Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-12-21
President Grants Message.

legal phrases of Franklin Pierce the law
yer; and certainly not the buster and eg-
otism of Andrew Johnson the tailor 1t is
pre-eminently plain straight forward bu-
siness document, and presents to congress
and the country in the briefest possible
manner the position of the administration
upon all the leading questions of the day
The recommendations for congressional ac-
ton are made without parley or circumlo-
cution, but with the same directness with
which its author moved upon Donelson
and Nicksburgh. 1t recommends the adj
mission Of Virginia, the gradual return to
specie payments, the repeal of the tenure
of-ottice act, the increase of the salaries of
the judges of the supreme court, the reduc-
tion of the internal revenue taxes and the
duties on imports. 1t also calls attention
tc our suffering commerce, and promises a
special message during the session sug-
costing plans of relief
We give below brief extracts Of the mes
sage touching upon our relations with Eng
land, the Cuban instruction, and Reciproc-
ity in Trade with Canada. This last is
subject that perhaps more than any other
touched upon in the message, interests the
state of VT. and it will be seen that upon
this pointthe president takes the exact posi-
ton taken by our legislaturea year ago this
last fall in the resolution it adopted, copies
Of which were forwarded him. What the
president says about arrangements for
commercial intercourse between Canada
and the United States" was evidently
prompted by those resolutions. Who then
will say after this that the Vermont legis-
lature is of no account?
CUBAN RESURRECTION.
As the United States is the freest of all
nations, so, too, its people sympathize with
all people struggling for liberty and self
government; but while so sympathizing. it
is due to our honor that we should abstain
from enforcing our views upon unwilling
nations, and from taking an interested part
without invitation. In the quarrels be-
tween different nations, or between govern
ments and their subjects, our course should
always be in conformity with strict Justice
and law, international and local. Such
has been the policy of the administration,
in dealing with these questions for more
than year. A valuable province of Spain
and near neighbor Of ours, in whom all
our people cannot but feel deep interest,
has been struggling for independence and
freedom.
/ The people Of the United States enter
tain the same warm feelings and sympa-
thies for the people of Cuba in their pend
/ ing struggle that they manifested through
out the previous struggles between Spain
and her former colonies in behalf of the
latter, but the contest has at no time as.
| sumed the conditions which amount to wal
in the sense of international law, or which
would show the existence of defacto DO,
litical organization Of the insurgents sui
iicent to justify a recognition of belliger
ency. The principle if maintained. how
ever, that this nation Is its own Judge wheI
- accord the rights of belligerency, eithe
to people struggling to free themseve
from government they believe to be op
pressive, or TO Experimentation at wa
with each other. The United States hav
no disposition to interfere with the domest
ic relations of Spain to her colonial pos
sessions on this continent. They believ
that in due time Spain and other Europea1
powers will find their interest in sunderin
those relations, and establishing their pres
ent independencies as independent power
members Of the family Of nations, to b
Z 0 mo lol 30,
} from one European power to another
When the present relation of colonies ceas
3 they are to become independent pow
., ers, exercising the right of choice and {
self control.
In the determination of their further +,
e lations with other powers, the United State
in order to put a stop to blood shed in CT
ba and in the interest of neighboring pow
ers, proposed their good offices to bring ii
Y existing contest to a termination. The o
flee not being accepted, this claim, on ii
Il basis which we believe could be advant;
i geous to both parties, was withdrawn.
is hoped that the good offices of the Uni
3 ed states may yet prove advantageous f
It the settlement of this unhappy strife.
Meanwhile, a number of illegal exped
/ tons against Cuba have been broken u
It II has been the endeavOr of the admin
tration to execute the neutrality laws
. good faith, no matter how unpleasant Il
1t task-made so by the suffering we ha,
endured by the lack Of like good faith to,
1t ard us by other nations. On the 10Th
y March last the United States schooner Ii
zie Major was arrested on the high seas
% a Spanish frigate and two passengers ia
OF nd Il
ba. Representation of these facts We
made to the Spanish government as 500
e as official information Of them reach
II Washington. The two passengers yeres
- at liberty and the Spanish government {
n sured the United States that the captain
- the frigate had acted without law, that
had been reprimanded for the cruelty
l. his conduct, and that the Spanish authC
- tiles in Cuba would not sanction any a
ton in violation of the rights or treat wi
$. disrespect the sovereignty of this nation
70 The question of the seizure of the br
Mary Powell at one of the Bahama Islam
~ by Spanish authorities, is now the subie
. of correspondence between this governme
and those of Spain and Great Britain. T
e, Captain General of Cuba, about Nav la
ii issued proclamation authorizing scar
- to be made of vessels on the high seas i
ct mediate remonstrance was made agair
r. this whereupon the Captain General
sueda new proclamation, limiting the rig
g of search to vessels of the United States
ID far as authorized under the treaty of II
This proclamation, however, was imme,
ne ately withdrawn. | have always felt Il
d. the most intimate relations should be ma
tanned between the Reptile of the Unit
Sc States and all Independent nations on t
to continent 1t may be well worth cons
:, ering whether new treaties between
IN United States and them may not be pro
ey ably entered into to secure more intim
+, relations, friendly, commercial and 9th
an wise.
IT. RELATIONS WITH ENGLAND.
an Towards the close of the last admir-
II ! A convention u-oa cd I .