THE BEDFORD GAZETTE. President's Message. WASHINGTON, Dec. G, ISG9. At one o'clock and six minutes a joint committee, consisting of Messrs. Wilson and Thurman, on the part of the Senate, and Messrs. Schenck, Dawes and Wood ward, on the part of the House, waitrd upon the President to know if he had anything to communicate to the Houses of Congress. In response the President sent the fol lowing message: To the tensile and Iloxue of Represent ative* -Gentlemen: In coming before vou for the first time as chief magistrate of this great nation, tt is with gratitude to the Giver of all Good for tbe many benefits we enjoy. We are blessed with peace at home and aie without entan gling alliances abroad to forebode trou b'e. With a territory unsurpassed in fer tility, of an area equal to the abun dant support of five hundred million of people, and abounding in every variety of useful mineralp, in quantity sufficient to supply the world for gene rations; with exuberant crops; with a variety of climate adapted to the produc tion of every species of earth's riches and suited to the babi-s, tastes and re quirements of everv living thing; with a population of 40,005,000 oi free people, all speaking one language; with facili ties for every mortal to acquire an edu cation; with institutions, closing to none tbe avenues to fame or any blessing of fortune that may be coveted; with Iree dom of the pulpit and press and school?-; with a revenue flowing into tbe national treasury beyond the require ments of government; happily, order is being rapidly restored within our own borders. Manufactures hitherto un known within our country are springing up in all directions, producing a degree of national independence unequalled by that of any other power. These bless ings, and countless others, are submit ted to your care and uiiue, more for safe keeping for tbe brief period of our ten ure of office. In a short t.me we must eacb of ns return to the tanks of the p-eople who have conferred upon us our honors, and account to them for our stewardship. I earnestly desire that neither you nor I may be condemned by a free and enlightened constituency, nor by our consciences. "Emerging troai a rebellion of gigantic magnitude, aided as it was by the sym pathy and assistance of nations with which we were at peace, eleven states c.i the Union were, four years ago, left without legal state governments. A na tional debt had been contracted; Ameri can commerce was si most driven from the seas; tbe industry of the country bad been taken from the control of the capi talists und placed where all labor rigtit lally belongs, in the keeping of the la borer. The work ot restoring state gov ernments loyal to the Union, of protect ing and fostering free labor aad pro viding means for paying the interest on tbe public debt, has received ample at tention from Congress. Although your efloris have not met with the success, in all particulars, that might have been de siiv.J, yet ou tbe whole they have been more successful than could have been reasonably anticipated. Seven States which had passed ordi nances ot secession have been fully re stored to their places in the Union. The eighth Georgia, held an election at which she ratified her constitution, re publican in form, elected a Governor, members of Congress, a State legislature and ail other officers required. The Governor was duiy installed aud tho legislature met and performed all tbe acts then required of them by the recon ■ struction acts of Congress. Subse quently, however, in violation of the Constitution which they had just ratified —as ainoe decided by the Supreme Court of the State—they unseated the colored members of the legislature, and admit ted to aeats some members who are disqualified by tbe third clause of the fourteenth amendment to the Constitu tion, an article which they themselves had contributed to ratify. Under these circumstance 1 would submit to you whether it wouid not be well, without delay, to enact a law authorizing the Governor of Georgia to convene the members originally elected to the Legis lature, requiring each to take the oath presented by the reconstruction acta, and none to be admitted who a- ing tbe ra'e at which currency will be bought and sold, from day to day, or week to week, at tbe aatne rate of inter est as the government pays upon its bonds. Thetu jeetof tariff and! nternal taxa tion wilt necessarily receive your atten tion. The revenues of tho country ere greater than the requirements, and may with salety be reduced; but as the fund ing of the debt in a four or four and a naif per cent, loan would reduce the an nual current expenses largely, thus af ter funding ju-tifying a greater reduc tion of taxation than would be now ex pedient, it may be advisable to modify