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qyjrcn iEanDaamtt>
in ho current j’<*ar, n Minister to tlie United States.
anil hi* ministers should he put in requisition to accomplish . with a becoming si lf-resp-'ct.
t ii'iupiicu ; vt ii ii a iiti tuning o 1 • — * .* • • | • /■*,.
A «•*■»«; volition .'with M.xirO for extending U^tTmefor the j the object; n„.i he was ineThh-h eern«""J lh“iS«!ld “compl,'
The note of the 89th of and promptitude than experience has proved to be practica-
"‘he variety of the cm-
xity of the details oe-
£ i should STS? jS , ?^ i KSLS;S tt ‘ mion ,,f “ ,s “ ss ’ u " , ’ r ’
n t'tfiivium U| W*s« lie t U IU I llv o' ini ' • • I * % , . , • i,
lit events in that country hii'ie awakened the liveliest so-; to p rmit information ol tits result to be communicated to
licit ude in tlte United Staieq. Aware of the strong u-mpta- 1 congress at the commencement ot their next wsston. Keiy-
lilt* strung wt'M '** *■ r* • , •«•••-
. <*i»e*bting.aiidpi»wotrul inducements held out, to theri-i.ig upon these assurances, I incurred the responsibility,
tixeiw of the United Stales to mingle in life dissensions of grt at as 1 regarded itto be, of suffering congress to separate
integrity of our territory to be sctupduuslj respected by j before ihem, mey declined doi,
both parlies j the Chambers, if prorogued u
Front our diplomatic agents in Brazil. Chile, Peru, Central j should be reassembled at a per
lie next insisted that
lit!lout acting on the subject,
diplomatic agents in Brazil.Chile, Pern, Central ; sROtim oe reassriii.ncu am period so early that their action
America: Venezuela, and New Granada, constant assurances i on the treaty might be known in Washington prior to the
are received of the continued good understanding with the ; meeting ot congress. * li.s reasonable request was not only
governments to which they nre severally •rcrrd’lffJ. Will. ! dcclmejl. but the chambers were prorogued to the i;ith ol
those covernments tinon wliieli our citizens have valid and j U ceroher,a day so late that their decision, Itoweierurgtni-
arcnrniilating claims scarcely an advance towards a settle- . ly pressed could not, m all probability, be obtained in tune
meat of them is mnJr, owing, tnainlv, to their distracted I to remit \N ashington before the necessary adjournment of
stole, or to the pressure of imperative domestic questions.- . congress by the constitution 1 he reasons given by he
Our patience has been, and will pro! ably lie still further, so- ministry for refusing to convoke the chambers at an earlier
\erelv tried; but our fellow-citizens whose interests are in- ; period, were atterwards shown not to be insuperable, by
volved, may confide in the determination of the government, i their actual convocation on the 1st ot December, under a
toobtain for them eventually, run |de retrilmtion. J special call, for domestic purposes—which larii however,
Ihifortunatelv, many of the nations of this hemisphere arc ‘ did not becotno known to tins government unt 1 alter Uie
still self-tormented by domestic dissensions. Revolution commencement of the last session of congress,
succeeds revolution, injuries are committed upon foreigners 1 Inis disappointed in our just expectations, tljiccamcmy
engaged in lawful pursuit
eminent sufllricnlly stabl
of redress—Ministers are
iries are committed upon foreigners 1 Inis disappointed m our just expectations, it necarne my
ts, much time elapses before a gov- ' imperativedtny toconsult w ills congress in regard to theexpe-
,lJ \ s erected to justify expectation di. ney of a resort to retaliaiorv measures, in case the slipula-
e sent and received, and before the lions of the treaty should not be speedily complied with; and
discussions of past injuries are fiirly begun, fresh troubles f to recommend such as in my judgment, the occasion called
urics are added to the old, i for. J o this end, an unreserved communication of the case,
arise; but too frequently npw injuries ms • „ . ■ . .
to be discussed together,'w ith the existing government, after I in all its aspects, became indispensable. To have shrutiK,
it has proved usability to sustain the assaults made upon it. J tn making it, from saying all that was necessary to its cor-
i proved usability — -- r . , - • ... r
or with its successor, if overthrown. If this unhappy eon- | reel understanding, and that tho truth would justily, tor
dition
u
»r wiiu iin successor, u overmrown. 11 mis umiappjr * \ • v '*" ;e« — Til T ,
lition of things eontinups much longer, other na’ioiis w ill be j tear ol giving offence to others, would have been unworthy
inder the painful necessity of deciding whether justice to I ot ns. 'To have gone, on the other hand, a single step furlli-
their suffering citizens dues not require a prompt redress J er, lor the purpose ol wounding the pride of a government
r, without wailing for the es ; and people with whom we had so many motives for culn-
of injuries by their own power, _ „ ....
tahlishment of a government competent and enduring e- j voting relations of amity and reciprocal advantage, would
nough todiscuss and make satisfaction for them. j have been unw ise and improper. Admonished by the past
Since the last session of congress, the validity of our 1 [ll ° difficulty of making even the simplest statement of
claims tjpoh France,as liquidated by the treaty of 1831, lias | our wiongs, without disturbing the sens.bi llies of those
been acknowledged hv both branches of her legislature, and . who had, by their position, become responsible fur their re-
the money has been appropriated for tl.eir discharge, but tho , 'I 1 ™*- 1 ! ‘ n ‘ 1 earnestly desirous of preventing further obstacles
payment is, 1 reget to inform you, stiil withheld. j tr,,m , . hal 1 ' ven * °“ £ of “J * a >; 10 P^chtde a con-
y 1 .... . , • , / struetion of the message, by which the recommendation
A brief recapitulation of the most important incidents in ...
that was made to congress might be regarded asa menace to
France, in not only disavowing such a design, but in declar
ing that h-r pride and her power were loo well known to
expect any thing from her fears. 'The message did not reach
Paris until more than a month after the chambers had be; it
thetr higbjustiea, and the aggravating circumstances outot Although the message was not
w Inch they anise, are too familiar to the American people to t {Q the 1 , rench government, and i
require description It rs sufficient to say, that, for a period j ration {(J lhe c( , nlrar „ w j.ich it co
of t-n yearsand upwards, our commerce was, with but lit- J jst d ,. ( . id ,. d to consider tho cond
this protracted controversy, will show bow utterly untena
ble are the grout.ds upon w liich this course it attempted to
he justified.
On entering upon the duties of my station, I found the
T ailed Slates an unsuccessful applicant to the justice ofj j n session; and such was the insensibility of the minis.r> to
1 ranee, for the satisfaction of claims, the validit} ol w mi our rightful claims and just expectai ions, that our minister
was never questionable, and has now be.»n most solemnly ; , jad beeI1 jnlbrmcd , h at the matter, when introduced, would
(idiivttei] by Franco herself. 1 lie antiquity ol these claims, . bepresssed as acaluuet measure.
