The Republic

Reception of the President and Cabinet.

The occurrences of the day are to be regarded as more strongly indicative of the true cause of popular sentiment than any other exponent through which it can be made known. The press may be venal, the popular voice may be stifled or controlled, but the spontaneous and voluntary acts of a free people, acting under no dictation, can never be misconstrued or misunderstood.

The peculiar position of President Fillmore and his Cabinet to the active and prominent questions of the day is such as to make no call upon popular and evanescent enthusiasm at the North. They come not as the exponents of a sectional theory—they bring not with them the prestige of fealty and adhesion to new and captivating doctrines of national policy—they wear no crown of glory as conquerors—they exult in no crown of thorns as martyrs; but they come before plain men at the request of a community of plain men to do honor to an occasion which is in itself a type of what plain, straight-forward perseverance can do. They come as the President and Cabinet of a plain and enterprising people, to take part in celebrating the opening of the railroad, which is destined to become a great northwestern thoroughfare, and which has been urged forward under almost every imaginable difficulty and embarrassment of which such an enterprise is susceptible. Fit men are those, who have themselves been struggling against peculiar difficulties in performance of their duty to the whole country, to participate in such a proceeding.

The President goes not towards the South, where his enemies accuse him of seeking to manufacture popularity, and where, were their stories true, he might expect to be received with a general acclamation; but he presents himself where, of all places, a prophet is least honored—upon the soil of his birth, and among the associations of his childhood and of his riper years.

Coming to the North under such auspices and for such ends, the President and Cabinet have been greeted by no extravagant outpouring forth of popular admiration, but have uniformly received, at every point which has been favored with their presence, a general demonstration of respect and admiration from that portion of the community whose political associations have left them at liberty to act the dictation of their own hearts, and in whom the sentiment of patriotism and love of country still predominate over party and section. The public reception of the President and Cabinet at Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, as well as upon the line of the Erie railroad, at Dunkirk and Buffalo, were such as should gratify men knowing no objects higher than to serve their country, and no views ulterior to her happiness and honor, the approval of their fellow-citizens, and their own consciences.

Should the President see fit to visit Detroit, he may confidently look for a warm and hearty reception from all whose respect is valuable, or whose esteem is praise, be their views what they may.