( folt Trintinito <WIN UII'GrURIMVST lODUainannutEPTPEKDIga. 11reatly and Promptly Ri ev a c d, a t the, ADVERTISER OFFICE, LEBANON, PENN'A Tan establishment le now supplied with an extensire assortment of JOB TYPE, which will be increased as the patronage domande. It can now turn out Patsrpro, of every description, in a neat and expeditious manner— and on very reasonable terms. Such us Pamphlets, Cheeks, Business Cards, Handbills, Circulars, Labels, Bill Headings, Blanks, Programmes, Bills of Fare, Invitations, Tickets, &a., &a. Mane of all kinds, Common and Judgment Hamm Behool, Juctleee% Constables' and other DIMS, printed correctly and neatly on the beet paper, ceuetantly kept for sale at this Office, at prices "to suit the times." VetIbeINIPUOU Price of the LEUAZVON ADVERTISER One Dollar and a Ralf a Year. Address. Wm. M. Balm" Lebanon, Pa. pREsibNNT'S MESSAGE Peltosa•ci firms of the &nate and Home of Repreienta Our deep and heart-felt gratitude is due 'to that Almighty Poe er which has Le stowed upon us such varied and numer ous blessings throughout the past year.— The general health of the coentry has been excellent; our harvests have been unustielly plentiful, and prosperity smiles throughout the land. Indeed, notwith• standing our demerits, we have much rea• son to believe from the past events in our history, that we have enjoyed the special ' protection of Divine Providence ever since our origin as a nation. We 'lave been ex. !posed to many thr•atening and alaingrm difficulties in our progress; but on e oh successive occasion the impending cloud has been dissipated at the moment it are peered ready to burst upon our head, arid :the dnnger to our institutions has passed away. May ae ever be ure'er the divine 4 guidanc 3 and protection Whilst it is the duty of the President "from time to time to give to Congress information of the state of the Union," I shall not refer in detail to the recent sad ,'and bloody occurrence at Harper's Ferry. Still, it is proper to observe that these events, however bad and cruel in them. selves, derive their chief importance from the apprehens on that they are but um p , toms of an incurable disease in the public which may break au; in still more !dangerous outrages and terminate at last in an open war by the North to abolish i slavery in the South. Whilst, for myself, I entertain no such appiehen&on, they ought to afford a solemn earning to us all 'to beware of the approach of danger, Oar lUolon is a stake of such inestimable value OS to demand our constant and watchful vigilance fur its preservAion. In this view let me implore my countrymen North or Pewit, to ouitieats the ancient leeliogs of mutual forbearance and good-will towards each other, aid strive to lay the demon spirit of sectional hatred and strife now alive in the land. This advice proceeds from the heart of an old public functionary Whose rervice commenced in the last gen eration, among the wise and conservative statesmen of that day, now nearly all Ile:felted away, and whose first and dearest 'elrilily wish is to leave his country tt i tittil,'presperobs,'uttited, and powerful. We ought to reflect thdt in tills age, and especially in this country, there is an in. messant flux and reflux of publio opinion. Questions 'Which in their day assumed a most threatening aspect, have now nearly lgone from the memory of men. They are "tolcanoes burnt out, and on the lava and aches and squalid scori® of old eruptions grow the peaceful olive, the cheering vine, -and the sue aining core " Such, in my opinion, will prove to be the fete of the present sectional excitement, should those ttho widely seek to apply the remedy.con , I linue always to confine their elf els within the pate of the Constitution. If this course be pursued, the existing agitation on 'the subject of domestic slavery,like ever) thing human, will have its day an , ' give'rittibele ; other and less threatening controversies.— Public opinion in this country is all-pow• erful, and when it reaches a dangerous excess upon any question, the good sense of the peep e will furnish 'fhb tibirectire and bring it buck within safe limits. Still, to hasten this auspicious result,at the pre sent critic, we ought to remember that every rational creature must be presumed 'to intend the natural consequences of his 'own teachings. Those .vbo announce ab. street doctrine subversive of 'the Consti tution and the Union, must not be surpri sed should their heated partizans advance one step fuether, cud attempt by violence to etirry teese doctrines into practical of feet, its this view of the subject it ought never to be forgotten tbat, however great may have been the political advantaes resulting from the Union to every portion of our common emery, these would all prove to be as nothing should the time ever arrive when they cannot be enjoyed without serio.,a danger to the personal safely of the people of fifteen members of the confederacy. If the peace of the do• emetic fireside throughout these States should ever be invaded—if the mothers of families within ale extensive region should not be ablate retire to rest at night ts 'tint suffering dreadful apprehensions of what 'may be their own fate and that of their 'children before the mornitt.-11 would be Vain to recount to such a people the polil Alegi benefits which result to them from 'the Union. Self.preservation is the first instinet of nature; and therefore any state of society in which the sword is all the time suspended QM the beads of the peo pie, must at last become intolerable. But I indulge in no molt gloomy forebodings: On the contrary, I firmly believe that the events at Harper's Ferry, by caubing the people to pause and reflect upon the pos-i We peril to their cherished institutions, will be the means, under Providence, of allaying the existing excitement, and pre venting future outbreaks of a similar cha• meter They will resolve that the Centel , tuition and the Union shall not be endan gered by rash counsels, knowing that, should "the silver cord be loosed or the golden howl be broken * * at the foun tame," human power could never reunite the scattered and hostile fragments. I cordially cot gratulete you urn the anal settlement by the Supreme C. , ort-of the Untied States of he question of shivery jn the Territory, which had presented an aspect so truly formidable at the coin °Plelretnent of my administration. The 'tight lutsbeerrestabllahee of every citizen !to lake his rrbritireybf any kind, including into the common Terra°, les be. :ionging equally to all the States of the eonfederasy, and to have it protected there 'under the-Federal Constitution. Neither Congress nor a territorial legislature nor any human power has any authority to annul or impair this vested right. The •supreme'judicial trlbuna l of the country, whleb id Co ordinate branch of the Gov. mutant, has san c tioned and affirmed these prinoples of constitutional law,so manifest • ly just In themselves, and so well calcula ted 13 promote peace and harmony among th e st a tes . It is a striking proof of the sense of patios which te Inherent in our people, tnat the property in slaves has never been disturbed, to my knowledge in any of the Territories. Even throughout the late troublels in Kansas there has not been any attempts aa i am credibly inform' ed,to interfere in a single instance,with the right of the master. Had any such attempt been made, the judiciary would doubtless have afforded an adequate remedy Should they fall to do this hereafter, it w ill then be time enough to strengthen their halide by further legislation. Had it been dect• ded that either Congress or the territorial legislature possess the power to annul or impair the right to property in slaves, the evil would be intolerable. In the latter • * N.; '---.. - . 1-.0,°: ' • . . . . r . . ~.. a ru.critiorr 1: , ~,,,,,a -- -- - ,.:5-3itif-y . —,., .Thr-F----..