Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-12-07
EIGHTH ANNUAL MESSAGE
Of President U. s. Grant-Deliverered Dec.
5th, 1876.
TO the Senate and House Of Represe nta-

l
70 the Senate and House Of Repsese nta-
tives:
In submitting my eighth aud last annual
should refer to and III some degree recapitu-
ate the events and official acts of the past
eight years. It WAS my fortune or mlstOrtupe
% pe called to the ONCE Of Chief Executive
without my previous political training. From
the age OF seventeen | had never even Wit.
campaign, bu! twice anteoedent to my own
and but in one OF them was eli-
gible as : voter. Uuder such circumstances
It is but reasonable to suppose that errors OF
Judgment must have occurred. Even had
there not, differences o. opinion between the
torrance OF his duties, and writer's and de.
eaters must have arisen. But it is aot neces-
sarily an evidence OF bluuders on the part Of
the executive because there are these dider. |
ences OF views. Mistakes have been made, - !
all ian and do admit, but it seems to mo Of |
tener in selections made Of assistants appoint |
ed to aid in carrying out the various duties Of
ever, case :. selected without q
personal acquaintance with tue ap..
poiutees, but upon the recommendations Of
the representatives chosen directly by the
people. 1t is impossible, whtre 20 many
trusts are to Re ailotted. that the right parties
shows that no administration, from the time
Of Washington to the present, has been Tree
from these mistakes; but leave comparison
to history, claiming only that have acted In
every instance from conscientious desire to
do what was right and constitutional within
the law, and Tor the very best inter< ste Of tho
whole people. The failures have been
ERRORS OF JUDGMENT, sor OF INTENT.
Ny civil career commenced, too, At . most
critical aud difficult time. Less than fur
years betore tue country had emerged from =
conflict such al no other nation had ever sur
v,ved. Nearly one.halt the States had revolt
naming faithful to the Union, . large percent.
age OF the population sympathtled with the
rebellion. ana made an enemy in the rear u.
must As dangerous ~ the more honor
able enemy in tue trout. The
latter com i!ted errors OF judg-
nent. but they maintained them openly
and coursgeously; the former received tue
protection 81 the government they would seek
to destroy, and re,ped all the pecunisrv ad-
vantage to be gained ont OF the then existing
state OF adsirs, many Of them by obtaining con.
tracts and BY winding the government In
the dsliver! Of their goods. Immediately on
the cessation Of hostilties tho then noble
President, who had carried the Country 50 Tar
through its peril, tell
ANARTrR TO MS PArR1o11sx.
ct the hands Of an assassin. Tie intervening
time to my first Inauguration WAS filed up
with wranglings between Congress and the
new Executive - to tie best mode Of recon-
strrctiop, or, to speak plainly, ~ to whether
thrown Immediately Into the hands OF
those Who had so recently aud per-
sisteutly tried to destroy II, or wheth-
er the victors should continue to have an
equal VOC. with them in their control. Re-
construction, as finally agreed uiop, means
this, aud only this, except that the late slkve
su. posed, to the Union loving and Uuion.sur-
porting voters. Ntree in the full sense Of the
word, they would not sappoint this expec-
tation; hence, at the beginning OF my first
administrator, the work Of reconstruction,
much embarrassed by tue long delay, virtual
~ commenced. 1t was the work OF tie legis'
ince WA wholly IN approving their acto
which did most heartily. urging the leRisla'
lures OF thu States that had not yet done 50 tc
ratity the WITH amendment to the constitu'
ton. The country was Iaboring under o.
enormous debt, contracted in the suppression
Of the rebellion, and taxation wa SO Cypress
i've a. to disc ourase production. Another
danger also threatened us-a foreign War. The
last difficulty had to he adjusted. and
was adjusted without = war, ana in I
manner highly honorable to all parties con
cerned, Taxes have been reduced within tn,
last seven years nearly ssoo, 0ov. GOO, and thu
nationa! debt has been reduced In the same
time over four HUNDRED aud thirty.fve mil
lions Of dollars. BY refunding tue six pc
ceot. bonded debt Tor bonds bearing five aud
TOUR aud one-half per cent. interest, the aDnu
al iuterest has been reduced from over on
hundred and thirty millions Of dollars Il
1869 to hut little over one hundred million
dol.rs in 1876. The =
BALANCE o. TRADE
has been changed from over one hundred ant