The President's Message.
The President's Message was sent in to Congress yesterday, at noon. In the Senate, Mr. Clingmam, of N. C., made, as far as it is intelligible by telegraph, a strong disunion speech, and in the House, Mr. Boteler, of Va., offered a resolution which is conciliatory in its intention, whatever it may be in effect. The Message proceeds at once to the consideration of the present crisis in the affairs of the country. Neither the efforts of Northern States to exclude slavery from the Territories, nor to prevent the execution of the fugitive slave law, have contributed to bring it about, so much as the incessant and violent agitation of the question of slavery at the North, which has, at length, produced its malign influence on the slaves, and deprived the Southern home of that sense of security so essential to family happiness. He does not think, however, that this evil will be increased by the election of a Republican President, who is so wisely limited in his power by the Constitution that he has but little power for good or evil.--In view of this and the additional fact that the election was a constitutional one, Mr. Lincoln's election is not regarded as cause in itself for dissolution. The South, too, has Congress , and the Supreme Court. As to the nullification laws of the Northern Legislatures, unless they are repeated, and without unnecessary delay, "it is impossible for any human power to save the Union." If it is not done, the Constitution is violated, and the South "would be justified in revolutionary resistance to the Government."While the President acknowledges this right of the South to resist wrong by revolution, he utterly opposes the doctrine of secession.--A revolution may be resistance to an actual aggression; but while secession is in effect a revolution, yet it may be unjustifiable, and not the revolting of a people urged on by their wrong. The Constitution never contemplated that any of the States of the Confederacy should "secede" when they thought proper, and the President goes into a long legal argument to prove this. In the case of revolution, every slight grievance should not be considered a sufficient cause — it should be a very great grievance — the last remedy of a desperate people. The blessings of such a government as ours should not be lightly thrown away.
Our foreign relations are in a very satisfactory condition, except in the case of Spain, who still refuses to pay the "Cuban claims," amounting to $128,000. The acquisition of Cuba, by "fair purchase," is again recommended.
Affairs in Mexico are as complicated as ever, and some debts due American citizens in New Granada, and one or two other Central American States, have proved very difficult to settle.
In Utah all is quiet, and troops have been sent into Kansas to capture the Montgomery banditti.
Among other recommendations made, the President suggests the appointment of a day previous to the 4th of March every other year, for the election of members of Congress in all the States, and the substitution of specific for ad valorem duties.
