The National tribune., 1885-12-10
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

| SonSIesS 1uesuay, OWING 10 tne Iact INA
both Houses adjourned Monday after organi
zation out of respect for the dead Vice
President.
The document was awaited with unusua
interest because it was the first messag,
from Democratic Executive since the day
of President buchanan.
The message was read to both Houses, a!
is the custom, and proved to be the longes
in the history of the Government, embody
ing an aggregate of over 10000 words.
The introduction appropriately called at
tention to the death Of Vice-President Hen
bricks, with complimentary allusion to the
life and services of his late colleague in the
Executive Office. Next he alludes to the
gratifying fact that our relations with the
nations of the earth are amicable. He says
| that the Argentine Republic has renewed
the demand for indemnity from this Gov
ernment for loss arising from operations OF
the sloop-of-war Lexington in breaking up
piratical colony upon the Falkland Islands.
This Government considers the claim
groundless.
The Kelley incident is next touched upon.
The President says that the Austrian Gov
ernment having declined formally to receive
Minister Kelley upon religious grounds, the
Executive could not acquiesce in the objec-
tions advanced, under our Constitution. Mr.
Kelley resigned, and no other appointment
to the position of United States Minister to
Austria has been made.
Attention is called to the fact that the
United States Government extended its
friendly offices merely to prevent the con-
summation of the designs of President Bar
rios of Guatemala upon the integrity of the
Central American States.
High praise is given the officers of this
Government who, in pursuance of the treaty
of 1916 with the United States of Ctlmbia,
Positively and effieaciouslyn interfered in
the attempted revolution on the Isthmus
of Panama and protected the free transit
guaranteed by this Government.
The President gives the Nicaragua Canal
project a black eye. He explains that he
withdrew from the Senate the treaty nego-
tiated with the Nicaraguan Government by
President Arthur and has not returned it.
He defended this action on the ground of
fealty to precedent to avoid entangling
alliances"
On the other hand, he gives an unprece-
dented Endorsement of Capt. Eads's Tehuan-
tepec ship-railway scheme, and at the same
time calls attention to the existing facilities
for transcontinental traffic by our own Pacific
railroads. He believes in the naturalization
of any inter-oceanic transit that may be
decided upon.
He says that the Chinese e-emigration law
is not wholly satisfactory, and declares that
good faith with China demands inf1exible
punishment of the perpetrators of the recent
murders of Chinese in Wyoming and other
portions of the far West He attributes the
to race prejudice on the part of
men who are not citizens of the United
States He affirms the right of any nation
to prevent the influx of undesirable foreign
and will give consideration to
any further remedial measures proposed
The President reports that the restrictions
upon the importation of American pork into
France still continue, but he is able to pre-
dict an early removal of the interdiction.
He is sorry he cannot say as much with re-
spect to Germany and Austria.
BY diplomatic understanding the termi-
nation of the fishery clause in the treaty
with Great Britain was not permitted to in
terfere with the business Of our fishermen
for the current season. He recommends that
Congress provide for the appointment of an
Commission, with view to the
adjustment of the question of the Canadian
The President announces the tendency of
with Great Britain, which
promise an amendment of existing extradi-
tion laws so as to embrace wider range of
crimes than at present.
The President urges that Congress enact
the necessary law to make operative the
Mexican commercial treaty.
He advocates an international copyright
law.
He urges the consideration of new laws
citizenship and naturalization.
The President throws overheard bag and
baggage the so-called Spanish treaties"
with reference to commercial intercourse
with the Spanish West Indies.
He urges the reconstruction of the Con-
sular and Diplomatic service.
The public debt was reduced during the
year S46 ,333, ,06343, leaving the total debt on
Nov. ! S1,514 LAYS, ,86O.47. The ordinary ex-
penses of the Government for the year were
$500, ,226 1850 and the total receipts $322-
600, ,706.38. These latter were S24 1926, 1854