Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation.
About Daily constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 1846-1851 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1848)
—FWM I 'I ■■ ■'w«w»’n ■ * mini t *rnimme**mmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmm*aai^n*mm^mmmmmamHmmemmmammmfmmea*m liV JAMES GARDNER, Jr.] AUGUSTA. GEORGIA. SATURDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 0. 1848. VOL. XXVII.—NEW SERIES.—VOL. I!!.—NO. 275. MESSAGE l'i llou-cit iz*ns of the Sft Kite and <>J the House <f R £ presen tad res ; Under tin* benignant Providence of Almighty God, the representatives ol the Mutes and ol the people are again brought togetner to deliberate fur the public good. 'Phe gratitude of the na tion to the .sovereign Arbiter of all human events, should be c jiumensnrate with the boundless blcs sui!»s w h eh we enjoy. I’euee, plenty, and contentment reign through out out borders, and our beloved country presents a sublime moral spec a<-!t* to the world. Toe troubled and unsettled condition of some ol the principal European powers has had a ne ee.Miarx tendency to check and embarrass trade, and to depress prices, throughout all commercial nations; but notwithstanding these causes, the United Slates, with their abundant products, have felt their effects less severely than any other country, and all our great interests are stilll pros perous and success id. In reviewing tha great events of the past year, and contrasting the agitated and d sturbed state of other countries with our own tranquil and hap pV condition, wo mav congratulate ourselves that \ve are th * most faVore i people on the face of the earth. W hile the people ol other countries are struggling to establish free institutions, under which man mav govern himself, we are in the actual enjoyment of them—a rich inheritance from our lathers. While calif htened nations ol Europe are convulsed and distracted by civil war or intestine strife,, we settle all our political con troversies bv the peiceful exercise of the rights of freemen at the ballot-box. The great repub lican maxim so deeply engraven on the hearts of <*ur people, that the will of the majority, cousti tutionaliv expressed, shall prevail, is our sure safeguard against force and violence. It is a subject of just pride, that our fame and charac ter as a nation, continue rapidly to advance in the estimation of the civilized world. To our wise and free institutions it is to be attributed, that while other nations have achieved glory at the price of the suffering, distress, and impoverish ment of their people, we have won our honorable position in the midst of an uninterrupted pros perity, and of an increasing individual comfort and happiness lam happy to inform you that our relations with all nations are friendly and pacific. Advantageous treaties of commerce have been concluded within the last four years with New Grenada, Pern, the Two Sicilies. Belgium, Hanover, Oldenburg, and Mccklet - burg-Schweriu. Pursuing our example, the re strictive system of (Teal Britain, our principal foreign customer, been relaxed; a more liberal commercial policy has been adopted by tln-ir enlightened nations, and our trade has been greatly enlarged and extended. Our country stands higher in the respect of the world than at aus former period. To continue to occupy this position, it is only necessary to preserve peace, and fa (bin Is adhere to the great and fundamen tal principle of our foreign policy, of non-inter ference in the domestic concerns of other nations W r e tecognize in all naPons the rights which sve enjoy ourselves, to change and reform their po btical institutions, according to their own will and pleasure. Hence wa do not look behind ex isting governments, capable of maintaining their own authority. W e recognize all such actual truvernmenta, not only from the dictates of true policy, but from a sacred regard for the indepen dence of nations. While tii s is our settled policy, it does not fo!- low that we can ever be indifferent spectators of the progress of liberal principles. The govern ment and people of the United States hailed with enthusiasm and delight the establishment of the French republic, as we now hail the effbra m progress to unite the folates of German} in u confederation, s imilar in many respects to our own federal Union. If the great enlightened German States occupying, as they do, a central and commanding position in Europe, sb»il suc ceed in establishing such a confederated govern ment, s -curing at ’.lie same time to the citizens of each Stale, local governments adapted to the peculiar condition ol each, with unrestricted trade ami intercourse with each other, it will bo an important era in the history of human events. Whilst it will consolidate and strengthen the pow - er of Germany, it must e soutially promote the cause of peace, commerce, civilization, and con ktiuuioniil liberty throughout the world. W ith all hr- guv irnments on this continent our re'ations, it is believed, are now on a more friend ly and satisfactory footing than they have ever been at any so mer penod. Since tin* exchange of ratifications of the treaty of peace with Mexico, our intercourse with the government i f that republic has bean of tin* | most fr eud'.y character. The Envoy Extraor dinary ami Minister Plenipotentiary of the I ui- i ted Stales to .Mexico lias Lecii received and ac credited ; and a diplomatic representative from Mexico of simiiiur rank has been rsceived an I accredited bv ibis government.