--4e...p. VOL. 11---NO. 29. event, there would be a struggle for a ma jority of the members of the legislature at each successive election, and the sacred rights of property , held under the Federal Constitution would depend for the time tieing on the result. The agiiation would thus be rendered incessant whilst the ter. rltorial condition remained, ar.d its bane. ful influence would keep alive a dangerous excitement among the people of the seve ral States. Thus has the status of a Territory, dn. ring the intermediate pt riod from its first Settlement until it shall become a S ate, been irrevokably fitted by the final decision of the Supreme Caen. Fortunate has this been for the prosperity of the Tertiteiries as well ee the tranquility of the States. Now, emigrante from the North and the South, the East and the West, will meet in the Territories on a common platform,'having brought with them that apt cies of property best adapted, in their own opinion, to pro mote their welfare. From natural causes the slavery question will, in each case,snon virtually settle itself ; end before the Ter ritory is prepared for admission as a State into the Union this decision, one way or the other, will have been a forgone condo sion. eanwhile the settlement of the new Territory will proceed without serious interruption, and its p ogress and prosper. ity will not be endangered or retarded by violent political struggles. When in the progress of events the in habitehts of any Territory shall have reached the number required to form a State. they will then i.ro,:eed. in a regblar mauner and in the exercise of the rights of popular sovereignty, to form a Constan• tion prepar,:toty 0 admission into the Union. Aft , ?t ibis has been done,'to em ploy the langu.34e of the Kansas and No. bra-kit Act, they '•shall be received into the Union with or without slavery, as their Constitution may proscribe at the time of their admiesiuu,° This sound principle has happily been rencgo'zed, in some form or other, by an utmost unanimous vote of both Houses of the last Congress. All lawful means at my O . ommand have been employed, and shall coninue to be empluytd to execute the laws against the African slave trade. After a most careful and rigorous examination of our coasts and a thorough investigation of' the subject, we have not been able to discover that any slaves have been imported into the United States except the cargo of the Wanderer, nui oering between three and four hundred. Those engaged in this unlawful enterprise have been rigorously prosecuted ; •but nut with as much success as their crimes have de.'e:ved. A number *of them are still un der prosechtion. Our hintory proves that the Fathers of the Republic, in advance of all other na tions, condemned the Afticanllave trade,— It was, notwithstanding, deemed expedient by the framers of the Constitution to de. pure Congreec of the power to prohibit the — migration or importation of such persons RH any of the States now exist' og shall thins proper to admit" "prior to the year 1808." It will be seen that thiVrestriction on the power of Congress was dOntitied to such States ht.ly as might think pibper to admit the importatilm of slteves. dill ndt . ettend to other States tir to tifit `trade citified on abroad. Accordingly,we find ihaeho early as the 22d March, 1794, Congress passed an act imposing severe penalties and pun. ishments upon citizens and residentn of the (Jolted States who should engage in this trade between foreign nations. The pro visions at this act wore extended and en forced by the act of 10th of May, 1860. Again ': The States themselves had a clear right to waive the Constitutional priv. ilege intended fur their benefit, aLd to pro hibit by their own laws, this trade at any time they thought proper previous to 1808. Several of them exercised this right before that period,and among them some contain ing the greatest number of slaves. This gave to Congress the imme bate power to act in regard to all snob States, because they themselves had removed the constitu tiona! barrier. Congress accordingly passed an act on 28th of February, 1803, "to pre vent the importation of certain persons into certain Sates where, by the lawn thereof, their admission is prohibited." In this manner the importation of African slaves into the United States was, to a great ex• tent, prohibited some years in advance of 1808. As the year 1808 approached, Congress determined not to suffer this trade to exist I even for a single day after they had the rower to abolish it. On the 2d of March, 1807, they passel an act to take effect "from and after the first day of January, 1808," probibiiing the importation of Afri can slaves into the United States. This Ills 005:Med by subsequent acts of a similar character, ea which I need not specially re fer. Such were the principles acd such the practice di our ancestors more than fifty years Rgo in regard to the African elbve trade. It dld ni3t Omar to the revered patriots who had been delegates to the Convention, and afterwards became members of Con gress, that in passing these laws they had violated the Constitution whioh they had framed with so much care and deliberation. Tney supposed that to prohibit Co..gresa in express terme, from exercising a specific power before an appointed day, necessarily involved the right to exercise this power after that day shad arrived. If this were not the case, the framers of the Conatitutien had expended much labor ie vain. fled they imagined that Congress would possess no power to prohibit the Ueda either bera e'ur NfLer 18. ti,they would nut have taken so tuna care to protect the Stated a,:ittent the saerciee of this tviater before that N_y, more, u.ey would out have a , (Roiled such vast import: rice to chin provision as to have excluded it horn the possibility of future repeal or amend ment, to which other eta -twits of Ile Cori mitutioo were expui-ed. It would then have been wholly unnecessary to engraft on the fifth article of tne Conatitution, prescribing the mode of its own future arneoduteni,the proviso, "that no amendment which may be made prior to the year 1808 shall in any wanner affect" the provisions in theta nsti tattoo securing to the States the right to admit the importation of African slaves previous to that period. Accordieg to toe adverse construction, the clause itaelf,on which so much care and discussion had been employed by the mum bars of the convention, was an absolute nullity from the beginning; and all that has since been done under it a mere usurpation. It was well and wise to confer this power on Congress, because, bad it been left to the States, its ef f icient exercise would have been impossible. Is that event any one State could have effectually continued the trade not only for bawl but for all the other slave States, though never so much against their will. And why ? Because African slaves, when once brought within the lira• its of any one State, in accordance with its l a ws, cannot practically be excluded from any other State where Slavery exists. And even if on the Stela bad separately proofed LEBANON, PA., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1860. laws prohibiting the importation of elaves, these laWs wontd have failed of effect fur want of a navlilloroe to capture the sic vets and to guard the Chaste. Such a force that no State can employ in time of pewee with. out the consent of CongreFs. These acts of Congress, it is believed, have, with very rare and insignificant ea ceptions, accomplished their purpose. For a period of more tarn half a century there has been no our addition to the number of our dbmestic slaves. During this period their advancement in civiliza- tion has far surpassed that of any other portion of the African race. The light and the blessings of christianity have bren ex tended to them, and both their moral and physical condition bas been greatly im. proved. Reopen the trade, arid it would be diffo cult to deft rmine whether the effect would be more deleterious on the interests of the master or on those of the native-born slave. Of the evils to the master, the one retest to be dreaeed would bo the introduction of wild, heathen, and ignorant barbarians among the sober, orderly, and quiet slaves whose ancestors have been on the soil for several generations. This might tend to barbarize, demoralize, and exasperate the 1 whole mass, and produce must deplorable consequences. ~ 1 The cflect upon the dieting slave woulil, if possible, be more deplorable At pres ent he'is treated with kindness and human ity, lle is well fed, well clothed, and nut overworked. Ills condition is incompare hry better than that of the coolies which Mudirn nations of high civilization lettve . employed es a subst itute fur Afrittan slave's. Both the 'philanthropy and the seff•inter , eet of the rester hafeconibined to produce this humane