Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1857-12-19
PREsIpENT,s MESSAGE.
itSzens of Me Senate

CONSTITUTION, II has noWgbeconle my duty
"to give to Congress information of the
state of the Union, and recommends to their
consideration such measures as Judge to
be Unnecessary andcNpediemtpa ~ Z
81 But first, and above ALL, our thanks arc
due to Almighty God for the numerous
benefits which lie has bestowed upon this
people; and our united prayers ought TO
ascend to Him that lie would continue to
bless our great Republican time to come as
lie has blessed it in time past. Since the
adjournment of the last Congress our con
estituents have enjoyed an uhustlal degrce
ofshealth, The earthh has yielded her fruits
Hbundantly, atdsh has bouutifully rewarded
the toll of the husbandnar Our great
staples have commanded high prices, and
up till within brief period, our nlonufac-
turing, mineral, and mechanical occupations
have largely partaken5of the general pros
perity We have possessed allthe elenients
of material wealth IN rich abundance, and
yet Notwithstanding all these advantages,
our country, IN its monetary interests, is at
the present iuoment in doplorable condi.
ton. In the milst of unsurpassed plenty
in all the productions of agriculture and in
all the elements of national wealth, we find
our manufactures suspended, our public
works retarded, our private enterprises of
different kinds abandoned, and thousands
of useful laborers thrown out of employ
ment and reduced to want. The revenue
of the government, which is chiefly de-
rived from duties ON imports from abroad,
has been greatly reduced, whilstthe appro-
priatons.made by Congress at its last ses-
sion forthe current fiscal year are ycryarge
iu,0mount Ets,s,gs ysyS.sls- ,1SC
v Under these circumstances q loan may
be required before the close of your pres
ent1session; but, although deeply to,be re-
grettea, would prove to be only "a slight
misfortune when compared witlttlIe suffer-
ing and distress prevailing -among;the peo-
pie. With this the government cannot
yfaiEdeeplyto sympatlIize, though itmay be
without tho power to extend relief. .fss
1t is our, duty, to inquire what has pro
duced such unfortunate results, ,andSwheth-
-er tlIeir recurrence can be prevented r. In
allforner reyulsions the blame might have
been fairly attributed co "a variety of seo-
operating causes but not SO upon tho
present occasion.s,It is apparent that our
existing misfortune have proceeded solely
from our eNtrayagant and vicious systamAof
paper currency and bahkcredits, exciting
the people to wild spcculations and gamb-
\ ling in stocks These reyulsonsmuSt con
tinue to recur at successive intcralsso
8 long as the amount.of the paper currcncy
gand,bank loans and discounts .of the, coun-
try shall be left to the discretion of fourteen
hundred irresponsible banking Institutions,
which from the very lawsof theirsnatufc
will consult tho interest, of their stpckhold5
ers rather thanlthe public welsarc.sa o!ss
The framers ofSthe constitution, when
they gave to Congress the power ot6gcoia
money and to regulate tile value tflefeofP'
&and pr5Mbited the States from coinipa
money tpmitting bills Of credit, por making
aanyth 8 but gold and silver coin a tendon
in pay t,pt,of debts, supposed they had
proteetel ! the peoples against the evils of an
excessive and irretleelnable paper currency.
They are not responsible for the existing
anonaly that a government endowed gwitiY
the sovereign attribute Of coming sInoney
and regulating the yalucythoreof should
have,no power to prevent others from dri1
,Ving,this coin out of, the eeoantryand filing
up tho channels of ciseulation with paper
which docs mot represent gold and silver I
&,sltis ono of the ,highss and most responl
siblc duties Of government to insuro.t to the
people Q, sound circulating medium, tho
amount ofwlielt ought bc adoptetl With
the utmost possible Wisdom msana skin to tho
wants Of internal trade and fDreign OK
changes, IF this beeither greatlyyaboye
or greatly belowithe propes STANDARD, tho
marketable value of every, s,an 8 lpropefty
isiIierepseds Or diminished in Che same pro-