Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-12-08
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.


sage Of the President Of the United States, a,
communicated to both Houses Of Congress yes
terday 1t will, Of course, receive the attentive
perusal which deserves to be bestowed on the an
nual exposition Of the operations of the Genera
Government
1t will be found that the President, more than
on any former occasion of like character, has con-
lined himself to condensed recapituIation of Sd-
mluistrative acts and recommendations pertaining
to the different branches Of the Executive Gov
eminent, and has avoided any suggestions or ini-
tiAtlves which partake of novelty indicating the
course which he proposes to pursue in the conduct
OF public affairs. Under this head the message
Will diaappoint the general expectations of all
parties, as it had been confidently intmated, on the
one hand or the other that in his present message
Mr.. Lincoln would take on certain subjects a
higher Cor lower) ground than had been indicated
by his past declarations and policy Instead of do
ing 50, he has preferred to make his paper almost
exclusively business document, more remarkable
for its comprehensive, if formal, summary of ex-
ecutve details than for the enuncation of princi-
pies, new or old, in the conduct of the Govern
ment.
we need not present any resume Of the stats
tics contained in the message, as they are stated
by the President in shape as succinct as we could
make it,
Our foreign affairs are in satisfactory condi-
tlon, notwithstanding the points of contact and
Irritation offered by the complications of our civil
contest. We learn that in view of the insecurity
OF life and property in the region adjacent to the
Canadian border, by reason of recent assaults and
depredations committed by inimical and desperate
persons, who are harbored there, it has been
thought proper to give notice that after the expi-
ration of six months, the period conditionally
stipulated in the existing arrangement with Great
Britain, the United States must hold themselves
at liberty to increase their naval armament upon
the lakes, if they shall find that proceeding neces-
sary.
The receipts during the year, from all sources,
including loans and the balance in the Trea-
sury on the lst day of July, 1868, were
1894, 796, 207 81; and the aggregate disburse-
ments, upon the same basis, were $685. 1885,
lol.S9, leaving balance in the Treasury, as
shown by warrants, of SOC, 746,9 O573.
We are glad to find that, concurring with the
views of the Secretary of the Treasury the Presi-
dent recommends for the future that the proper
ton of moneys required to meet the expenses con-
sequent upon the war derived from taxation should
be still further increased. The disproportion be-
tween the revenue derived from contemporaneous
taxation and from loans has already tended great
y to produce the weakness Of our present financial
situation
The President recommends the passage by the
present Congress Of the resolution submitting to
the States an amendment to the Constitution abo-
fishing slavery throughout the United States
This proposition, il is known failed at the last SEES
sion for the want of two-thirds majority in the
House Of Representatives.
The President has no new or more explicit views
to announce with regard to the terms Of peace OF
the conditions Of Union, resulting from his several
proclamatiOus on the subject of slavery and Of am
nesty He reafirms that the Southern people
can at any moment have peace simply by laying
down their arms and submitting to the national
authority under the Constitution. After SO much,
the Government could not, if it would, maintain
war against them. The loyal people would not
sustain or allow it." At the same time he adds
In presenting the abandonment OF armed resistance to
the national authority the part of the insurgents as the
only indispensable condition to ending the the part
of the Government retract nothing heretofore said to
slavery. repeat the declaration made year ago. that
while remain in my present position shall not at.
tempt to retract or modify the emancipation proclama
top shall return to slavery any person who is free
by the terms Of that proclamation by any act Of Con-
gress''
In the presence of such declarations we presume
that " radical and conservative" supporters of
the President will be equally satisfied with his
position and will equally claim that he has fully
identified himself with them and their views In
point Of fact, the emancipation proclamation would
undoubtedly fail to receive its full force and effect
if the war should stop at any point short Of the
actual liberation Of all the slaves ordered and de-
clared' to be free, and whose freedom the Presi-
dent pledged himself to recognise and maintain"
by the army and navy of the United States
It will be seen that the President holds out no
prospect of speedy termination of the war On
the contrary, he seeks to reconcle the people TO the
prospect cf its indefinite duration by arguing that
if the is not positive blessing, it is not such
an evil as might be supposed. In confirmation Of
this cheerful view he points to the fact that we
have more men now than we had whap tba xuor he