result. But lot this trade be reopened, and what will be tbo effect? Thu same, to a coreiderable extent, as on a neigltheribe island —the only spot now on earth where the African slave trade is openly tolerated ; and this in'ilefience of solemn treaties with a power abundanth able at any moment to enforce their exe cution. There the m tater,in tent upon pres ent gain, extorts from the slave as much labor as his physical powers are c triable of enduring—knowing that, when death comes to his relief, his plaCe can be suplied at a price reduced to the lowest ' 'mint by the competition of rival African Flavo tra ders. Should this ever he the ease in our 1 country—which I do not deem possible— ) the present useful character of the domes ' tic institution. wherein the•sa too old and too ynitog to work are provided for with 'elsre and humanity, arid those capable of; I labor are not overtasked, would undergo an unfortunate change. The feeling of re ciprocal dependence and a'tachment which now exists between master and save tveuld be canverted into mutual distrust and hos But we are dbfiXed as a `Christibn and moral nation to consider what would be the effect open unhappy Africa itself if we should re-open the slave trade. This would give the trade an impulse and extension which it has never had even in its palmiest days. The numerous victims required to supply it would convert the whole slave coast tn`o a perfect Pandemonium, fur which the'country would be held responsi. ble'in'the eyes both`bf God and man. Its potty tribes wculd then be constantly en ' gaged in predatory were itgathst e . c . lt other for the purpOgs of serz:ng slaves to supply the American market All hopes of Afri can civil zbtion would thus be ended. On the other band, when a market fur African slaves shall Ito longer be furnished in Cuba, and thus ail the world be closed against th a trade, we mey then indulge a reasonable hope fur the gradual improve , meet of Africa. The chief motive of war among the tribes will cease whenever there is no longer any demand for slaves The resources of that fertile but miserable noun try might then be duel ped by the hand of industry and afford subjects for legit' , mate foreign and domestic commerce. In this manner Christie, i.y and eiviliz4tion may gradually penetrate the existing gloom. The wisdom of the course pursued by this Gove'rnment towards China has been vindicated by the event. Whilst we sus tained a neutral positimin the war waged by Great Britian and France against the Chinese empire, our late minister. in obe dience to his instructions, judiciously co. operated with the ministers of these powers in all peaceful measures to secure by treaty the just concessions demanded by the in. for. ate of foreign commerce. The result is that satisfactory treaties have teen con. eluded with China by the respective min• ieters of the United States, Great Britain, France, and Russia. Our ••tteaty, or gen• eral convention of peace, amity, and com melee.," with that empire was concluded at Tientsin on the 18E6 June, 1858, and was ratified by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Semite, on the 21st D °ember following. On the 15th December, 1858, John E. Ward, a distinguished citizen of Georgia, was duly commissioued as envoy extraor dinary and miuister plenipotentiary to China. He left the United States for the place of his destination on the sth of Feb. 'marl, 1859, bearing with him the ratified copy d'f this treaty, and arrived at Shang• bai on the Ash May. From thenSe he pro ceeded to Peking on the IGth J one, but did nor arrive iu that city until the 27th Jaly. According to the terms of the treaty the ratifications were to be etchsnged on or ' before the 18th June, 1859. This was 'ren dered impossibe by reasons and events be. yund his cootie!, not necessary to detail; but still it is due to the Chinese authorities at Shanghai to state that they always as sured him no advantage should be taken of the delay, and this pledge has been faith futly redeemed. On the arrival off' Mt Ward at Pekieg requested an audience of the Emperor to present his le ter of credence. This he did nut obtain, in consequence of his very proper retusal to submit to the humiliat.ng ceremunies required by the etiquette of this strange people in lip p ro.ehing their sovereign. Nevertheless the interviews on this question were conducted in the most friendly spirit and with all due regard to his personal feelings and the honor of his country. When a presentation to his Maj esty was found to be imoossitle, the letter of.credenee from the President was re• ceived with peculiar honors by K weiliang, othe Emperor's prime minister and the Setond tat inin the empire to the Emperor himself." The ratifications of the treaty were afterwards, on the 18:h of August, exchanged in proper form at Pei.tsang.— As the exchange did not take place until after the day prescribed by the treaty, it is deemed proper, before ifs publieation,ligain to submit it to the Senate. It is but simple justice to the Chinese authorities to observe, that, throughout the whole transaction, they appear to have ac ted in good faith and in a friendly spirit towards the United States. It 18 true this has been done after their own peculiar fashion; but we ought to regard with a len ient eye.the ancient customs of an, empire dating back for thOnsande of seitio; ob fat as this may be consistent with our own national honor.'Tie oonduot of our minis inter on the occasion hart received my en. tire approbation In order to carry out the spirit of this treaty, rind to give it 'full effect, it became necessary to conclude two supplemental conventions -the one for the soktuatment and satisfnctidn of the . 'claims of our citi setts, and the other to fix the tariff on int ports and exportF, and to regulate the tran sit duties and trade 'of our merchants with China. This duty was satiefactor.ly per formed by our late minisister. Tliese con ventions bear date at Shanghai on the Bth of November, 1858. liaving been consid ered in the light of binding agreements subsidiary to the princip tl treaty, and to he carried into execution without delay, they do not provide for any Lrmal ratifica Lion or exchange of ratifications by, the contracting parties, This was r,t!t deemed necessary by the Chinese, who are already proceed.ng in good faith to 8 1 ttialy the claims )f ear citizens, and, it is hoped, to carry out the other provrenins of the conventions. Still I though,t it was proper to submit them to the Senate. by which they were ratified on the 3rd.-March, 185 ( 3 The rat ified-cdpies,,nowever, did nut reach Shang. hat until after the departure of cur minis ter to Peking, and these conventions could nyt, therefore, be exchanged at the same time With the principal treaty. No doubt is entertained that they will be ratified and exchanged by the . Chinese government., should this be thought advisable; but, on der the cireiithstanoes presented, I shall consider them binding engagements from their date on both parties, and cause them to be published as such for the information and guidance of our merchaute tradin t ; with the Chinese empire. It affende me Mitch satisfaction to inform you that all u. r ttffieulties with the repuh lid of Pdraguay have been satisfactorily adjusted. It happily did not become ne• emery to employ the force for this pur pee which Congress had placed at my command under their joint resolution of 2d June, 1858 On the contrary, the Pres. Want of that republie, in a friendly spiri', acceded rrnmptly to the just and reasona tile demands of the Gicernment of the Uni ted Stales. Our commissioner arrived at Assumption, the cipital of the republic, on the 25th at January, 1859, and left it on ibe 17th of February, having in three weeks ably and successfully accomplished ail the otj.mts of his mission. The treatie which he has cm - minded will be immedi.. ately submitted to the aenate In the view that the employment of other than peaceful means might become I necessary to obtain "just satisfaction" from Paraguay, a strong naval forca was I canoe' crated in the waters of the La Plata to await cmiineendiers, a l hilst 'our Corn missioner o ascended the rivers to Assurnp - : lion. The Navy Departtnent is entitled to great credit for the , proinptness, efficiency, 1 and economy With 't; j hich . this expedition was fitted out and ' condtiCted. It