The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-12-14 00:00:00

PRESIDENT GRANTS MESSAGE.

Tlbe TIMIS peblisite a telegraphed summary of the
rne.age of Preaideut bruit to Congress delivered
on

The President tenders his steatite& to God for the
biro run of peace and fertility of soil, producing ire.
local prosperity. The revenue, he bays, is Bowing
bitu the treasury beyond the requirement. of the go-
vernment. ll^ earnestly desires that 'wither he nor
the merribi rs of Conyrrcas on their return to private
life, may be condemned by their coustituents or by
their own conseicomes. lie remarks, that, on °met.
ging from the rebeliion,eleven States were left will out
legal stnte governments, a lingo debt had been contra°.
ted, and the national commerce Wall almost driven
from the seas. The work of restoring loyal govern-
ments, protecting free labour, and of providing means
for the plytnent of the interest on the debt, has re-
ceived ample attention from Collgre.k. Seven States
Lave been fully restored to the Union with Republican
. .
imututions, having eiected their own State officer".
They have ts-rfor mei all acts required by Congress. In
Georgia, coloured members of the Legislature have
been unseated, other members being admitted in their
Flare whu are disqualified by the recorist ruction laws.
Ille recommends Congrew to enact a law authorising
the Governer of Georgia to convene the members origi-
nally elected to the Legislature, requiring each to
take the reconstruction oaths. Freemen are making
rapid progress in Munition. So complaints am
heard 01 their lack of industry where they receive
renioneration fur their labour. The means which
flare been provided for Toying the interest on the
debt, with all the other expenses of the government,
will he snore than ample for the purpose. The lose
of commerce i. the only result of the rebellion that
blur out yet received sufficient atteutiou from Con.
greo, This will be made the subject of a special
message during the present session. Anil in obedience
to Congress, the l'resident has ordered elections
to be hell in Virginia, in Mississippi and Texas.
The Governor and Legislature elected in Virginia
Lave been duly installed. The President recommends
that that state should be fully restored to the
family of Slates. Elections have been held in Mis-
sissippi and Teta., but the results are not yet known.
The President trusts that the act. of the Legislature
of theme States wili meet with the approval of the con.
grew., thus closing the work of reconstruction. Among
the evils resulting from the war is the irredeemable
paper currency, which he bolas will receive the most
earnest attention. The government should secure to
it, people • medium of exchange of fixed unvarying
value. This implies a return to specie basis, hw which
no suletitutu can be devised. It should be corn'
mewed at once, and completed at the earliest practi.
table eioureta consistent With • regard for the
of the debtor claw. An ininieliate resumption
of specie ia mints, en if practice:it°, would not be
410,11114.1., as It Wtllliti pel the debtor class to jay.
in ear,,.,ot their tor it recur, the premium on gul
date of purchase, bringiug ruin to thousands.
TIIE UNITED STATES DEBT.

The resources aft be nation ought to make its credit
Ahe best on earth, for, with a less burden of taxation
thau hasi been enamel for the past six years, the
entire debt could be paid in ten years; but taxation
in unler w pay it so fast is not desirable. The cress
t• on of part of the debt Wee in five and six per cent.
bonds, payable at the option of the Government after
five or ten roars. The time fur the exercise of this
option had already exp:red with some, and he believed
the (hip, was appruachiug when all now due may
be replaceit by builds at a lesser rate of naterest, no 6
exceeding ei percent., and all the debt to fall due
be rafter may be similarly placed. To accomplish
this it may be necessary to authorise interest to be
pail Si .everal European cities, and lie recommends
the coushleration of this subject to Congress. Tie
reinjects ut the tariff and inland taxation will alas
receive ataeotion. Tho revenues are greater than ill
re u,ee,w'nts of the Treasury , and may be safely re.
(lured, as the inn ling uf the debt at a lower rate of
intert,t would redueo the annual expenses. There-
after taxation may be reduced safely 60,000,04111
dots to m1,0'01,001 du:s yearly at once, and more afters
ward.. The Treasury report show- the receipts of the
llast hoist year to have been 370.943.747, &Arland the
teslCU.liture 3:11,4100,51.17 The estimates fur the
icuanitig Jour wow a; ruspivt of a much larger reduc-
tion ut debt. The surp,us receipts have been more
then the amount .et apart f.ir the &liking Fund.
To ;001c hp we lupins in the Treasury would be to
that 1.111 nt a rant action. of the currency. The Pre-
idrut aud 11. e e.ceiletary of the Treasury therefore
cower u tin pl'Ope;ety of wing the total surplus in
b.ing up betels, t..us rearming the debt. The amount
of bowls now held by the Trea.ury is 75 millions, and
the Pre-Went rerelellleh''.4 that all tlitee should he
placed to the ere lit of the Sinking Fund,
TILE SE.TTLEMENT OF lIRITISII CLAIMS.

