Year: 1863

leglslatlon, revenue IRON the miner
al lands of the United States. The
measures provided at your last session


for the removal of certain Indian tribes
have been carried into effect. Sundry
treaties have been negotiated, which
will, in due time, be submitted for the
constitutional action of the Senate
They contain stipulatlohs for extin-
gushing the possessots' rights of the
Indians to large and valuable tracts Of
land. 1t lis probable that the effects


of these treaties will result in the es-


tablishment of permanent friendly re.


lations with such ofthose tribes as have


been brought into frequent and bloody
collisions with our outlying settlements
and emigrants. The sound policy and
our imperative duty to these wards of
government demand our anxious and


constant attention to their material


well being, to their progress in the
arts of civilization, and, above all, to
that moral training which Under bless
ings of Divine Providence will confer
upon them the elevated and sanctify-
ing influence of the hopes and conso-
lations of the christion faith.


l suggested in my last annual mes
sage the propriety of remediating our
Indian system. Subsequent events
satisfied me of its necessity. The de-
tails set forth in the report of the
Secretary, will evinee the urgent need
for immediate legislative action.
commend the benevolence of the instl-
tutions established or patronized by
the Government in this district to
your generous and stering care.


INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.


The attention of Congress during
the last session, was engaged to some
extent with proposition for enlar-
ging the water communication between
the Mississippi river and the North
eastern seabeard, which proposition,
however, failod fer the time. Since
then, upon a call of the greatest re-
spectability, q convention has been
called at Chicago upon the same sub
ject, summary of whose views is
contained in q memorial addressed to
the President and Congress, and
which now have the honor to Law
before you. That this interest is one
which ere long will force its own way,
do not entertain doubt, while it is
submitted entirely to your wisdom as
to what can be done now. Augment
ed interest is given to this subject by
the actual commencement OF work
upon the Pacific Railroad under aus.
pices SO favorable to its rapid progress
and completion. Enlarged naviga-
tion becomes a palpable need to this
great road.


| transmit the second annual report
of the Commissioner of the departs
ment of Agriculture, asking your at
tention to the developments in that
vital interest of the nation. When
Congress assembled year ago, the
war had already lasted nearly twenty
months, and there had been many
conflicts on both land and sea with
varying results. The rebellion had
been pressed back into reduced limits,
yet, the tone of public feeling and
opinion at home and abroad was not
satisfactory. With other signs, the
popular elections then just past, indi-
Gated uneasiness among ourselves,
while amid much that was cool and
menacing, the kindest words coming
from England, were uttered in accents
of pity that we were too blind to sur
render. Our commerce was suffering
greatly by few armed vessels, built
upon and furnished from foreign
shores, and We were threatened with
such additions from the same quarter
as would sweep our trade from the
sea, and raise our blockade. We had
failed to elicit from European govern
ments anything hopeful on this SUI
ject.


THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.
The Emancipation Proclamation,
which was issued in September, was
running its assigned period to the be-
ginning of the new year. A month
later the final proclamation came, in
cluding the announcement that color
ed men of suitable condition would be
received into the war service. The
policy of emancipation and of the en-
ployment eff black soldiers gave to the
future new aspect, about which hope
and fear and doubt contended in un-
certain conflict. According to our
political system, as matter of civil
administration, the General Govern
ment had no lawful power to effect
emancipation in any State, and for
long time it had been hoped that the
rebellion could be suppressed without
resorting to it as military measure.
1t was all the while deemed possible
that necessity for it might come, and
that if it should, the crisis of the con-
test would then be presented, 1t
came, and, as was intended, it was fol-
lowed by dark and doubtful days
Eleven months having been passed,
we are permitted to take another re-
view. The rebel borders are pressed
still further back, and by the complete
opening Of the Mississippi river, the
country dominated over by tho rebel.
lion is divided into distant parts.
Practical communication between