their higli jnsliea, and the aggravating circumstances out ol Although the message was not officially communicated
1 notwithstanding thedecla-
contained, the French min-
— * . j istry decided to consider tho conditional recommendation of
Tie interruption, tsubject of constant aggressions on the . , al a menace oml an insult, which the honor of the
j.art c»f !• ranee—-aggressions, theordina^y feattirMCl^w himi , nabon | Ilade j[ incumbent on them to resent. 7‘he measures
to evince their sense of the supposed
immediate recall of their minister at
' passports to the American minister
. , , , . ..atce to the legislative chambers that
s -ripts, in the ports of other nations occupied by the armies, al , diplolna , lc intercourse with the United States had been
or under the control of France. Such, it is now conceded, j s ,jspemled
is the characler of the wrongs vyesuffered; wrongs, in many , j 1 ,^. ‘ in this raanncri vimlicaled the dignity of Fiance,
< uses, so flagrant that even their authors never dented our fh ItfXl proceeded t0 illustrate her justice. To this end,
right to reparation. Of the extent of these injuries, some a , )dl w a / imm ediately introduced into the chamber of cle-
eomvmlion may be formed Irom trie fact, that niter The burn-) p Ut j 0S) proposing to make the appropriations necessary to
ing of u large amount at sea, and the necessary deterioration j ( , iu ‘, 0 e j{- t , ct n, e treaty. As this bill subsequently pass-
iu oilier easoe, by long detention, the American propertv so . law, the provisions of which now constitute the
s ‘ized and sacrificed at forced sales, excluding what was . mQin sub : e< . t of - diflie-ulty between the two nations, it he-
juIjiKlged to privateers, before or without condemnation, J col „ ' duty in order to place the subject before you in
brought into the I' rench treasury upwards of tvyenty-lour . ,-jgm. ffglit, to trace the history ofils passage, and to re-
mdlmnsof francs, besides large custom-house duties. ^ | f e r, with some particularity, to I lie proceedings and discus-
The subject had already been an affair of twenty years’ i 3 j on3 ln rt .g n , d to it. The Minister of Finance in lus open
uninterrupted negotiation, except fora short lime, when ; jpg speech, alluded to the measures which had been adopt-
France was overwhelmed by the military power of united j jp resent the supposed .indignity, arid recommended the
F.urope. During this period, w hilst other nations were ex- J exC cution of the treaty as *a measure required by the honor
t.irting front her, payment of their claims at the point of the ; and j U3 ti ce of France. He, as the orgun of lhe ministry,
bayonet, the United States intermitted their demand for jus- j declared the message, so long as it hod not received the
fice, out ol respect to the oppressed condition of a gallant I sanction of congress, a mere expression of ttie personal o-
people to whom they frit under obligations for fraternal as- i pj„ionofthe president, for winch neither the government
instance in their own days of suffering and of peril. 'Hie I t|or p eoj> i a 0 j ,j le United States were resjionsible; and that
bad effects of these pro'racted and unavailing discussions,as j an engagement had bepn entered into, for the fulfilment of
well upon our relations with France as upon our natiunal j which the honor of France was pledged. Entertaining
character, were obvious; and the lino of duty was to my i tji ( . se views, the single condition which the French ministry
mind equally so. This w as, either to insist upon the ad- p r ,,p oge d to annex to the payment of the money, was, that it
.iustraent of our claims, within a reasonable period, or to j s j luu i d rlot bo made until it was ascertained that the govern-
abandon them altogether. I could noi, doubt that, bv this m ,. n( 0 f United States had dun? nothing to injure the in-
roursa lhe interest end honor of both countries wou.d be j terests of France; or, in other W'ords, that net steps had been
nest consulted. Instructions were, therefore, given in this j authorized bv congress ofa hostile character towards France,
spirit, to the minister who was sent out onte more to de- ; What the'dispusition oraction of congress might be, was
mand reparation. Upon the meeting of congress, in De- ; t)ian un i ;n own to the French cabinet. Rut, on the 14th of
• ember, 1829, I felt it my duty to speak of these e aims, nnd ; January, the senate resolved that it was, at that time, inc-x-
the delays of 1 ranee, in terms calculated to ca.I the serious . pedient to adopt any legislative measures in regard to the
ti'leidion of both countries to th?subject. 1 lie tin n 1-rench t state of affairs between ibe United States and France, and
ministry took exception to the tn^sage, on the groumt of its j n0 ncliorl on , ho suh j 0 ct hud occurred in the house of
containing a menace, under which it was not agreeable to j representatives. These fucts were known in l’aris prior to
if not impracticable, tor that offi-
•Vbt 'dependent on the performance of a condition which cer, by any possible assiduity, to bestow on all the multifa-
he knew could never lie complied w ilh, he thought it a du- rions subjects upon which hn is called to act, th • ready and
ty to make another attempt to convince the French govern- careful attention du - to their respective importance, unless
ment, that whilst self-respect and regard to the dignity of the legislature shall assist him by a law providing, or ena-
nthcr nations would always prevent us from using any hing him to provide, for a more regular and economical dis-
lnngnage that ought to give offence, yet we could never ad | tribntion of labor, with the incident responsibility, among
mil a ri"tu in any foreign government to ask explanations those employed under his direction. The mere manual
of, or to° inferc in any manner in, the communications operation of affixing bis signature to the vast number of
which one branch of our public councils made with an- : documents issuing from Ins office,substraets so largely from
other: that in the present case, no such language bad been the time and attention claimed by the weighty and compli-
used. and that this had in o former note been fully and feared subjects daily accumulating in that branch of the
’ ' public service, as to indicate live Btrong necessity of revising
the organic law of th ■ establishment. It will be easy for
the French government to negotiate. The American minis- j the 23l! , of March, 183:>, when the committee, to whom
1 r,of his ow'ri accord, related the construction which was ( lbe b jjj 0 j'indemnification had been referred, reported it to
«tff>»nn!*»n n'if nnnn fn#> nnii nr ftir» entttp limn * . ^ . c «v . n
r.tti iBpted to be put upon the message, and at the sauie time ; [be Chamber of Deputies. That committee subsiuntmlly
• 'tiled (o the recollection of the I-rencb ministry, that the 1 „ „t ed tlie spntinc>nts n ....
., . ii i ... . re-echoed tho sentiments of the ministry, declared that con-
]>resident s ni'ssage w as o communication addressed; not to , jr r(!SS j,. ld set aside the proposition of the president, and re-
4 ireign governments, but to the congress of tho United COII imended the passage of the bill, without any other re-
tales, tu which it was enjoin'd upon him. by the const it it- strietion than that origmalW proposed. Thus was it known
tion, fo lay before that hotly information ol the s ate of the ■ | 0 ( | le yjitiistrv and Chambers, that if the position
mon, cotnprenendiiig its foreign as well as its domestic re- , assnrned j,y them, and which had been so frequently and
lotions; and that it, in the discharge of this duty, lie lelt it iri- so i cmn (y anr.nounced as tho oidy one compatible with the
ciunbent t'pon liini to summon the attention ol congress m J honor of France, was njaintained, and the bill passed as
due tunc to what might be the possible consequences ot ex- originally proposed, the money would be paid, nud there
toting .difficulties will, any foreign government, he might Wo “, d be mi end of this unfortunate controversy
fairly be supposed to do so, under a sense of what was duo Rut this cheering prospect was soon destroyed by an
t.-oiii him in a frank communication with another branch ol ■ amendment introduced into the bill at the momentofits pas
tas own government, and not frora any intention of holding . providing that the monpy should not be paid until the
a menace over a foreign power. The views taken by him
, French government had received satisfactory explanations
recei ved tny a|) P robation;and the French government vvassat- u f [tie president’s message, of the 2d December, 1834; and
isfied, ami the negotiation was continued. It terminated in the w , iat ib * sli!1 nlore extraordinary, the president of the coun-
treaty of July 1, IS..1, recognising the justice ol our claims j (d ministers adopted this amendment, and consented to
i i part, and promising payment to theamountof twenty-live jfs incorporat , on in the bill, ln regard to a supposed insult
millions of francs, in six annual instalments. which had been formally resented by the recall of their
The ratifications of this treaty were exchanged at Wash- Minister, and the offer of passports to ours, they now, tor
ington on the 2d of F'ebruary, 1332, nnd in five days there- : the first time, proposed to ask explonations. Sentiments and
niter it was laid before congress, who immediately passed i propositions, which they had declared could not justly be
the acts necessary, on our part, to secure to I'ranee the com- ; imputed to the government or people of the United States,
pact. The j are set up as obstacles to the performance of an art of con-
mprcinl advantages conceded to her in the compact
treaty had previously been solemnly ratified by the king of ceded justice to that government and people. They hadde-
theF’rench in terms which are certainly not mere matters of j clared that the honot of F'ranee required the fulfilment of
form, and of which the translation is as follows: j the engagement into which the king had entered, unless
•‘We, approving the above convention in all arid each of congress adopted the recommendations of the message.—
the dispositions which are contained in it, do declare by our- 4 £lt T o-jeertained that congress d d not adopt them, and jet
selves, as well as by our heirs and successors, that it is ac- ’ R iaI fulfilment is refused, unless they first ubtam t'° ni the
replod, approved, ratified, and confirmed; and by these pre- i president explanations of an opinion characterized by them-
sents, signed by our band, wo do accept, approve, ratify, and j selves as personal and inoperative.