Tower.ls the close of the last Administrations Con-
trention was slimed at London for a settlement of all
tawfing elaims betneets Great Britain and the
Ilipted States, whirl. Convent:on failed to be ratified
by the Senate. The time and circumstaures attend-
ln the nei:otintion of that treats were unfavonmble
• its acceitanee by the reople ,he United States,
awl its erovisions were wholly inadequate to a settle.
mew of the great wrontr that had imen Instained by
the I ioverpment as well a. by its citizens. The inju-
ries resulting to tie United State. by reason of the
course adopted. by Great Britain during our war—in
the iticteme.l rates of insurance, the diminution of
extorts and inn °rt.., and other obstructions to dos
westic industry ; and the effects upon the foreign
cownieree pf the count ry, iu the derrease awl transfer
to lin•at Itritatu of our emuniercial marine, in the
prolongation of the war, awl in the increased cosi,
in treasure awl lives, of its suppression--could
jut 1,0 wliosted awl satisfied in the same manner a.
ordinary commercial claim. continually arising be-
tween nations, and yet ii,,, Convention treated them
,m such els ms. front whirls they differ more widely in
e gravity of their elaracter than in amount, great'
Cr',, a. is that difference. Nut a word MIA to be
itel in the treaty, awl not an inference could be
drawn from it, to remove the memo of the nufrien.lll.,
• if the course of (beat Britain in our struggle foel
(.„..sehee whirls Mid so ilceely and universally itn-
pre- psi it.elf upon the people of this. country. Believ-
ing that a Contention this,at, •conecired in its *cope
a, I ibit liquate in its provision. wotild not have pro-
duced a hearty and cordial settlement of pending
0u....t.0n5, which a one would lave been consistent
r relations whirls the President desired to
haw established between the United Slates and Great
It. an, he mean the act ion of the Senate in reject-
ing the treaty to have been wisely taken in the interest
cif peace, awl a. • necessary step in the direction of
iv feet awl ror list frietelship between the two 'one-
1t,,. A sensitive peop'e, conscious of their power, are
inure at ease under a great wrong wholly unatoned
fur than Under the restraint of • settlement that antis-
fie I neither their idea of justice nor their grave sena
of the or:era:leo they had sustained. The rejection
of use treaty was followed by a state of public feel.
in,, on hot) sides of the ocean whiels the President
thouvlit on. unfavourable to an immediate attempt
St renew,i w•mtiations. The Minister of the United
[States to England MIA accordingly instructed to com-
municate to her Majtety's Minister the President's
if...natio this respect. l'rosident hopes that the
time will soon arrive when the two Governments can
approach a solution of this momentous question with
at, appreciation of what is due to the right., dignity,
awl huimur of each country, and with • determina-
thin not only to remove all causes of complaint from
the past, but to lay the foundation of broad priori-
pWs of public law, which would prevent future differ-
enecs and convert into firm, continuous peace Sad
irstodshin, this the only grave question which th•
dUt..tc.l !lOW hare with any foreign nation.