Litchfield enquirer., 1841-06-03
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,
 zo tAs Senate and House ef Representatives of q
 United States.
 FELLOW CITIZENS -You have been assembled
 your respective halls of legislation under proclaim,
 on oe9nng the signature of the ilustrous citizen wh
 was % lately called by the direct suages of the pec
 chief executive office. Upon the expiration of sin
 gre month from the day of his installation, he has pal
 the great debt of nature, leaving behind him nan
 conferred upon the country during long life of psi Tiorc devotion. With this public bereavement Sr
 connected other considerations which will escap the attention of Congress. The preparations neces
 aFy for his removal to the seat of government in viev ot residence of four years must have devolved upo the late President heavy expenditures, which, if per mitted to burden the limited resources of his private fortune. may tend seriously to the embarrassment o his suryiylng family and it is therefore respectfully submitted to Congress whether the ordinary principles 9 justice would not dictate the proprety of its egisla
 ye lnterposltlon By the provisions of the fundamen tai law the powers and duties of the high station tc Whlch he was elected have devolved upon me ana
 n the dispositions of the representatives of the States anaot me people will be found to great extent so
 n0n of the problem to which our institutions fol ihe tirst time subjected.
 i1 entering upon the duties of this office, did not lee, tnnt ' would be becoming in me disturb what had been ordered by my lamented predecessor.-
 hgieYe therefore may have been my opinion, ori. GinAiyAs so the proprety of convening Congress at go early day from that of its late adjournment. l i9und new and controlling inducement not to in- !eriere with the patriotic desires of the late President, m the novelty of the situation in which was so un expectedly placed. My first wish, under such cir. cumssances, would necessarily have been to have Caliea 10 my aud, in the administration of public af- fars, the combined wisdom of the two Houses of Con- gress, m order to take their counsel and advice the best mode of extricatng the Government and the country from the endorsements weighing heavily on both am then most happy in finding myself, so soon alter accession 70 the Presidency, surround cd by the immediate representatives of the States and the people.
 No important changes having taken place in our torelgn relations since the last session of Congress, it Is not deemed necessary this occasion to go into detailed statement in regard to them. am happy to say that see nothing to destroy the hope of being able 10 preserve peace.
 The ratification of the treaty with Portugal has been duly exchanged between the two Governments. Fms government has not been inattentive to the in- terests of those o our citizens who have claims on the government ot Spain founded express treaty stip. uatons, and hope is induged that the representa-. tons winch have been made to that government on th: subject may lead ere long to beneficial results
 correspondence has taken place between the Se- cretary ot State and the Minister of her Britannic Majesty accredited to this Government, on the sub ject o Alexander McLeod's indictment and inpris onment, copses, ol which are herewith communicate:
 In addition to what appears from these papers, it may te proper to s,ate that Alexander Mcleod has been heard by the Supreme Court of the state of New York on his mo.ioH to be discharged from imprson- ment, and that the decision of the Court hss not us yel been pronouncedswN
 The Secretary of State has addressed to me pa. per upon two subjects, interesting the comcrce of the country, which will receive my consideration, and which have the honor to communicate to Congress. men our relations of goodwin wi ' and rendship m will be 6eduously cultivated with alina!0ns. The true A. tnercan policy will be found to eonss, in the exercise of spirit of justice to be manifested in the discharge o all our international ob!gationssto .he weakest ot the family of natons well to the most powerful. Occasional conflicts of opinion may arisee, but when 'he discussions incident to them are condYc'ed in inc language o truth, and with strict Regard to justice, me scourgc of war will for the mostpart be avoided The time ought to be regarded as having gone by when resort to arms is to be esteemed as the only proper arbiter of national differences. The census recently taken shows a regularly pro gressive increase in our popuatoh Upon the break ing out of the war of the Revolution, our numbers scarcely equallcd three millions of souls; they alrea. dy exceed seventeen miilions, and will continue. to progress in a ratio which duplicates in period of a. bout twenty three years. The old states contain territory sufficient in itse to maintain population of additional millions, and lhe most populous of the new Sia.es may yet b0 regarded but partially set. tied, while of the lands this side of the Rocky Mountains: to say nothing Of the l immense ieg9n the mouth of the Columbia river. about 770 ot acres, ceded and unceded. still reman to be brought into market We hold out 10 the people Of other coun- tries an invitation to come and settle among us as members of Bur rapidly growing family; and, tor the blessings which offer them, require ot them to look upon our country as their country and to unite
  and thereby pcrRetuatng our liberties. No motive exists for foreign conquest We desire but 10 am oar almost illimtabIe wilderness, and to introduce into their depths the light of civilization While we shall all times be prepared 10 vndlcate the nation. al honor, most earnest desire will be to maintain an unbroken peace.
 In presenting the foregoing views 1 cannot with hold the expression of the opinion that there exists nothing a the extension of our empire over our ac' knowedgcd possessions excite the alarm of the pa- triot for the safety of our institutions The tederatve system leaving 10 each State the ot its domestic concerns, and devolvng on the Federal Government those of general import, admits in saety ot the great est expansion, but at the same time deem It proper to add that there will be found 10 exist at all times an mperious necessity for restraining all the funcuona. ries of this Government within the range Of ther re- spective powers, thereby preserving just balance between the powers granted to this Government and those reserved to the States and 10 the people.
 From the report of the Secretary of the Treasury, you will perceive that the fiscal means present and accrung are insufficient to supply the wants Of the Dl "n he e 4S day of March last not ed by outstanding draft and exclusive of trust unds IS estimated at ss6o,OOo This includes the sum of s2l5.O00 deposited in the mint and its branches to procure metal for coinng and in process of coinage, and which could not be withdrawn without lnconve' nences thus leaving subject 10 dratt in the various Repositories the sum of S6450OO. By virtue of two several acts of Congress the Secretary ot the req sury authorized to issue, on and after the fourth day of March last, Treasury notes to the amount of s51l3,o0o, making an aggregate available iund oI 46O53, 600.
 Bu, this fund was chargeabe with 9ustandinn3a ss sI hn3 n,esas, ,bar"e GU ti,e estima ted amount of s5 There is also thrown upon the Treasury the payment of large amount of demands accrued in whole or m mart in former years. which will exhaust the available means of the Treasury. and leave the accruing reve. nue reduced as is in amount, burdened with debt and charged with the current expenses of the Govern ment The aggregate amount ot outstanding aPnrno Pnn nra,;ona on inc fourth day of March last was $33, zs9Si6 5O of which s24eloOoo will be required dur mo the current year; and there will also be required