confirm it; promising, on the faith and word of a king, to The conception that it wns my intention to menace or in-
observe it, and to cause it to be observed inviolably, without ; suit the government, of France, is ns untdunded, as the at-
cver contravening it, orsuffering it to be contravened, direct- i tempt to extort from the tears of that nation what her souse
ly or indirectly, tor any cause, or under any pretence what- of justice may deny, would be vnin and ridiculous. But
soever.” ! the constitution of the United States imposes on the presi-
Oifickil information of the exchange of ratifications in [ dent the duty of laying befiire congress the condition of the
the United States reached Paris whilst the chambers were country, in its foreign and domestic relations, and of re
in session. Tim extraordinary, nnd to ns injurious, delays j commending such measures ns may, in his opinion, he re
ef the F’rench government, in their aeitun upon the snhjort J quired by its interests. F’rorn the performance of this duty
of its fulfilment, have been heretofore stated to congress,; he cannot be deterred by the fear of wounding the sonsibili-
:md I have no disposition to enlarge upon them here. It is 1 ties of the people or government of whom it mny become
sufficient to observe that the then pending session was al- j necessary to speak; and the American people are incapable
lowed to expire w ithout even an effort to obtain the ncccs- j of submitting to an interference, by any government on
sniy appropriations; that the two succeeding ones were al- ' earth, however powerful, with the free performance of the
so suffered to pass away without any thing liken serious at- i domestic duties which the constitution has imposed on their
ul tliat it was ; public functionaries. The discussions w hich intervenebe-
t.'injit to obtain a decision upon the subject, and
n it until the fourth session, almost threeyears after the con- j tween the several departments of our government belong to
elusion of the treaty, and more than two years after the ex- ; ourselves; nnd, lor any thing eaid in them, our public ser-
ebangeof ratifications, tliat the bill for the execution iff the yanta are only responsible to their own constituents, and
treaty was pressed to a vote and rejected. ! to each other. If, in the course of thetr consultations,
In the mean time, the government of the United States, I fuels are erroneowly stated, or unjust deductions are made,
1 laving full confidence that a treaty entered into and so sol- I they require no other inducement to correct them, however
emnly ratified by the French King, would be executed in
good faith, nnd not doubting that provision would be made
tor the payment of the first instalment, which was to become
due on tfie second day of F'ebruary, 1833, negotiated a draft
for the amount through the Bank of the United Stales.—
When this draft was presented by me holder, with the cre
dentials required by the treaty to authorize him to receive
the money, the government of F'rance allowed it to be pro
informed of their error, than their love of justice, and
what is due to their own character; hut thpy ran never
submit to be interrogated upon the subject, as a matter of
riglit, by a foreign power. When our discussions terminate
in acts, our responsibility to foreign tamers commences,
not ns individuals, but as a nation. Tho principle which
calls in question the president for the language of his mes
sage, would equally justify a foreign power in demanding
tested, ln addition to the injury in the nonpayment of the | explanation of the language used in the r* port of a commit-
money by F'rance, contbrmahly to her engagement, the U- j ,et *> ° r by a member in debate.
nited Stales were exposed to a heavy claim on tlie part of ( This is not the first lime the government of France has
the Bank, under pretence or damages, in satisfaction of taken exception to the messages of the American presidents,
w hich that institution seized upon,and still retains, an equal : President Washington, and the first president Adams, in
amount of the public moneys. Congress was in session j the performance of their duties to the American people, fell
when the decision of the chambers reached Washington; , under the animadversions of the F'rench directory. The
and an immediate communication of this apparently final ] objection taken by the ministry of Charles X, and removed
decision of France not to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty, by the explanations made by our ministry upon the spot,
was the course naturally to he expected from the president, (ms already been adverted to. When it was understood
The deep tone of dissatisfaction which pervaded the public . that the ministry of the present king took exception to my
mind, and the correspondent exeitement produced in con- message of hist year, putting a construction upon it which
grass by only n general knowledge of the result, rendered it : was disavowed on its face, our late minister at Paris, in
more than probable, that a resort to immediate measures of answer to the note which first announced a dissatisfaction
redress would be the consequence of calling the attention of ! with the language used in the message, made a coinmniii-
iliot body to the suhj >ct. Sincerely desirous of preserving
I ho pacific relation* which had so long existed between the
two countries, I was anxious to avoid this course if 1 could
be satisfied, that by doing so, neither the interest nor the
honor of my country would be eompromitted. W ithout the
; cation to the French government under dote of the 2'Jtli of
; January, 1835, calculated to remove all impressions which
! an unreasonable susceptibility had created. He repeated.
• and culled the attention of the F'rench government to, the
’ disavowal contained in the message itself, of any inicntioi
voluntarily stated, before it was contemplated to make the
explanation a condition: and that there might be no mis
apprehension, ha stated the terms us»d in that note, and
he officially inform’d thsm that it had been approved by
the president; and that, therefore, every explanation which
ronld reasonably be asked, or honorably given, had been
already made—that the contemplated measure had been
anticipated by a voluntary and friendly declaration, and
was therefore not only useless, but might be deemed offen
sive, arid certainly would not be complied with, if annexed
ns a condition.
When this latter communication, to which I specially in
vite the attention of congress, was laid before me, I enter
tained the hope that ihe means it was obviously intended
to afford, of an honorable and speedy adjustment of the
difficulties between the two nations, would have been ac
cepted; and I therefore did not hesitate to give it my sanc
tion. This was due to the minister who had made him
self responsible for the act; and it was published to the
people of the United States, and is now laid before their
representatives, to show how fur their Executive has gone
in its endeavours to restore a good understanding between
the two countries. It would have been, at any time, com
municated to the government of France, had it been offi
cially requested.
The rrench government having received all the explana
tion which honor and principle permitted, and which could
in reason he asked, it was hoped it would no longer hesi
tate to pay the instalments now due. The ag°nt authorized
to receive the money was instructed to inform ’.he French
minister to do so. In reply to this notice, he was told
that the rnon-y could no: then he paid, because the formali
ties required by the act ol'the Chambers had not bees ar
ranged.
Not having received nny official communication of the
intentions of the French government, and anxious to bring,
as far as practicable, this unpleasant uffair to a close before
the meeting of congress, that you might have the whole sub
ject before you, I caused our charge d’affaires at Paris, to be
instructed to ask for the final determination of the French
government; and in the event of their refusal to pay the in
stalments now due, without further explanations, to return
to the United States.
The result of this last application has not yet reached us,
but is daily expected. That it may be favorable, is my sin
cere wish. France having now, through all the branches
of her government, acknow ledg'd the validity of our claims,
anti Ihe obligation of the treaty of 1831, and there really ex
isting no adequate cause for further delay, will at length, it
•nay be hoped, adopt the course which the interests of both
nations, not less titan the principles of justice, so imperious
ly require. The treaty being once executed on her part,
little will remain to disturb the friendly relations of the two
countries; nothing indeed which will not yield to the sug
gestions of a pacific and enlightened policy, and to the in
fluence of that mutual good will, and those generous recol
lections, w liich we may confidently expect will then be re
vived in all their ancient force
Ir: any event, however, the principle involved in the new
aspect which has been given to the controversy, is so vitally
important to the independent administration of the govern
ment, that it can neither be surrendered nor eompromitted
without national degradation. 1 hope it is unnecessary for
me to say, that such a sacrifice will not be made through any
agency of mine. The honor of my country shall never be
stained by an apology from me. fir the statement of truth
nnd the performance of duty: norcan I give any explanation
of my official arts, except such as is due to integrity and
justice, and consistent with the principle on which our insti
tutions have been framed. This determination will, 1 am
confident, be approved by mv constituents. I have, indeed,
studied their character to but little purpose, if th ■ sum of
twenty-five millions of francs w ill have the weight of a
leather in the estimation of what appertains to their nation
al independence; and if, unhappily, a different impression
should at any time obtain, in any quarter, 'hey will, I am
sine, rally round the government of the'r choice, with alac
rity and unanimity,and silence forever Ihe degrading impu
tation.
Having thus frankly presented to yon the circumstances
which, since the last session of congress, have occurred in
this interesting and important matter, with the views of the
executive in regard to them, it is at this time only necessary
to add, that whenever the advices, now daily expected from
our charge d’affaires, shall have been received, they will be
made the subject of special, communication.
The condition of fne public finances was never more flat
tering than at (he present period.
Since my last annual communication, al! the remains of
tho public debt have been redeemed, or money lias been
placed in deposite for this purpose, whenever the creditors
choose to reeeive it. All the other pecuniary engagements
of the government have been honorably and promptly ful
filled; and there will be a balance in the treasury at the riose
of the present year, of about nineteen millions of dollars.—
It is believed, that after meeting all outstanding and unexpend
ed appropriations, therp will remain near eleven millions, to
be applied to any new objects which congress may designate,
or to the more rapid execution of the works already in pro
gress. In aid of these objeets, and to satisfy the current ex
penditures of tho ensuing year, it i« estimated that there will
be received, from various sources, twenty millions more in
1836.
