Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-12-14
a large decrease Of he public debt.
PURCHASE OF BONDS

PURCHASE OF BONDS
The receipts in the Treasury be,
yond expenditures, have exceeded
, the amount necessary to be placed
to the credit of the sink ing fund, as
provided by law. TO lock up tbs
surplus in the Treasury and with.
hold it from circulation, would lead
to such contraction of the currency
as to cripple trade and seriously af-
feet the prosperity of the country
Under these circumstances the Sec
rotary of the Treasury and myself
, heartily concurred in the propriety
of using all the surplus currency in
the Treasury in the purchase OF
Government bonds, thus reducing
the interest bearing debt of the
country, and of submitting to Con-
gross the question of the disposition
to be made of the bonds purchased.
The bonds now held by the Treasury
amount to about s65, 900, 900, includ-
ing those belonging to the sinking
fund. recommend that the whole
be placed to the credit Of the sinking
fund.
TREASURY RECOMMENDATIONS
Your attention is invited TO the
recommendation Of the Secretary of
the Treasury for the creation of the
office of Commissioner of Customs
and Revenue for the increase of SAL
aries to certain officials AMI the sub
stltutlon of increased national bank
circulation, to replace the out-stand-
ing 3 per cent. certificates and
most especially to his recommends
ton for the repeal OF tho laws allow
ing shares OF fines. penalties, forfeit
| ures, &c, to officers of the Govern
ment or 10 informers.
The office of Commissioner OF In
ternal Revenue is one of the most ar
duous and responsible under the
Government. 1t falls but little, If
any, short Of Cabinet position in
its Importance and responsibilities.
| would ask for it, therefore, such
legislation as in your judgment will
place the office on footing of digni-
ty commensurate with the character
and qualifications of the class Of men
required to fill it properly.
OUR RELATIONS WITH CUBA AND SPAIN
As the United States is the freest
OF all nations, so, too, its people SYM
pathise with all people struggling
tor liberty and self-government, but,
while SO sympathizing, it is due to
our honor that we should abstain
from enforcing our views upon un-
willing nations and from taking an
interested part without invitation in |
the quarrels between different ma
tions or between Governments, and |
their subjects Our cause should al |
ways be in conformity with strict |
justice and law, international and To-
cal. Such has been the policy OF the |
administration in dealing with those
questions. For more than year a
valuable province of Spain and
near neighbor of ours, in whom all
our people cannot but feel deep IN
terest, has been struggling for indie
pendence and freedom. The people |
and Government of the United States
entertain the same warm feeling and I
sympathy for the people of Cuba, in
their pending struggle, that they /
manifested throughout the previous |
struggles between Spain and her for
mer colonies, in behalf of the latter,
but the contest has at no time as
sulned the conditions which amount |
to a war in the sense Of international I
law or which would show the exis-
tence of q de facto political organiza-
ton Of the insurgents sufficient to
justify recognition of belligerency.
The principle is maintained that this
nation is its own Judge when to ac-
cord the right of belligerency, either
to a people struggling to free them
selves from a Government they be-
lIeve to be oppressive, or to indepen-
dent nations at war with each other. /
The United States have no DISPOSE |
ton to interfere with the existing re-
lations of Spain TO her colonial pos
sessions on this continent. They be-
lieve that in due time Spain and 9TH
er European Powers will find it to /
their interests to terminate these re-
iations. and establish their present |
dependencies as Independent powers
and members of the family of nations. |
These dependencies are no longer re-
garded as subject to transfer from |
one European power to another
When the present relations of the
colonies cease, they are to become
independent powers, exercising the
right of choice and self-control in
the determination of their future
condition and relation with other
powers.
The United States, in order to put
stop to bloodshed in Cuba, and in
the interest of a neighboring people,
proposed their good offices to bring
the existing conflict to termination
The offer not being accepted by
Spain on basis which we believed
could be accepted by Cuba, it was
Withdrawn. 1t is hoped that the
good offices of the United States may
yet prove advantageous tor the set
Element of this unhappy strife.
Meanwhile number of illegal ex-
petitions against Cuba have been
broken up. 1t has been the endeav-
or of the administration to execute
the neutrality laws in good faith, no
matter how unpleasant the task,
made so by the suffering we have en-
dured from lack Of like good faith
towards US by other nations.
The United States schooner Lizzie
| Major was arrested in the high seas
by Spanish frigate, and two pas
sengers taken from it and carried as
prisoners to Cuba. Representations
Of these facts were made to the Span
ish Government, as soon as official
information reached Washington.
The two passengers were set at lib
erty and the Spanish Government
assured the United Stated that the
| Captain of the frigate. in making the