taxation and tbe tariff in instances where unjust or burdensome discriminations are made by the present laws regulating this saiject. I recommend the postpone ment of it for the present. I also suggest the renewal of tbe lax on incomes, but u reduced rate, say three per cent., and this tax to expire in three years. By the funding of the nation al debt, as here suggested, I feel sale in aying that taxes aud the revenue from imports may be reduced safely from sixty to eighty -millions per annum at once, and may be still further reduced, from year to year, as the re sources of the country sre developed. The report of tbe Secretary of the Treasury shows the receipts of the gov ernment for tbe fiscal years ending June SO, 1-69, to be $370,943,717, and theexpen ditures, including interest, bounties, Ac., to be $321,490,397. The estimates lor the ensuing year are more favorable to the government, and will no doubt show a much larger decrease of tbe public debt. The receipts in the treasury, beyond ex pectations, have exceeded the amounts necessary to place the credit of the sink ing fnnd s provided by law. To lock up the surplus in the treasury and withhold it from circulation would lead to such a contraction of the currency as to cripple trade and seriously affect the prosperity of the country. Under these circum stances tbe Secretary of the Treasury and myself heartily concurred in the propriety of using all the surplus cur rency in" the treasury in the purchase of government bonds," thus reducing the interest bearing debt of the country, I and of submitting to Congress toe que's | tion of the disposition to be mode or the j bonds so purchased. The bonds now ; held by the treasury amount to about i seventy-five million dollars, including | those belonging to the s tiking fund, and ; I recommend that the whole be placed to the credit of the sinkiDg fund. Your attention is respectfully invited to the recommendations of tbe Secretary of the Treasury for vbe creation of the rfficeof Commissioner of Customs Reve nue, for the increase of salary to a cer tain cl 83 of officials, and the substitu tion ot inereased National bank circula -1 tion to replace the ontstandmg three per cent, certificates, and most especially to his recommendation for the repeal of laws allowing shares of fines, penalties j and forfeitares to officers of tbe govern ment or to informer#. supple M EKTT. I The office of Commissioner of Internal R-vSane t-j one of tbe most arduous and > j responsible under the Government. I I fails but iiiile, if any, short a Spanish trigate, and two passengers were taken irom it and carried as prisoners to Cubs. Representations of these facts were made to tbe Spanish government as soon as sufficient information of tbeni reached Washington. The two passengers were set at liberty and the Spanish govern ment assured the Uuited States that the capatin in making the capture bad acted without orders, that be had been repri manded for the irregularity of his con duct, and that the Spani-h authori ties in Cuba would not eduction any ct tbat could violate the rights or tieat with disrespect the sovereignty of this nation. The question of the seizure of the brig, Mary Lowell, at one of the Bahama islands, by Spanish authorities, is now tbe subject of correspondence be tween this government and those of j Spain and Great Britain. The captain j general of Cuba, about May last, issued < a proclamation authorizing search to ; be made of vessels on tbe nigh seas. Im mediate remon-trance was made against j this, whereupon the captain general i issued a new proclamation limiting tbe right of search to vessels of the United; States, so far as authorized under the j treaty of 1795. This proclamation, how- j ever, was immediately withdrawn. I have always felt tbat the most inli- . mate relations should be cultivated be-j tween the republic of the United Htales j and all independent nations on this con- j tinent. It may be well worth consider- j ing whether new treaties between the ! United States and them may not be profitably entered into to secure more intimate relations, friendly, commercia and otherwise. As the subject of an oceanic canal to connect tbe Atlantic aud Pacific oceans through the isthmus of Darien is one in : which commerce is greatly interested, ; Instructions have been given to our min- ; ister to tbe republic of the United States ' of Colombia to endeavor to obtain au- | thority for a survey by the government, in order to determine the practicability of sucb an undertaking and a charter for tbe right of way to private enterprise for such a work, if the survey proves lo be practicable. In order to comply with theagreement of the Uuited States as to a mixed com mission at Liuia for the adjustment of claims, it