Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-06

the Committee appointed by the last Legislature
to contract for the same 1t is believed that the
new Senate Chamber and Hall of the House oi
Representatives, with the rooms appropriated tc
committees of the respective Houses, are
better adapted to the purposes OF legislation thar
those which have been superseded. The rooms
set apart for the Governor and for the office oi
Secretary OF State are convenient and appro
pirate, and ample accommodations for the books
now or likely soon to lie in the Library have beeI
provided.
The improvement of the Public Buildings wat
30 obviously necessary that for several years
past the matter had engaged public attention,
and had been recommended not only in my last
biennial message, but several times also by my
immediate predecessor. The expenditure au-
thorized for this purpose at the last session viii
obviate further outlay upon the public buildings
for several years.
REPRIEyEs, PARDoNs, AND REWARD.
I herewith transmit list of the pardons, re-
prieves and remissions granted since the com.
mencement OF the last session of the General
Assembly, with the reasonsinducing me to grant
the same.
Having been informed that certain Robert
A. Mackey had been murdered within the juris-
dictlon of this State. and that ono Joseph II.
Taylor WAS charged with being guilty of the
murder of said Mackey, issued proclamation
on the 18th day of August, 1874, offering u re-
ward of $500 for the arrest and delivery into
the custody OF the Sheriff of New Castle County
of the said Joseph II. Taylor, who was subse-
quently apprehended in the State of Ohio and
brought into this State and tried for the offense.
l recommend that an allowance to the amount
of tho reward offered be made to the parties
making the arrest.
ATTACHMENT LAWS.
renew the recommendation contained in my
last Biennial Message in reference to the attach
ment laws of this State.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
The amendment to the Constitution of this
State proposed by the last Legislature was ap-
proved by myself and has been duly published
in compliance with the requirement of the Con-
stitution and the Act of Assembly proposing
such amendment The ratification of the pro-
posed amendment by the General Assembly at
the present session will require three-fourths OF
each branch of the Legislature. The propriety
Of such ratification is srespectfully submitted to
the consideration of the General Assembly.
CENTENNIAL.
A celebration of the one hundreth anniversary
of American Independence IL to be held in the
City of Philadelphia, during the next year, by an
exhibition of the products and resources OF the
country.
The cooperation of every State in the Union
is desired by those having the charge of the eel
bration, 30 as to make it worthy of the American
Republic. The Centennial Commission, through
the General Director Hon. A. T. Goshorn, de-
sires that State Boards be appointed to cooper
ate with the National Board of Commissioners as
the most effectual means of securing the desired
end The appointment of State Board to rep
present this State and arrange for the proper ex-
hibltion of its products will doubtless aid such
of citizens desire to participate in the eel
bration by exhibiting their articles of manufac-
ture or other productions. Gentlemen i'll this
State would doubtless volunteer to act at
members of a State Commission, and therefore
recommend that authority be given for the ap-
pointment of such board,
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
In former part of this message I ad.
verted to the continued depression Of busi-
ness in the country, and tho unfavorable
prosperity of this State. So intimate are the re-
lations of all the States of the Union, that the
prosperity of each ia determined, not exclusive
ly by the industry and frugality of it's own citi-
zens, or the wise economy OF Its own local gov
ernment, but also, in a very sensible degree by
every cause which affects the welfare of any ol
of all the others. The people OF Delaware there
fore no less than the people Of the rest of the
States, have interest in the prosperity of every
part of the common country-an interest based
not alone on sentiment or sympathy, but arising,
in part at least, from considerations OF advan-
tage to themselves. When therefore we see the
Industries of the country paralyzed it's COM
merce declining, its manufacturing and mechan-
ical enterprises depressed and languishing,
agricultural pursuits unremunerative, and labor
employment, it is but natural that in common
with the people of the whole country we should
desire to see clear ascertanment and removal
of the CAUSES which have produced such results.
1t cannot be doubted that whatever else may
have contributed to bring about the present de-
rangement and embarrassment in the business
of the country, that the policy pursued by Con-
gress and the Federal Administration in the
management of public affairs has had its full
share in producing the embarrassment now 30
Ia Of ,o,t ~
the country.
Without adverting to the extravagant expen-
dtures of the public money which has marked
the history of the country for the last eight or
ten years, when economy was demanded i'll Or
der to recuperate from the exhaustion pro-
duced by a four years war, as well as to pro-
vide for the payment of the interest on the pub
lie debt, which that war had entailed upon the
country, the financial policy of the government
has been most unfortunate, not to say unwise
and pernicious. The exigencies of the war were
made the excuse and justification for the issue
by the government of large amount of paper
to circulate as currency and for the redemption
OF which the faith of the government was sol
emnly pledged. A part of the currency thus is-
sued WAS declared to be legal tender and made
receivable as such in all the ordinary transac-
tions between private parties. Even admitting
that the government, under the pressure Of an
exhaustive war, WAS justified in resorting to ex-
ceptonal measures TO sustain it's credit and
maintain lLb armies III Ilelu Stlll IL
doubted that It's obxous duty upon the termina-
ton of the war, WAS to observe it's pledges and
make provision for the redemption of the paper
money which it had issued and put i'll circula-
ton. Congress recognized this obligation, and
soon after the close of the war declared by reso-
luton it's purpose to. do 30.
Nearly ten years have elapsed since the ter
mination of hostllities and yet the pledge of the
Government is unfulilled,an a deprecated pa
per currency is continued as the medium of ex-
change in all business of public or private ma
ture except in the payment of duties on imposts
and interest on the public debt. While in almost
every civilized country on the face of the earth
exchanges are made in gold or its equivalent, in
the United States the universally recognized
measure of values is banished from the ordinary
transactions of life and made an article of mer-
chandse and traffic. l need not speak of the
effect of this substitution of deprecated curen-
cy for coin upon the prosperity of the country.
Ii has been witnessed in the fluctuations of bus
mess, In its occasional expansions and
contraotions in the insolvencies and
bankruptcies which have followed, and
the unsettled, uncertain and demoralized
condition of affairs in every part of the country.
The present prostration of business, and the
consequent embarrassment resulting therefrom,
s in no small degree, traceable to the failure of
the Government to restore the currency to a
fixed value, equal to the coin of the country.
That this might have been accomplished long ago
there is no good reason to doubt. 1t cannot be
possible that in country of such ample resour-
ces there can be any necessity for conducting
business with a medium of exchange intrinscal-
ly worthless, and to which the whole credit of
the Government cannot give fixed and definite