The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1868-12-19
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 1868.
Fellow Citizens of the Senate and
House of Renresnnt tatiyns :.

Upon Jne TeaSsemDllng Or congress-, 1T
again becomes my duty to call your at
tention to the state OF the Union, and to
its continued disorganized condition I'M
der the various laws which have been
passed upon the subject Of reeonstrue-
ton. 1t may be safely assumed as an
anxiom in the government of States, that
the greatest wrongs inflicted upon a peo-
ple are caused by unjust and arbitrary
legislation, or by the unrelenting DEGREES
of despotic rulers, and that the timely
revocation of injurious and oppressive
measures is the greatest good that can
be conferred upon q nation. The legis-
lator or ruler who has the wisdom and
maenanimity to retrace his steps when
convinced of error, will, sooner OF later,
be rewarded with the respect and graft
tude of an intelligent and patriotic peo-
ple. Our own history, although embra-
cling a period less than century, affords
abundant proof that most, if not ali, of
our domestic troubles are directly trace
able to violations of the organic law and
excessive legislation. The most striking
illustrations of this fact are furnished by
the enactments of the past three years
upon the question of reconstruction.
After a fair trial, they have substantially
failed and proved pernicious In their re-
suits. and there seems to be no good
reason why they should longer remain
upon the statute books. States to which
the constitution guarantees republican
form of government have been reduced
to omilitary dependencies, in each ofwhich
the people have been made subject to
the arbitrary will Of the Commanding
General. Although the constitution re-
uuires that each State shall be represent
cd in Congress, Virginia, Mississippi and
Texas are excluded from the two Houses,
and contrary to the express provisions of
that instrument were denied participa-
ton in the recent election for a President
and Vice President of the United States.
The attempt to place the white popula-
tion under the domination of persons OF
color in the South, has impaired if not,
destroyed the kindly relations that had
previously existed between them, and
mutual distrust has engendered feeling
Of animosity, which leading in some in
stances to collision and bloodshed, has
prevented that cooperation between the
two races SO essential to the success OF
industrial enterprises In the Southern
States. Nor have the inhabitants OF
those States alone suffered from the dis
turbed condition of affairs growing out
of these congressional enactments. The
entire Union has been agitated by grave
apprehensions of trouble, which might
again involve the peace of the nation,
it's interests have been iniuriously affect
ed BIZ the arrangement of business and
labor, and the consequent want OF pros
perity throughout that portion OF the
country. The Federal constitution, the
magma charta of American rights, under
whose wise and salutary provisions We
have successfully fconducted all our. do
lnestic and foreign affairs, sustained our
selves in peace and in war, and become
a great nation among the powers of the
earth, most assuredly be now adequate
to the settlement of questions growing
out of the civil war waged alone for its
Sindication. This great fact is made
most manifest by the condition of the
country when Congress assembled in the
month of December, 1865. Civil strife
has ceased, the spirit of rebellion had
spent it's entire force, in the Southern
States the people had warmed into ma
tional life, and throughout the whole
country a healthy reaction in public SEN
tiinent had taken place. By the applica-
ton of the simple yet effective proyi-
sions of the constitutions, the executive
department, with the voluntary aid oi
the States, had brought the work of re-
storation as near completion as was with
in the scope of its. authority, and the
nation was encouraged by the prospect
of an early and satisfactory adjustment
of all its difficulties. Congress, however
intervened, and refusing to perfect the
work so nearly consummated, declined
to admit members from the unrepresent
ed States, adopted series of measures
which arrested the progress OF restora
ton, frustated all that had been SO sue
cessfuliy accomplished, and, after three
wears of agitation and strife, has left th
country further from the attainment o
union and paternal feeling than at th
inception of the congressional, plan 0
reconstruction.
The attempt, however, to establish re
publics there encounters many obstacles
most of which may be supposed toresul
from long INDUCED habits of colonnia
supineness and dependence upon En-
ropean monarchial powers. While th
United States have on all occasions pro
fessed decided unWillingness than an,
part of this continent or of its adjacen
islands shall be made the theatre for
new establishment of monarchial power
too little has been done by us, on th
other hand, to attach the community b,
which we are surrounded to our oWl
country, or to lend even a moral supper
to the efforts they are SO resolutely an
10 constantly making to secure republi
can institutions for themselves. It is
indeed, a question of grave eonsideratio
whether our recent and present exampl
is not calculated to check the growth an
expansion of free principles, and max
these communities distrust, If not drea
government which at viii consigns
military domination States that are in
tegral parts of our Federal Union, m
while ready to resist any attempts b
other nations to extend to this lieIniS
phere tile monarchial institutions of Eu
rope, assumes to establish over a larg
portion of its people a rule more abst
lutte, harsh and tyrannical than an
known to civilized powers The aequis
ton of Alaska was made with the vie
Of extending national jurisdiction an
republican principles in the America
hemisphere. Believing that furths
stem could he taken In the sanae direction