became necessary to appoint a commissioner and a secretary to Lima in August last. No appropriation hav ing been made by cougress for this pur pose, it is now asked that one be made covering tbe past aud future expens-esot the committee. The good offices of the United States to bring about a peace between Spain end the South American republics with which she is at warf having been ac cepted by SSjiaio, Peru ani Chili, a con gress has been invited to be held in 1 Washington daring the prew-nt w'nter. A grant has been given to Europeans ; of an exclusive right ol transit over the t< rritory of Nicaragua, to which Cosia llica has given its assent, which, it is alleged, conflicts with vested rigutu oft cit.zens of the United Siales. Tbe De partment of State las now this subject under consideration. Tbe Minister of Peru having rondo representations that there was a state of war between Peru aiulHpain, and that Spain WHS constructing, in and near New York, thirty gunboats which might lie used by Spain in such away as to relieve the naval force of 'Nibs, so as to operate against Peru, orders were given to prevent their de par to re. No further step-, having been taken by the representative of the Peru vian government, to prevent the depart ure oi these vessels, audi not leeimg authorized to detain the property *f a nation with whlen we are at peace, on a mere ixeeutive order, the matter has been referred to tbe courts to decide. The conduct of the war between the Allies and the Republic of Paraguay has made the intercourse with that country o difficult that it his been deemed ad visable to withdraw our representatives from there. Towards the close of tho last adminis tration a convention was signed at Lon don for Lbe settlement of ail outstanding claims between Gieat Britain and the United States, which failed to receive the advice ana consent of the senate to its ratification. The liuae and circum stances attending the negotiation of the treaty were favorable to its acceptance by the people of the United Stales, but its provisions were wholly inadequate for the settlement of the grave wrongs that had been sustained by tiiia govern ment, as well as by its citizens, ibe in juries resulting to the United States by reason of the course adopted by Great Britain during our lute civil war, in the increased rates of insurance, in the diminution of exports and import* and other obstructions to domestic industry und production, in its effects upon the foreign commerce of tbe country, in the decrease and toansfer to Great Britain of our commer cial marine, in the prolongation of the war and the trior eased cost both in trea sure and in the lives of its suppressors, could not be adjusted and an ti-. lied as ordinary commercial claims which continually arise between com mercial nations; and yet tbe convention treated them simply as such ordinary claims, from which they differ more widely in the gravity of their character than iu the magnitude of their amount. Great as is tl at difference, not a word was found in the treaty, and not an in erc-ncs could be drawn from it to r> move the sense of the unlriendliue<.s of the course of Great Britain in our struggle for existence, which had so deeply and nuiversally impress*d itsell upou tbe people of this country. Be lieving that a convention thus miscon ceived in its scope, and inadequate in its prov'.sious, would not have produced the hearty, cordial settlement of the pending questions which alone isconsis lentwilh the relations which 1 desire to have estab.i&hed between tbe United States and Great Britain, I recognized the action of the St-m-te in rejecting the treaty to have U-en wisely taken in the inter* st of peace aud as a necessary step in the direction of a periect aud cordial friendship between the two countries. A sensitive people, conscious of their pow er, are more at ease under a g.eat wrong, wholly un atoned, than under the restraint of a set tlement which satisfies neither their ideas of justice nor their grave sense ol the grievance they have sustained. The rejection of the treaty was followed bva state of oubiic opinion on both sides which I thought not favorable to an immediate attempt at renewed ne gotiation I accordingly so instruct ed the minister of the United States in Great Britain, and found that rny views in this regard were shared by Her Majesty's ministers. 1 hope that the time may soon arrive when the two governments can approach the solution of this.momentous question with an appreciation of what is due to the rights, uigui y and honor of each, and with the determination not only to remove the causes of complaint in die past, but to lay the foundation of a broad j principle of public law which will pre | rent tutuie differences, aDd tend to firm ' and continued peace and liiendship. | This ts now- the only grave question wbieiF the United States has with any j foreign nation. 