Should congress make new appropriations, in conformity
with the estimates which will be submitted from the proper
departments, amounting to about twenty-four millions, still
the available surplus at the close of the next year, after de
ducting all unexpended appropriations, will probably be not
less titan six millions. This sum can, in my judgment, be
now usefully applied to proposed improvements in our navj’
yards, and to new national works, which are not enumerated
in the present estimates, or to the more rapid completion of
those already begun Either would be constitutional and
useful, and would render unnecessary any attempt, in our
present peculiar condition, to divide the surplus revenue, or
to reduce it any faster than will be effected by the exihiing
laws. In nny event, as the annual report from the secretary
of the treasury will enter into details, showing the proba
bility of some decrease in the revenue during the next seven
years, and a very considerable deduction in 1842, it is not re
commended that congress should undertake to modify the
present tariff, so as to disturb the principles on which the
compromise act was passed. Tuiaiioaon some of the arti
cles of general consumption, which are not in competition
with our own productions, may be, no doubt, so diminished,
as to lessen, to some extent, the source of this revenue, and
Ihe same object can also be assisted by more liberal provi
sions for the subjects of public defence, which, in the present
state- of onr prosperity and wealth, may be expected to en
gage your attention. If, however, after satisfying all the de
mands whicli can nrise from these sources, the unexpended
balance in the treasury should still continue to increase, it
would be better to liear with lhe evil until the great changes
contemplated in our tariff' laws have occurred, and shall en
able us to revise the system with that care and circumspec
tion which arc due to so delicate and important a subject.
It is certainly our duty to diminish, ns fur as we can, the
burdens of taxation, and to regard all the restrirlions which
are imposed on the trade and navigation of onr citizens, as
evils which we shall mitigate whenever we are not prevent
ed by the adverse legislation and policy of foreign nations,
congress, hereafter, to proper I ion the expenditure on account
of this branch of the service to iis real wants, by abolishing,
from time to time, the offices which can be dispensed with.
The extinction of the public debt haying taken place, there
is no longer any use for the offices of commissioners of loans
and ibe sinking fund. I recommend, therefore, that they h-3
abolished, and that proper measures be taken for the trans
fer to the treasury department, of any funds, books, nnd
papers, connected with the operations of those officers; and
tr,bc. Of if* cliimte, fertility an.I capaettv r 0 snpnnrf t .
population, the representation.- are htehiv favorable t
districts the Indians are remove,1 nt V,e ey^,™,,r .
an I, with certain supplies of clnthiio- an,,.
md other indispensable arttetesfrhev^re^
toos;,- with provisions for the period of a veer after nVir w tUl ;
ami ITr T" 05 !" ,h ’* ,ime - fror “ «be nature of he rn,7^*
• ml of the products raised bv them, they ran subsist themt, i v l? ,
urn nttural labor, if they choose to resort to that mode of life l,V
they are upon the skirts of the ere .t pnrirs f :
countless herds of buffalo room, and a short time so
i .T chanses whirh a chans
t ( '" r V” 5 ’ 1- mar require. Ample -'rran-cnei.t ■ v,—
a so been made for the support of schools: in some "nstanres 7'77
houses and churches arc to be erected, dwellings con-truri,,‘
common use. Funds h ,v<- hr
ground of its necessity a* a fiscal ag'nt, and as affording a tribe
sound >r rurrrenev than could be obtained without such an
institution. In the performance of litis duty mueh respon
sibility was incurred which would have been gladly avoided,
if the stake which the public bad in th • question could have
been otherwise preserved. Although clothed with the le
gal authority, and supported bv precedent, ! was aware that
there was, in the act of the removal of the denosites, a lia
bility to excite that sensitiveness to executive power whicli
it is the characteristic and the duty of freemen to indulge:
but I relFa! on this feeling, also, directed hy patriotism and
intdligenrs. to vindicate th» conduct which, in the end,
Would appear to have been called for by tIt ■ b“st interests of j for their chief., an t mills for'rnir
my country. The apprehensions natural to this feeling, that I 7777*- f 'Y maintenance of t!
there mav have been a desire, through the instrumentality 1 ■ lr i a shave been Introuur
of that measure, to extend the,->x»cutive influence, or tliat it
may have been prompted by motives not sufficiently free
from ambition, were not overlooked. Under the operation
of our institutions, the public servant who is railed on to
take a step of high responsibility, should f-' l in the freedom
which gives rise to such apprehensions. Ins liigh°*t security.
When unfounded, the attention which th’y arouse, and the
discussions they excite, deprive those who indulge them, of
the power to do harm: when just, they but hasten the cer
tainty with which the great bodv of onr oiiizons n-ver foil
to repel an n'tr-innt to procure their sanction to any exercise
of power inconsistent with the jealous maintenance of their
_ where"
™n.cefc ?o adapt
the niiimaU
e poor; the most neces^ar*- m,
!^ e rlTl ri 5!?!i R L®! i /] w ^ h ' £: "’&c , a7?ropnowedanSn»*ih^ ,n,,h:
that thp proper power be given to that department, for clos- j rights. Under such convictions,and entertaining no doubt
ing, finally, any portion of their business which may remain
to be settled.
It is also incumbent on congress, iti guarding the pecuniary
interests of the country, to discontinue, by such a law as was
passed in 1812, the receipt of the bids of the Bank of the
United States in payment of the public revenue; and to pro-
thnt my constitutional obligations demanded the steps which
were taken in reference to the removal of the deposite*,
it was impossible for me robe de'e-red from the path of du
ty. hv a fear that my motives could h" misjudged, or that
political prejudices could defeat the just consideration of the
merits of inv conduct. The result has shown how safe is
vide ft»r the designation of an agent whose duly it shall be i |his reliance upon th“ patriotic lempcrand enlightened dis
til take charge of the booKs and stia-k of the Unit's! Suites , pemment of the people That measure has now been be-
in tliat institution, and to close all connection with it, alter j fore them, arid has stood the test of a'! the severe analysis
the 3d of March, 1.836, when its charter expires In mak-1 which its general importance, the interests ir affected, and
in ^|li!' 0V * ,, ' U,, -'V r tlktP'tst'ioii of this stock, it ; the apprehensions if excited, were calculated to produce: nnd
will be essential tit define, clearly and strictly, the duties anu , jj ni nv remains for congress to consider what legislation has
powers of tho oliiccj* ch<ir^od vvitti iiuit bmiich oi tlio pul)* b : roinonooossQry in oun^Hiuoncp.
lie service. | nec.Ionlvto a.t.I what' I hiv®. -inf
It will lie seen from the correspondence which the secre
tary of the treasury will lay beforey.'U, that noth withstand
ing the large amount of the stock which the United States
hold in that institution, no information has yet been commu
nicated which will enable the government to anticipate when
it can receive any dividends, or derive any benefit from it.
Connected with tho condition of the finances, and the
flourishing stat of the country in all its branches of indus
try, it is pleasing to witness the advantages which have been
already derived from the recent laws regulating the value of
the gold coinage. Th 'se advantages will be more apparent
in the course of ihe next year, when the branch mints au
thorized to be established in North Carolina, Georgia, and
Louisiana, shall have gone into operation. Aided, as it is
hoped they will be, by further reform, in the banking sys
tems of the States, and by judicious regulations on the part
of rongress, in relation to the custody of th" public moneys,
it may be confidently anticipated that the use of gold and sil
ver, as a circulating medium, will become general in the or
dinary transact ions connected with the labor of the country.
The great desideratum, in modern times, is an efficient cheek
upon the power of batiks, preventing that excessive issue of
paper, whence arise those fluctuations in the standard of val
ue which render uncertain the rewards of labor It was
supposed by those who established the Bank of tho United
States, that from the rt edit given toil hy t tie custody of the
public moneys, arid other privileges, atid the precautions ta
ken t<> guard against the evils which the country had suff-T
ed on the bankruptcy of many of the Slate institutions of
that period, we should derive from that institution all the se-
rurily and benefits of a sound currency, and every guod end
that was attainable under that provision of the-ronstiliition
which authorizes congress alone to coin money and regulate
the value thereof. But it is scarcely necessary now to say,
that these anticipations have not been realized. After the
extensive embarrassment and distress recently produced hy
the Bank of the United States, from which the country is
now recovering, aggravated as they were by pretensions to
power which defied the public auth >rity, nnd which, ii ac
quiesced in by the people, would hav < ••hanged the whole
character of our governm'mt. every candid and intelligent
individual must admit thru, for the attainm r, nt of the great
advantages o r a sound currency, we must look to a course of
legislation radically different from that which created such
an institution.
In considering the means of obtaining so important an
end, we must set aside all calculations of temporary con
venience, and be influenced by those only which are in
harmony with the true character and the permanent inter
ests of the republic. Wp must recur to first principles, and
see what it is that has prevented th" legislation of congress
and the States, on the subject of currency, from satisfying
the public expectation, and realizing results corresponding
to those which have attended lhe action of our system when
truly consistent with the great principle of equality u;>on
which it rests, and with that spirit of forbearance and mu-
tal concession, and generous patriotism, which was original
ly, and must ever continue to be, the vital element of our
Union.
