Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-12-14
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

TO the Senate and Houseof Representatives.
In submitting my eighth and last annual
message to Congress. it seems proper that I
should refer to, and in some degree recapit-
ulate, the events and official acts of the past
eight years. 1t was my fortune, or misfor-
tune, to be called to the office of Chief EX-
ecutive without any previous political train
ing. From the age Of seventeen / had never
even witnessed the excitement attending a
Presidential campaign but twice a%ntecedent
to my w candidacy, and at but one of them
was / eligible as a voter. Under such cir
.cumstances, it is but reasonable to suppose
that errors of judgment must have occurred.
Even had there not been q difference of
opinion between the EXecutive-bound by
an oath to the strict performance of his
duties-and writers and debaters, they
must have arisen. 1t is not nee
eesarily an evidence of blunder
on the part of the Executive because there
are these differences of views. Mistakes
have been made, as all can see, and I ad-
init; but it seems to me ofteneri in the selec-
lions made Of assistants appointed to aid in
carrying out the various duties of admins
tering the Governmental nearly every
case selected without a personal acquaint.
ance with the ~appointee, but upon the rec
concentrations of the representatives chosen
by the people. It is impossible, where so
many trusts are to be allotted, that the right
parties should be chosen in every instance,
History shows that the Administration.
1loIh tuC DlD1 III " dohlAS JOA u tHC DIGEs
emit, has not been free from mistakes: but I
leave comparisons to history, claiming that
i have acted in every instance from a con-
scientious desire to do what was right and
constitutional. within the law, and for the
very best interests OF the whole people.
Failures have been errors Of judgment, not
of intent.
MY CIVIL r
commenced at a most critical and difficult
time. Less than four years before the
country had emerged from a conflict such
as. no other nation had ever survived.
Nearly one.half OF the States had revolted
against the Government, and of those re-
manning faithful to the Union a large per-
centage of the population sympathized with
the rebellion and made an enemy in the rear,
almost as dangerous as the more honorable
enemy in the front. The latter committed
errors OF judgment, but they maintained
them openly and courageously. The former
received the protection Of the Government
they would see destroyed, and reaped
all the pecuniary advantage to be
gained out of the then existing state Of at
fairs, many of them by obtaining contracts
and by swindling the Government in the
delivery OF their goods. Immediately on
the cessation of hostilities the then noble
President, who had carried the country so
Tar through its perils, fell a martyr to his
patriotism, at the hands of an assassin.
The intervening time to my first Inaugural
ton was filled up with wranglings between
Congress and the new Executive as to the
best mode Of reconstruction - to speak
plainly, as to whether the control of the
Government should be thrown Immediately
into the hands Of those who had recently
and persistently tried to destroy it., or
whether the victor should continue to have
an equal voice with them in this control.
RECONSTRUCTION,
as finally agreed upon, means this, and
only this, except that the late slave was en-
franchised, giving an increase, as was sup
posed. to the Union-loving and UniOn-sup-
porting votes OF the free. In the full sense
of the word, they would not disappoint this
expectation hence, at the beginning of
my first administration the work of recon
struction was much embarrassed by the long
delay. Virtually commenced, it was the
work Of the legislative branch of Govern
ment. My province was wholly in approv-
ing their acts, which l did NEST heartily,
urging the Legislatures of the States that
had not done so to ratify the Fifteenth
Amendment to the Constitution. The
country was laboring under an enormOu
debt, contracted in the suppression of the
rebellion, and taxation was SO oppressive as
TO discourage protection. Another danger
also threatened us-a foreign war. The
last difficulty had to be adjusted, and was
adjusted, without war, in a manner highly
honorable to all parties concerned.
TAXES
have been reduced within the last seven
years nearly $500 ZOO, 600; the national debt
has been reduced in the same time over
1876, 900 600. BY refunding the six per
cent. bonded deb for bonds bearing five
and four and a half per cent. interest, re-
.spectively, the annual interest has been re-
duced from one hundred and thirty millions
of dollars, in 1869, to but little over one
hundred millions of dollars in 1875. The
balance of trade has been changed from
over one hundred and thirty millions against
the United States, in 1869, to more than one
hundred and twenty million. dollars in our
favor in 1876. 1t is confidently hoped that
the balance OF trade in favor OF the United
States will increase, not diminish, and that
the pledge of Congress to resume specie
payments in 1879 will be easily accom-
plished, even in the absence of the much
desired further legislation on the subject.
INDIA POLICY.
A policy has been adopted toward the In
dian tribes inhabiting a large portion Of the
territory Of the United States which has been
humane, and has substantially ended hos
tilities in the whole land, except in q por-
and Montana Territories, the Black Hills
region and approaches thereto. HOstilities
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 Govern
ment has not enforced obedience to the
terms of the treaty prohibiting the occupa-
ton of the Black Hills region by the
whites? The answer is simple. The
first emigrants to the Black
Hills were removed bytroops, but rumors
and fresh discoveries of gold took into thai
region increased Numbers. Gold actually
had been found in paying quantity, and ar
effort to emoye miners would only result
in the destruction of the bulk Of our troops
that might be sent there to remove them
All difficulties in this matter have. however
been removed, subject to the approval Of
Congress, by a treaty ceding the Black
Hills and approaches to settlement by citi.
zens. The subject OF Indian policy ano
treatment is so fully set forth by the Secre'
tary of the Interior and the COMMISSIONS
of Indian Affairs, and their views so FULL
expressed therein, that | refer to their re
ports and recommendations as my own.
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The relations of the United States will
foreign powers continue on a friendly foot
ING 0Onestjons have arisen from time II