Litchfield enquirer., 1840-12-17

ness of the people, the proberity of the states or me Permanency ot their Union, can be maintained by ghg Preference or priority to any class of ctzens, m the distribution of benefits or privileges or by the adopuon Of measures which enrich one portion of me Omon at the expense of another; nor can see, m the lnteFference of the Federal Government with the local Legislation and reserved rights of the states remedy for present. or a security against future dangers.
 The first, and assuredly not the least, irnportant step towards relieving the country from the eondi- tlon into which it had been plunged by excesses in trade banking, and credits of all knds was to place the business transactions of the government itself on solid basis giving and receiving in all cases value for value, and neither countenancing nor encouraC- ing 9 others hn that deusve system of credits from which has left nothing behind it but the wrecks that mark its fatal career.
 That the financial affairs of the government are now, and have been during the whole period of these wde-spreading difficulties, conducted with strict ana mVara6ie regard to this great fundamental prin- cple, and that by the assumption and maintenance o Ine stand thus taken on the very threshold of the approaching crisis more than by any other cause causes whatever, the community at large has been shielded from the ncalcuabIe evils of general and Mdennlte suspension of specie payments, and con sequent annihiI Iaton, for the whole period it might have lasted, of just and invariable standard of val ue' will, it is believed, at this period, scarcely be questioned.
 steady adherence, on the part fthe government, to the policy which has produced such saluary re- sulta aided by jHdicious state Legislation, and, what IS not less important by the industry, enterprise, IG, cannot all to ruise the whole country early pe rod, to state of solid and enduring prosperity not sunlect to be again oVerthrown hy the suspension of banks or the explosion of bloated credit system.- HIS for the people and their representatives to decide whether or not the permanent welfare of the country cwhlGh all good citizens equally desire. however widely they may differ as to the means ofits accom- pIishment) shall be in this way secured or whether the management of the pecuniary concerns of the g"vernment-and, by conseGuence, to great extent, those of individuals nso-sIlall be carried back to condition of things which fostered those contractions and expansions of the currency, md those reckless abuses o's credit from the baletu effects of which the country has, so deeply suffercd--a return that can promise, in the end, better results than to re produce the endorsements the Government has experienced; and to remove from the shoulders ot the present to those fresh victims, the bitter fruits Of that spirit of speculative enterprise to which our countrymen arc go liable, and upon which the lessons otexperlence are so unavang. The choice is irn- Portant one, and sincerely hope that it may be wise ly made.
 A report from the Secretary of War, presenting a detailed view of the affairs of that Department, ac- compan'. : this communication.
 The desutorv duties connected with the removal ot the Indians, in which the army has been constant ly engaged on our northern and western frontiers, and m Florida, have rendered 1t impracticable to carry into full effect the plan recommended by the Secretary for improving it's discipline. In every in stance where the regiments have been concentrated, they have made great progress; and the best results may be anticipated from continuance of this sys- tenn. During the last senson, a purt of the troops
 
 interior t' the territory assigned them in the West -a duty which they have performed efficiently and with pralsewor'hy hunanity;, and thnt portion of active operations there throughout the heats of sum- mer:
 The policy of the Tinted States in regard to the message Of lS3s, and of tho wisdom and exnedencv Of which am fully satisfied. has been continued in ncflye operation throughout the whole period of my admlnstration Since the spring of 1857, more than forty thousand Indians have been removed to their new homes west of the Mississippi and am hap Hy to add that all accounts concur in representing the result ot this measure as ennently beneficial to that people.
 The emigration" of tho Seminoes alone has been attended with serious liculty, and OcCasioned hloc!shed; hostilities having been commenced by the Indians in Florida. under the apprehension that they would be compelled, by force, to comply with their treaty atpulutions The execution of the trea- ed until l33i postponed at the solicitation 1.-the Tntans. until ls36, when they again renewed their agreement to remove peaccahly to their new homes compact they broke their faith, and commenced hos tilities by the massacre of Mnjor Dade's command. the fn murder @f their ngeat GoneTa Ihnmr;on, and and unexpected intelligence reached the seat of Co vcmment every effort appears to have been made to reinforce, Gen; Clin:h, who commanded the troops then in Florida. Gen. Fusts was despatched with endorsements from Charleston; troops called out from Alabama. Tennessee, and Georgia; and Gen. Scott was sent to take the command, with ann
 
 Gen. Gaines organized force nt New Orleans and without whiting for orders, landed in Florida where he delivered over the troops Ire had brought with him to Gen. Scott
 Gov Call was subsequently, appointed to conduct summer campaign, and. at the close of it. was placed by Gen. Jessup; These events and changes took place under the administration of my predeccs- sor. Notwithstanding the exertions of the eyperi- enced officers who had command there for eighteen months, on entering upon the admin nistration of the Government found the Territory of Florida prey to Indian atrocities. strenuous effort was nine- dotely made to bring these hostilities to close; til it amounted to l0OdO men, and furnished with abundant supplies fevery description. In this paign great number of the enemy were captured Rn destroyed hut the character of the contest only was changed. The Indians having been defeated in every engagement, dispersed in small bands through out the country, and became an enterpFising, for midahle, and ruthless bandti: Gen. Taylor, who succeeded Gen. Jessup, used his best eAertinns to officers under his command; but he, too failed to protect the Territory from their depredations. By of signnl and cruel treachery, they broke the truce made with them by Gen. Macomb, who was into effect the expressed wishes of Congress, and have continued their dcvastations ever since. Gen. Armistead, who wns n Florida when Gen. Taylor left the Army, by permission assumed the com by propositions for peace and from the fortunate coincidence Ofthe arrival in Florida, a the same pe riod. of delegation from the Seminoes who are happily settled West of the Mississippi, and are anxious to persuade their countrymen to join them, hopes were for some time entertained that the h. dians might be induced to leave the Territory without further difficulty. These hopes have proved faa- cious and hostilites have been renewed throughout the whole ot the Territory. That this contest has endured long, s to be attributed to beyond the control of the Government Experienced Gene rals have had the command of the troops; officers and soldiers have alike distinguished themselves for