The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1869-12-09

.be made, of the bonds 30 purcnasqa.
The bonds now beid, by the Trea-
sury amount toabOnt $4,000, 900,
including those belonging to the
Sinking Fund. / recommend that
tho whole be placed to the credit
of the Sinking Fund.
Your attention is respectfully in
cited 10 the recommendation Of the
Secretary of the Treasury for the
creation of Commissioner of Gus.
toms revenue, for the increase Of
salary to certain classes of officials,
and the substitution os an increas.
cd National bank circulation to re.
place the outstanding 3per, cont.
certificates; and most especially 10
his recommendation for the repeal
of laws allowing shares Of fines,
penalties, forfeitures, ETC., to off,
cers of the Government or to in
formers.
The Office of Commissioners OF
Internal Revenue is one OF the
most arduous and responsible nm.
der the Government. 1t falls but
little, if any, short Of a Cabinet po'
sition in its Importance and re-
sponsibilities. / would ask for it,
therefore. such legislation as in
your Judgment will place the Office
on a footing Of dignity commen.
suratc with its Importance, and
With q character and qualifications
Of the class Of men required 10 fill
it properly.
As tho United States is the
frccst of all the nations, go do its
people sympathize with all peoples
struggling for liberty and sclf gov
crnment; but while SO sympathiz'
ing, It Is due to our honor that VIC
should abstain from enforcing our
views upon unwilling nations, and
from taking an interested part
without invitation in the quarrels
between different nations or be-
tween governments or their sub
Iiccts. Our course should always be
in conformity with strict justice
and law, intern ational and local.
Such has been the policy of the ad'
ministration in dealing with these
questions. For moro than a year
a valuable province of Spain, and
a near neighbor of ours, in whom
all our people cannot but foel o
deep interest, has been struggling
for independence and freedom
Tho people and government OF the
! United States entertain the same
warm feelings and sympathies Tor
the people OF Cuba in their strug-
glc that they manifested through
out the previous struggles between
Spain and her former colonies in
behalf OF the latter. But the con
/
test at no timc assumed the condi
tions which amount to q war II
the sense of international law, OF
which would show the existence O
q de facto political organization o
tho insurgents sufficient TO justify
recognition Of belligcrency. Th'
principle is maintained, however
that this nation is its own judge wher
to accord tho rights Of belligersn
cy, either to a people struggling Il
lfreo themselves from a govern
ment they believot to bo oppressive
or to independent nations at wal
with each other. The United
States have no disposition to inter
fere with the existing relations 0
Spain to her colonial possession
on this continent; they bcliev'
that in due time Spain, and othe,
European powers, will find theil
interest in terminating those rela
tions and establishing their pres
ent dependencies as independent
[ powers members Of the family o
Of nations. These dependencies
arc no longer regarded as subjec
10 transfer from ono Europear
power TO another. Whom thu
present relations Of these colonies
cease they arc to become indePen
don't movers, exercising tho rigb
of choice and seif.control In tn,
determination of their future con
dition and relations with othel
powers, .. ...eE,.
Tho Unitod States. in order tt
put stop to bloodshed in Cubs
and in the interest of a neighbor
ing people proposed their good Cf
foes to bring tho existing contcs
to o termination. The Uffor mo-
being accepted by Spain on a basit
which we believed could bo receiv.
cd by Cuba, was withdrawn, II l.
hoped that tho good Offices Of the
United States may yet prove ad.
vantageous for tho settlement oI
this unhappy strife. Meanwhile O
number Of illegal expeditions o.
gaiust Cuba have boen broken up
" has been tho cndeavor of the Ad
ministration to execute tho neu'
trality laws in good faith, no mat
tor how unpleasant the task, made
so by tho suffering wo havo cndur'
cd from lack of like good faith to-
ward us by other nations. The
United States schooner Lizzie Ma
ior was arrested on tho high seas
by q Spanish irigate, and two pas
songers taken from her and car
riod as prisoners to Cuba Repre-
sontations of those facts were made
to tho Spanish Government as soon
as official information of thom
reached Washington. The two
passengers were set at liberty, and
tho Spanish Government assured
tho Unitcd States that tho Captair
of tho irigatc, in making the cap
ture, had aCtod without law; thai
ho had boon reprlmandod for the
irregularity Of his conduct, and
that tho Spanish authorities in Gu
ba would not sanction any act that
could violate the rights or treat