- The amica ble relations between the two countries which bad been suspended have been happily restored, a.l'* are destined, 1 trust, to bo long preserved. The two republics, both situated on this contin ent, and with coterminous territories, have every motive of sympathy aud of interest to bind them together in perpetua* am ty. This gratifying condition of our foiegn rela tions tenners it unnecessary for mo to call your attention more specifically to them. It lias hern my conoiant aim and desire to cultivate peace ami commerce with nil nations. Tranquility at home, and peaceful relations abroad, constitute ike true permanent policy of our country. War, the scourge of nations so netimes becomes inevituhb. but is always to be avoided wh n it can be clone consistently with the rights and honor of the nation. One of the moo* important results ol the war into which wc were recently forced with a neigh boring nation, is the demonstration it ha# afford ed of the Military strength ol our Country, lie tore the late war with Mexico, European and other foreign Powers entertained imperfect and erroneous views ofonr physical strength as a na tion. and of our ability to prosecute w ar, and es pecially a war waged out of our own country. They saw that our standing army on the peace establishment did not exceed ten thousand men. Accustomed themselves to maintain in peace large standing armies for the protection of thrones against their own subjects, as well as against for eign enmities, they had not conceived that it was possible for a nation without such an army, well disciplined anil of long service, to wage war suc cessfully. They held in low repute our militia, and were far from regarding them as an effective force, unless it might be for temporary defensive operations when invaded on our own soil. The events of the late war with Mexico have not only undeceived ihetn, but have removed erroneous impressions which prevailed to some extent even among a portion of our own countrymen. That war lias demonstrated, that upon the breaking out of hostilities not anticipated, and for which no previous preparation had been made, a volunteer army of citizen soldiers equal to veteran troops, aud m numb fs equal to any emergency, can in a short period be brought into the field. Unlike what would have occurred in any other country. ' we wen* tinder no in cessity of resorting to ! -Jranglils or conscriptions. On the contrary, such was tin- number of .ouinteers who patriotically tender 'd their services that the chief difficulty was in making selections and determining who should be d and compelled to remain : at home. Our citizen-soldiers are unlike those drawn from the [xquiluMou of any other country. They arc composed indiscriminately of all pro fessions and pursuits;, of farmers, lawyers, physi- j cams, mere .ai t<, manufacturers, mechanics and I laborers ; ana ibis, not only among the officers, ! but the private soMicrs in the ranks. Our citizen soldiers are un ike those of any other country in other res-p c is. J hey are armed, and have been accustomed from their youth up to handle and use fin -anas; and u large proportion of them, es pecially in the western and more newly settled State.-, are expert marksmen. They are me;, who have a reputation to maintain at home bv their good conduct in the ii.*ld. They an* inD !- ligent, and there is an individuality of character j which is found iu the ranks of no oilier army . lu battle, each private man, as well as every j officer, fights and not only for bis country, but for ■ glory and distinction among his fellow-citizens : when he shall return to civil life. The war with Mexico has demonstrated not only the ability of the government to organize a numerous army upon a sudden call, but also to j j provide it with alt the munitions and necessary i j stipp ies wait despatch, convenience, and ease, j j ami to direct its operations with efficiency. The j strength ofonr institutions has not only been dis i played m the valor aid skill of our troops engaged ( in active service in the field, but iu the organiza | tion of those executive branches which were i charged with the general direction and conduct of the w ar. Whii e too great praise cannot he be- t j stowed upon the officers and men who fought our battles, it would he unjust to withhold from those officers necessarily stationed at home, who were charged with flu- duty of furnishing the army, in proper time, and at proper places, with all the munitions of war aud other supplies so necessary to make if efficient, the commendation to which they are entitled. The credit due to this class of our officers is the greater, when it is considered that no army iu ancient or modern times was ever better appointed or provided than our army in Mexico. Operating in an enemy’s country, removed two thousand miles from the seat of th federal government, its different corps spread over a vast extent of territory, hundreds and even thousands of miles apart from each other, nothing short of the untiring vigilance and extraordi nary energy of these officers could have enabled them to provide the army at all points, a d in pro per season, with all that was required for the most efficient service. It is but an act ol justice to declare, that the of ficers iu charge of the several executive bureaus, all under the immediate eye and supervision ol the Secretary of War, performed their respective duties with ability, -tu-rgy, and efficiency. They have reaped less of the glory of the war, not hav ing been personally expost ! to its perils in battle, than their companions in amts; but without their forecast, efficient aid, and co-operation, those in the field would not have been provided with the ample means they possessed of achieving fir 1 themselves ; .id (he r c anit y the unfading honors which they have won for Loth. When alt these tacts ar-- considered, it may cease to Ik* a matter of so much amazement abroad how it hardened dial our noble unity in Mexico, reguiu: .