The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-12-15
Annual Message of President
Grant.
A Brief but Comprehensive Re-
view of the Departments
of Government.
Our Relations with Foreign
Powers.

To the Senate and House of Representatives:
In submitting my eighth and last annual
message to Congress-, it seems proper that
should refer to, and in some degree recapit-
ulate the events and official acts of the
past eight years. 1t was my fortune, or
misfortune, to be called to the Office of
chief executive without any previous polite
al training From the age OF seventeen had
never even witnessed the Excitement attend
ing a Presidential campaign, but twice
autecedent to my own candidacy and at
but one of them was l eligible as
voter. Under such circumstances,
it is but reasonable to sup
pose that errors of judgment must
have occurred; even had they not, differ
ences of opinion between the executi ,e
bound by oath to a strict performance of
his duties and writer's and debaters must
have arisen. 1t is not necessarily an evil
dence of blunder on the part of the exscu-
| tive because there are these differences of
views. Mistakes have been made, as all can
see, and admit but it seems to me oftener
in selections made of assistants appointed
to aid in carrying out the various duties of
administering the government, in nearly
every case selected without personal
acquaintance with the appointees, but upon
the recommendations of the representatives
chosen directly by the people. 1t is impos-
sible where so many trusts are to be al
lotted, that the right parties should be
chosen in every instance. History shows
that administrations from the time of Wash
ington to the present have not been free
from these mistakes; but l leave compari-
sons to history, claiming only that | have
acted in every instance from conscien.
tious desire to do what was right, constitu-
tional, within the law, and for the very best
interests of the whole people. Failures
have been errors of judgement not of intent.
Ny civil career commenced at a most
critical and difficult time. Eess 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 govern
ment, and of those remaining faith
full to the Union, large per-
centsge of the population sympathlzed with
the rebellion, which made an enemy in the
rear almost as dangerous as the more hon
orable enemy in the front. The latter com.
mitted errors of judgment, but they main
tanned them openly and courageousy, the
former received the protection of the
government they would see destroyed,
and reaped all the pecuniary advantages to
be gained out of the then existing state of
affairs, many of them by obtaining con-
tracts and by swindliDg the government in
the cessation of hostilities, the then noble
President who had carried the country SO
far through it's perils, fell a martyr to his
patriotism at the hands of an assassin. The
intervening time to my first inauguration
was filled up with wranglings between
Congress and the new executive as
to the best mode of construction;
or, to speak plainly, as to whether the con-
troll Of the government should be thrown
Iioto oil inf he dc 81 ,b<
had 30 recently and persstently tried to
destroy it, or whether the victors should
continue to have an equal voice with them
in this control. Reconstruction, as finally
agreed upon, means this, and only this, ex-
cept that the late slave was enfranchised,
giving an increase, as was supposed, to the
union-loving and union-supporting votes.
If free in the full sense of the word, they
would not disappoint this expecta-
tion; hence at the beginning of my first
administration the work o. reconstruction
was embarrassed by the long delay. Vir-
tually commenced, it was the work of the
Legislative branch of the government. My
province was wholly in approving their
acts which did most heartily, urging the
legislatures of states that had not vet done
so, to ratify the fifteenth amendment 10
the constitution. The country Wa laborlng
under an enormous debt, contracted in the
suppression of rebellion, and taxation was
so oppressive as to discourage production
Another danger also threatened us-a for
ejgn war. The last difficulty had to be ad-
justed and was adjusted without war, and
in a manner highly honorable to all parties
concerned.
FINANCIAL.
Taxes have been reduced within the
past seven years nearly $500, OOO, 600, and the
national debt has been reduced in the same
time over $435, 900, 600. By refunding the
six per cent bonded debt for loans bearing
five and four and one-half per cent. interest,
respectively, the annual interest has been
reduced from over .$130,00O,000 in 1869,
to but little over 500, OO,OOO in 1876.
The balance of trade has been changed
from $3.50, 900 600 against the United States
in 1869 to more than $l2O OOO, 600 in our
| favor in 1876. 1t is confidently believed
that the balance of trade in favor of the
United States will increase and not diminish
and that the pledge of Congress to resume
specie payments in 1879 will be easily ac-
complished even in the absence of much
desired further legislation on the subject.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
A policy has been adopted towards the
Indian tribes inhaSitins large
portion of the territory of the
United States which has been humane,
anu has SUBSTANTIALLY ended Indian hOStlIl-
ties in the whole land, except in . norton
of Nebraska and Dakota, Wyoming and
Montana territories, the B ack Hills region
and approaches thereto Hostilities there
have grown out of the avarice of the white
man who has violated our treaty stipula-
tons in his search for gold. The question
might be asked why the government hasnot
enforced obedience to the terms of treaty
prohibiting the occupation of the Black
Hills region by the whites. The answer is
simply: The first emigrants TO the Black
Hills were removed by troops but runors
and fresh discoveries of gold in that region
increased the numbers. Gold las actuslly
been found in paying quantities. and an ef-
ort to reach the miners would only result
| in the desertiOn of tbs bulk of the troops
| that Knight be sent there to remove than.
All difficulty IN this matter has however,
been removed, subject to the approval of
Congress- by treaty ceding the Black Hills
and approaches to settlement nv our citi-
zens.
The subject of Indian policy and treat
ment is SO fully set forth by the Secretary
OF the Interior, and the consideration of In
dian affairs, and my views so fullv exnress-
ed therein, that refer TO these reports and
reccnsiderations as my own.
OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The relations of the United States with