The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1877-01-04
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

tiN6S'
In submitting my eighth and last animal
message to congress, it seems proper that
a5ouId refer to, and in some degree recaDit-
riate the events and official acts of the past
aigbt years. 1t was my fOrtune-or misfor.
tr1e-to be called to the Office of chief execu-
i've without any political turning. From
The age of seventeen, had never even wit
messed the excitement attending a presiden-
faJ campaign but twice antecedent to nv
own candidacy, and but one of them was
oliqible as a voter. Under such circunstan-
Sps it is but reasonable to suppose that the
nrrsrs of Judgment must have occurred even
had there not been difference of opinion be-
tween the executive, bound by an oath to
the strict performance of his duties, and the
i critters and debaters, which must have arisen.
tjsDOt necessary evidence of plumber on the
mart Of the executive because there are
these differences of views. Mistakes have
bppD made, as all can see, and | admit; but
Il seems to me Oftener in sections, made by
assistants appointed to aid in carrying out
the various duties of administering the gov
4 ernmcnt-in nearly every case selected
without personal ends or acquaintance with
the appointed, but on the Recommendations
At representatives chosen directly bv the
ppODIe it is impossible, where so many
trusts are to be allotted that right parties
should be chosen in every instance History
shows that administrations from the time of
Washington to the present have not been
free from mistakes; but leave comparisons
to history, claiming only that I have acted
in every instance from a consciousness and
desire to do what was right, constitutional
within the law, and for the very best inter
ests of the whole people, and failures have
been
ERRORS OF JUDGEMENT, NOT OF HEART.
critical and difficult time, less than four
years before the country had emerged from
a conflict such as no other nation had sur.
yivpd. Nearly One-halt of the states had
revolted against the government, and of
those remaining faithful to the union a
i large percentage of the population sympa-
thized with the rebellion and made an enc
my IN the rear almost as dangerous as the
more terrible enemy in the front The lat
ter committed errors of judgment, but they
maintained them openly and courage
OusIy. The former received the protection
Of the government they would see de-
stroyed and reaped all the pecuniary advan-
Il tage to be gained out of the then existing state
ofatfairs-many of them by obtaining contracts
and by sWindling the government in the de.
q livery of their goods. Immediately on the
cessation of hOstilities the then noble presi-
dent, whe had carried the country through
its Derils, fell martyr to his patriotism at
4 the hands of an assassin. The intervening
4 time to my first Inauguration was filled up
4 with WranglingS between congress and the
new executive as to the best mode of re-
construction, or, to speak plainly, as to
whether the control of the government
should be thrown into the hands of Chase,
who had recently and persistently tried to
destroy it; or whether the victOrs should
continue to have an equal voice with them
in this control. Reconstruction as finally
agreed upon, was this and only this, except
4 that the late slave was enfranchised, giving
an increase, as was supposed, to the union
loving, union supporting voters offered in
the fullest sense of the word, they would
net disappOint this expectation, hence at the
beginning of my first administration the
WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION,
much embarrassed by the long delay, virtu.
ally commenced. It was the work of the
legislative branch of the government. My
4 province was wholly in approving their acts,
which did most heartily urging the legisla-
lures of the states that had not done so to
ratify the fifteentE amendment to the conSt-
tuition. The country was labOring under an
enormous debt contracted in the suppression
of rebellion, and taxation was so Oppres-
Slve as to discourage production. Another
danger also threatened us-a foreign war
The last difficulty had to be adjusted, and
was adjusted without a war, and in man
ner highly honorable to all parties con-
cerned. Taxes have been reduced within
the last seven years nearly
THREE HUNDRED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
The national debt has been reduced in the
same time over $495, 0000O0 by refunding the
6 per cent. bonded debt for bonds bearing 5
and ~ per cent. interest respectively. The
annual interest has been reduced from over
Sl3O,000,0O0 in 1869 to but little over $780,
100000 in 1876. The balance of trade has
been changed from $130,OO0,00O against the
United States in 1869 to more than $120,00O,-
900 in our favor in 1876. 1t is confidently
believed that the balance of trade in tavsr
0t the United States will increase and not
diminish, and that the pledge 81 congress to
resume specie payment in 1879 will be ac-
cOmpGshed even in the absence of much de-
sired legislation on the subject. policy
has been adopted toward the Indian tribes
ilhabiting large portion of territory of the
United States which has been humane, has
substantially ended the Indian hOstiitles in
the whole land, except in a portion OF Ne"
0raska and Dakota and Wyoming and Mon.
tana territories, the Black Hills region and
approaches thereto. The hostilitieS there
nave grown out of the. avarice OF the
white man who has violated our treaty
Shpulations in his search for gold.
The question might be asked why the gov
ernment has not enforced obedience to the
terms Of the treaty prohibiting the ocCu'
panoe of the Black Hills region by the
whites. The answer is simple. The first
femigrants to the Black Hills were removed
BY the troops, but rumors and fresh dis,
"overies of gold took into that region in
creased. Chambers OF gold have actually
been found in paying quantities, and an
enort to remove the miners would only re- !
suit in the destruction of the bulk OF the