On this subject I am sure that j cannot be mistaken, in
ascribing onr want of success to tho undue countenace
which has been afforded to the spirit of monopoly. All
the serious danger* which onr system has yet encountered
may be traced to the resort of implied powers, nnd the use of
corporations clothed w : lh privileges, the effect of which is
to advance the interests of the few at the experts** of the
many We have felt but one class of these dangers exhibit
ed in the contest waged by the bank of the United Slates n-
gainst the government, for the last four years Happily,
they have been obviated for the present by th" indignant
resistance of the people; hut we should recollect that th*-
principle whence they spring is an ever active one. which
will not fail to renew its efforts in the sump and in other
forms, so long as there is a hope of success, founded either
on the inattention of the people, or the treachery of their
representatives, to the subtle progress of its influence. The
bank is, in faef, but one of the fruits of a system at war
with the genius of all our institutions—a system founded
upon n political creed, the fundamental principle of which
is a distrust of the popular will as a safe regulator of politi
cal power, and whose great ultimate object, and inevitable
result, should it prevail, is the consolidation of all power in
our system in one central government. Lavish public dis
bursements, and corporations with exclusive privileges,
would be its substitutes for the original, and, as yet, sound
cheeks nnd balances of file constitution—the means by
whose silent and secret operation a control would be exer
cised hy the few over the political conduct of the many,
by first acquiring that control over tho labor and earnings
of ill" great body of the people. Wherever this spirit has
effected an allinncp with political power, tyranny and des-
INitism have been the fruit. If it is ever used for the ends
of government, it has to be incessantly watched, or it cor
rupts the sources of the public virtue, and agitates the coun
try with questions unfavorable to the harmonious and stea
dy pursuit of its true interests.
We are now to see whether, in the present favorable con
dition of the country, we cannot lake an effectual stand n*
gainst this spirit of monopoly, and practically prove, in re
aper t to the currency as well as other important interests,
tliat there is no necessity for so extensive n resort to it as
that which has been heretofore practised. The experience
of nnotheryenr has confirmed the utter fnllaey of the idea
that the bank of the United States was necessary as a fiscal
agent of the government. Without its aid, ns such, indeed
in despite of nil the embarrassment it was in its power to
create, the revenue lias been paid with punctuality by our
citizens; the business of exchange, both foreign and domes
tic, has been conducted with convenience, and the circulat
ing medium lias bepn greally improved. By the use of the
State banks, whirh do not derive their charters’from the gen
eral government, and are not controlled bv its authority, it
is ascertained that the money* of the United Stales can be
collected and disbursed without loss or inconvenience, and
that all the wants of the community, in relation to exchange
or those primary duties w hich the defence and independence i and currency, nre supplied as well as they have ever been
of our country enjoin upon us. That we have accomplish- before. If, under circumstances the most unfavorable to the
ed much towards the relief of our citizens hy the c-lmnges i steadiness of the money market, it has been found tliat the
which have accompanied the payment of the public debt, | considerations on which the hank of the United Statps rcet-
and the adoption of tho present revenue laws, is manifest ! ed its claims to the public favor, were imaginary and ground-
from the fact that, compared with 1833, there is a diminution , less, it cannot be doubted that the experience of the future
of near twenty-five millions in the last two years, and that will he more decisive against them.
fullest assurances upon that point, I could not hope to acquit to intimidate by menace—he truly declared that it coutain-
myself of the responsibility to be incurred, in suffering con- j t-d, and was intended to contain, no chnrge of ill faith
gress to adjourn without laying file subject before them.— j against the king of the French, nnd properly distinguished
i liose received by ms were believed to be of tliat character. ; between the right to complain, in unexceptionable terms, of
Tliat thp fitelings produced in the United States by the | the omission to execute an agreement, nnd an accusation of
news of tiio rejection of"the appropriation, would tie such • bad motives in withholding such execution—and demon*
•«s I have described them to Imve been, was foreseen by the i si rated, that the necessary use of that right ought not to he
French government, and prompt measure* were taken by it * considered ns an offensive imputation. Although this
t > prevent the consequences. The king, in person, express- j communication wns made without instruction*, and entire-
ej t hrough our Minister at Paris, his profound regret at the | ly on the minister’s ow n responsibility, yet it was ul’ter-
•iecision of the Chambers, and promised to send, forthwith, j wards made the act of this government by tny full nppro-
u national ship, with despatches to lus Minister here, no- bation, and that approbation was oflirially made known
thorizing him to give such assurances as would satisfy the | nn tho25lh of April, 1835, to the F’rench government. It.
government and people of the United States, tliat the treaty ; however, tailed to have any effect. The law, after this
would y-ct bo faithfully executed by France. The national j friendly explanation, passed with the obnoxious amerul-
tdiip arrived, and the Minister received his instructions.— | ment. supported by the king’s ministers, and was finally a;>-
i claiming to act under the authority derived fromihem, lie ] proved hv the king.
gave to tiiis government, in the name of his, the most sol- j The people of the United States are justly attached to a
••mn assurances, that as soon niter the new elections ns the j pacific svstem in their intercourse with foreign nations.—
•barter would permit, the Froneh Chambers would be eon-| It is proper, therefore, tliat they should know whether
veiled, and the attempt to procurable npoossnry appropria- 1 their government has adhered to it. In the present instance,
is renewed- that nji ihe constitution,>1 power* of the king u has been carried to the utmost extrnt that n as consistent
our expenditures, independently of those for the public debt,
have been reduced near nine millions during the same pe
riod. Let us trust, that by the continued observance of e-
conomy, and by harmonizing the great interests of agricul
ture, manufactures, and commerce, mueh more mny be ac
complished to diminish the burdens of government, and to
increase still further the enterprise and the patriotic affection
ot" all classes of our citizens, and all the members of our hap
py confederacy. As the da’n which the secretary of the
treasury will lay before j’ou in regard to our financial re
sources, are full and extended, nnd will afford a safe guide
in your future calculations,! think it unnecessary to offer
any flirt her observations on that subject here.
Among the evidences of the increasing prosperity of the
country, not the least gratifying is that afforded by the re
ceipts from the sales of the public lands, which amount, in
the present year, to the unexpected sum of 511,000,000.—
This circumstance attests the rapidity with which agricul
ture, the first and most important occupation of man, ad
vances,and contributes to the wealth and power of onr ex
tended territory. Being still of the opinion that it is onr
best policy, as for as we can, consistently with the obliga
tions under which iliose lands were ceded to the United
.Stabs, to promote their speedy settlement, I beg leave to call
the attention of the present congress to the suggestions 1
have offered respecting it, in my former messages.
The extraordinary receipts from the sales of thp public
lands invite you to consider what improvements the land
system, nnd particularly the condition of the general land
offiee, may require. At the time this institution was organ
ized, near a quarter ofa century ago, it would probably have
been thought extravagant to inlicipate, for this period, such
an nddirion to its business ns has been produced hy the vast
increase of those sales, during the past and present years.—
ll may also he observed, tliat, since the year, 1812, the land
offices and surveying districts have been greatly multiplied,
and that numerous legislativeenaetments, from year to year,
since that time, have imposed a great amount of new and
additional duties upon that office, while the want of n timely
application of force, commensurate with the (are nnd labor
required, has caused the increasing embarrassment of accu
mulated arrears in the different branches of the establish
ment.
Thpsr impediments to the expedition of much duty in the
general land office, induce me to submit to your judgment,
whether some modification of Ihe laws relating to its organi
zation, or nn organization ot a new character, be not called
It has been seen, that, without the agency of a great mo
neyed monopoly, the revenue can be collected, and conve
niently nnd safely applied to all the purposes of the public
expenditure. It is also ascertain d. that, instead of being
necessarily made to promote the evils of an unchecked pa
per system, the management of the revenue can be made
auxiliary to the reform which the legislature of several of the
States have already commenced in regard to the suppress ion
of small bills; and w hich Itnsonly to be fostered by proper
regulations on the part of congress, to secure a practical re
turn, to the extent required for the security of the currency,
to theeonstitutiorml medium. Severed from the government
as political engines, nnd noi susceptible of dangerous exten
sion nnd combination, the State banks will not be tempted,
nor will they have the power which w« have seen exercised,
to divert the public funds from the legitimate purpose* of the
g<w eminent. The collection nnd custody of the revenue
being, on theeontrary, a source of credit to them, will in
crease the security w hich the States provide for a fnithful
execution of their trusts, by multiplying the srrntines to
w hich their operations nnd accounts will lie subjected.—
Tims disposed, as well from interest as the obligations of
their charters, it cannot he doubted that such conditions ns
rongress may se« fit to adopt respecting the deposites in
these institutions, with a view to the gradual disuse of the
small hills, w ill be cheerfully complied with; and that we
shall soon gain, in place of the bank of the United States,
o practical reform in th** whole paper system of the country.
