The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-09
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
fHE nOCzMfiMENT ENTIRE, As 'N--
sENTED TO CONGRESS On
TUESDAY.

u, Pie Senate and House If Representatives.:
In submitting nay eighth and last annual
message to Congress, it seems proper that l
shoull refer TO and in some degree recapitu
I,,e the events and official ac,s OF the pasl
eight wears. 1t was my fortune, or mIsIor-
tnne. to he called TO the office of Cltei ENccn'
nve without any previous poil''Cdi training
From the age of II, had never even VIII
messed the excitement attending IL frtslueh
tio1 comnnipn. hut twice antcccdCnt 10 my
own candidacy. and at but one OF them was
ELIGIBLE as a voter Under such clrcum
stances. it Is but reasonable 10 suppose that
errors Of judgment must have occurred; even
had they not, differences OF opinion between
the Executive, bound by an oath to the stree
performance of his duties, and writers ana de
bators, must have arisen. 1t is cot necessarl
Nv evidence of a blunder on the part of the
Executive because there are these differences
of views. Mistakes have been made, as all
can see, and admit it, but it seems to me
oftener IN the selections made OF assistants
appointed to aid IN carrying out the various
duties of administering the Government, In
nearly every case selected without general
acquaintance with the appoin'ee, bat upon
the recommendations of the Representatives
chosen directly by the people. 1t is lmpossi'
BE where SO many trusts are TO be allotted
shat the right parties should be chosen in ev
cry instance History shows that the All
mnistration, from the time of Washington 10
the present, has not been free from these mis-
takes, but | leave comparisons 20 history
claiming only that have acted in every IN
stance from conscientious desire to 90 wbal
vas right, constitutional, within the law, ana
Tor the very best interests OF the people. My
failures have been of Judgment not OF IN.
fent.
Nv civil career commenced, too, at Il most
critical and difllculttmc, less than tour years
before the country had emerged from con
hict as no other nation had ever survived.
Nearly onchalt of the stFtes had revolted
against the Government, and of those remain.
ing faithful to the Union, large percentage
of the population sympathIscd with the rebel
lion 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 couragcously. The former received the
protection of the Government they would see
destroyed, and reaped all the pecunary ad-
vantage 10 be gained out of the then existing
state of aiiars-many Of them by obtaining
contracts and by swlndling the Government
IN the delivery OF their goods.
Immediately on the cessation OF hoStiIllles
nc tlltI UODlC ItSlutIl, WV b'' co "a 'i'N
country so far through lis pcrils, fell martyr
20 his patriotism at The hands of an assassin.
The intervening time to my first Inaugural,
ton was filed up with wranglinG between
Congress- and the new Executive as to the
best mode of reconstruction. Or, TO speak
plainly, "a to whether the control OF the Gov
eminent should be thrown lmmcdlatelY mo
the hands of those who had so recently and
pcrsistently tried TO destroy it, or whether
The vIctors should continue to have an equal
voice with them in this control l'econs,ruc.
ton, as finally agreed upon, means this, and
only this, except that the late slave was en-
Misunderstanding an increase, IA was sup
posed, to the Union.lovIng and unions sup
porting votes. II tree in the full sense o! the
word, they would not disappoint this eXpec
tation, hence AT the beginning OF my first al
minlstration the work OF reconstruction,
much embarrassed Ivy the long delay, vlrtu-
ally commenced Il was the work Of the leg .
islativc branch OF the Government. My pro. !
vince was wholly in approving their acts,
which did most heartily, urging the Legis .
latures of states that had not yet done so to
ratify the fifteenth amendment to the consti-
tuition The country was labOrIng under an
enormous debt. contracted in the suppression
of the rebellion, and taxation was so opprcs.
Slve rs 10 discourage production. Anolher
danger also threatened us--lOrcign war. The
last difficulty had TO be adjusted aud was adj
usted without war and in II manner highly .
honorable 10 all parties concerned. The
taxes have been reduced within the last seven
wears nearly $500 0l0, and the national
debt has hrcu reduced in the same time over
$i3j 100000 by refundIng the six per cent
bonded debt for bonds hearing %, and A. /
per cent interest respectively. The annual
dred and thirty millions OF dollars in 1869, Ia /
but little over one hundred millions of dol.
lars in 1876. The balance oi trade has been
changed from over Sl3O000OOO against the
United States in 1869 10 more than Sl2OOOO,-
900 IN our favor in 1876. II is confidently
believed that the balance of trade in favor of
The United States will increase, not diminish,
and that the pledge of Congress 10 resume
specie payments in 1860 will he easily accom-
plished. even in the absence OF much desired
further legislation on the subject
4 policy has been adopted towards the In
dian tribes Inhahiting a large portion ct the
territory OF the United States which has been
humane and has substantially ended Indian ,
n0stIltips IN the whole land, except i'm pnr-
ion of Nebraska and Dakota, Wyoming and
Montana Territories, the Black Hills region
and approaches thereto. Ilostili,ics there
man, who has violated our treaty stipuatlons
IN his search for gold. The question might
Dc asked why the Government has not cntorc-
ID obedience Ia the terms of treaty prohibit
ing the occupation OF the Black Hills region
nv the whites The answer is simple.
The first Cmigran,s Ia the Black Hills
we're removed by troops, but rumorS
and fresh discoveries at gold took into that
region increased numbers. Gold has actual
y been found in paying quantities, and an
effort to remove the miners would only re-
,ult in the deseItinn of the bulk of the troops
that might be sent there t. remove them. Az
difficulty in this matter has however. been
removed, subject ,o the approval of congress,
by "A treaty ccding the Black Hills and It's ap.
pFOaches 10 settlement bv citizens.
The subject of The Indian policy and treat
nent l. So fully set forth by the Secretary Of
The Interior and the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, and my views 50 fully expressed
therein, that / refer 10 their reports and re
concentration as NV own.