3he questiou of renewing a treaty for | reciprocal trade between the United States and the British Provinces on this ; continent, has not been lavorably con • ! sidered by the administration. The ad i vantages of such at reaty wouid be wliol j ly in iavor of the British Provences, ex i oept possibly a lew engaged iu the trade j between the two sections. No citizen of • the United'Statc-s would be benefited by j reciprocity. Our internal taxation would | prove a protection to tUe British produ cer, almost equal to the protection which our manufacturers now receive front u.a tariff. Some arrangements, however, tor the. regulation of commercial inter course between the United states and the Dominion of Canada may be desir able. Tbe commission for adjusting the j claims of tbe Hudson Bay and Puget's Hound agricultural company upon the i United States has terminated its labors, j The award of six hundred aud fifty thousand dollars has been made, and i ail right and titles of the company on i she territory of the United States have j i been extinguished, aud deeds for tbe ; i property of the company have been de- j j iirered." An appropriation by Congress j to meet this sum is asked. The commissioners for determining j the northwestern land boundary be j tween the United Slates and the British j possessions, under the treaty of 1856, I have completed their labors, and the commission has been dissolved, j In conformity with the recommenda . tion of Congress, a proposition was early , made to tbe British government to abol ish the mixed c urt* created uuder the I treaty of April Tih, 1868, for the suppres sion of slave traders. The subject is still under negotiation. It having come to my knowledge that j a corporate company, organized under British laws, propose to land upon tbe shcrea of the United States and opernte there a sub-marine cable under a cou ces:on from his Majesty lbe Emperor of the French, of au exclusive right for twensy years f telegraphic communica tion between tbe shores of France and the United States, with the very objec tionable feature of subjectiogali message conveyed thereby to the scrutiny and eon troi of Hie Fieuch government, I caused the French and British legations at Washington to lie made acquainted with the probable policy of Con gress on the snhject, as foreshadowed by tbe bill which pasvd tbe Senate in Marcfi last. This drew trom the rcpre sentatives of Hie company an agree ment to accept, as the basis of their ope rations, the provisions of that bill or ot such other enactments on the subject us might be pas-ed during the approaching session of Congress-; also to use their influence lo secure from the French government a modification of their concession, so as to permit the landing of a ny cable belonging to any company incorporated by the authority of tne United Htstes or any state of the union, and on their part not to oppose the establishment of any such cable. In consideration of this agreement I di rected tbe withdrawal of all opposition by the United States to the landing o! lbe cable, and to tho working of it, until the meeting of Congress. I regret to say that there has been no modification made in the company's concession, nor so tar as 1 can learn, buve they at templed to secure one. Their concession excludes the capital and the citiz-ns of the United Htates from competition on the shores of France. 1 recommend legislation to protect the rights of citizens of the United Htates, as well as the dignity and sovereignty oi the nation against such an assumption I shall endeavor to secure by negotiation an abandonment of the principle of mo nopolies in ocean telegraph cables. C-iptesof correspondence are herewith furnished. The unsettled political condition of other countries less fortunate than our own, sometimes induces their citizens to come to the United Htates for the pur pose of being naturalized. Having e cured this they return to their native country and reside there without dis closing this change of allegiance Tbey accept ottieial positions of trust or honor, which can only be held br citizens or their native land. They journey under passports describing them a such citizens, and it is oniv when civil discord, after years, per haps, of quiet, threatens their persons or their property, or w hen their native S ate drafts them into military service, that the fact of their change of allegiance is made known. They reside permanently from the United K.ate; tbey contribute nothing to its resources; they avoid the duties of its citizenship, and tbev only make themselves known by a claim of protection. I have directed the diplotnaiic and consular