coneis ' ted of 19 armed vessels, grehl and small, I carrying 200 guns and 2500 men, all under the command of the veteran and:o.,allant I Shubrick. The ehtire expenses of the ex. petlition . have been defrayed odt of the I ordinary appropriation . for, hhe naval ser- i vice, except i the shit of t 289,000, applied ; ' to the purchase of seven °title steatnefs, constituting a part of at . under the author- , ity of the navel appropriation act of the 3d March last. /1. ;a beleived that these I steamers are went) more than their cost, aid they are all now usefully and actively employed in the naval service. The appearance of so large a force, fitted out la ouch a I prompt manner, in the far distant waters of the La Mita, and the admirable conduct of the officers and men em- ployed in lt, have had a happybitect itt - fri'ver of uurcoun- • try throughout all that remote portion of the world. I Our relations with the great empires of France and Russia, aa well as With all other governmentson the con- Uncut of Europe, unless ire may ekcept that of Spain, happily continuo to be of the most friendly character. In my last annual message I presented a statement of the unsatisfactory condition of our relations; with Sortie; and I regret to say that this has not materially ituproVed. I Without epeclal reference to other chiliad, even the "Cu- ; ban claims," the payment of which has been ably urged by our ministers, mid in which more than a hundred of our citizens are directly interested, remain uneatisfied, I netwithotauding both their justice and their amount : ($128,635 54) had been recognised and ascertained by the Spaniel government ihielf. I again recommend that an appropriation be made "to ; be paid to the Spanish government for the purpose of die- 1 tributing among the claimants in the Amietad case." In , common with two of my predecessors, I entertain no i doubt that this is required by our treaty with Spain on ' the 27th of October, 1795. The failure to discharge this 'obligation has been employed by the cabinet at Madrid as a reason agalnet, the settlement of our datum. , I need not repeat the arguments which I urged ln my ; litst annual message in favor of the acquisition of Cuba, ! by fair piirchaso. My opinion on that measure remains ' unchanged. Wtherefore, invite the serious attention of : Congress to this im`bertant subject. Without a recaps!, thou of this policy on their 'part, it will be almost impos- table to institute negotiations with any reasonable pros pect of success. i Until a recent period there was good reason to believe that I should ho able, to announce to you on the present occasion that our diffienitiee with Great itriteln, arising ' out of the Claytat &Yid, Ililicer treaty, bad, been final's . , I adjusted in a manner alike honorable end satiefeitori _to , I both parties. From causes,however,which the Britleh goV . - I ernment bad not anticipated, they have not yet completed ; I treaty arrangements with the republics of liondurtmand i Nicaragua; hi pursuence of the understanding between I the two governments. It is, necerthelem, confidently ex- : potted that this good work will ere long be accomplished. - Whilst indulging the hope that no other subject re-' moined which could disturb the good understanding be- ; tween the two countries, the question arising out of the I adverse claims et the parties to the Island of San Juan, under the Oregon treaty of the 15th of June, 1910, sud- denly aseumed a threatening prominence. In order to prevent unfortunate collisions on that remote frontier, the late Secretary of State, on the 17th July, 1855, ad dressed a note to Mr. Crampton, then British minister at Washington, communicating to him a copy of the instrifc. i ; tions which ho (Mr. Marcy] had given, on the 14th July, i ' i to Gov. Stevens, of Washington territory, having especial reference to an "apprehended conflict between our citi zone and thellritieh subjects on the Island of Jan Juan." To prevent tills, the governor was inetructed "that the officers of the Territory should abstain from all acts en I the disputed grounds which are calculated to provoke any cordliete, so far as it can be done without implying the I !concession to the authorities of Omit 11rItalli Man exclu sive right over the premises. The title ought to he settled before either party, should Attempt to exclude the other by force, or exercise compielb and • • .eiclusive sovereign rights within the fairly disputed limits." ln acknowledging the receipt on the next day of Mr. , ; movers note, the British minieter expressed his entire , I concurrence "In the propriety of the course recommended t to the governor of Washington Territory by your I Mr. i IMarcy's] instructions to that officer," and stating that ho I ihad 'Host no time iu transmitting a copy of that document I to the governor-general of British North America," and I : Lad earnestly recommended to his Excellency to lake ouch i measures as to him may appear beet calculated to the In- I habitants of the neighborhood of the line in question, the ; exercise er the dame spirit of forbearance whirl, is incel- I I cated by you (Mr. Marcy) on the authorities and citizens ',, of the United States." Thus matters remained upon the faith of this arrtinge- ment until the 9th July last, when Cien. Ihusiey timid a visit to the iSlalid , lie found upon it twenty-five Ameri can residents, with their . fitnlllies, find ale an eatablieh mcdt of the iltideon Bay Company, I.& the purpose of rais ing sheep. A short time before his arrival, one of three ,' residents had shot an animal belonging to the Company, i whilst. trespassing upon his premises, for which, however, he offered to pay twice Its value: but that was refused.— I Soon after, "the chief factor of the company, at Victoria, I Im r , milk, son-in-law of Governor Douglas, cam to the Satellite, and threatened itiltlalkideitildtali_eallierelitt i' i l (.3 l l " r.C f4' n ' t n ie r, r) by force. to Victoria, to answer the traipses he bad smut thud- Thu American seized kb rifle, mid told Mr. Dallas If any such attempt was made, Ife would kill him on the spot, The affair thus ended." . • , Under [petiti o nman, the American settlers pre sented a to the General, -through the United States Inspector of Customs, Mr. Milks, to place a force Mend to protect them from the Ins:Bane as well relate° interference of the authorities of the R4zurE:tlih:;:te p ra p,,..5.. c e nspargy . at Victoria with their rights ae American citizene." The(lenoral Immediately responded to tide petition, and ezderiel Cuptain George E. Pieleett, uth i n f au t, y ,eitail . 9!ll4lBCUl . llipally tm car the h licylic, on San Juan Idland, on Kane nuitAble Poeittlei near arbor at the Southensterli extremity." This order VMS promptly obeyed, and a military poet wee eidatiliehod at the place I designated. The force wasafterwarde increased, so that by the last return the whole number of troops then on the island amounted in the aggregate to six hundred and ninety-one men. . I Whilst Ido not deem it proper on the present occasion to go further into the eubject, and discuss the weight Attached to the statements of the Brl wtishhiciColoni ought al W b$ auerltifee, contesting the accuracy of the Information on which thogailant General acte4 It was duo to him that I should that( prows, his own reasons for issuing the order to Captain 'Plekett. From these it is quite clear his object was to prevent the British authorb Gee on Vancouver's Island from exercising jurisdiction over American resident(' on the Island of .San Jima, es well ea to protect them against the Incursions of the In dians. Much excitement prevailed for some time throttgb(Elt that region, and serious danger of collision between the parties was apprehended. The British had a large naval force in the vicinity ; and It is but enact of simple justice to the admiral on that etationto state that ho wisely and discreetly forbore to commit any hostile, act, but deter mined to refer the whole affair to hie.'miverronent awl await their instructions. This aspect of the matter, in , My opinion, demanded serious attention. It would have been a groat calamity for both nations had they been precipitated into acts of hostility not on the question of title to the island, but porelysoncerning what should tootis condition during the Intervening period while the goveromente might be employed in