Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-12-10

resumption of extended trade travel and COM
merce abroad, have served to increase the num-
Der and variety of questions in the department OF
| foreign affairs. None of these questions, how
ever, have seriously disturbed our relations with
| other States.
| The Republic of Mexico, having been relieved
| from foreign Intervention, is earnestly engaged
in efforts to re-establish her constitutional system
| of government. A good understanding continues
1 to exist between our Government and the Re
| publics of Hayti and San Domingo, and our cor
| dial relations with the Central and South Ameri
| can States remain unchanged The tender, made
| in conformity with a resolution of Congress-, of
the good offices of the Government with view
| to all amcable adjustment OF peace between Bra
| I'll and her allies one side and Paraguay
the other, and between Chill and her allies on the
| one side, and Spain on the other, though kindly
received, has in neither case been fully accepted
| by the belligerents. The war in the Valley of
| the Parana is still vigorously maintained. On
| the other hand actual hostilties between the Pa
| cifc States and Spain have been more than ayear
| suspended L shall, on any proper occasion that
| may occur, renew the conciliatory recommended
| tions which have been already made. Brazil,
| with enlightened sagacity and comprehensive
| craftsmanship, has opened the great channels of
/ the Amazon and its tributaries to universal COM
/ merce. One thing more seems needful to assure
| rapid and cheering progress in South America.
| [ refer to those peaceful habits without which
| States and nations cannot in this age, we'll eX-
| pect material prosperity or social advancement
The exposition of universal industry at Paris
has passed, and seems to have fully realized the
high expectations of the French Government
If due allowance be made for the recent political
arrangement of industry here, the part which the
| United States has borne in this exhibition of in
vention and art may be regarded with very high
| satisfaction. During the exposition a conference
was held of delegates from several nations, the
| United States being one, in which the inconve-
| niences of commerce and social intercourse re-
| sulting from the divers standards ofmoney value
were very fully discussed, and plans were devel-
oped for establishing, by universal consent,
| common principle for the coinage ofgod. These
conferences are expected to be renewed, with the
attendance of many foreign States not hitherto
| represented A report of these interesting pro-
| ceedings will be submitted to Congress, which
will doubt justly appreciate the great object,
| and be ready to adopt any measure which may
| tend to facilitate its ultimate accomplishment.
| On the 18th of February, 1862, Congress. de-
| clared by law that Treasury notes without lnte-
rest, authorized by that act should be legal ten
| der in payment of all debts public and private,
| within the United States An annual remittance
| of $780, 000 less stipulated expenses accrues to
claimants under the Convention made with Spain
| in 1884. These remittances, since the passage of
that act, have been paid in such notes. The
claimants insist that the Government ought to
| quire payment in coin. The subject may be
| deemed worthy of your attention.
| No arrangement has as yet been reached for
the settlement of our claims for British depreda-
! tons upon the commerce of the United States.-
| have felt it my duty to decline the proposition
| of arbitration made by her Majesty's Government
servations and limitations incompatible with the
rights, interest, and honor of our country. 1t is
not to be apprehended that Great Britain will
persist in her refusal to satisfy these just and rea-
sonable claims which involve the sacred principle
| of non-intervention-a principle henceforth not
more important to the United States than to all
| other commercial nations.
| The West India Islands were settled and colo
nized by European States simultaneously with
| the settlement and colonization of the American
continent. Most of the colonies planted here be-
came Independent nations in the close of the last
| and the beginning CT the present century. Our
own country embraces communities which, at
one period, were colonies of Great Britain France,
| Spain, Holland, Sweden, and Russia. The peo-
| pie in West Indies, with the exception of those
of the Island of Hayti, have neither attained nor
aspred to independence, nor have they become
| prepared for self-defence. Although possessing
| considerable commercial value, they have been
| held by the several European States which col
| oniZed or at some time conquered them chiefly
for purposes Of military and naval strategy in
! carrying out European policy and designs in re-
! gard to this continent. In our revolutionary war
ports and harbors in the West India Islands were
used by our enemy to the great injury and en-
| barrassment of the United States. We had the
same experience in our second war with Great
| Britain The same European policy for long
| time excluded us even from trade with the West
Indies while we were at peace with all nations
In recent civil war the rebels, and their pi-
ratical and Notwithstanding allies found facil-
tiles in the same ports for the work, which they
| too successfully accomplished, of injuring and
devastating the commerce which we are now
| gagged in rebuilding. We labored especially un-
der this disadvantage European steam YES
sells, employed by our enemies, found friendly
shelter, protection, and supplies in West Indian
ports, While our own naval operations were nee
essarily carried on from our own distant shores.
There was then universal feeling of the want of
an advanced naval outpost between the Atlantic
coast and Europe The duty of obtaining such
an outpost peacefully and lawfully, while neither
| ri 9th
nestly engaged the attention of the Executive
Department before the close ofthe war, and it has
not been lost sight of since that time. A not
entirely dissimilar naval want revealed itself
| during the same period on the Pacific coast. The
required foothold there fortunately secured
| by our late treaty with the Emperor of Russia,
and it now seems imperative that the more OBJ
vious necessities of the Atlantic coast should not
be less carefully provided for. A good and con-
venient port and harbor. capable of easy defence,
will supply that want. With the possession Of
such a station by the United States, neither we
nor any other American nation need longer APP
prehend injury or offence from any transatlantic
enemy. l agree with our early statesmen that
the West Indies naturally gravtate to and may
| be expected ultimately to be absorbed by the
| Continental States, including our own I agree
with them also that it is wise to leave the ques-
ton OF such absorption to this process of natural
| political gravitation. The islands Of ST. Thomas
and st. Johns, which constitute a part of the
| group called the Virgin Islands, seemed to offer
Us advantages Immediately desirable, while their
acquisition could be secured in harmony with
the principles to which have alluded A treaty
has, therefore been concluded with the King of
Denmark for the cession of those islands, and
will be submitted to the Senate for consideration
1t will hardly be necessary to call the attention
of Congress to the subject of providing for the
payment to Russia of the sum stipulated in the
treaty for the cession of Alaska. Possession hav-
ing been formally delivered to our commissioner
the territory remains for the present in care of q
military force awaiting such civil organization as
shall be directed by Congress.
The annexation ofmany small German States
toPrussia, and the reorganization of that coun-
try under new and liberal constitutions have
induced me to renew the effort to obtain lust
and prompt settlement of the Iong-vexed cues
ton concerning the claims of foreign States for
military service from their subjects naturalized
in the United States
In connection with this subject, the attention
of Congress is respectfully called to a singular
tive Department of this Government has hitherto
ton, in conformity with the Constitution and
from his native allegiance. The courts of Great
is ndefeasible and is not absolved by our laws
law authorities of the United States in support
Executive authority of the United States This
conflict perple1es the public mind concerning the
rights of naturalzed citizens and impars the
national authority abroad l called attention to
this subject in my last annual message, and now
ff111T to n