Mower County transcript., 1869-12-16
PRbSIDEN1'S MESSAGE.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.
10 tie Senate and House Of Representatives.:
IN coming before you for the first time
IS Chief Magistrate Of this great nation, 1t |
: with gratitude to tue diver OF al good |
or tho many benefits We enjoy. We aro |
blessed with peace ut home, and are without |
tutnrgling alliances abroad to torebode |
trouble, with n territory unsurpassed in fer
t,hty, Of az area equal to the abundant sup"
port of five hundred millions OF people,
and aboundng in every. variety OF use
iu mineral III quantity sufficient 10
s,,p!v tAr world for generations, with
rv ,buruut Chops and with a variety
Of ,lj.n.ue nlaptei to the production OF
every spcc;r of eauh's riches, and suited
to tt,c habits. tastes and requirements Of
every livin Ching: with y population OF
torty millions OF free people, all speaking
one languages; with facilities for every NOR
tal to acquire IN education; with instit'l-
tons closing to none tho avenues to fame,
or any blessing or fortune that may be COW
cted; with freedom of the pulpit, the press,
and the school; with revenue flowing into
the national treasury beyond tho
requirements of Government sup.
ply. Harmony is being rapidly
restored within our own borders Manu-.
ilrturcs hitherto unknown in our country
ave springing up i'll all directions, producing
a degree of national independence une-
qJllcd by -at of any other power. These
bic Ssinss, and countless others, are ln-
trusted to your care, and more for safe
keeping for the brief period OF our tenure
Of Office. In q short time wa must each OF
10 ro,,1yc nf fhn rnnn1a who
have conferred upon us our hOnors, and
,,,cuuls to thom for our stewardship
earnestly desire that neither you ncr may
DC condemned by n free and enlightened
constituency, nor by our own col~
,>ricnce. Emerging from re.
i,eiion OF gigantic magnitude, aided
~ it was by the sympathy and as
si5tance of nations with which we wereat
prace, eleven States of the Union were
i,ur years ago left without legal state
rvernments; u debt had been contracted;
American commerce was almost driven
.r,n the seas; the industry Of one-half
t,,e country had been taken from the con-
,rol of the capitalist and placed where all
labor rightlully belongs, in the keeping OF
,hc laborer. The work Of restoring the
state governments loyal to the Union.
oi protecting and fostering free labor and
providing mems for paying Interest on the,
public debt has reed ample attention from
Congress; although your efforts have not
met with the success, III all particulars, that
might have been desired. yet on the whole
they have been more successful than conio
ilavc been reasonably anticipated. Seven
states which passed ordinancesOf secession
have, been fully restored to their places in
the Union. The eighth, Georgia, held an
election, ut which she ratified her consti-
tuition, republican in form, elected gov
ernor, members Of Congress-, state leSls-
lature and all other officers required. The
Governor was duly installed and the logis-
g.,ture met aud performed all the acts
therein required of them by the
reconstruction acts of Congress. Subse-
uuently, however, in violation Of the con-
stitution which they had just ratified. as
since decided by the Supreme Court Of the
state, they unseated tie colored members
of the legislature, and admitted to seats
some members who are disqualified b: the
third clause of the fourteenth amendment
to the constitution, m article which they
themselves had contributed to ratity. Un
der these circumstances, would submit to
you whether it would not be wise without
delay to enact O law authorizing the gover-
ner Of Georgia to convene the members
originally elected, recurring eaen &C
rsconstruction act, and none to be admitted
who are ineligible under the third clause of
the fourteenth amendment. The freedmen
under the protection which they have re.
ceived are making rapid progress in, learn
ing. and no complaints are heard for lack
Of industry on their part, when they re-
ceive fair remunerat ion for their labor.
The means provided for paying the in
terest on the public debt with nll other
expenses OF the Government are
more than ample. The loss Of our COM
merce is the only result Of the late rebel
lion which hos not received sufficient at
tention from you. 10 this subject I call
vour earnest attention. Twill not now, sug-
gest plans by which this object may be ef-
iected, but will, if necessary, make it the
subject Of special message during the
session of Congress. -..
AT the March term Congress, by joint
resolution, authorized the executive to or
der an election in the states of Virginia,
Mississippi and Texas, to submit to them
the constitutions which each had previous.
lyin convention framed and submitted,
the Constitution, either entire OF in separate
parts, to be voted upon, at the discretion
Of the Executive. Under this authority,
elections were called. In Virginia the cleo
ton took place Oh the 9th of July, 1869.
The Governor and lieutenant Governor
elected have been installed. - The Legisla-
ture met and did all required by this reso'
luton and by all the reconstruction acts Of
Congress, and abstained from all doubtful
authority. I recommend that her Senators
end Representatives be recognized, and
that the state be fully restored to its place
~, e. &okp no5 Il
in Mississippi and Texas, to commence
on the 30th Of November, 1869, and to last
two days in Mississippi and four days iu
Texas. The elections have taken place, but
the result is not known. Tits to be hoped
that the acts of the Legislatures of these
states, when they meet, will be such as to
receive your approval, and thus close the
work Of reconstruction.
Among the evils growing out of the re.
bellion, and not yet referred to, is that ol
an irredeemable currency. It is an evil
which, I hope, will receive your most
earnest attention. It is duty, and one o1
tho highest duties, of the Government to
secure to the citizens medium OF
exchange Of fixed, unvarying val
ue. This implies a return to a
specie basis, and no substitute for it can
be devised. It should be commenced now,
aud reached at the earliest practicable mo.
ment, consistent with tair regard to the
interest of the debtor class, Immediate re-
sumption. if practicable, would not be de-
sirable. 1t would compel the debtor class
to pay beyond their contracts the premium
of gold at the date of their purchase and
would bring bankruptcy and ruin
TO thousands. Fluctuations, however,
in the paper value of the measure
of all values, gold. is detrimental to the in
terests Of trade; it makes O man of busi-
ness an involuntary gambler, for in all
sales when future payment is to be made,
both parties speculate as to what will be
the value Of the currency 70 be paid and
then, such legislation as will insure grad
ual return to specie payments, and put an
immediate stop to fluctuations in the value
OF currency. The methods to secure these
results are as numerous as the speculations
on political economy. To secure the
latter l see but one way, and that is,
to authorize the treasury to redeem it's own
paper at O. fixed price whenever presented;
to withhold from circulation all such cur
rency redeemed until sold again for gold
the vast resources of the nation, both de-
veloped and undeveloped, ought to make
our credit the best on earth, with less
burden Of taxation than tho citizen has en-
d1red for six years past, the entire public
debt could be paid in ten years But it is not
desirable that people should not be taxed to
pay it in that time; year by year, the ability
to pay increases in q rapid ratio, but the
burden Of interest ought to be reduced as
rapidly as CAN be done without the viola
ton OF contract. The public debt is rep
resented Ill great patt by bonds having from