The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-12-09
Presidents Message.

IIosiuouJ 0 lucSouSo'
The eighth and last annual message of
President Grant was communicated to Con-
gress on Tuesday. 1t is much briefer than
such documents usually are. The introduce
tory paragraph is apologize in tone. He
says-''lt was my fortune or misfortune to be
called to the Office of chief executive without
any previous political training. From the
age of seventeen had never even witnessed
the excitement attending presidential cam.
paign but twice antecedcnt to my own can
didacy and at but one Of them was eligible
as voter Under such circumstances it is
but reasonable to suppose that errors of
judgment must have occurred"
Mistakes are admitted, but he claims to
have acted from conscientious desire to do
what was right and constitutional, within the
law, and for the very best interests of the
whole people. Failures he says have been
errors Of Judgment, not of intent, The
President then takes review of the events
Of the last eight years, including the soealled
policy Of reconstruction, his Indian policy,
finance, specie payments, foreign relations,
adjudication of claims, treaty negotiations,
Mexican affairs, naturalization and expatria-
ton, territorial affairs, river and harbor i'm.
provements, the mails, safeguards for cleo
tons, the San Domingo project, the centen-
NAL &c.
As is usual in similar documents, the Pres
ident refers to n large number of topics which
are more fully treated in the reports of the
several heads of departments, rarely, how.
ever, making anything approaching recon.
mendatlon in regard to them. From the
Secretary Of the Treasury he derives the fig
ures which show reduc ton of taxes during
the last seven years Of nearly S300,000,000,
and of the national debt over S435, 900, 600.
BY retunding the bonded debt at lower rate
the annual interest has been reduced from
$l30,000,000 in 1869 to little over 500, 600,
600 in 1876. The balance of trade is quoted
as having changed from 100000, 900 against
us in 1869 to Sl20000,00O in our favor in
1876, and the belief expressed that the pledge
OF Congress to resume specie payments in
1879 can be easily accomplished.
The great source Of Indian hestilities is
averred TO have been removed by the cession
by treaty Of the Black Hills.
Reference is made more than once in the
message to the centennial exhibition, and to
the interest and friendly feeling manifested
by foreign nations therein. The suggestion
is made that the government exhibit, enriched
by the gifts of foreign powers, for which suit
able acknowledgment should be made, should
be kept together and removed to Washington.
Allusion is made to the cutting down at the
last session of the diplomatic appropriation
bill, and doubt is expressed whether such re.
tronchment is wise economy.
The necessity Of legislation with regard Ia
fraudulent naturalization and to the right oil
repatriation and election of nationality il
again pressed upon the attention of Congress
The condition of the questions in new ex'
40, A.. Al l..
ident says, will form the subject of special
communication to Congress.
The establishment Of tribunals in the Otto
man empire for securing justice to citizens oil
the United States, and the continuance OF
connections ON the Mexican border, are
mentioned, the latter as giving rise to new
complaints by our citizens. The final close
of the commission in adjustment of former
claims is referred to satisfactorily.
The circumstances attending the admission
of Colorado are explained. The State was
admitted by the President by proclamation
August |, 1876, upon compliance, as it APP
peared to him, with the requirements Of the
act Of Congress of March 8, 1876, authorizing
the people Of Colorado to form a State gov.
eminent
Reference is made to the services of the
army during the Indian war in ''subduine
certain wild bands of the Sioux Indian ma.
tion," but nothing is said of the use of the
troops" in connection with the returning
boards, organization of State Legislatures,
&C., except that they we're employed Sin
preserving the peace at the South during the
election"
The condition of the navy is described as
being the best practicable with the. means at
command, and good word said for the secre.
tary in answer to the criticisms upon his man
agement of the department.
The expenditures for rivers and harbors, it
is admitted, were limited by himself to about
S4,237, 000 though Congress had appropria-
ted S50,000,000. The channels at the mouth
of the Mississippi are not yet of the required
depth before payments can be made by the
United States.
In connection with the affairs of the Post.
office Department, showing an excess Of ex-
penditures over revenues to the amount OF
six millions Of dollars, the President says
that there was one mail messenger in Spar
tansburg district, South Carolina. who was
"intimidated" "on account of his political
affiliations" On account of this solitary case
the President says the Postmaster. General
wants some more severe legislation, another
kuklux act, we infer, for the punishment of
those who ''intimidaten mail messengers.
The President says that while the receipts Of
the Postoffice Department have increased for
the past seven years at an average Of 8 per
cent. per annum the increase of expenditures
has been only at the rate of $50 per cent.
per annum.
With respect to Southern affairs and the
pending difficulties growing out of the presi.
dental question the message is singularly and
unexpectedly silent The President only says
that "the attention of Congress cannot be too
earnestly called to the necessity of throwing
some greater safeguard over the method of
choosing and declaring the election of Pres
ident. Under the present system there seems
TO be no provided remedy for contesting the
election in any one State. The remedy is
partially, no doubt, in the enlightenment Of
electors. The compulsory support of the free
schools and the disfranchisement OF all who
cannot read and write the English language,
after fixed probation, would meet my hearty
approval" All of which is sufficiently OBJ.
scure. How the enlightenment of electors
is to furnish even "partial remedy much
less means of settling "a contested election
in any one State does not appear. Neither
is the connection between ''the compulsory
support of free schools and returning boards,
the use OF TROOPS to determine the right to
contested seats and Judge Bonds action in
habeas corpus cases clearly apparent. The
President, perhaps, appreciated the difficulty
Of the question, and It is just as well, doubt