The Elk Mountain pilot., 1900-12-11

incoming of the new century, you pc
gin the last session of the Fifty-sixth
Congress with evidences on every
hand of individual and national pros
perity, and with proof of more growing
strength and increasing power for the
good of republican institutions. Your
countrymen will join with you in felici-
tation that American liberty is more
firmly established than ever before,
and that there is more love for it and
a determination to preserve 1T more
universally than at any former period
of our history.
1.-THE republic was never so strong,
because never so strongly intrenched
in the hearts of the people as now. The
constitution, with a few amendments,
exists as it left the hands of its auth
ors. Additions which have been made
to it proclaim a larger freedom and
more extended citizenship. Popular
government has demonstrated in its
124 years of trial here its stability and
security, and its efficiency as the best
instrument of national development
and the best safeguard to human
rights.
when the Sixth Congress assembled
in December, 1900, the population OF
the United States was 5,30S, ,4S3. 1t is
states. Now we have forty-five. Then
our territory consisted of 909, 900 square
miles. 1t is now 3,S46, ,595 square miles.
Education and religion and morality
have kept pace with our advancement
in other directions. While extending
its power the government has adhered
to its foundation principles and abated
none of them in dealing with our new
peoples and possessions. A nation so
preserved and blessed gives reverent
thanks to God and invokes his guild
ance and a continuance of his care and
favor
Concerning n settlement of the Chi
nese troubles the President says:
"The Russian proposition looking to
the restoration of imperial power in
Pekin has been accepted as in full con-
sonance with our own desires, for we
have held and hold that effective repa-
ration for wrongs suffered and an en-
during settlement that will make their
recurrence impossible can best be
brought about under an authority
which the Chinese nation reverences
and obeys. While so doing we forego
no jot of our undoubted right to exact
exemplary and deterrent punishment
of the responsible authors and actors
of the criminal acts through which we
and other nations have suffered griev-
Gus injury.
For the real culprits, evil counsel
ors who have misled the imperial judg-
ment and diverted sovereign authority
to their own guilty ends, full expiation
becomes imperative within the rational
limit of retributive justice.
II regard as one of the essential fac
n RS of durable justice the security of
adequate guarantees of liberty of faith,
since insecurity to those nations who
may embrace alien creeds is scarcely
less effectual assault upon the right of
foreign worship and teaching than
would be the direct invasion thereof.
"The matter of indemnity for our
wronged citizens is n question of great
concern. Measured in money alone,
sufficient reparation may prove to be
beyond the ability of China to meet.
All powers concur in emphatic dis
Chalmers of any purpose of aggrandize-
ment through dismemberment of the
empire. / am disposed to think due
compensation may be made in part by
increased guarantees of security for
foreign rights and immunities, and
most important of all. by the opening
of China to equal commerce to all the
world. These views have been and
will be earnestly advocated by our rep
resentatives.
'The government of Russia has put
forward the suggestion that in the
event of protracted divergency of
views in regard to indemnities, the
matter may be relegated TO the court
of arbitration at The Hague. l favor
ably incline to this, believing that high
tribunal could not fail to reach a solu
ton no less conducive to stability and
enlarged prosperity of China itself
than Immediately beneficial to the pow
ers."
"It is gratifying to be able to state
that the surplus revenues for The fis-
cal year ended June 30, 1900, we're $79,-
52706S.1S. For the six preceding
years we had only deficits, the aggre-
gate of which from 1894 to 1899 in
elusive amounted to $3.50, ,022, ,901. IA.
The receipts for the year from all
sources, exclusive of the postotfice rev.
enues, aggregated 1861 ,24O, ,S51. so, and
expenditures for all purposes, except
for the administration of the Postal
Department, aggregated $751; 49,
791,T1. The receipts from customs
We're S233, 164, ,S71.16, an increase over
the preceding year of $27, ,S36, ,3S9. Al.
The receipts from the internal reve-
nue. We're 1895, ,32T ,926.76, an increase
of 50, 800, 76525 over 1899. The re-
ceipts from miscellaneous sources were
S3S. 74S053.97. as against $36,394,-
976,S2 for the previous year.
''It is gratifying also to note that
during the year considerable reduction
is shown in the expenditures of the
government. The War Department ex-
penditures for the fiscal year 1900
We're $134 ia, 7677S, a reduction of
S59,066,4S6.69 over those of 1899. In
the Navy Department the expenditures
were S55, 1853, ,077.T2 for the year 1900,
as against $63, ,942, 1o4.27 for the pre-
ceding year, a decrease of 81 ,9S9, ,026.53.
In the expenditures on account of the
Indians there WIS q decreaSn in 19OQ