The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-12-09

SE'The presidents annual message to
Congress was issued last Tuesday. 1t
was awaited by the country with great
interest, because it was expected that the
past and present troubles in the south
and the presidents action in the premi.
ses would be discussed, but nothing
whatever is said about It, the southern
question being treated only 10 o general
way. The following from the beginning
OF the message, will be read with iutercs,
as the presidents personal explanation of
most of the troubles which have given
color to the complaints of the opposition
against him.
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 pover even witnessed the excitement
attending q presidential campaign but
twice antccedent to my own candidacy,
and at but one Of them was l eligible as
a voter. Under such circumstances it is
but reasonable to suppose that errors of
judgment must have occurred even had
they not, differences of opinion between
tho executive, bound by on oath. to the
strict performance Of his duties, and
writers and debaters must have arisen.
1t is not necessarily evidence of blunder
on the part of the executive because there
are these differences of views. Mistakes
have been made, as oil can sec and l ad.
NIT, but it seems to me oftener in the Sc.
lections made Of the assistants appointed
to aid in carrying out the various duties
Of administering the government, in near.
ly every case selected without q personal
acquaintance with the appointee. but upon
the recommendations OF the representa-.
tives chosen directly by the people. It
is impossible where 80 many trusts are to
be allotted that the right parties should
be chosen in every instance. History
shows that no administration, from the
time of Washington to tho present, has
been FREQ from these mistakes I; but l
leave comparisons to history, claiming
only that l have acted in every instance
from q conscientious desire to do what
was right, constitutional, within the law,
and for the very beet interests Of the
whole people. Failures have been errors
Of judgment, not Of intent.
The following upon his relations to the
southern question will commend itself to
every fair-miuded man.
My civil career commeeced, too. at q
most critical and difficult time. Less than
four years before the country had emerg.
ed from q conflict such as no other ma.
ton had survived. Nearly one.half of
the states had revoltcd against the govern.
ment, and Of those remaining faithful to
the Union q large percentage of the pop.
ulation sympathized with the rebellion
and made On "enemy In the rear" almost
as dangerous as the more honorable enc
my in the front. The latter committed
errors of judgment but they maintained
them openly and courageously. The for.
mer received the protection Of the gov
ernment they would see destroyed reap.
cd all the pecuniary advantage to be
gained ont OF the then existing state of
affairs. many Of them by obtaining con.
tracts and ~swindling the government in
the delivery Of their goods. Immediate.
ly on the cessation Of hostilities the then
noble president who had carried the
country SO far through its porils fell a
martyr to his patriotism at the hands of
an assassin. The intervening time to my
Arst inauguration was filed up with
wrsnglIngs between congress and the new
executive rs TO the best mode OF recon.
structiop," or to speak plainly, as to
whether the control OF the government
should be thrown immediately Tito the
hands Of those who had so recently aud
persistenily tried to destroy II, or wheth.
er the yictoys should continue to have an
equal voice with them 10 this control.
Reconstruction as finally agreed upon
mesns this and only this, except that the
late slave vas ~eniranchised, giving M 10.
cTsase as was supposed to the Union Low.
log aud Union supporting votes. IF froe
in the full sense Of the word they would
! not dissPPoint this expectation. Hence