settling the volition to which of them it belong.. For this reason Lieutenant General Scott was 1 deapatched on the 17th of September last to Viittehirigton'l Territory to take immediate command of the United ' Stateif forces on the Pacific coast should be deem this ne cessary. The main object of his mission was to carry out the spirit of the precautionary arrangement between the tato Semetary of State smiths British minister, and thus to preserve the peace and prevent collision between the i liritish.andAmericanautheritiee pending the negotiations between tho two governments. Entertaining no deiubt of of the validity of one title, I need scarcely add that, in any event, American citizens were to be placed on a foot ing at boast as favorable as that of British subjects, it be ing understood that Captain Pickett's company should re main on the island. It is proper to observe that, consid ering the distance from the steno of action, and, he igno rance of what might have transpired on the spot before the General' s errivol,jt vraiboeCeesafEto leave much to {,his dhscretion, and -I em hapPy to state the eventheapro getephatthis discretion could not have been intrusted to Mereneapetout hands. Oen. Scott has recently returned 'from hie mission, having successfully accomplished its ob jects, and there is no longer any good reason to apprehend a collision between the forges of. the two cotuttriee during the pendency of the existing negotiations, I regret, to inform you that there has been n . improve ment in the snake of Mexico since my lest annual mes sage, and I ton again obliged to ask the earnest utter - Ilan of Congress to the unhappy condition of that Iteptehlic. The conreltuent Congress of Mexico, which adjourned on the lith of February, 1857, adopted a constitution and provided fora popular election. This took place in the following July, [ISM.] and Gen. Comontort was chosen President almost without opposition. At the same election a twit emegreas was chosen, whose first session commenced on the 26th of September, 11557 ]---- By the constitution of 1857 the pre-idential term was to begin on the Ist of December. (1.851] and continue for four years. On that day Gen. thnsionfort appeared before the assembled Goegreas in the city of Mexico. took the, oath to support the neweenstitution, and was duly inaileursteri es President. Withiti a month after wards he had beeh driven from the capital, and ii win tery rebellion had assigned the supreme power of the Republic to tlen. Znlortga. The wnstitutien provided that In theebeence of the President, his °Mee shetthi divisive upon the Chief justice of the Supremo Court. and yen. Gemonthrt having left the country, thisfu no tionary, than. Juarez. proceeded to form, et Guitnej two, a constitutional government. Before this was officially known, at the capital. Treleaven had been recognised by the entire diplomatic carpe, including the minister of the United States. as the de Pct., government of Mex is 1. The constitutional President, nevertheless, main tained his position wills firmness. and was soon retell- Baited with his cabinet at Vera Crust. Meanwhile, the government of Zuulaga was earnestly resisted in many parts of the Republic, end even in the capital a portion of the army having pronounced it. its fungi lime were declared terminated, and an ansentioly of citizens was le tilted far the choice of a now President. The astern bly elected Gen. Mira-mon. but that ;Miner repudiated the plan under which he was chosen. and Zuolaga was thus restored to hie previews position. Ue assumed it, however, only to withdraw from it, and Mirenvin. hav ing become by his appointmentesPrethient Substitute.' continues with that ;Ole at the head of the insurgent party. In my lost ennuis' message I tionununicaWil to Con gress the circumstances undereshich the late Minister of the United States mispendel hie Aloha relations with the central government. anti withdrew frem , the country. It was impossible to maintain friendly biter course with a government, like that at the capital. nu der whose usurped authority wrongs ware constantly committed, bet :toyer redressed. Had this been an established government, with its power of extending, by the consent of the people, user the whole of Mexico, a resort to hostilities intainet it would have been qui is justifiable, and inde e d noceseery. But the country eke a prey to civil war; and it was hoped that the success of tire constitutional President might lead to A condi tion of things lees injurious to the United :Rates.— This success became so probeh'n that, in January lest, i I employed it reli - id- agent to visit Mexico, and to re putt to me the actual condition and prospects of the contending parties. In censequencn of his report, and from infermation which reached me from other sources, favorable to the prospects uf the Constitution cause, I telt justified is-appointing a now Meister to Mexico, who might embrace the earliest suitable opportunity of restertue our diplomatic relations with Wit Itepnalic. For this pnrome a dirtingulehed citizen of Dlnryiniel was selected; who proceeded on his Subution Oii, theiith of March last. with discretionary authority, to recog nize the authority et President Juarez, if on his arri val in Mexico he should find it entitled to such recogni tion, according to the established practice of the United States. On the 7th of April [allowing. Mr.. McLane presented hts credentiels to President Juarez, having no hesitation "in pronouncing the gov ernment of .Juarez to he the only existing govern ment .f the Republic." fie was cordially received by the authorities at Vera thee. ape they Imes ester Niece menifested the most friendly disposition towards the United States. Unhappily, however, the constitutional government ban not been aide to establish its power over the whole Republic. it le supported by a large ma jority of the people anti the States, but there ate itupor taut parts of the country where itcan enforce no obedi ence. Gen. Miremon maintains himself at the capital, and in some of the distant provinces there are military governors who pay little respect to the decrees of either government. him the meantime fire (-seems which al e aye attend upon civil_ war, ie Mexico. ars censtantly recurring. Outrages of the worst description are coin mitted both upon persons and property. There hrecarce ly any form of injury which has nut been suifered by Our citizens in Mexico during the last cow 3 rant 'We have been nominally at peace with unit Republic, but "solar aiethieintereet of our commerce and of onr citizens who have visited thecountry as merchants,shipmasters, or in other capacities, are coneernird, we might as well have been at wee." Lifebas been insecure, property • unprotected, and trade impossible except at a risk of loss which prudent men manna be expected to ineur.— Important contracts involviug large expenditures. en- tered Lite by the contralgovernment. have been set at defiance by the local governments. peaceful Amami ' resideots, occupying their rightful peesessione have : been suddenly expelled the country, in defiance of.trea. : ties, and by the mere force of arbitrary power. Even the courseof justice has not been ref, from contraband a recent decree of Mirealon permits the intervention of , ell snits where either party is a foreigner. Vessels of i the United States have been seized without law. and a ; couselar officer else protested against sects serene line i' been lined arel imprisoned for for disrespect to the en i tierrities. Military contributions have been levied in violation of every, priegiple of ,right, and the American who reeletedthe leirleis demand bits had, hls property ! forcibly taken away, and has been himself babie'ted.,-- I tram a emit:Get of authority in differeut parti„of the I country, thrill" Moles which have been paid in one place , have base exacted over again in another pi ace. Large I numbers of our citizens bare twee arrested and imieries- i oned without any form of examination or ally opportto 1 nity for a bearing. and even when releamtel have only ob silted their liberty after mirth suffering or briery ; 1 and without any hope of redress. The wholesale massacre of Crahhe and his associates i without trial in &morn, no well as the tielzureand mur der of our sick Americans who had taken shelter le the I house of an American neon the sell pf the United States, was communienttsi to Com:eons at rte last Fejt ; sion. Murders of still more atrocious character have I been committed in the very heart of Mexico, wider the 1 1 authority of Miremon . s government, derleg the pros - I out year. Borne of these were only worthy of a barba rous aec, and, if they bad not been clearly proven. ; would have seemed !Medi-tell/le in a country which claims i to be civilized. GI this detcription was the brutal rues ! sacra In Aprit Net. by crder of Gen. rilal4llo, of three j Antericaullyeicians, who were seized in the hospital ' at Teermitya while . attending upon the sick and dying of both parties, and, without trial, as without crime, ware hurried away to Rewrote, execution. Little less t (hocking was the fate of Ormond Chime, %M .