The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-12-08
WAsHINaToN. y. 5, 80.

Railroad Land Grants Discouraged.
WAsHISGToN, Dec. 5, 1870.
To the Senate and House Of Represen-
fGtiUes.
A year Of peace and general prosper /
ity to this nation has passed since the
Last assemblage Of Congress. We
have. through q kind Providence,
been blessed with abundant crops, and
have been spared from complications
and war with foreign nations. In our
midst comparative harmony has been /
restored. Il is to beregretted, hOwev-
Or, that q free exercise Of the elective 4
franchise has, by violence and intiml- /
datiou, been denied to citizens, In ex- T.
eeptional cases, and several Of the
States lately in rebellion, and the YER
dict Of the people has thereby been re- 1
versed, Tie States Of Virginia ana
Mississippi have been restored TO rep
resentafion IN national councils.
Georgia is the only State now without
representation, and may confidently
be expected to take her place there,
also, at the beginning Of the new
year; and then, let US hope, will be
completed the work Of reconstruction,
with an acqHiescence on the part OF
the whole people In the national Obli-
cation to pay the public dObt created
A. the price Of our Union; the pen
sions to our disabled soldiers and sal
Iors, and their widows and orphans,
and in the changes to the COnstitu-
ton whicl have been made necessary
T., a great rebellion.
There Is no reason why we should
not advance in material prosperity
and happiness, as no other nation did,
after so protracted and devastating
war.
THE WAR IN EUROPE.
Soon after the existing war broke
out in Europe, the protection Of the
United States Minister in Paris was
invoked in favor Of North Germans
domiciIed in French territory. In
structiOns were issued to grant the
protection. This has been followed
by an extension Of American prOtec
ton TO citizens Of SaxOny, Hesse and
SAKE Coburg, Gotba, Columbia, POr-
tugaI, Uruguay, the Dominican Repub-
lie, Ecuador, Chill, Paraguay and
Venezeula. In Paris the charge was
an onerOus one, requiring constant
and severe labor, as well as the exer-
else of patience, prudence and good
Judgment. It has been performed TO
the entire satisfaction Of this govern
ment, and, as ! am Ofiic ally inform
ed, equally so to the satisfaction of
the Government Of North Germany.
As soon as / learned that republic
had been proclaimed at Paris, and
that the people Of France had acqui-
esced in the change, the minister of
the United States was directed by tel
egraph 70 recognize it, and tender my
CONGRATULATIONS and those Of the peo-
pie Of the United States.
The re-establishment in France of
system of government disconnected
with the dynastie traditions of Eu-
rope appeared to be a proper subject
for the felicitation Of Americans.
Should the present struggle result in
attaching the hearts of the French to
our simple forms of representative
government, 1t will be a subject Of
still further satisfaction TO our people.
While we make no effort to impose
our institutions upon the inhabitants
of other countries, and while we ad-
here TO our traditional neutrality in
foreign civil contests, we cannot be
Indifferent to the spread OF American
political ideas in a great and highly
civilized country like France. We
were asked by the new government
70 use our good offices Jointly with
those Of European powers in the in
terest Of peace. Answer was made
that the established policies and the
true Interests OF the United States for
babe them to interfere in European
powers. / ascertoined, informally
and uno1icially, that the government
Of North Germany was not then dis
posed TO listen 70 such representations
from any powers; ahd, though ear
nestly wishing to see the blessings of
peace restored to the belligerents,
with all Of whom the United States
are on terms Of friendship, I declined,
on the part Of this government, to
take step which could only result in
injury TO our true interests without
advancing the object for which our
Intervention was invoked.
Should the time come when the ac-
tion Of the United States can hasten
the return Of peace by a single hour
that action will be heartily taken. !
deemed 1t prudent, in view Of the
number OF persons OF German and
French birth living in the United
States, 70 issue, soon after an official
notice Of state Of war had been re-
ceived from both belligerents, a proc
lamation defining the duties Of the
United States neutral and the obliga-
tiOns OF persons residing within the
territory TO observe their laws and
the laws Of nations. The prOelama-
ton was followed by Others, as cir
cumstauces seemed to call for them.
The people, thus acquainted in ad-
vance Of their duties and obligations.
have assisted in preventing any viola
tons Of the neutrality of the United
States.
CUBA AND SPAIN.
1t is not understood that the condi-
tion Of the insurrection Of Cuba has
materially changed since the close Of
the last session OF Congress. In an
early stage Of the contest the Spanish
authorities inaugurated a system Of
arbitrary arrests, of close confinement.
of military trials and execution or
persons suspected of completely with
the insurgents, and summary embarpo
Of their properties and seduestratiOn
Of their revenue byexecutive warrant
Such proceedings, so far as they ef-
fected the person or property OF citi-
gems OF the United States, were in
violation Of the provisions Of the
treaty of 1875, between the United
States and Spain. Representations of
injuries resulting to several persons
claiming to be citizens of the United
States, by reason Of such violations.
were made to the Spanish Govern
ment from April, 1859, 10 June last.
The Spanish minister at Washington
had been clothed with a limited DOW
er 10 aid in redressing such wrongs.
That power was found to be with
drawn in view, it was said, of the IA
vorable situation in which the Island
Of Cuba then was, which however.
did not lead to revolution or susnen-
sion OF the extraordinary and arbi-
trarF functions exercised bv the ex-
ecutive power in Cuba, and we were
Obliged 70 make our complaint af !
Madri5. In the negotiations thus
opened and still pending there, the
United States only claimed that for
the future the rights secured to their
citizens by treaty should be respected
IN Cuba, and that rs to the past. p
JOINT tribunal should he established in !
the United States, with full iurisdie- !
tion over all such claims.
Before such an impartial tribunal |
each claimant would be required 10 |
prove bis case; on the other hand |
Spain would be at liberty 10 traverse
every material fact, and thus a com /
piete equity would be done. A case
which at one time threatened serions- /
" TO affect the relations between The
United states and Spain has alreadv
been disposed of in this way. nm.
claim Of Colonel Lloyd AspinwalI for
the Illegal seizure and detention of |
that vessel was referred to arbitration
by mutual consent, and has resulted
In an award to the United States for
the owners Of the same Of Sl9.7O2 81
10 gold. Another and long pending
claim Of like nature, that of the whale
ship Canada, has been disposed Of bv
friendly arbitration. During the pres
eDt year it was referred, by Joint con-
sent, TO the decision Of Sir Edward
Thornton, her Britannia Majesty's
Minister at Washington, who kindly
undertook the laborious task of exam
ining the voluminous mass of CORE
spondence and testimony submitted