offices of the United States tosciutinize carefully alt such claims of protection. The citi zen oi the United Mato, whether native or adopted, i- entitled to its c- mpiete protection. While I have a voice in the direction of affairs I shall not consent to imperil the sacred right by conferring it upon fictitious or fraudulent claimants. On the accession of the prtsent admin istration 't was found ttiat the minister for North Germany bad made proposi tions for the negotiation of a c invention for the protection of emigrant p i"-en gers, to which no response had been g ven. It was eoneluded that to beef fectual ail tbe maritime powers engaged in the trade should join in such a mea ure. Invitations have been extended to I he cabinets of London, ParN, Fio ence. B-rlin,Brussels, the Hague, C •ponhagwn, and Stockholm, to empower three repre sentatives at Washington to simultane ously enter into negotiations, and to conclude with the United Htates conven tions, identical in form, making uniform regulations as to the construct.on of the parts of vessels to be devoted to the use of emigrant passengers ; as tothequnlity and qnantitv of food ; as to the medical treatment of the sick, and as to the rules to be observed during the voyage, in or der to secure ventilation, to promote health to prevent intrusion, and to pro tect the fema'es, and providing for the establishment of tribunals in thesevera countries, for enforcing such regulations by summoning process. Your attention is respectfully called to the law regulating the tariff on Russian hemp, and to the question whether to fix tbe charges on Russian bemp higher than they are fixed upon manilla is not a violation of your treaty with Russia, placing her products upon the same footing with those cf the most favored nations. Our manufactures are increasing with wonderful rapidity under the encourage ment which they now receive, with the improvements in machinery already ef fected anil still increasing, causing ma chinery to take the place of skilled lab -r. To a large extent our imports of many articles must fall off largely within a lew years. Fortunately, too, manufaci tire are not confined to a few localities as lor merlv, and it is to tie hopet, will become more'and more diffused, making the n terest in their success equal in all sections They give emplovmnt and support to hundreds of thousands of people in tv me and retain with us the means which otherwise would be shipped abroad. The extension of railroads in Europe and the east is bringing into com petition with our agricultural products like pro ducts of other countries. Self interest, if not self preservation, therefore, dic tates caution against disturbing any in dustrial interest of the country. It teaches u also the necessity of looking to other markets for the sale of our sur plus. Our neighbors south of us and i China and Japan should receive our special attention. It will be tbe c-n deavor of the administration to cultivate : such relations with these nations as to entitle us lo tbeir confidence and make i' their interest, as well as ours, to estab llsh better commercial relations. Through the agency of a more en lightened policy thau that heretofore pursued towards China —largely due to the sagacity and efforts of our own dis tinguished citizens—the world is about to commence largely increased relarior.s with that populous and hitherto exclu sive nation. As the L'nhed S'ates have been the initiators in the new policy, so they should be the most earnest in show ing their good faith in making it a suc cess. In this connection I advise such leg's -1.-ition as will forever preclude the en slavement of the Chinese upon our soil, under the nr. . e of cooties, and also pre vent American vessels from engaging in the transportation of coolies to any country tolerating the system. I also recommend that the mission of China bo raied to one of first-class. Upon my assuming the responsibilities of chief magistrate of the United States, ft was with the conviction that three things were essential to its peace, pros perity mid fulitat development. First among these is strict iuiegrily in ful filling ail our obligations ; second, to se cure protection to the person and proper ty of the cithen of the United St ilea is eac-h and eveiy portion of our common country wheiever he may choose to move, without refe>ence to*original na tionality, reugion, color or poiitlos, de manding of him only obedience to ihe laws aud proper respect for ihe rights of others; third, union of nil the stales, with equal rights indestructible by any constitutional means. To secure the drat of these CongrfM has taker, two essential steps: First. In declaring, by Joint resolu tion, that the public debt should be paid, principal and interest, in