Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-06

ment of industry here, the part which the
United States has borne In this exhibition
of invention and art may be regarded with
very high satisfaction. q S. o.
During the exposition, a conference was
held of delegates from several nations, the
United States being one, In which the in.
convenience to commerce and social In
tercourse resulting from divers standards
Of money value were very fully discussed,
and plans were developed for. establishing
by universal consent a common principle
for the coinage of gold. These conferences
are expected to be renewed, with the at
tendance of many Foreign States not hith-
eIto represented A report of these inter
esting proceedings will be su omitted to
Congress, which will no doubt justly ap-
preciate the object, and be ready to adopt
any measure which may tend to facilitate
its ultimate accomplishment. .y.,-.g 4.
On Feb. s., 1862, Congress declared, by
law, that the Treasury notes without in
terest authorized by that TACT should be
legal-tender in payment Of all debts, pub
lie and private, within the United States.
An annual remittance of $4,000, less
stipulated expenses, accrues to claimants
under the convention made with Spain IN
1884. These remittances, since the pas.
sage OF the act, have been paid in such
notes. The claimants insist that the Gov
ernment ought to require payment In
coin. The subject may be deemed worthy
of your attention, as aat'h,s e.
No arrangement has as yet been reached
for the settlement OF our claims for British
depredations upon the commerce of the
United States / have felt 1t my duty to
decline the proposition for an arbitration
made by her majesty's government, be-
cause it has hitherto been accompanied by
reservations and limitations Incompatible
with the rights, interests, and honor of our
country. 1t is not to be apprehended that
Great Britain will persist In her refusal to
satisfy these just and reasonable claims
which involve sacred the principle OF non
Intervention "a principle henceforth not
more important to the United States than
any other commercial nation. -'''l- %
The West India islands were settled and
coloniZed by European states simultane-
ously with the settlement and colonization
of the American continent Most Of the
colonies planted here became independent
nations in the close of the last and the
beginning of the present century. Our
own country embraces communities which
at one period were colonies of Great Bri-
tain, France, Spain, Holland, Sweden and
Russia. The people in the West Indies,
with the exception of those of the island
of Hayti, have neither attained nor as
pired to independence, nor have they be-
come prepared for selfdefence, although
possessing considerable commercial value
They have been held by the several Eu-
ropean states which colonized or at some
time conquered them, chiefly for pur.
poses of military and naval strategy
in carrying out European policy
and designs in regard to this con-
tinent. In our revolutionary war, the
ports and barbors on the West India
Islands were used by our enemy, to the
great injury and embarrassment of the
United States. We, had the same expert,
.ence in our second war with Great Britain.
The same European policy for a long time
excluded lis from trade with the West
Indies, while we were at peace with all
nations. In our recent civil war, the rebels
and their piratical and blockade breaking
allies found facilities in the same ports for
the work which they too successfully &C.
complished, of injuring and devastating
commerce, which we are now engaged in
rebuilding. We labored especially under
this disadvantage: that European steam
vessels employed by our enemies found
friendly shelter, protection, and supplies
in West Indian ports, while our own naval
operations were necessarily carried on from
our own distant shores There was then
universal feeling of want of an advanced
naval outpost between the Atlantic coast
and Europe. The duty of obtaining such
an outpost peacefully and lawfully, while
neither doing or menacing injury to other
States, engaged the attention of the execu-
tive department at the close Of the 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. We required
q fOothold there, which was fortunately
secured by our late treaty with the EN-
perOr of Russia; and it now seems impera-
tive that the more obvious necessities of
the Atlantic coast should not be less care
fully provided for. A good and conven-
lent port and harbOr, capable of easy de-
fence will supply that want. With the
possession OF such station by the United
States, neither we nor any other American
nation need longer apprehend injury or
offence frome any Transatlantic enemy.
agree with our early statesmen that the
West Indies naturally gravitate and may
be expected ultimately to be absorbed by
the continental States, including our own.
l agree with them, also, that 1t Is wise to
leave the question of such ABSORPTION to
this process of natural political gravita-
ton. The islands of St Thomas and st.
John, which constitute part of the group
called the Virgin islands, seemed to offer
us advantage Immediately desirable, while
their acquisition could be secured in har
mony with the principles to which / have
alluded, A treaty has, therefore, been
concluded with the King of Denmark for
the cession of these islands, and will be
submitted to the Senate for its considers
ton. " 90 '.7
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, the possession having
been formally delivered to our commits
sioners. 4 The Territory remains for the
present in care of p' ilitary force, await
ing such civil organization as shall be di-
rected by Congress. er .
The annexation OF many OF the small
German States to Prussia, and the reorgan-
ization of that country under new and
liberal constitution, have induced me to
renew the effort to obtain just and
prompt settlement of the long vexed ques-
ton concerning the claims of foreign
States for military service from their sub
jects naturalized in the United States, and,
in connection with the subject, the atten.
ton of Congress is respectfully called to a
singular and embarrassing conflict Of laws.
Tne executive department of this Govern
ncnt has hitherto uniformly held, as it