Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1870-12-07
The Presidents 5 Message.

1le HreSlQenl 8 Message.
To tie Senate and House Of Represfs
tatiUes "A year of ipeace and gsneIs
prosperity 10 this nation has passed sine
the last assembling of Congress. w
have. through a kind providence, bee
blessed with abundant crops and hav
been spared from complications and wa
with foreign nations. In our midst com
parative harmony have been restored. l
is to be regretted, however, that fire.
exercise of the elective franchise has, b.
violence and intimidation, been dc
MED to no citizen in exceptional cases il
several of the States lately in rebellion
and the verdict of the people has there
by been reversed.
The States of Virginia, Mississippi ant
Texas have been restored to our nationa
council. Georgia the only State nov
without representation, may conhdenil,
be expected to take her place there sls'
at the beginning of the new year, ant
then, let us hope. will be completed thu
work Of reconstruction. With an acqui
escence on the part of the whole peopl'
in the national obligation to pay the pub
lie debt created as the price Of our Uniol
the pensions to our disabled soldiers and
sailors and their widows and orphans
and in the changes to the constitution
which have been made necessary by {
great rebellion, there is no reason why
we should not advance in material pros
perity and happiness as no other nation
ever did after so protracted and devas
tating war.
THE WAR IN EUROPE.
Soon after the existing war broke ou
in Europe the protection Of the United
States Minister in Paris was invoked III
favor of the North Germans domiciled il
French territory. Instructions were is
sued to grant the protection This hai
been followed by an extension Of Ameri
can protection to citizen Of Saxony, He's
Sc and SAKE Coburg. Gotha Columbia,
Portugal, Uruguay, the Dominican Re
public. Ecuador, Chilli. Paraguay and
Venezuela in Paris. The charge was an
onerous one, and requiring constant Sc
we're labor as well as the exercise of pa
patience, prudence and good Judgment
1t has been performed to the entire salts
faction of this government, and as am
officially informed, equally SO to the sat
isfaction of ths government of North
Germany. AS soon as Learned that a
republic had been proclaimed at Paris,
and that the people Of France bad ac
quiesced in the change, the Minister Of
the United States was directed by tele
graph to recognize it and to offer my
and those Of the people OF
the United States. Th. re-establish-
ment. in France of system of govern.
ment. disconnected with the dynasty ira
ditions of Europe. appeared to be a
proper subject tor the felicitation Of Ameri-
cans Should the present struggles result
in attaching the hearts of the French to
our simpler forms of representative gov
it will be subject of still fur
ther satisfaction to our people. While
we make no effort to impose our institu-
tions upon the inhabitants of other coun
tries, and while we adhere to our tradi-
tional neutrality in civil contests else
where, we cannot be indifferent to the
spread of American political ideas in a
great and higly civilized country like
France. We were asked by the new
government to nse our good offices joint
Iy with those of European powers i'll the
interests of peace. Answer was made
that the established policy and the true
interests of the United States forbade
them to interfere in European questions
Jointly with European powers.
ascertaind informally and unOficially
that the government of North Germany
was then disposed to listen to such rep
from any power. and though
wishing to see the blessings of
peace restored to tie beligerents, with all
IF whome the United States are on terms
IF friendship, l decline on the part Of
he government. to take a step which
could only result in injury to our true
without advancing the object
or which our intercession was invoked
Should the time come when the action of
the United States can hasten the return
If peace by single hour, that action
will be heartily taken.
CUBA.
1t is not understood that the condition
If the insurrection in Cuba has material
y changed since the close of the last
session of Congress. In an carly stage.
If the contest the authorities of Spain in
system of arbitrary arrests
# close confinement and military trial
md execution of persons suspected on
with the insurgents, and of
ummary embargo on them and their
and the sequestration OF their
by executive warrant. Such
proceeding, so far as they affected the
,erson or property of citizen of the
United States, were violations of the
promises of the treaty of l705. between
he United States and Spain. Represen-
alton of injuries resulting to several per
IONS claiming to be citizens Of the Uni
ed States, by reason of such violations,
we're made to the Spanish government
rom April Is. 1869 to June last. The
Spanish minister, at Washington. had
,een clothed with limited power to
lid in redressing such wrongs. That
power was found to be withdrawn in view
Is it was said, of the favorable situation
II which Cuba then was. which, however,
lid not lead to revocation or suspen-
ZION of the extraordinary and arbitrary
'unctions exercised by the executive pow
,r in Cuba. and we were obliged to make
'ur complaints at Madrid In the nego-
iations thus opened and still pending, in
he United States only claimed that for