November 1866, the second in
the March following, and the third in Novem-
Der of the year after. We learn by the mess
age that on the 22d of last month the Washing
ton Cabinet was officially informed that the
French government had decided upon sub
shutting for that method OF bringing home the
troops by installments, their withdrawal alto
gether, and at the same time in next spring
Hence raclamations on the part OF the Am
erican government, which Will be taken into
consideration at Paris, at least as Mr.. johnson
hopes. For ourselves, We cannot see very
clearly the utility of these demands, since, ac-
cording to the new arrangements made by
France, the evacuation of Mexico will be COM
pleted SIX months before the term fixed by the
frst Convention. This withdrawal Of the
French troops was desired as much by the
French people as by the United States, and
the question: as it now stands, is merely an
unimportant one of form, and it appears to us
scarcely possible to give rise to serious differ
inces between the two governments" a
The Epoqae says: A1
This language, sufficiently stiff in its demo-
cratic simplicity is an American habit, and
England is even worse treated than ourselves.
Decidedly America reconstructed is taking
high tone with Europe; but in our opinion 1t
is not now that this want of consideration can
lead to any grave consequences. The United
States are not so prepared as they would desire
to be thought and of this no other proof is
necessary than President Johnson's message
itself. After the partial elections which have
recently taken place, that document is, under
a conciliatory form; a challenge to Congress
The President, it was thought and said, being
enlightened as to the unpopularity of his pol
icy by the small success OF his candidates,
would make the concession demanded OF him
by the national representation, and would
spontaneously recommend to the ten Southern
States the acceptance of the only condition
which the victorious North imposes upon their
compile sc Remittance into the Union, that is
to say, the Constitutional Amendment propos-
ed by Congress. .s..- III
Rnt this il not so. President johnson per-
sists in his policy; under pretext OF re-estab
fishing harmony between the North and South
he endeavers to snatch from the former the
fruit of its victories and to replace matters on
the footing they held before the war. He does
not cease repeating that the object of that
struggle, namely, the re-estabshment of the
Union, has been attained, and he affects to ig-
more that it is the desire OF Congress to pre-
vent the war from being renewed and the IN
ion from being broken up second time. He
explicitly declares himself opposed to the just
guaranty which the conquerors demand of
the conquered. In our opinion this is provo
cation and one of most dangerous kind. The
Republican party, as a consequence of the late
elections, has command OF sufficient number
Of votes to bring an impeachment against the
President and we should not be astonished
were it to reply in that fashion to the stubborn
ness of the executive power.