Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-01-09
From the Petersburg Democra
The Presidents Message.

organization of the House of Representatives
has been postponed, the President has tho't
proper to waive the established custom of
waiting for an official notification ofthe read
mess of Congress to receive his message, and
has sent that document to the two Houses
without such notification.
On Monday last at half past II, the Mes
sage was read in the Senate and present
ed in the House. 1t opens with a statement
Of the difficulty which has arisen with Great
Britain in reference t. the Clayton Bulwer
treaty, and the recruiting question, and con-
tinues with a succinct notice of our relations
with Denmark, with reference to the Sound
Dues with France, Spain, Greece and Mex
leo in respect to private and public claims
on the government, and with a short allusion
to Central America. The finances next en-
gaze the Presidents attention, and nothing
could he more satisfactory than the state Of
the national balance sheet as shown in the
following extract
1T appears. from the report of the Secreta-
ry Of the Treasury, that the receipts during
the last fiscal year, ending June 80, 1855,
from all sources, were sixty-ive million three
thousand nine hundred and thirty dollars
anil that the public expenditures for the same
period, exclusive of payments on account of
the public debt. amounted to fifty-six million
three hundred and sixty-fve thousand three
hundred and ninetv-three dollars. During
the same period. the payments male in re-
demption f the public delft, including in
tereSt and premium, amounted to nine mil
lion eight hundred and forty-four thousand
five hundred and twenty-eight dollars.
The balance in tie Treasury at the begin
ming of the present fiscal year, July !, 1855,
was eighteen million nine hundred and thir-
tv-one thousand nine hundred and seventy
SIX dollars the receipts for the first quarter,
and the estimated receipts for the remaining
three quarters, amount, together, to sixty
seven million nine hundred and eighteen
thousand seven hundred and thirty-f0ur dol
lars Thus afording in all, as the available
resources of the current fiscal year. the sum
of eighty-six million eight hundred and fifty
six thousand seven hundred and ten dollars.
If, to the actual expenditures Of the first
quarter o. the current fiscal year, be added
r the probable expenditures for the remaining
5 three quarters, as estimated by the Secretary
OF the Treasury, the sum total will he seven
ty-one million two hundred and twenty-six
( thousand eight hundred and forty six dollars,
thereby leaving an estimated balance in the
a treasury on July |, 1856, Of fifteen million
six hundred and twenty-three thousand eight
hundred and sixty-three dollars and forty-one
D cents.
In the above estimated expenditures Of the
!. present fiscal year are included three million
dollars to meet the last instalment Of the ten
> millions provided for in the late treaty with
Mexico, and seven million seven hundred
and fifty thousand dollars appropriated OH
0 account of the debt due to Texas, which two
sums make an aggregate amount of ten mil.
lion seven hundred and fifty thousand dol.
q lars, and reduce the expenditures, actual or
estimated, for the ordinary objects of the
year, to the sum of sixty million four hun.
dred and seventy-six thousand dollars.
. The amount of the public debt, at the COM
mencement Of the present fiscal year, was
forty million five hundred and eighty-three
- thousand six hundred and thirty-one dollars
and, deduction being made of subsequent
payments, the whole public debt of the fed.
eral government remaining at this time is
less than forty million dollars.
d The remnant Of certain other government
stocks, amounting to two hundred and forty.
three thousand dollars, referred to in my last
u message as outstanding, has since been paid
- In this connection the President recon
IS mends again a reduction of the tariff Of du
ties on imports.
Having alluded to the reports of the vari
s. GUS members Of the cabinet, the message con
&c cludes with a somewhat extended review O
the theory of our government and the legis
latl0n OF Congress ON the subject of slavery
y Here are brief extracts
7d 1t has been Il matter of painful regret t
in see States conspicuous for their services i
founding this Republic, and sharing it's aC
vantages, disregard their constitutional obi
cations to it. Although conscious Of thei
n, inability to heal admitted and palpable 81
Is. cial evils Of their own, and which are con
pletely within their jurisdiction, they engag
in the offensive and hopeless undertaking
eu reforming the domestic institutions If otht
,ir States wholly Ley nd their control and al
od th1rity. In the vain pursuit of ends, !
:, them entirely u'attainable, and which the
may not legally attempt to compass, the
'- peril the very existence Of the constitution
and all the countless benefits which it HI
conferred. While the people of the Sout
,ro ern States conlihe their attention to their ow
=, affairs not preSuming oiiciously to interme
ne die with the social institutions of the Mort
he ern States, too many of the inhabitants
nd the latter are permanently organized in ass
,s cations t. infict injury ON the former,
wrongful acts, which would be cause of w
as between foreign powers, and only fail
the be such lii our system, because pcrpetrat
rs, under cover of the Union.
nod 1t is impossible to present this subject
truth aud the occasion require, without no
Nv cling the reiterated, but groundless, alleg
nes ton, that the South has persistently assert
We, claims and obtained advantages in the pr;
teal administration of the general COVER
ment, to the prejudice Of the North, and
" which the latter has acquiesced. That
the States, which either promote or tolera
attacks Of the rights of persons and Of pl
perty in other States, to disguise their ov
injustice, pretend or imagine, and constant
aver, that they, whose constitutional rigl
are thus Systematically assailed, are the
reg selves the aggressors.
a. If the friends of the constitution areto ha
another struggle, it's enemies could not p
-, sent a more acceptable issue than that Of
60 State, whose constitution clearly embraC
,oa &" s republican form of government being
- ci4ded from the Union because its dOmes
institutions may not in all respects comp
with the ideas of what is wise and expedite
emtsatained in some other State. Fresh fir
grQu&iiess imputations of breach of fa