If, bv tiiis policy, we can ultimately witness thesiipprcssion
of all bank bills below twenty dollars, it is apparent that
gold and silter will lake their place, nnd become the princi
pal circulating medium in the common business of the far
mers and mechanics of the country. The attainment of
such a result will form an era in the history of our country
whirh will be dwelt upon with delight by every true friend
of its liberty and independence. It w ill lighten the great tax
which our paper system ha* so long collected from the ear
nings of labor, and do more to revive arid perpetuate those
habits of economy and simplicity which are so congenial to
the character of republicans, than all the legislation which
has yet been attempted.
To this subject I feel that I cannot too earnestly invite the
especial attention of congress, willsml theexerciseof whose
authority, the opportunity to aocomplish so much public
good must pass unimproved. Deeply impressed with its
vital importance, ihe executive has tnken nil the steps with
in his constitutional power, to guard the public revenue, and
for, nt the present juncture, tu enable the office to accomplish ; defoat the expectation which the hank of the United Slates
all the ends of its institution with a greater degree of facility 1 indulged, of renew ing and perpetuating its monopoly, on the
O'-cnsinn': sxi't, on
tiiis subject sencrxlt.v, that in the reirul-tinns which congress
mav prescribe respecting the custody of the public mone'-s. it
is desirable that as little discretion as may bn deemed consistent
with their safe keeping should be given tn the executive agents.
No one can be more deeply impressed than t am with the sound
ness of the doctrine which restrains and limits, by specific pro
visions. executive discretion, as faras it can be done consistently
with the pre'ervation of its constitutional character. In respect
to the control over the public money, tiiis doctrine is peculiarly
applicable, and is in harmony with the great principle which I
felt 1 was sustaining in thernntroversy with tl eliank of the Foited
St ites; whicli has resulted in severing, to some extent, a d meer-
ous connection hetwern a moneyed and political power The
duty of the legislature fo define, by clear .and positive enactment,
the nature and extent of the action which it belongs to the execu
tive to superintend, springs out of a poliev analagous to that
whicli enjoins upon all the branches of the federal government
an abstinence from the exercise of powers not clearlv granted.
In such a government, possessing on! v limited and specific pow
ers, the spirit of its general administration cannot be wise or
just, when it opposes the reference of al! dmibful points to the
great source of uithority, th States and the people; whose num
ber and diversified relations, semiring them against the influ
ence amt excitements which may mislead their agents, makethem
the safest depository of power. In its application to the exccu
live, with reference to the legis-’ative branch of tho government,
the same rule of action should make the president ever anxious
to avoi ’ the exercise of any discretionary authority, which can
b" regulated by congress. The biases which may operate upon
him will not he so likely to extend to the representatives of the
people in that body.
In mv former message to congress, I have repeatedly urged
the propriety of lessening tho discretionary authority lodged in
the various depirtraents, hut it has produced no efTect, as yet,
except the discontinuance of extra sllowanres in the army and
navy, and the substitution of fixed salaries in ’lie latter. It is
believed that the same principles could he advantageously appli
ed, in all cases, and would promote the efficiency and economy of
the public service, at the same time that the greater satisfac.
tion and more equal justice would be secured to the public offi
cers generally.
The accompanying report of the Secretary of War will put you
m possession of the operations of the department confided to his
care, in a!! its diversified relations, during the past year.
I am gratified in being able to inform you that no occurrence has
required any movement of the military force, except such as is
common to a state of peace The services of the army have been
limited to their usual duties at the various garrisons upon the
Atlantic and inland frontier, with the exceptions stated by the
■Secretary of War Our small military establishment appears to
he adequate to the purposes for which it is maintained, and it
forms a nucleus around which any additional force maybe col
lected. should the public exigencies unfortunately require any in
crease of our military means.
The various acts of congress which have been recently passed
to relation to the army have improved its condition and have ren
dered its organization more u*efu! and efficient It is at ail times
in a state for prompt and vigorous action, and it contains within
itself the power of extension to any useful limit; while, at the
same time, it preserves that knowledge, both theoretical and
practical, which education anil experience alone can give; and
which, if not acquired and pre erved in time of peace, must be
sought under great disadvantages in time of war.
The duties of the Engineer Corps press heavily upon that branch
of the service; and the public ihterest requires an addition to its
strength. The nature of the works in which the officers are
engaged render necessary professional knowledge and experience,
and there is no economy in committing to them more duties than
•bey can perform, or in assigning these fo other persons tempo
rarily employed, and too aften, of necessity, without all the
qualifications which such service demands. I recommend this
subject to your attention, and also the f propositioii submitted at
the last session of congress, and now renewed, for a reorganiza
tion (if the Topographical Corps. This reorganization can be
effected without anv addition to lhe present expenditure, and with
much advantage to the public service. The branch of duties
-. hich devolves upon these officers is at ail times interesting to
the community and the Information furnished by them is useful
in peace and in war.
Much loss and inconvenience have been experienced in consc
quence of the failure of the hill containing the ordinarv appro
prtations for fortifications, which passed one branch of the na
tional legislature at the last session, but was lost in the other.—
Tilts failure was the more regretted, not only because it necessa
rily interrupted and delayed the progress of a system of national
defence, projected immediately after the last war, and since
steadily pursued, but also because it contained a contingent ap-
nropriation inserted in accordance with the views of the execu
tive in aid of this intpiortont object, and other branches of the na
tional defence, some portions of which might have been most
usefully applied during the past season. 1 invite your early at
tention to that part of the report of the Secretary of War which
relates to this subject, and recommend an appropriation Sllffl
ciently liberal toacc"lente the armament of the fortifications,
agreeabh to the proposition submitter! by him. and to place our
whole Atlantic seahoaid in a complete state of defence. A just
regard to the permanent Interests of the country evidently re
quires tiiis measure, but there are also other reasons which, at
the present juncture, give it peculiar force, and make It my duty
to call to the subiect vou- -.'p.'Ciai consideration
The present svstem of military education has been in operation
sufficiently long to test its usefulness, and it has given to the army
a valuable body of officers. It is not alone in the improvement,
discipline and operation of the troops, that these -officers arc
employed. The* are slso extensively engaged in the administra
tive and fiscal concerns of the various matters confided tn the
War Department: in the execution of the staff ditties, usually
appertaining tn militnrv organization: in the removal of the In
dians, and in the disbursement of the various exp* ndi'ures grow
ing out of our Indian relations; in the formation of roads, and in
the improvement of harbors and rivers; in the construction of
fortifications: in the fabrication of much of the materiel required
for the public defence; and in the preservation, distribution,
and accountability of the whole: and in other miscellaneous du
ties. not admitting of classification.
These diversified functions embrace very heavv expenditures
of public money, and require fidelity, science, and business habits
in their execution: and a system which shad secure these quali
fications is demanded bv the public interest. That this object
has been, tn a great measure, obtained hy the mili’ary academy,
is shown by the state of the service, and bv the prompt account
ability which has generally followed the necessary advances —
I.ike all other political systems, the present mode of military edu
cation, no doubt, has its imnerfeettons, both of principle and
practice: but I trust these can he improved hy rigid inspections,
and by legislative scrutipv, without destroying the institution it
self.
Oecurrenres. to which we as all other natrons are liable, both
in our internal and external relations, point to the necessity of an
efficient organization of the militia. I am again induced, hy the
importance of the subject, to bring it to your attention. To sup
press domestic violence, and to repel foreign invas on. should
these calamities overtake ns, we must rely, in the first instance,
ttpon the great body of the community, whose will has Inst; j
tuted, and whose power must support the government. A large I
standing military force is not consonant to the spirit of our j
institutions, nor to the feelings of our countrymen: and the les I
sons of former days, and those also of our own times, show the i
danger, as well as the enormous expense, of these permanent
and extensive military organizations. That just meditt
which avoids an inadequate preparation on one hand, and
ttie danger and expense of a large force on the other. Is what
our constituents have a right to expect from their govern
ment. This objert can lie attained only by the maintenance
of a small militar* fotre, and hy such an organization of the
physical strength of the country as may bring tiiis power into
operation, whenever its services are required. A classification
of the population offers the most obvious means of effecting this
organization. Such a div,sou may be made as will be just to all,
by transferring each, at a p oper period of life, from one class to
another, and h.v calling first for the services of that class, wheth
er for instruction or action, whirh. from age. is qualified for the
duty, and may be called to perform it with least injury to them
selves, or to the public. Should the danger ever become so immi
nent as to require an addifioned force, the other classes in suc
cession would he ready for the call. And if, in addition to this
organization, voluntary associations were encouraged, and in
ducements held out for their formation, our militia would be in a
state of efficient service.
