Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-12-06
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
The following is the full text Of the pre5l-
dents message, synops!s Of which appeared
ia yesterdays Gazette:
10 the Senate and Hoase CT Representatives:
70 submitting my eighth and last aanua!
c:esaaga Go Congress, it seems EEopeE thar
should refer to and 10 some degree recaplta!ate
the events aod official acts OF the past e'Ght
years.
It VAS my fortune, or misfortune, 10 he called
to the Office of Chief Executive without an,
previous political training. From tie asc o.
seventeen bad never even witnessed the e.
element attending Presidential campaign but
twice anteoedent to my OVID candidacy, and at
but one of them was eligible as o voter, Un-
der such circumstances it is but reasonable to
suppose that errors Of judgment must have oc.
Cured. Even had they not, differences o!
opinion between the Executive, bound by an
oath to the strict performance OF his duties,
and Triters and de5aters must have arisen
Its not necessarily evidence OF blunGer Oh
the mart Of the Executive because there aTe
these differences of views Mistakes have been
made as all caG see and l admit, butt it seems
to me, octener 10 the selections made OF The
assistant5 appointed TO aid in carrying out the
various duties Of administering the Govern
mept-in nearly every case selected Without
personal acquaintance with the appolntee, bat
upon recommendations of che representatives
chosen directly By the people. 1t 10 impossl'
BILE, where 30 many trusts are to be allotted,
that the sight parties should be chosen in
every instance History shows that 90 admin
istration, from the time of Washington to the
preseut. has been free from these mistakes.
But [ leave comparisons to history, claiming
only that have acted in every instance from e
conscientious desire to do what was right, cou-
st;tutiopal within the law, and for the very best
interests of the whole people. Failures have
been errors of judgment, not OF lOtent.
NY civil career commenced, too, at Il 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 tho States had revolted
| against the Government, and OF those rema,o..
| ing faithful to the Union a large percentage OF
| the population sympathi2ed with the rebellion
and made al enemy 10 the rear almost as
dangerous as the more honorable enemy in the
| 'front.' The latter committed errors of judg:
ment, but they maintained them opealy and
courageously. The former received the pro
lection of the Government they would ace tie
stroyed, and reaped all the pecun!arg sdvan
tage to be gained out OF the then existing state
| of things, many of them By obtaining contracts
and by swindliug the Government in the ie'
livery of their goods.
Immediately on the cessation Of host!lit!eE
| the then noble President, who had carried th&
country so far through its perlls, tell martyr
| to his patriotism at the hands Of an assassin
The intervening time to my first inauguration
was filled I'D with wranglings between Con
1 o19 bo E'ynautIva q n the he's
mode of reconstruction, or, to speak plainly
as TO whether the control of the Government
should be thrown Immediately into the hands
of those who had so recently and perslstentIy
tried to destroy it, or whether the victor:
| should continue to have an equal voice WITH
them 10 this control. Reconstruction, as finally
agreed upon, means this and only this-excep'
that the late slave was entranchlsed, giving az
Increase, as was supposed, to the Union LOVING
| and UDion.supporting votes. Ii Tree, 10 tn,
| full sense Of the word, they would not dlsap
point this expectation. Hence, AT the begin
ming Of ny FIRST administration, the work Of re-
constructlon-much embarrassed BY the lon&
deley-sirtually commenced.
1t was the work of. the Legislative branch q
| the Government My province vas wholly II
approving their acts, which did most heart
Ills, urging the Legislatures of States that has
not vet done 50 to ratify the fifteenth amend
ment to the Constitution. The county vaa
! laboriog unde1 e5 ecormcus debt contracted i:
the Suppression IT rebellion. and taxation wa;
SO oppressive IS to discourage production. AZ
other danger also threatened us-a icEaga aar
The last difficulty had to be adjusted, end Wa
adjusted without war and in mauaeI highly
honorable to all parties concerned.
Taxes have been reduced within the las
seven years nearly three hundred millions c
dollars, and the national debt has been reduced
in the same time over four hundred and thirty
Eve millions of dollars. BY Teiundisg the ST.
Der cent. bonded debt for bonds bearing i7,
and tour and one-hali per cent. interest, re
specti7ely, the annua! interest has been redus
cd from over one hundred and thirty million
Of dollars iu 1869 to but little ovsE QUE bur
dre6 millions Of dollars in 1876. The bel auc'
of trade has beer changed from over one hun
dred and thirty millions against the Caitet
States in 1869 to more than one hundred snt
twenty millions of dollars in our favor in 1875
1t is confidently belie7ed that tue balance o
trade ia favor of the United States Will ia
crease, rot diminish, and that the pledge Of
Congress 10 resume specie payments il 1875
| will be easily accomplished even 10 The abseUc;
:! of much desired further legislation on the sub
ject
a policy has been adopted towards the In
dian tribes iubabiting large portion OF TIN
territory of the United States which has beer
| humane and has substantially ended Indiar
host;li,ies In the whole land except in por
ton Of Nebraska and Dakota, Wyoming and
| Montana Territories Black Hills region
and approaches thereto. HostiIities there have
grown ont OF the avarice Of the white nau
who has violated our treaty stipulatlop5 in h!s
| search for gold.
f.. The question might be asked, why the Gov
ernment has not enforced obedience to the
terms of the treaty prohibiting the occupation
swe ei is simple. The frst immigrants to the
Black Hills were removed by troops, but ru-
mors of rich discoveries of gold took into that
region increased numbers. Gold has actually
been found in paying quantities, and an effort
| to remove the miners would only result in the
desertion of the bulk Of the troops that might
L IL Al, lac,