Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-17

auences, the hopes and consultations of the
I Christian faith.
suggested in my last annual message, the
propriety of remodeling our Indian system
! Subsequent events have satisfied me Of its
necessity The details set forth in the re-
port of the Secretary, will eyince the urgent
need for Immediate legislative action.
l commend the benevolent institutions
established or patronized by the Government
IN this district to your generous and fostering
care.
THE ILLINOIS CANAL.
The attention of Congress, during the last
session, was engaged, to some extent, with
appropriations for charging the water COM
munications between the Mississippi river
and the northeastern sea board, which APP
preparations, however, failed for the time
Since then, upon a call of the greatest re-
spectabllltY, convention has been called at
chicago upon the same subject, summary of
whose proceedings is contained in a memo
rial address to the President and Congress-
and which now have the honor to lay before
you. That this interest is one which ere long
will force its own way, do not entertain a
DOUBT, while 1t is submitted entirely to your
| wisdom as to what can be now done. Aug
mented interest is given to this subject by
| the actual commencement of work upon the
racine road, under auspices so favorable to
Its rapid progress and completion. Enlarged
facilities of navigation become a palpable
need to the great roads.
AGRICULTURE.
l transmit my annual report of the Commits
sion of the Department of Agriculture, ask
ing your attention to developments in that
vital interest of tie nation.
THE WAR FOR THE UNION
When Congress assembled year ago the
war had already lasted nearly twenty months
and there had been many conflicts on both
land and sea, with VARYING results. The re-
bellion had been pressed back into reduced
limits, yet the tone of public feeling and
oplmon at home and abroad, was not salts
factory, and with other signs, the popular
elections, then just past, indicated uneasi-
ness, while, amid much that was cold and me-
nacing, the kindest words coming from Eu-
rope were uttered in accents of pity that we
were too blind to surrender. Our commerce
was suffering greatly by few armed vessels
quilt upon and furnished from foreign shores,
and we were threatened with such attacks
from the same quarter as would sweep our
trade from the sea@and raise our blockade.
We had failed to elicit from European gov
| ernments anything hopeful upon this subject.
| THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.
The Emancipation Proclamation which was
| issued in September, was running it's as
| signed period to the beginning of the new
byear month later the final proclamation
came, Including the announcement that col
ored men of suitable condition would be re-
| ceived into the war service. The policy of
emancipation and Of employing black sol
dlerS, gave to the future a new aspect, about
| which homo md faar and -,
| uncertain conflict.
According to our political system, as mat
ter of civil administration, the General Gov
eminent had no lawful power to effect eman-
cipation IN any State, and for long time it
had been hoped that the rebellion could be
| suppressed without resorting to it as a mill
tary measure. 1t was all the while deemed
possible that the necessity for it might come,
| and if it should, the crisis of the contest would
then be presented. 1t came, and as was in
timated, it was followed by dark and doubt
full days.
| PROGRESS.
Eleven months having been passed we are
permitted to take another review The rebel
borders are pressed still further back and
by the complete opening of the Mississippi
river, the country dominated over by the re-
bellion is divided into distinct parts, with no
| UtbNcCu Ilelu.-
Tennessee and Arkansas have been substan-
TALLY cleared of insurgents control and influ-
ence, land the citizens in each and even owners
of slaves, and advocates Of slavery at the
beginning of the rebellion, now declare
openly for emancipation in their respective
States. Of those States not included in the
emancipation proclamation, Maryland, and
Missouri, neither of which year ago would
tolerate any restraint upon the extension of
slavery into the territories, only dispute now
as to the best mode of removing it, within
their own limits.
Of those who were slaves at the beginning
of the rebellion, full 100000 are now in the
United States military service, about one half
of which number actually bear arms in the
ranks ofthe United States forces, giving the
double advantage of taking so much labor
: from the insurgents cause and supplying the
places which otherwise must be filed with so
many white men. So far as tested it is diff
cult to say that they are not as good soldiers
as any No servile Instruction or tendency
to violence or cruelty has marked the meas
ures Of emancipation of the blacks.
These measures have been much discussed
in foreign countries, and contemporary with
such discussion the tone of public sentiment
there is much improved. At home the same
measures have been fully discussed, support
ed, criticised and denounced, and the annual
elections following are highly encouraging to
those whose special duty it is to bear the
country through this great trial Thus we
have the reckoning. The crisis which threat
ened to divide the friends of the Union is
past.
A PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION,
Looking now to the present and future, and
with reference to a resumption Of the Nation
al authority within the States wherein that
authority has been suspended have thought
fit to issue Proclamation, copy of which
is herewith transmitted. On examination of
this proclamation it will appear, as is believed,
amply justified by the Constitution True,
,. the form of an oath is given, but no man is
g coerced to take it. A man is only protfered
pardon, in case he voluntarily takes the
oath, the Constitution authorizes the Execu-
tive to grant, on terms fully established by
judicial and other authorities 1t is also
prottered that if in any of the States named
a seat of government shall be, in the mode
prescribed, set up, such government shall be
recognized and guaranteed by the United
States, and that under it the State shall, on
! constitutional conditions, be protected
against invasion and domestic violence
The constitutional obligation Of the United
States to guarantee to every State in the
Union a republican form of government. and
to protect the State in the cases stated, is
explicit and full, but why tender the benefits
, of this provision only to State Government
set up in this particular way? This section
of the Constitution contemplates case where
, in the element within State, favorable to
Republican Government in the Union, may
| an ITO aroI aola