Year: 1861

The Message--Opinions of the Press.


The Cincinnati Enquirer makes the follow
ing comments upon the message:


1t has one merit at least that of brevity. but
candor compels US to say that. as State paper,
it will fall saort Of the public anticipation.
While it is straightforward, business like and
and unpreteuding, il is far from being elevated
in sentiment, and is careless and awkward in
its construction and in its style, and Is hardly
worthy of the Chief Magistrate of the United
States this great occasion in our history.
Ii opens with the question OF our foreign relations
and its first recommendation is to fortify the lake
ports and Atlantic seaboardi This is significant
that some danger is apprehended by the President
from that quarter.


The Presidents suggestions in regard to
knowledging the independence of negro Hayti
and negro Liberia, and receiving them into the
nations, and if necessary. buy tract of territory
for the colonization of the free negroes of the
United States, are evidently stubs" thrown out
to the ~boltion ..whale," given him, perhaps,
slight crumbs of comfort for neglecting to rec
ommend general emancipation scheme, in ac-
cordance with his DESIRES


The Presidents dissertation about capital and
labor VII strike the reader as being out of place
in the message and it will doubtless, and very
Justly, give rise to unfriendly criticism. He takes
hopeful aud cheering view OF our difficulties,
which, we trust, will be realized in the future. If
he resists the schemes of the Abolitonists to per-
vert the war into one of emancipation, and holds
it to its original purpose of struggle for the
Union, he will continue to have the support of
the great mass of the people, which ardently de-
sires such blessed consummation. On the
whole, while the message is not up to our expec
tations, we expect it viii satisfy quite as WELL
if not better, than it does the ultra men of the
Republican party


The Cincinnati Commercial, (Rep.) says:


1t is not great State paper. As for its style
enough is said when we observe that Mr.. Lin
coin certainly wrote it himself.


The homely honesty of the President never ap-
peared in more rugged form than in this message;
and there not wanting evidences of that sin
gular combination of straightforward Indifferent
obstinacy and almost timorous indecision which
marks his character. His customary plainness
of speech is not in important passages identical
with clearness of expression. Unfortunately,
upon the very point concerning which distinctly
pronounced policy is demanded, BY the popular
will and the National emergency, he is most OBJ
scure.


While il is plain, that an honest man whose in
tentions are excellent. is the occupant of the
Presidential chair, it is equally clear that he
brings to the aid of the country no such
thing as first rate Executive ability. We
may however, console ourselves and perhaps it
would be profitable to do so, with the reflection
that while there is no reason to expect any mas
tery and brilliant performance on the part of the
President, there is no danger that he will place
the country in peril, or cause any considerable
combustion in any quarter, by any rash act.


The recommendation for the construction of a
railroad to East Tennessee. is curious one 1t
would be good thing to have a railroad IN that
direction, but Government has no authority to
build it. save military road, and there is good
reason to believe the war will be over before it
could be built. We would recommend the open
ing Of the line Of the proposed road by United
States army, before comma1Glng to lay down the
rails There is already I'd between Louisville
and Nashville. Would it not be well to open it
before building another7 However. the Ketuck-
;ans will be pleased at the suggestion of an i'm
portant internal Improvement; and if the road
were, actually constructed, Cincinnati, as one OF
the great termni, would be willing to celebrate,
as usual in such cases.


t


In brief. the President has evaded the rugged
issue and leaves the everlasting slavery question
still adrit in the terrible rapids of civil war, with
the roer of political Niagara nigh.


The omission to discuss the domestic contro
versy'' out of which the war has sprung. and the
quaint Linrolnian phraseoIogy with which hs
takes leave Of that subject are charming. The
review of the progress of the war is not felicit
Gus, and some OF the statements maue are no
distinguished for exact accordance with the facts
The Information that Missouri is comparativel,
quiet win be news 70 the unhappy people Of tina
State We find in this portion of the message
testimony that corroborstes the assurance W.
some time ago had from good authority, that th'
President is too busy in discharging the duties o
his Office 10 read The newspapers.


The Cincinnati Gazette (RepublicanJ in re
view of the message, nearly as long and as un
satisfactory as the document itself, remarks:


After short enumeratjon of our diminishe'
catalogue of national blessings, the Presiden
plunges at once into the middle Of things, am
comments on our foreign relations in a way q
excite apprebensions that they are IN threat
enne condition As he makes similar re
commendation of provision for coast and lax
degetsses &c that of Mr.. Stewards circular 3
the Governors, there is room for hope that on
relations with the great powers may yet be \
ae cheering condition as Was stated in tina
circular. and that the provision recommends
for defenses is rather for prudent and peaceful
preparation, than caused by any threatening as
pect Of our foreign relations.





The Presinent says that in carrying on the wa
to suppress the ins,lrreetion, he has been anxiou
and careful that il shall not degenerate into Vi
Giant and rernoreeleoe cfrurvle He kprf the in