Daily Republican., 1884-12-02
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
PREslDEHT ARrHUR's LAST o..
FlCIAL D0CUM MENT-IuPOR.
TAHT LEGIsLATlON
1ECOMMENDED.

President Arthur's fourth and nnAl
annual message was delivered 70 Con.
gress on Monday. Like the whole course
Of his adm inistration, IL 10 marked By
manly good sense. It opens with refer
ence 70 the recent election and the 10y.
Atty 70 law Of American citizenship 10
marked ut the cloeo ofa heated contest
decided BY 80 small q majority OF tho
popular vote In the deciding State. He
renews the suggestions for revision Of
the legislation on the subject rs mat
tor OF "gravest Importance" Every
one who understands the perils of the
existing system will second his auRges.
tion. Our relations with all foreign
governments are in q serene condition.
Such OF them ~ afford occasions for
any remark are disposed Of in alpha
betical order.
With Belgium We have = now con.
vention. which places the citizens Of
the two countries on . more nearly
equal footing with regard to personal
and property r.chta !; and there In also
. new trade< mark treaty. 1t Ia init
mated as to ceItR' n Chinese coming to
this country that an act Of Congress Of
the last session may be an Infringement
OF the Chinese treaty. The recent pur-
chase by American citizens of . largo
fleet OF CL inese trading vessels Ia made
the occasion for q suggestion that uni
form rule for the registration OF such
yes els might be adopted
Reference IL then made TO the Congo
Con ference now sitting at Berlin, and
to our Governments participation in Il.
The advantage of ownership Of the
premises occupisd by our Legations
abroad, Is brought TO the attention Of
Congress apropos TO the handsome
behavior Of Corea, Morocco, japan,
Siam and other countries In offering us
lands and houses. Our intercourse
with Egypt has been embarrassed by
the failure ofCongress 10 make certain
appropriation, and the restoration Of
the Consulate General 1t Cairo Is re-
commended.
When France comes to he considered
there IL neat little suggestion for help
10 the Bartholdi statue psdestal-that's
all Of our French relaIiors NeRotiA-
lions are TO be opened with the Ger.
man Empi for u single extraditi
treaty " replace the separate treaties
with the several German States. Great
Britain--everythipg being In fine con.
d ition-js disposed OF in three lines.
The Hawaiian Reciprocity Treaty in
judgment OF the President should be
renewed for seven wears. ITO this there
Is strong objection. The Hsytien revo-
lu ton is over
Italy and several other foreign Gov
ernments are exercised about our tariff
duties on foreign works Of art. Japan
gets encouraging words concerning tho
re vision OF treaties desired by that
country. The Mexican Commercial,
Treaty awaits the necessary legislation
by our Congress also the re- survey Of
the Mexican boundary. With Nicara.
qua . liberal and just treaty has been
concluded, authorizing this constructi' n
by the United States Of q cana, rail.
way and telegraph aero ss the isthmua.
Our intercourse with Russia Ia 30 en-
tirely satisfactory that few lines dis
oses Of the subject, and the same with
Siam.
Spain, Cuba and Porto Rico call for
more extended remarks with regard 70
the efforts of our Government to pro.
vent filibusteriBE from our shores
against Cuba and in respect of the
more carefully prepared Commercial
Convention, recently negotiated with
Spain, which IL soon to be laid before
the Senate. The negotiation to this Con-
veption has postponed the considers
ton of certain claims Of American citi-
zens which will now bs urged. A Com
msrcial Reciprocity Convention has
been negotiated with San Domingo.
Some ugliness on the part Of Tur-
key on tariff subjects remain unad-
justed and the Venezuelan claims
dispute, it Is expected, will soon be
settled.
The m essage then refers TO the Cen.
tral and South American Comm ission,
tho International Meridian Commission,
the subject of International Exhibitions
and Commissions, and international
marine for preventing collisions
At sea-with all Of wich the public
are familiar. The matter of information.
al copyright is called TO the attention
Of Congress also, the enlargement
of the. scope OF our neutrality
laws so as to prevent the shipment
of explosives that may be used for mali
cious or hostile purposes !; and likewise
the desirability for . revision Of
our naturalization laws 80 as to include
q central registry bureau for all natu-
ralization papers issued. A project
for the organization of tue diplomatic
and consular service is rec -mmenned,
and also tor re-casting of the scheme
of extra territorial Jurisdiction
In certain fCreiPn countries.
In Treasury matters the message is
obliged 10 repeat some facts already
known. The total revenue from Ordi.
nary sources for the year ended Juno
80, 1884, was $348. SO; the total
expenditure for ordinary purposes was
$500, ,9l6,474. There was . net decrease
Of expenditure for the year Of $2l ,O00,-
600. while the falling off In the revenue
VAS $54 600, 600. For the present year,
to 30th of juno next. the estimated
revenue is placed at $3.50 600, 900. and
the estimated expenditures at 500, ,o20,-
201, leaving an estimated. surplus of
S39, geo, 900. For other statistics rela-
ting to imports, exports and manufac-
lures, we refer TO the dc cument itself
The President recommends the i'm
mediate suspension OF the coinage Of
standard silver dollars, referring to the
conclusive fact that, of the $185, ,00O, 900
Of them coined, only $40, ,0OO, 900, or only
~ per cent OF them, can be kept In
circulation and also referring " the
expressed conviction of the Secretary of
the Treasury that, unless the coinage Is
stopped, silver will become our sole
metallic standard. The President
further seconds the suggestion that the
one and two dollar notes bs withdrawn
from circulation. but this. we imagine,
will not be so heartily acquiesced In by
the public. AS to the Trade Dollars,
1t Is recommended that they be called
In at slight advance over their bullion
value. AS one reason for fixing that
unfair price on the Trade Dollar, the
President has been led into the error Of
stating that they "never had . legal
tender quality"
The message renews his recommen.
datiOn for the abolition of all Internal
Revenue taxes, except those on distilled
lanirits and he calls attention tn the