( was shot i in Tepicon the 7th of August by order of the same 1 Mexican General, not only wilient a trial. but without ! any conjecture by his friends of the cause of his arrest. lie is represented tea a young Man of Ktest :ammeter i and Intelligence, who wade numerous friends in Topic 1 by the courage and butnanity which he had displeyed I en several trying occasions, an I his death was as latex- I fleeted is it was elimeiting to the whole community.— Other outrages' might b enumerated, but three are suf ficient to ilk strata the wretched state of the country and the unprotected condition of the persons and prop- I ) erty of our calomel in Mexico. in ail these Cases Our minieters have been constant jand faithful in their ((emends for redress. but both they and this government, which they have nucceeelvely re- Ipresented, have been wholly powerless to make their demand( effective . Their toetimony in this respectotnd 1 in reference to the cmy remedy which, in their, judg ments, would meet the exigency,has born both unifier's and emphatic. "Nothing but n manifestation o' the 1 [ sows - of the Government of the United States,"(wrote our tete Minister in 1856,)"and of its purposes to pun t till these wrongs will avail. I assure you that the Ma -1 sieved belief is that there in nothing to he apprehended from the Government of the United States. and that local Mexican officials can commit (hello outrages upon I Ametican eitivens with absolute impunity. "I hope the the President" (wroteour present Minister, in Au gust lastj"will feel authorized to ask from Congress the power to enter Mexico with the military forces et the U. 8., et the call of the constitutional authorities, in older to protect the citizens and the treaty rights of the United States. Unless such a pewee is conferred upon hint,neither the one or the other will he respected in the exit ling state of anarchy end disorder. and the outrages already perpetrated will never be chastised; land, as I assured you in my No. Mall these ('vile must c i d n i s e a r ea p p e e m u f u ro t i n t l e t e l e , e r y e o v n e n s i t r i g y e ,, o f t o (- h e 1 4 7 . an beend government ' led to the es me opinion. and, t may still sutler them, 1 feel bound to annotinCe thin and who men, who have tuliered wrong ln eir u o s ai tic h e ie t g o ic m o y , 1 conclusion to Congress. - The Caen presented, however, is not merely a ease of individual claims, although our just claims Rohm Mexico have reached a very large amount. Nor Is it p i Lo w: tie h e o tio n n tay to a tl i tilx . e i. nd ju P property of although the life and property of every Americin eiti e i zen ought to be sacredly protected in every quarter of m of e t r h el ie th w e i the world.. But it is a question which relates to the I I. future as well as to the present and the past, end which '• involves, indirectly at least, the whole subject of our li c rer o ici f I duty to Mexico as a neighboring State. The exercise of WHOLE NO. 560. i the power of the United-States in that country to re- I dress the wrongs and protect •he rights of our citizens is none the lees to lib desired, becetim efficient and im cessary aid may thus ho rendered at the saran time to restore !mace and order tollexice Itself In the ;mono,. plishment of this result the people of the United State: i moot necessarily fee. x deep endear:l4ln interest. Mex i ico ought to be a rich and proeperous and 110 A errial re i Public. Site poesesees 4„ii „v.:derisive: territory, a fertile I soil, and incalculable stornOt mleeral wealth She oc . entitle an important position he wove the Gulf end the ocean for transit routes and for commerce, le it poeei hie,. that such a cr mitt,: as tide can be given up to an :Welty and ruin sithoutun, Oran free' any +mercer for its rescue:end Its safety? Witi thecommereral nethnio of the world, witicielltve stronarty intrmete comma ell with it,remain wholly indifferent to such a resat 1— Coin the United Rotes, gap:wilds, which ought to share most largely in its commercial intercourse, allow their honied ate neighbor thus to destroy itself and Willa theme ~ . -. ... .. Yet without support from some' quarter, it to imposal ble to perceive how Mexico can resume her position among nations cud enter itmett[ x career which promisee any gond restate. ' The aid which she requires, and which the interests of all coninsercial countries require that oho should have. It belongs to thin government to render, not only by virtue of our neighborhood to Mex ico, along whose territory we bayou continuous frontier of nearlyµ timusanotmiles.• but by virtue. Mao, of our established police, which is incoasisteut with ,he inter vent:oiler any littropeati Power In the domestic cot:- Cornea that Reirrildie • The wrongs w 'rich 'we have suffered from Mexico are before :ha world, andel:mit deeply impress every AVM men citizen. A govMlentiot %lila le either unable or unwilling to redressritnh,fitrinurs, is d. relict to its blar e: t duties. The Miff • IQ Consists in selecting and en forcing the remedy. 4,',e,rorty in vain apply to the sem stitutional govertituuditaioerit Cruz, although It is well dispom Itodo u' justice, for edit/nate redress. Whilst its authority is acknowledged fatal the important ports and throughout the sea tenets of the republid, Its power does not extend to the city of Mexico and the Kates in his vicinity, where no mly all the recent outrages have been committed on American citizens. We moat peso trate into the interior before we can roach the offenders. nod this can only hedona by pos.ing through the tend tory in the octal 'ration of the conetit taional government, rite most recceptible and least difficult mode of accom plishing the object will he to act in concert With that government Their consent and their aid might, I be lieve, he obtained; but if not, our obligation to protect ' nor own ritiz:ns in their just rights, secured by treaty, would not be the rem imperative. For these reasons. I recommend to Congress tr pose a law authorising the President, under ouch conditions. as they nmy deem eW • pedient. to employ :: sufficient military force to enter Mexico for the purpose of obtaining indemnity fur the past and security for the future. I purpes Ji refrain trout any suggestion as to whether tbra force shall con sist of regular troops or volunteers. or both. Ws clues lion may be most appropriately left to the decision of Congress. I would merely observe that, should volun. teem be selected, ouch a force could he easily raised in this country among /hose who sympathize with the sufferings of our unfortuneefellow citizens in Mexico, and with the unhappy condition of that republic. diudi ' an accession to the forces of the coned:AH.)lA govern ment would enable it soon to reach the city of Mexico' and extend its power over the whole republic. In that event there is nommen to doubt that,thejnot claims of Our citizens would be mai:died and adequate redress oh. tamed for the inj rules inflicted upon them. 