New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-06
HHE MESSAGE.
The Presidents Last Annual Message
to Congress.

10 NOuSECSSo
h the Senate and House Of representatives.
In submitting my eighth and last annual
Ee to Congress IL seems proper chat
should refer to and in some degree
REcAHTULATE THE EVENTS AND OFFICIAL
ACTS
OF the past eight years.
1t was my fortune or misfortune to be
called 20 the Office of chief executive wish
out any previous political training. From
theege of seventeen had never even wit
messed the excitement attending a presi-
dcntial campaign but twice sntecedeEt to
my own candidacy, and at but enc of them
was eligible as y voter. Under such cir
CuEnstances it is but reasonable to suppose
that errors of ;u6gmen must have occurred.
Even had they not, differences OF opinion
between the executive, bound by an oath
to the strict performance OF his duties, and
writers and debatere, must have arisen. 1t
Il not necessarily evidence OF oiunders on the
part of the executive because there are these
differences OF views. Mistakes have been
made, as all can see, and l admit. but it
seems to rae oftene, in the selections made
Of the ASSISTANTS appointed to aid in carry.
ing ont the various duties Of administering
the govern Eeut IN nearly every case Sc
lected without a personal acquaintance
tions of the representative chosen directly
by the people. 1t is Impossible, where 80
many trusts are to be allotted, that the
right parties should be choseo in every in
stance. History shows that nd administrar
ton, from the time of Washington to the
present, has been free from these mis-
takes. But II leave comparisons to history,
claiming only that l have acted in every
instance from conscientious desire to do
what was right, constitutioHal, within the
law, and for the very best interests OF the
whole people. Failures hsve been errors
Of judgments, not of intent.
MY CIVIL CAREER
Commenced at most critical and difficult
time, lees than four years before the coGn-
try had emerged from Q cezfict such as nc
other nation has ever eCrvived. Nearly
one-hak of the States had revOlted against
the government, and of those remaining
faithful to the Union - large percentage
Of the population eyupathized with
the rebellion and made an ''enemy in
the rear" almost - dangerous as
the moro .hsnorable enemy in the
front. The latter coEaEitted errors OF
judgment, but they msiCsGined them openly
and courageously. The former received
the protection of the government they
pecaniery advantages to be gained out OF
then existing stete Of effairs, many OF them
BY Obtaining contracts ,&1d by swindling
the gosernment in tho delivery of their
goods. .
immediately On the cessk tion of hostilities,
the then noble President, who had carried
the cOurtry 60 far through its perils. fell
martyr TO his patriotism at the hands OF an
assassin. The intervening time to my first
Inauguration was filed up with wranglings
between Congress and thenew executive IS
to the
EHsr MODE OF REoONsTR UCTION,
Or, to speak plainly, as to whet her the con-
troll of the government should be thrown
immediately into the hands o those who
had SO recently and PERSISTENT ly tried to
destroy it, or whether the vict urs should
continue to have an equal oice with them
in this cOntrOl.
Reconstruction, as finally agr eed upon,
means this, and slly this, excep { that the
late slave was enfranchished, givi ug an in
crease as was supposed to the Uni on loving
and Union supporting votes. If fr ee, in the
full sense Of the word, they would not dis
appoint tkis expectation. Hence, at the
beginning of my frst admiEistra, ion the
work of reconstruction, much embs rrassed
by the long delay, virtually cGmmeI iced. 1t
was the work Of the legislative bra nch OF
the government. Ny proviRoe was wholly
in approving their acts, which dit most
heartily, urging the Legislatazes of States
y
fifteenth amendment to the conc tituti, 'R.
The country was lsboring under an enor.
nous debt contracted in the sufpressi On OF
and taxation was 80 0Gpreesi We as
to discourage prOductiSn. Another dai ager
also threatened us-a foreign war. The
last difficulty had to bs adjusted, and was
adjusted without q war, and in . man. aer
highly honorable to all parties concern, ID.
Taxes have been reduced within the Ii st
seven years nearly $3eo, 100000. and
rHE NATIONAL DEBT HES BEEN lEDUCE D
In the same time over $435, 5,000N00. B =
the six per cent bonded debt TO
bonds, bearing five and tour and soe-heli
DER cent interest respectively, the annual
interest has been reduced from over $780,
OOO, 900 in 1879 to but little over $Ie0, ,OOO,-
600 in 1876 The balance of trade has been
chspqed from over $3.50, ,O00, GOO against the
United States in 1869 TO more than $780,
900, 900 in our favor in 1876.
It is confidently believed that the balance
of trade in favor OF the United States Will
increase. not diminish, and that the pledge
of Congress to resume specie payment IN
1879 will be easily accomplished, even IN
the absence of much desired further legis-
latiOn on the subject.
THE INDIAN POLICY.
A policy has been adopted toward the
Indian tribes inhsbitiug large portion of
the United States which has been humane
and has substantially ended Indian hostili
ties in the whole land except in q portion OF
Nebraska, Dakota, Wyoming and Mon
tana Territories, the Black Hills region and
thereto. H0stiities there have
grown out of the avarice OF the white man,
who has violated our treaty stipulations IN
his search for gold. The question might be
asked. why the government has not en-
forced obedience to the terms OF the treaty,
nrohibiting the occupation OF the BLACK
Hills region by the whites3 The answer is
simple: The first immigrants to the BLACK
Hilis we're removed by troops, but rumors
of rich discoveries OF gold took into tina.
region increased numbers. Gold was found
in paying quantity, and an effort to remove
the miners would only result in the deser-
tion of the bulk of the troops that might be
1ent there to remove them. All difficulty
in this matter has, however, been removed,
snbiect to the approval of Congress, by
trestv ceding the Black Hills and ap-
nroaches to settlement by citizens.
The subject of Indian policy and treat
ment is 80 fully set forth by the Secretary
of the Interior and the Commissioner Oh
nressed therein, that refer to their reports
and recommendation "a my own.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
The relations of the United States with
sorai0n mowers continue on Q friendly foot
~ Orastions have arisen from time to
time in the foreign relations OF the govern
mani. hut the United States have been
hannilv freed for the past year from the
and embarrassments which
have surrounded some OF tho foreign
mowers. The diplomatic correspondence
Admitted herewith contains information
"a TO certain of the matters which nave oc-