The weekly Butte record., 1867-12-07
Presidents Message.

The second session of the Fortieth Congress as
sembled at noon on Monday last. Among mass
of bills presented is for the issue of gold notes
in place of legal tenders another to establish Ma
tional School of Mines, and another to provide
Surveyor General for Utah and extend the Home
stead Law of that Territory.
/ The telegraph furnishes the following synopsis
of President .Iohnsons Message:
/ 1t is quite lengthy document. large portion
of IT Is devoted to review OF matters before elicit
ed, being principally statement of the views en-
bodied in the veto messages of the various recon-
struction bills The President urges the repeal of
all these measures, and a resort to the faithful ap
| pcation of the Constitution and the laws. He ar.
CUES against the capacity of the negro for self gov
ernment. and denounces the plan of putting the
Government of the Southern States almost entirely
in the hands Of negroes. He says it will cost $500
/ 600 600 yearly to maintain the supremacy of the
negro Governments He refers to the regent eec-
tions additional reason for change Of policy in
1 reerncee to reconstruction.
I He has given much consideration to tie question
how far it is the Presidents duty to protect and de.
fend and preserve the Constitution, and how far it
requires him to go in opposing unconstitutional &C.
tion on the part of Congress.
He has felt anxious to reach a proper conclusion
on this serious and important question. He saws
Executive resistance to any Act of Congress passed
according to the forms of the Constitution, might
provoke civil war in times of high party excite
ment. which should only be resorted to as last
remedy But cases might occur where the Execu
tive might be compelled to protect its rights re-
gardless of consequences :; for example, if the Leg
/ slature should undertake to abolish coordinate
department of the Government the President must
take the responsibility in his hands to save the life
oft nation at all hazards. He thinks the Recon-
/ struction Acts, though plainly unconstitutional do
not warrant forcible resistance on the part of the
/ Executive for the reason that its wrongs may be
0 81, La1in i
/ that they will be.
/ He then refers to the frauds on the Treasury and
the temptation to corruption the part of the rev.
enue officers. He denounces the Tenure of Office
bill as measure which prevents the Executive from
dscharglug dishonest officials and charges i'm
mense revenue frauds a result of the operation Of
this bill by which the President is made iucapable
to interfere against corrupt officials, and which
takes away bis power of removal. He thinks the
President should be released from all responsibility
4 if he is not allowed to make appointments and re-
movals at his own discretion. The danger to the
public service comes from his power of appoint
ment and not FROM his power of removal There
fore the Constitution left the power of removal un
restricted. while gave the Senate the right to re-
ject appointments which it deemed unfit
Considerable space is devoted to questions of f.
nance The President urges speedy resumption
OF ofspecie payments and denounces the present sys-
/ TEN of currency. He gives copious statistics re-
garding the production of gold and silver in this
country. and other facts and figures regarding ex.
ports and imports, which show that it will be a COM
paratvey easy matter to return to specie payments
/ He pronounces a disordered currency one of the
greatest political evils, and says that of all contry.
ances for cheating the aboring classes none has
been more efectual than that which deluges them
with paper money. He eXpatates at considerable
length upon the evils of deprecated currency and
advises construction of the Impost law which will
bear most heavily upon luxures. and reduction
OF the number OF articles taxed. He urges retrench-
ment and economy IN all departments of the Gov
ernment.
1 The President gives brief statement of the va.
rious Department reports. He represents that the
Navy now comprises 23S vessels. The total expen.
dltuIes oil the Navy Department last year $751;
600 900.
general review of our foreign relations shows
a favorable condition of affairs. The President ur.
ges the Importance OF possessing naval station in
the west Indies, and recites the experience Of the
Revolutionary war and also of the late rebellion to
show the advantage of possessing such an OUTPOST
tie says treaty has been concluded with Denmark
for the islands OF St. Thomas and ST. Johns, which
Will be presented TO the Senate for consideration
tie calls the attention of Congress TO the necessity
! of provision for payment or the Alaska purchase
No arrangement has been made for settlement Of
the Alabama claims. He has felt il his duty TO de-
cline the propositions of the British Government
for arbitration. because they have hitherto been
accompanied with reservations and limitations in
compatible with the rights, interests and honor of
the country He does not apprehend that Great
Britain will persist in its refusal to ratfy these lust
and reasonable claims, which involve the sacred
principle of Gon-intervention. He refers to the
doctrine OF the United States. that naturalization
abSolves citizen from his native allegiance This
doctrine is denied by Prussia and Great Britain.
tie appeals 10 Congress to declare the national will
unmistakahly on this question He concludes by
suggesting the discoltinuance of stipuls,ions for
maintaining our naval force to suppress the slave
trade.