'rho eon.' etitutional government have ever evinced a strong de sire to do as justice:red this might be secured in advance ] by a preliminary treaty. It may be said that these measures will, ialesst indi rectly, it i incsusktent with our wise and settled policy not to interfere in the domestic concerns of foreign on times. But does not the prOtWUt occur fairly Colleal/O la so exception s Au adjoining republic is inn state of anarchy and confoolon. from which she Iranproved wholly unable t • extricate herself. kiwis entirely dee titute of the power to maintain peace upon her herders, or to prevent the incursions of banditti into our territo ry. In her fate and in her fortune—io be. poser to estabitah end nilllllbrill a settled government—we have a far deeper interest socially, conimmcially, and politi cally, than soy ether nation. She is now a Wreck ciao the orean,driftintr about as she is impelled by different Isetiona As e gOOd neighltot, Alai we not extend to her a beiPing hmei 1'..: save her 1 ../1 we do not, it would not he surprising should some other nation undertake the task, nd thus force us to interfere at last, under ctr onnistancee of increased difficulty, for the maintenance of our a taldished policy. I repeat the ammonia:talon contained In my last annual kleseare, that moth:petty may be given to the President to estshiiali one or more, temporary military poets across the Mexican 41,5 in Sonora and Chihuahua where these may be necessary to protect the Urea and property of At:Mt-Man and Mexican citizens, as well as iiif lawless rovers of that remote region. The establish nicht of one such post at a polut called A rispo. in So nom, in a county now almost depopulated by it:ohm:tile inroad: of the Indiana from our side of the line. would, it is 'relieved, have prevented much injury and many cruelties tinting the past Inettioll A state of lawless nese and violet:6s prevails on that Lishint frock der.. Life and property ere there wholly its-cure. The pupal:atop of Arizonia„,now numbering more than' to I thousand souls, are practically totir,nte,of governMent,ofilaws, .di' of any. regular adininlistratien of justice. Monde-, rapine, and other crimes are committed with Impunity. I, therefore, again ,call the attention of Congress to the necessity for establishing a territorial government fo• Arizonia. The treaty with Nicararta of the lath Fetirnary,lBs7, to which I referred In my last annual message. failed to receive the ratification of the government of that re public, for reasons which I need not *numerate. A elm. liar treaty has been since concluded betw.ett the par ties beating date on the 16th 31arch, 1869. which bag al ready been ratified by the feicaraguae Congress. This will be immediately submitted to the Senate for their ratification. Its provisions cannot, I thtulf,"fitil to be acceptable to the people of both countries. Our claims against the gove rnments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua remain naredressed, though they are.presa ed in en earnest maoner„and not without hope of vireos& I deem it to be toy duty once More earnestly to re commend tc Congress the pa eege of a law authorizing the President to employ the naval force at his command for the purr se Jr protecting the lives and property of A tnerican eltizeuepassitie in transit across the Panama, Niearagna and TebaunteplM routee,against midden and lawleseputbleaks and depredations. Z shall not repeat the argunistits employed in former inenseres in support cf this intlillobre.O f fice it to say that the lives af many of our ,Rople, and the security of vast amen tete of tree sure passing and repealing over eye or more of these routes between the Atianticand l'Acibc, may he deeply involved in the *Won of Cengreas on this subject. I would, also, again reciitutend to, emigress that an. theritV belarrn to the President to employ the naval force to }potent Arner:Osot merchant vessels, their crews and cargoes, against violent end lawless aefi,ure and eouthostion in the ports of Mexico and 'tiiien'panisit American States.'when these countries may be itt a did lurbea and revolutionary comiition. The mere know ledge that such en authority had been conferred as I have already stated. would of, itself in a great degree, prevent the evil. Neither would this require any addi tional appropriation for the navel service. The chief of urged against the grant of this authority is. that Congraes,ity confettiit A., Would vi e late the Constitution—that it would ha a transfer of the rake making, or, strictly speaking. the war-declaring power to the Executive. If this were well founded, it would, of course, beconclufive. A very brief examine. it - In, however, will place this objection r t rest. Congress possess the sole and excmeive power, under the consti tutien,-to ueelaro war." They 'llene au "raise and support armies." and "provide and mttintaitt.a nary.' lint after, Congress 1111,131 have dCrIiI ed war, and provided the fuice. necessarY.t a carry It on. the Proab dent. as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. can alone employ this force in making war agaitst the elieftlY. Title is the plain language. and history proves that it was the well known intention of the framers of the Constitution, It will not be denied that the general...power to de• clare war" it with /imitation, and embraces within itself not only what Writers on the laws of AM ions term a public or perfect war, hut ales an Imperfect year— end, in short. every Species of hostility, however con need or limited, Without the authority of Congress, the President cannot tire a hostile gun in any case. ox. COpt to repel the attacks of an enemy. It witnet be doubted that under IMP power Congress could. if they thought proper. authorize the President to employ the at itie CASIMA.nd is fete a vessel belonging to an me lean citizen veldh had been illegally anti unjustly captured in a tweign port anti restore it to its owner.— But can Congress only act after the fact—after the mis chief has been dune( Cave they no power to confer upon th'is President the authority iu advance to furnish instant redress should such a case afterwaids occur ? Al pst tiny wait pttil the mischief has h eu done, and can they apply the remedy only when It is too late ? To confer this a ut y to Inset future ca-vs tinder etc emnstances Strictly specified, Is as dewily within the war declaring power a. such an authority conferred upon the President by Act of Congress after the deed ha, Leen Alone. to ass- progress ofa great nation many exigencies must arise imperatively requiting that Con gress SIIOIIIII authoti2ll the President to act promptly on certain conditions which ma: , or may nut aiterwatdc arise. Our history has already presented a ember of such Alms, I shall only refer to the latest. Under the resolution of Jima 2114 MS, "Mr the adjust ment of difficulties with the republic of Paraguay." the Prtslident is "authorized to adopt such measure; and, use such force AS ill his judgment may be necessary and IWO sable in the event of a refusal of just satiafaction by the government of Paraguay." "Just satisfaction" for what? For "the attack on the United litatesattminer Witter Witch," and "other matters referred to iu the annual tiles tutge of the Presideht," Hero the power is expressly grant ed upon the condition that tho government of Paraguay Shall reface te render this 'just eatistitction." In this and &Li& similar calms Congress have conferred upon the Pre sident power in advance to employ the *Mirky and navy up. on the ditiplietting.of contingent future SYSIItAij and this most certainly is embraced within the power to declare war. Now, if this condition and contingent power could be constitutionally conferred upon the President in the case of Para? bay, Why may It not be conferred for the purpose of proteettng the lives and property of American citizens lathe event that they Inky be violently and unlawfully at tacked in passing over the transit routes to and from Cal ifornia, or assailed by the seizure of their vessels in Attar eigu port?,TO deity this power is to rettder the navy i n n great degree Usefora for the protection - of the lives and property of America citizens in countries where neither protection nor redress can be otherwhoabtaintAd. Ttin Thirty filth C.Angrese ieriniiAted on lien 3d of March, 1859, without having passed the 'tact making approitrintit;ns for the service of the Post. Office Department during the &teal year ending the 30th June. 1860." This act also contained.an art pro .prialion "to supply deficiencies in the revenue of the Post Office Department for tjie year ending the 30;1k RI bop, 1859," I believe t he fiat instance since ,the origin of Federal Covernetent,now more than seventy years age, when ley Congress went out of existence with Out hevitg passed all the general appropria tion bills net essary .necarry on the govein ment until the regnisir period for the meet ing of the neve'Coogress. This event im posed on the