Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-12-14

oStA VA titS ~. IL ta lilGSU klC ouly
Of the government to render prompt
justice against itself in favor Of citizens
as it is to administer the same between
private individuals.
The investigation and aijudicatio,l
of ali claims in their nature belong to
the Judicial department., besides i, is
apparent that the attention of Congress
will be more than usually engaged, for
some time to come, with great national
! questions. It was intended by the or
ganization Of the Court of Claims,
mainly to remove this branch of bust
ness from the halls Of Congress, but
while the Court has proved to be an
effective and valuable means of inves-
tlgation, it in great degree fails TO ef.
feet the object Of its creation for want
OF power to make its judgments final
Fully aware of tn: delicacy not to say
the danger of the subject, I commend to
your careful consideration whether this
power Of making judgments final may
not be properly given to the Court re-
versing the right of appeal on questions
oflaw to the Supreme Court with such
other provisions as experience may
| have shown to be necessary.
The relations Of the Government
with the Indian tribes, have been great
iy disturbed by the insurrection, espec-
tally III the Northern SUPERINTENDENT,
and in that Of New Mexico.
The Indian country south of Kansas
is in possession Of the insurgents from
Texas and Arkansas. The agents of
the .. S. appointed since the 4th of
March, for this superlntendency, have
been unable to reach their posts, while
the most of those who were in office
before that time, have espoused the in-
surrectionary cause, and assumed to
exercise the powers of agents by virtue
Of commissions from the insurrection-
lists.
It has been stated in the public press
that portion of those Indians have
fbeen organized as military force, aud
attached to the army Of the Insur-
gents. Although the Government has
no official information upon the sub
ject, letters have been written to the
Commissioners Of Indian Affairs by
several prominent chiefs, giving assar-
ance of their loyalty to the United
States, and expressing the wish for the
presence of Federal troops to protect
them.
1t is believed that upon the reposses-
sion Of the country by the federal
forces, the Indians will readily cease
all hostile demonstrations and resume
their former relations to the Govern
ment. Agriculture, confessedly the
largest interest Of the nation, has not
department Or bureau, but clerk
ship only assigned to it in the Govern
ment. While it is fortunate that this
great interest is so independent in its
nature as not to have demanded and
extorted more from the Government,
respectfully ask Congress to consider
whether something more cannot be Civ
en- voluntarily with general advan-
tage. Annual reports exhibiting the
condition Of our agriculture, com.
merce and manufactures would present
fund Of information ofgreat practical
value to the country. While I make
no suggestions as to details, I venture
the opinion that an agricultural and sta
tlstical bureau might proftably be or
ganize1
! The execution Of the laws for the
suppression Of the African slave trade
has been conided to the Department
of the Interior 1t is subject Of con-
graduation that the efforts which have
been made for the suppression Of this
inhuman traffic have recently been at
tended with unusual success Five
vessels being fitted out for the slave
trade have been seized and condemned.
Two mates Of vessels engaged in the
trade and one person in equipping a
vessel as a SLAYER, have been convicted
and subjected to the penalty Of fine
and imprisonment, and one captain ta-
ken with a cargo Of Africans on board
his vessel, has been convicted of the
highest grade of offense under our laws,
the punishment of which is death.
recommend to the favorable con-
sideration of Congress the interests Of
the District of Columbia. The insur-
rection has been the cause of much suf-
fering and sacrifice to the inhabitants,
and as they have no representatives. in
Congress, that body should not ever
look their just claims upon the Govern
rnent.
Under and by virtue Of the act of
Congress, entitled an act to confscate
property used for insurrectionary pur-
poses, approved Aug. 9Th, 1861, legal
cal ms of certain persons to the labor
and services of fcertain other persons,
have become forfeited and numbers of
the latter, thus liberated, are already
dependen. on the {. s., and must be