Now, when we arc at peace, is the proper time to digest and es
tablish a practicable svstem. The object is certainly worth the ex
periment, and worth the expense. No one, appreciating the bless
mgs of a republican government, can object to Ids share of the
burden which such a plan may impose, indeed, a moderate por
tion of th" national funds could scarcely be better applied than in
carrying into effect and continuing such an arrangement, and tn
giving the necessary elementary Instruction. Vc are happily at
peace with all the world. A sincere desire to continue so, and a
fixed determination to give no just cause of offence to other na
tlons, furnish, unfortunately, no certain eroumls of expectation
that this relation will be uninterrupted. With tiiis determination
to give no offence is associated a resolution, equally decided, tame
ly to submit to none. The armor and the attitude of defence aff ord
the best security against those collisions, whicli the ambition, or
interest, or some other passion of nations, not more justifiable, is
liable to produce. In manycountncs.it Is considered unsafe to
put arms into the hands of the people, and to instruct them In the
clementsof military knowledge. That fear can have no place here,
when It Is recollected that the people are the sovereign power
Our Government was Instituted, and ts supported, by the ballot
box, not by the musket Whatever changes await it, still greater
changes must be made In our social lnrittulions. before ottrpcliri al
svstem can yield to physical force. In every asoect, therefore, in
which I can view the subject. I am impresed with the importance
of a prompt amt efficient organization of the militia
The plan of removing the aboriginal people who yet remain
within the settled portions of th*United stales, to the couhfrv
west of the .Mississippi river, appro irlies its consummation. It
was adopted on the most mature consideration of the condition of
this race,and ought to be persisted in till the objert is accomplish
ed, and prosecuted with as much vigor as a just regard to their
circumstances will permit, and as fast as tlieir consent ran he ob
tained. All preceding experiments for the improvement of the
Indians have failed. It seems now to he an established fart, that
tharthey cannot live in contact with a civilized community and
prosper. Ages of fruitless endeavors have, at length, brought us
to a knowledge of tiiis principle of intercommunication with
them. The past we cauuat recall, but the future we can provide
for. Independent!! of the treaty stipulations into which we have
entered witii the various tribes, for the usufructuary rights they
have ceded to tis, no one ran doubt the moral duty of the Govern
ment or the United States to protect, and. if possible, to preserve
and perpetuate the scattered remnants of this race, whicji are left
within our borders. In the discharge of this ritrty an extensive
region in the west has been assigned for their permanent resi
dence. It has been divided intodistricts, and allotted umonethrm.
Many have already removed, and ethers are preparing to go: and
with the exception of two small bands, living in Ohio and Indiana,
not exceeding fiftetn hundred persons, and of the Cherokces, all
the tribes on the east side of the Mississippi, and extending from
Lake Mfehigan to Florida, have entered into engagements which
will lead to their transplantation.
The plan forlheir removal ami re establishment is founded upon
the knowledge wc have gained of their character and habits, and
has been dictated hy a spirit of enlarged liberality. A territory
exceeding in ox tent that relinquished, has been granted to each
and iron, and sometimes salt, are purchased for tl „ ra '. anH ™,77l'
wr e»T ,:r ? ,n it ln!: mpnsi,s - animal*. Irnirns si'mnin*’
wheels, erds, to are presented to them. And besides this,?!"*
etfrial arrangements, annuities are, in all rase* paid amount7,',
in some instances, to more than thirty dollars for each indivbin'i
of the tribe and in all eases sufficiently great if ius|lv dm,V(
inan^r i f> '? , th7 f0rPVfr,,0n( *
xertions. to live .•mnfortxhfy
is now- provided by law. that
ppointmetit nf
civon i°. Persons of In^innVosrflft’
orTlle^ui" I*.” f ° Un,i Wb ° arC qualified for the'di'.riurge
Such are the arrangements for the physical comfort and forth-,
ii ei? '"]?. ro y‘™ n * ">*■ Indians. The necessary measure^
7..?. J l!.A lr:l1 advancement, and forlheir separation f:nni eur riti
^ m-rii u eviction i tie pledge or the United ntam^
has been given by Congress, tliat the country destined for the r * ,
dement this people,shall he forever “secured and guarantied m
‘’ A country, west of Missouri and Ark rasas' has been Vs
J.7*! 0 ' * uto w ^ioh the white settlements
region, except those which are ^tabiished by' the IndhnVThenf.
, P I P ’ I*] 6 ' nite.l states for them, and with tl etr murin'
r nee A barrier h is thus lieen raised for their protection agaim,'
cro ichmenfs af our citizens, and guarding the tn.ii-M.c
tlie one
f;
„ ... , guarding the Indians
fir as possible from those evils which have brought them to th'eiw-
present condition. Summary authority has been given
to destroy all ardent spirits found in their country without w’att'n*
he.iouh fui result and stow process ofa legal seizure I cm7 d P f
the absolute and unconditional interdiction of this article „i,„7
7 ,P * e people, as the first and great step In their ame!ioraiio7
Half \yn measures will an wer no purpose. These cannot so ’
cessfiilly contend against the cupidifv of the seller, and the over
powonng appetite of the buyer. And the destructive effert? 0 f 77
roiuse' 1 ^ m:irhc(i ln evcrv P : ‘?c of the history of our Indian inter
■Some genera! legislation seems neeessarv for the regulation of
ns U.hirh will ovief in flic- — ~ .*• . ”
the Government and people of the United States and these tn,, "
planted Indian tribes; and for tlie establishment amo n .. the latter
and with their own consent, of some principles of interrnmmum
cation, which their juxtaposition will call for: that moral mav he
substituted for physical force: the authority of a few and rim.de
laws for the tomahawk; and that an md mav he put to those
bloody wars whose prosecution seems to have made part of their
social system. incip
Alter the further rtrtnils of the arran^rmrnt nre completed th
a very general supervision over them, thev ought to b. !,.ft j n ,
lth
to the
progress of events. These. I indulge the hone, will secure their
prosperity.and improvement; and a large portion of the moral drl.t
we owe them win then he paid. - 1 uclJl
The report from the Secretary of the Nav. showing the enndl
’ion ot that branch of the public service, is recommended to vour
special attention It appears from it. that our naval force at j.rr
sent in commission, with all the activitv which ran he c! V( n io it
is .nadoqnateto the protection of our rantdlv increasingrommerre’
This consideration. >ud the more general one which regards this
arm of the national defence a* onr best security agains' foreign
aggressions, strongly urge the continuance of the" measures which
promote its gradual enlargement, and a spee.dv increase of th’
force which has been heretofore employed abroad nnd at home
You will perceive, from the estimates which appear in the report
of the Secretary of the Navy, that the expenditures necessary to
this increase of its lorce. though of considerable amount, are snx-dt
compared with the benefits which they will secure to the country
As a means of strengthening this national arm. I also rpcopi'
mend to your particular attention the propriety of the suggestion
which attracted the consideration of Congress at its last 'es-jnn
respecting the enlistment of hoys at a suitable age in the service’
In this manner a nursery of skilful and able bodied seamen c.ui
be established, which will be of the greatest importance Next to
the capacity to put afloat and arm the requisite number of ships is
the possession of the means to man them efficient!*: - ln .t nothing
seems better calculated to aid this object than the measure propo
sed. As an auxiliary to the advantages derived from our extensive’
commercialmarinc.it would furnish us with a rcsou, te an,nl*
enough for all the exigencies wh ch can he anticipated Cunsid
firing the state of our resources, it cannot be doubted that w hat
ever provision the liberality and wisdom of Congress mav new
adopt, with a view to ttie perfect o-ganization of tiiis branch of our
service, will meet the approbation of all classes of our citizens.