Executive a grave respo - nsit Why. It presented a choice of evils. Had this omissinueof duty occurred *it the first seesiU of the last Cong ress the remedy would hive been plain 11 might then have insti.ntly recalled them to plate their work—anti this without expense to the Government. But on the 4th of March last there were fifteen of the thirty three States which lied nisi 'selected arty representatives to the Piesent CotTgieteti--- Had Congress been called together imree di itely, these States would have been yin tually diefratiehised. II an intermediate period had bee% selected, several of the States would have been compelled to leek extra sessions of their I-eislatnres, at greet inconienience and expete.3 to provide for elections at an earlier. tbee.than that pre. viously fired by law. In the ..eeiguly. enema, tan f there states ould not eilidt until after the beginning of August, anti five of theve tee not wail October and November. On the other hand. *hon. et Thifft k id" amine csrefulFy the condition of the wilt Office Department, I did not meet as many or as great difficultiee as I had apprehen ded. Had the bill which failed been Cony fined to apprepeations for the fiscalleiii ending on the 30th June neat, there would have been the reason of presing importance for the call of an extra session. Notke it g would become due on contracts (thii4 with railroad companies wily excepted) for carrying the mail for the first quarter of the present fiscal year, commencing on the let ofiuly, until the 'lst of December- 1 - less than one week before the meeting of the present Congress. .:i; The great ti flieulty and the great hard'. ship consisted its he failure to provide for the payment l` f the defiaieecy in the fiscal year ending the 3d lune„ ; lBs9. The ,Ds. partmeni had entered into .2ontracts,in obs. dience tit misting laws, for the service of that fiscal year, and the contractors were fairly etritled to their compensation as became due. The deficiency as stated In the bill amounted to f1:3,838,728, but, after a care! ).1 settlement of 'all these accounts, it berate en al•ceraitted that it amounts tg 54,290,009. 4 With the scanty means at his command the Poamasier General haiearipagerd to pay that pottirin of this deficiency which occurred in flic Ii 11 - two "t4FI ‘ i eters of the pa-t fiscal year, ending on the 31st Deceui, bee last. lit the meantime the contractors theinrelve.., under these trying circumstan ces, have behaved in a manner worthy of all cotnrnendati it. They had one resource ire the midst of their emberritssale After the amount due to each of them had been ascertained anti finally settled 'accor ding to law, this became a specific debt of record against the Uuitcd States, which en abled them to .sorrow money 01 this en questionable sicurity. 4 , Still they were obliged to pay ip,terest. tif consequence of the default of Congreos,and on every principle of justice r ught to re. naive inter et f ore the Government. This interim shou'd commence from the quo When a warrant would-,are ' . is s iteti Ter the of the 'principal Its.4.ereeppropri atiun been made for this purpose. Oaten lated tip to Ist December,it will nut exceed :1r 6,660—a sum riot to betaken into account when contrasted with the great difficultioe and embearawnente of a publio end private character, both to the people and the States, which would !thee resulted from convenittg and hold.ng a special setetion of Congress. Fur these reasons I 'recommend the pas sage of a bill at as early a day as may be pramieable, to provide for the payment of the amount, with interest due to these lee% ineutiimed contractors as well as to Make ,the necessary appropriptieos.ftir The service at the Post O f fice department for the cur rent fiscal year. The f rilure to pass the Post , amine alcessitri'y gives birth to serious reflections. Congress. by refusing, to pass the general appropriation bills nedeasaryto carry on the Government, may net an'y arrest its se. lion, but might even destroy its existenost -The army, the navy, the judiciary, in ekor every department of- the Government can no longer, perform their functions if Con. greas ,refuse die 'Cliney necessary for their sup`port. If this failure sheuld vetch the country the necessity of electing a full Con gress in sufficient time to enable the PM. ident to convene them in any emergency, even immediately after the old Congress has expired, it will have been productive of great goode In a time of sudden and alermin ;da nger, foreign or diAmetiiC 7 , whjoh all nations mutt expect to enclun'er iu their progress. the very selretnin ul our institutions may be staked noon the assembling of Congress without delay 11, under such oireumeren• sea, the Preeident, should flpd hirpself in the condition in which ale *as {flats']: at the close of the last Conerese, with nearily half the States of the Union destitute of representatives, the consequences might be &suet rens. " '" 1, therefore, recomMon . ,-to Cengross to carry into effect the provip i ippa,o4 the !geeetitation.,oll. this subject, and to pass a Jew blipointing Tonal day preriatts to the 4th of March in each year of odd somber for the election of representatives throughout all the States. They have already appointed a day for the election of electors for President and Vice President, and this measure hos he'll approved by the 'country. I would again etpress,a mastOelohled,epittleff m 'fever of the construction of a Paeiga ialleenler t for the reasons stated in my two last annual mu anges. When I reflect upon what would be the defenceless condition of our States and Tettito: ries west of the Reeky mountains In cash 4,4 war with a naval power ?efficiently strong to la terrupt all lutereourie 4.,11 Apri. i t s the mks 'across the Isthmus, I am still more 'eenvince ? d than ever 0f the rnst imeortnueo a this railroad, I have never doubted . the constitutional comp"- teney of Congress to proiide for its construction; but this exclusively under the war-makihg pow er. Besides, the Constitution expressly requires; as an imperative duty, that "the United &Mei shall protect eagh of them [the States] against invasion," lamat a lota to conceive how thii protection can be tifferried to California and Ore gon against such a naval power by any ether means. • w a i rd i I repeat the opinion contained in my lass nual message, that it would In expedient for the Government to undertake this great week by incepts of its own appointment and under its di rect and exclusive control. This would inorsatu the riatteeW.elitthe.ratecutiveto a dangerous ex;.• tent, and would. ,systanst: of : jpbbing and corruption which no vigilanenontlial*otTetti oral elfteinis could prevent. The coludiabtlertesit this mod ought, therefore, to be intrusted to in corporate companies or other agencies, who would exercise that netive end vigilant supervision over it which con be inspired alone by a loam of cor porate atclaiidltillfital interest. • k I venture to assert tiat the. additional. cost of transporting troops, munitions of war, anchteees eery supplies for the army across Ad; *sat. intar r vesting plains'to our possessions on the Pacific coast would be greater in such a war than the whole •amount 'required to construct the road.— And yet,this,resort would, - after_ all, be Wade quote i'or their defence Bull protectlait We have yet scarcely recovered from the habs its of extravagant expenditure, produced by our overflowing TreaSura, dinettes several years prior to tho commencement , of my administratieno-Tipi financial reverses which we have since experienc ed ought to teach us ell Low to scrutinize ours:. peaditures with the.greatost vigilance, and te'rw. duce them to the lowest possible point. TheEi- Emo tive Bepirtineete of the Ortvernment have de voted thereschee to tlin accomplishment of thit object Wit to'nalt]deable fiuccess, as will Oaf from theikAg,l:44 rnp4rte and estimates. To tho3o I tailfe 1146 it'iPutiny-ctf. Onlascers, for the purpose of 'reducing them 011 lower, milli be practicable, consistent with the great public' interests.4.:thq -country. In aid of the policy of retrenchmont, II pledge dlyself.to iglialitle closely the bills approitrtatitig lands or . riloiloy. so that if any of these should inadvertently pus both houses, es coast sometimv the.ease, I may at. Wynn= of Fornitt
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