coin; ana sec ond, by providing ihe means for paying. Providing the means, however, could not secure the object desired without u proper ad mini-trail n of the laws for the collection ol the revenuesand an eco nomical disbursement of them. To this subject tiie administration has most earnestly addressed itself, w iih results, I believe, satifactory to the country. There has been no hesitation in chang ing officials in order to secure an effi cient execution of the laws. Sometimes, too (where in a mere party view unde sirable political resuiis Were iikeiy to follow from any hesitation in sustaining efficient officials), against remonstrances wholly political. It may be well to mention here the em barrassuients possible to arise from leav ing on 'be s.tatate book, the so called tenure of office act, and to earnestly re commend i s toial repeal. It could not have been the intention of the frame ra of the consiitution when providing lbs: ap pointments by the president shou d re quire ttie consent of the senate, that the alter should have the power to retain in i iifli e, persons placed there by Fed eral appointment against the will of the piesident. The law is in consistent with a faithful and efficient administration of the govern ment. What faith can an executive have in officials forced upon liim, and in tkose whom he h.is suspen ed for reason? How wiii such officials be likely to serve an administration which they know does not trust them? For the second requi site to* our growth and prosperity, time and a firm and most humane administra tion of existing law-, amended from lime to time as ihoy may prove ineffect ive, or prove harsh aud unnecessary, are probably all the.moro required. Tue thirl cannot Lo obtained I y special leg islation, but must Le regarded as fixed by the constitutioa itself, aud gradually acquiesced in by force of public opinion. From the foundation of the govern ment to the prt sent ibe management of the original inhabitants of this conti nent—the Indians—has been a subject of embarrassment and expense, and nas been attended wi'h continuous rob beries, murder aud wars. From my own experience upon the frontiers, and in lDdtun countries, I do not hold either ihe legislation or the conduct of toe whites who come most in contact with the Indians, blameless for these hostili ties. The past,however.cannot be undone, and thequestiou must be met as we now find it. 1 have attempted a new policy towaids these wards of ihe nation—tbey cannot be regarded in auy other light man us watds—with fair r*suits, so far as tried, ami which I hope will be attend ed ultimately with great success. The so ciety of Friends are well known as hav ing succeeded in living in peace with the Indians in the early settknienisof Penn -ylvania, while their white neighbors of other eecis in other sections were con stantly embroiled. Tney areaiso known tor their opposition to ail strife, violence and war. and are general! v noted for ibeir strict integrity and fair dealing. Thtßeconsiderations induced me to give the tnai.agemeut of a few reservations of ludians to them, and throw the bur den of selecting of age uis upon the so ciety itself. The result has proved most satisfactory. It will beiound more fully -et forth in the leport of the bomrais t-ioner of Indian Affairs. For superintendents and Indian agents not on the reservations, odivers of the arm; were selected. The reasons for this were numerous. When Indian agents are sent there or were there, troops must be sent also. The agent and the com mander of troops are independent of aeh other, and are subject to orders from different departments of the gov einmeut. Tne army officer holds a position for life—the agent one at the will of rhe President. The former is personally in ierested in living in harmony with the Indians and in the establishment of a permanent peace, to the end that some imrtion of this life may be spent within the limits of civilized society. The tatter has no such person*! interest, another reason is an economic one, and >titl another hold which the govern ment upon a life officer to secure faithful discharge of duties in carrying out a given }Kiicy. The building of railroads and the access thereby given to ati the agricultural and tmneral regionsot the country is rapidly briog mgcivilized settlement iuioeon'.act with all tribes of Indians. No matter what ought to he the rela tion between such settlements aud tin- aborigines, the fact is they do not narmonize well,and oneor theother must give way in the end. A system which looks to the extinction or "a race is too horrible for a nation to adopt without entailing upon itself the wroth of all Christendom and engendering in the citizen a disregard for honor, life and ,'he rights of o'hers dangerous to