By the report of the Postmaster General, it appears that the re
venue of that department, during the year ending on the 30th day
of June last, exceeded its arcruing responsibilities two hundred
and thirty six thousand two hundred and six dollars; and that the
surplus of the present fiscal year is estimated at four hundred and
seventy six thousand two hundred and twenty seven dollars, it
further appears that the debt of the department, on tlie 1st day
of July last, including the amount due to the contractors for the
quarter then just expired, was about one million sixty four thou
sand and three hundred and eighty one dollars, exceeding tho
available means about twenty three thousand seven hundred dol
lars; and that on the 1st instant, about five hundred and ninety
seven thousand seventy seven dollars of this (lehr had been pan;
four hundred and nine thousand nine hundred and ninety one dol
lars out of post igos accruing before July, and one hundred amt
eighty seven thousand and eighty six dollars out of postage* ac
cruing since. In these payments are included sixty seven thou
sand dollars of the old debt due to banks. After making thets
payments, the department had seventy three thousand dollars in
bank on the 1st instant. The pleasing assurance is given that the
department is entirely free from embarrassment and that, bv col
lection of outstanding balances, and using the current surplus,
ihe remaining portion of the hank debt, and most of the olher
ifcht.will probably be paid in April next, leaving thereaftei a
heavy amount to be applied in extending the mail facilities of the
country. Reserving a considerable sum for the improvement of
existine mail routes, it is stated that the department will be r.hla
to sustain with perfect convenience an annual charge of three
hundred thousand dollars for the support of new routes, to rom-
meace as soon as they can be established and put m operation.
The measures adopted by the Postmaster General to bring thff
means of the department into action, and to effect a speedy extin
guishment of its debt, a- well as to produce an efficient admim- - -
nation of its affairs, will he found detailed at leneth in his ablo
and luminous report Aided by a reorganiz ition on tlie principle*
suggested, and such salutary provisions ir. the law? regulating US
administrative duties as the wisdom of Congress may devi-e ir
approve, that important department will soon attain i decree or
usefulness proportioned to the increase of our population and the
extension of our settlement'
Particular attention is solicited to that portion of the report of
the Postmaster General which relates to the carriage of the nulls
of the United States upon railroads constructed by private corpo
rations under the authority of the several States. The reliance-
which the General Government can place on those roads as a means
Of carrying on its operations, and the principles on which the use
of them is to he obtained, cannot too soon be considered and set
tled. Already docs the spirit of monopoly begin to exhibit its na
tural propensities, in attempts to exact from the public, for serve
ces which it supposes cannot be obtained on other terms, the most
extravagant compensation If these claims he persisted in. the
question may arise, whether a combination of citizens, acting un
dercharters of incorporation from the States, can, by a direct re
fusal, or the demand of an exorbitant price, exclude the United
States from the use of tlie established channels of communication
between the different sections of the country,- and whether the
United States cannot, without transcending their constitutional
powers, secure to the Post Office Depart ment tlie use of those road?,
by an art of Congress whicli shall provide within itself some equi
table mode of adjusting the amount of compensation. To obviate,
if possible, the necessity of considering this quesiion.it is ?sg-
gested whether it he not expedient to fix by law the amounts which
shall be offered to railroad compan.es for the conveyance of the
mails, graduated according to tlieir average wejght.to he ascer
tained and declared by the FostmasterGencral. It is probable that
a liberal proposition of that sort would he accepted.
In connection with these provisions in relation to the Post Office
Department. I must also invite yonr attention to the painful ex
citement produced in the South, hy at .erupts to circulate through
the mails inflammatory appeals addressed to the passions of the
slaves, in prints, and in various sorts of publications, calculated
to stimulate them to insurrection, and to produce all the h»rror3
of a servile war.
There ts, doubtless, no respectable portion of our countrymen
who can he so far misled as to feel any other sentiment than that
of indignant regret at conduct so destructive of the harmony and
peace of the country, and so repugnant to the principles of our
national compact and to the dictates of humanity and religion.
Our bap'dness and prosperity essentially depend upon peace with
in our lioiders—and peace depends upon the maintenance, in good
faith, of those compromises of the Constitution upon which the
Union is founded. It is fortunate for the country that the good
sense tlie generous feeling, and the deep rooted attachment of the
ptnnle of the non slaa-eholding States t" the Union, ar.d to their
fellow citizens of the same blood in the Pouth, have given so *rrong
and impressive a tone to the c entiment? entertained against the
proceedings of the misguided persons who have engaged in the?"
unconstitutional and wicked attempts, an<’ especially against the
emissaries from foreign parts who have dated to imt rfere in this
matter, .as to authorise the hope that those attempts will no longer
! tie persisted in. But if thpse expressions of the public will shad
Mum - ... ■— *
not oe sufficient to effect so desirable a result, not a doubt can be
entertained that the non siavcholdine Prates, so far from counte
nancing the slightest interference with the constitutional rights
of the South, will hr prompt to exercise their authority in suppress
ing, so far ns in them lies, whatever is calculated to produce this
evil
In leaving the care of other branches of this fnte-restine ?nb)c<-
to the State authorities, to whom they properly belong, it is never
theless proper for Congress tn take such measures as will prevent
the Post Office Department, w hich was designed to foster an ami
cable intercourse anil correspondence between all the members
of the confederacy, fro-^i be’ng used as an instrument of an oppo
site character. Tlie General Government.to which the great tru. t
is confided, of preserving inviolate the relations created among
the States by the Constitution, is especially bound to avoid. In it'
own action, any tiling that may disturb them. I would, tberefoo
call the special attention of Uoneress to the subject, and re-'K r '
fully suggest the propriety of passing suth a law os will prohibit,
under severe penalties, the .circulation in the Southern State-,
through the mail, nf incendiary publications intended to instigate
the slaves to insurrection
I felt it to lie mv duty, tn the fir-f message which I communica'-
cd to Cougre?- tn urge upon iisaitention the propriety of amend;
ing that part nf the f nn.tiuuion which provides for the election of
the President and Vice President of theUni'eri States. The leading
object which ! had in view, was the adoption of some new provi
sions, which would secure to the people the performance of this
high duty without any intermediate agency. In my annual com-
mnnir trinn? since. I nave enforced the same views, from a sincere
conviction that tlie best intercstsof therountr.v would -• “teu
by their adoption, tf the suhiec-t were an ordinary r..- raoiili
have'regarded the failure uf Congress to act upon it. as a ''ra
tion of their Judgment, that the disadvantages whicli h. -• • : ; ;he
present system were not so great as those which would r< • ' from
any attain.ahie substitute that had been submitted to th< *r-sia—
eratinn. Recollecting, however, that propositions to ir.’r- act »
new feature i:i our fundamental laws cannot be too patient • exa
mined. and ought not to he received with favor, until the gri-a' body
of the people are thoroughly impressed with their nece'? :.' an“
value, as a remedy for real evils, I feel that in renewing : e re
commendation 1 have heretofore made on this subject, I amno*
transcending the bounds of a just deference to the sense ol iw_
press, or to the disposition of the people. However much we may
’iffor in the rhoire ofthe measures which should guide the auniud
l«tration of the Government, there ran be but little doubt in tec
minds of those who arc reatty friendly to the republican features
of our system, that one of its most Important securities consists in
the sopa’ration ofthe legislative and executive powers, ai the same
time that each is held responsible to the great source of autnoniji
which is acknowledged to he supreme, in the xvill of the ix-ok'’
constitutionally expressed My reflection and experience saU-ir
me. that tlie framers of the Constitution, although th'-y were a* 1 -'
ions fo mark this feature as a settled and fixed principle in we
structure of the Government, did not adopt all tlie precaution*
were necessary to secure Its practical observance, and •"?*
cannot be said to have carried Into complete effect their uhcic
lions until the evils which arise from this organic defect are rina-
died. ., i r .
Considering the great extent of our confederacy, the raP la
of* v-**>>•*!**• ■•!«! ftkn /9;«*A«*eift* nf fUnir
pursuits.
branch af ihe Leeis...«,».«; .->«« ...... .... „•» . •
cannot become one of ordinary occurrence, without P r * H ' iU ,,
calculable mischief. XVhat was Intended as the medicine 0 ,
Constitution in extreme cases, CaunOt be frequently men wiw^
changing its character, and, sooner or later, producing
disorder.
Every
lessen I
and i
and •
as organs of the Constitution and laws. — — „ al .
unite both in resisting the will of the people, and thus give jj
ertion to the Government nnti-repubtirau and dangerous- ^
listory tells us, that a ftee people sh old be watchful of T m j H -
■ of its population, and the diversity of their lntere-.** ■
its. it cannot be disguised that the contingency by who ' »
a of the Legislature is fo form itself into an electoral ooi: r >
,-urabI*
r.v election bv the House of Representative? is calsula’J^ (
ten the force of that security which is derived from the l,1 ~|
1 separate character of the legislative and executive fnjwj- •
I while it exposes each to temptations adverse to their tw (£)
organs of the Constitution and laws, its tendency " in
\
IJIMUIV IVI19 Ubi Dlnl d IIH; |ITU|HC Oil HIU tic wavtuiu* ••
power, and should never acquiesce in a practice which wi y.
lili their control over i*. This obligation, so universal in «- *-•