, 1876-12-09
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.


In submitting my eighth and last annual
message to Congress, it seems proper that
should refer to and in some degree recapitu-
eight years.
REVIEW OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.
1t was my fortune or misfortune to be called
to the office of Chief Executive without any
previous political training. From the age Of
seventeen l had never even witnessed the
excitement attending political campaign but
twice antecedent to my own candidacy, and
at but one of them was eligible as voter;
and under such circumstances it is but rea-
sonable to suppose that errors of Judgment
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 writer's and debaters, must
have arisen. 1t is not necessarily evidence
of blunder on the part of an executive be-
cause there are these differences of views.
Mistakes have been made, as all can see, and
as | admit; but it seems to me oftener in
selections made of assistants appointed to aid
in carrying out the various duties of admin
istering the government, who are in nearly
every case selected without personal ac-
quaintance with the appointee, but upon re-
commendation of the representatives chosen
directly by the people. 1t is impossible,
where so many trusts are to be allotted, that
the right parties should be chosen in every
instance. History shows that no admins
tration, from the time of Washington to the
present, has been free from these mistakes
But l leave comparisons to history, claiming
only that have acted in every instance from
Conscientious desire to do whatever was
right, constitutional, within the law, and for
the best interests of the whole people. Fail
ures have been errors of judgment, not of
intent. My civil career commenced, too, at
a most critical and difficult time. Less than
four years before the country had emerged
from IA conflict such as no other nation had
ever survived. Nearly one-half Of the States
had revolted against the government; and
of those remaining faithful to the Union, a
large percentage of the population sympa-
thized 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 the pecuniary advantage to be gained
out of the then existing state of affairs, many
of them by obtaining contracts and by swim
ding the government in the delivery of their
goods. Immediately on the cessation of
hostilities the then noble President who had
carried the country so far through its perils
fell martyr to his patriotism at the hands
of an assassin. The intervening time to my
first Inauguration was filled up with wrang-
ings between Congress and the new execu-
tive as to the best mode of reconstruction
or, to speak plainly, as to whether the con-
troll of the government should be thrown i'm
mediately into the hands of those who had
30 recently and persistently tried to destroy
it, or whether the victors should continue to
have an equal voice with them in this con-
troll. Reconstruction, as finally agreed upon,
means this, and only this, except that the
late slave was enfranchised; giving an in
crease, as was supposed, to the Union-loving
and Union supporting votes; as, if 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 reconstruction, much embarrassed by the
long delay, virtually commenced. If erred,
it was wholly in approving those acts, which
I did most heartily, urging the Legislatures
of the States that had not yet done so to
ratify the fifteenth amendment to the con-
stitution. The country was laboring under
an enormous debt, contracted in the suppress
sion of the rebellion, and taxation was so
oppressive as to discourage production. An
other danger also threatened us-a foreign
war. The last difficulty had to be ad justed
and was adjusted without war, and in
manner highly honorable to all parties con-
cerned.
Taxes have been reduced within the last
seven years nearly $500, 900, 600, and the ma
tional debt has been reduced in the same
time over $435, 100000. By refunding the
six per cent. bonded debt for bonds bearing
5 and 4 per cent. interest respectively, the
annual interest has been reduced from over
$130, 900, 900 in 1869 to little over $780,
900, 1000 in 1876. The balance of trade has
been changed from over $40, ,OOO, 900 against
the United States, in 1869, to more than
$12O, 100000 in our favor in 1876. It is
confidently believed the balance of trade in
favor of the United States will increase and
not diminish, and the pledge of Congress to
resume specie payments in 1879 will be cas-
lily accomplished, even in the absence of
much desired legislation on the subject.
A policy has been adopted towards the
Indians inhabiting a large portion of the ter
ritory of the United States which has been
humane, and has substantially ended Indian
hostilities in the whole land, except in a
portion of Nebraska, Dakota, Wyoming and
Montana, the Black Hills region and the ap-
proaches esthereto-hostilitie that 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 enforced obedience
to the terms of the treaty, prohibiting the
occupation of the Plack Hills region by the
whites. The answer is simple; the first emil
grants to the hills were removed by troops,
but rumors and fresh discoveries of gold
took into that region increased numbers.
Gold has been found in paying quantity, and
an effort to remove the miners would only
result in the desertion of the bulk of the
4.oors that 1niuht he sent there To rornoro