American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-02-07
Very respectfully,
Your Ul c INT servant,
4. g.. CURTIN

u TIE 4 RESlHEN IT,.
The refusal has been persisted h. IN.
der an opinion at the Attorney General
of the United States. copy Of which
was sent to me.
Irecommend that The Legislature make
proper efforts to have this injustice cor
rected.
The report of David wills, Esq, Pres
ident Of the Soldiers National Cemetery,
at Gettysburg, herewith transmitted,
shows tho present condition of the cemc
teryi As the battle of Gettysburg re-
suited in a glorijfs victory, and was in
fact the beginning of the cnd of the war,
and occurred on the soil Of the Common
wealth, / think that it would he well ihat
it should be commemoratcd by nm hisJor-
ical painting, to be placed in the Capitol
of the State and | Recommend that
the Legislature. (dkc measures fer that
purpose. ''i 80
Tic State Of Maryland has proposed
to her sister State that they unite with
her in establishinga cemetery for o0rsol
diers who fell at Antietam. | hereby
transmit copies of the Maryland statue,
and other documents on this subject, aud
recommend the passage Of an act hearti,
lyaccepting the prol osltion OF the State
of Maryland. All the States having
promptly and generously responded to
our proposition to have a cemetery at
Gettysburg, it would seem proper that
we should reciprocate and unite in this.
The duty is made more sacred when we
remember that more of Pennsylvania s
sons fell in that battle than those Of any
other State.
The report of the State Agent at
Washington, herewith transmitted, shows
that under his efficient management, the
claims of our soldiers are promptly cx-
amined and paid. Every effort has been
made to appfiso ou- officers aud men chat
their claims will be collected by the State
Agent [Col Jordan without expense
to them yet it is feared that many OF
them continue to employ private claim
agents, whose fees bear heavily on the
claimants.
Since my last annual message | have
expend of the secret service fund, the
sum of four thousand three hundred and
thirty three dollars, aud twenty gents, out
of WHICH | have paid my personal staff
and other extraordinary expenses. No
appropriation is required for the increase
OF this fund.
invite your attention 10 the reports Of
the Military Department of tho State, tc
tho report of the Superintendent of Com
mon Schools, which exhibits the pros
porous condition of our system of public
education, and to the report of the Sur.
veyor General, and recommend to your
favorable consideration the many excel.
lent suggestions made by that officer
commend to your earnest considera
zion the suggestions made by the Sur
geon General in his report, herewith
transmitted, on the propriety of legisla.
tion for the protectioaof our people, by
proper sanitary measures ilom the rava-
ges of the cholera, which is now approach
ing our shores.
| commend to the wisdom of the Leg
islure the subject of providing for the
relief of our many manned and wounded
souldiers. Possibly this might be done
by continuing and enlarging the act.
providing for boards of relief in the sew
eral counties | recommend the adop
ton by the Legislature Of this or some
other plan for doing justice to the class
of men in question.
BY the joint resolution of May l6 '6l
authorizing me to give flags to our regi
ments, it was made the duty of the Tx
ecutive to receive the flags when the
regiments returned This has not beer
hitherto done, inasmuch as they have no
yet all been mustered out. As soon a!
this shall have taken place, the flags viii
be received with appropriate ceremonies
and recommend that the Legislator,
make provision for causing them sto bt
hung in the new Library. -.
refer to the suggestion of Brigadiel
General Todd, Inspector General, on thu
suhject of the militia. am not prepar
ed to make any Recommendation on thi
subject, as | observe with great pleasure
that Congress is proposing to establish I
uniform system througout tie Unitet
States.
The arsenal at Harrisburg is decaysn'
and unsafe. The arms and munitions 0
the State there deposited are of the val
ne probablyiof'half million of dollars
/. / recommend that provision be made 70
repairing it, or that new ascnal b
constructed in this vicinity, for the pun
pose of securing their preservation.
Since my last annual message, the lat
President Of the United States has falle
victim to the most foul and base assa:
.sination recorded in history 1t will al
ford me pleasure and | will heartily u
mite with you in any expression of indis
nation at the crime, and appreciation {
the public virtue and services of its vi,
tim, Abraham Lincoln
Ny uniform course during the late wa
was to avoid the discussion of the polio
of the General Government, while givin
a hearty support to the National author
ties in all their measures to suppress tb
rebellion. / shall continue to pursue th
same course during the embarrassment
necessarily connected with the entire re
toration Of the country. The principl'
expressed in the message Of the Presider
at the commencement cf the session
Congress, will receive my cordial su
4f.Rf 4 = re-