- and \ ■ .'unleers, were victorious upon every battle-field, however fearful the odds against them. The war with Mexico has thus fully developed the capacity of republican governments to prose cute successfully a just and necessary foreign war with all the vigor usually attributed to more arbi trary forms of government. It has been usual for writers on public law to impute to republics a wumtoflbat unity, concentration of purpo e, and vigor of execution, which are generally admitted to belong to the monarchical and aristocratic tonus; and ibis feature of popular government has been supposed to display itself more particularly iu the conduct of a Avar carried on iu an enemy’s territory. The war with Great Britain, in IblT. wts to a great extfnt confined within our own limits, and shed but little light on this subject. But the war which we have just closed by an honorable peace, eviuc: s beyond all doubt that a popular representative government is equal to any emergency which is likely to arise in the atl’airs of a nation. The war with Mexico has developed most stri kingly aud another feature in our institutions. It i*. i hat without cost to the govern ment or danger to our liberties, we have in the bosom ofonr society of freemen, available iu a just and necessary war. virtually a standing army 0 two millions oi arm h citizcas-soldiers, such as | fought the battles ol Mexico. But our r.dlitary strength does not consist alone } in our capacity so, extended and successful op - ! rations on {and. Jhe navy is an important arm of llie nat : onal d-fence. Ii the services of the imvv were imt so brilliant us those of the army in the I .te war with Mexico, it was because they had no enemy' to meet on their own element. While the army had opportunity of performing more conspicuous service, the navy largely partic ipated in the conduct of the w ar. Both branch es of the service penormed their whole duty to the country. Ut>> the able and gallant services of the officers and men of the navy —acting inde pendently as well as in co-operation with our troops —in the conquest of the Ual foruias, the capture of Wra Cruz, and the seizure and occu pation of other important positions on the Gulf and Pacific coasts, the highest praise is due. Their ) vigilance, energy, and skill rendered the mo*t ef | fectivc service in excluding munitions of war and i other supplies from the enemy: while they secur- I cd a sale entrance for abundant supplies for onr ; own armv. Our extended commerce was no ! v. here interrupted; anil for this immunity from the i evils of war, the country is indebted to the un- YV. Jliirh praise is due to the officers ol the sever- , 1 al executive bureaus, navy yards, and stations j 1 connected with the service, all under the imnie ! diutedirection o{ the .Secretary of the N avy, for 1 I the industry, foresight, and energy with which 1 everything vvt s erected and furnished to give el | ficicncy to that branch of the service. Ihe same ■ , vigilance existed iu directing the operations ol the ‘ I navy, as of the army. There was concert ot ac • | lion and of purpose between the heads ot the two * j arms of the service. By the orders which were i from time to ling* issued, our vessels ol war ou the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico were station -1 I i d in proper time and in proper position to co-op ( orute efficiently v. ith the army. By this means ■ their combined power was brought to bear sttc , | cessfully of the enemy. a | The great results w hich have been deve'oped - ami brought to light by thi- war, will be of im ‘ measurable importance in the lutnre progress ol ’ our country. They wi 1 tend powerfully to pre • serve us from foreign collisions, and to enable us \ to pursue uniurerruptedly our cherished policy of l “peac * with all nations, entangling alliances with I none.” a Occupying, as we do, a more commanding r position am.-ng nations than at any former period, i, om duties and our responsibilities to ourselves and u to posterity are corresjpmdiagiy increased. This e will be the more obvious when we consider the » vast additions which have been recently made to J our territorial possessions, and their great impor- ! i tance and value. W ithin less tl ail four years the annexation of ; Texas to the Union has Seen consummated; al! ( conflicting tijie to the Oregon Territory south of } ; the loin-ninth degree of north latitude. b-iug all i that was insisted on bv any of my prede rssors, : lias been adjusted; and New Mexico an 1 Upper j California hate been acquire !by treatv. The ! ; area of these several Territories, according to a 1 report carefully prepared by the Commissioner of : the General Land Office from the most aiithou- ! tic information in his possession, and which is j herewith transmitted, contains one million one hundred and n nety-three thousand and sixty one square miles, or seven hundred aud s.xi v-three million fivo hundred and f.l'lv u ue thousand and forty acres; while lire area of the rem aning twen ty-nine Stales, and tin* territoiy trot yet organ ized into States east of the rocky mountains, com- j tains two million fifty-nine thousand five him- I died and thirteemsqnare miles, or thirteen Inin dred and eighteen million one hundred and I wen ty-six thousand and filly-eight acres. These es- j timates show that the territories recently acquir- i i ed, and over which our exclusive jurisdiction and domiuUm have been extended, constitute a coun try more than half as large as ail that w hich was he’d by the United States before their acquisition, j If Oregon he excluded from the estimate, there; will still remain within the limits of Texas, New '■ ; Mexico, and Gal fornia. eight hinidrd and fifty- I one thousand five hundred and ninety-eight i square miles, or five hundred and forty-five mil lion twelve thousand seven hundred and tweu- i ly acres; being an addition equal to more than onc-third of all the territory ow ned by the Uui- i ted States before their acquisition; and, including Oregon, nearly as great an extent of territory I as the whole of Europe, Russia only excepted. ] The Mississippi so lately the frontier of our conn- I try, is now' only its centre. With the addition of ] the late acquisitions, the United States are now i estimated to be nearly as large as the whole of Europe. It is estimated by the superintendent | of the coast survey, in the accompanying report, J that tlte extent of the seacoast ol Texas on the | Gulf of Mexico is upwards of four hundred miles; i of the coast of Upper California, on the Pacific, t of nine hundred and seventy miles; and of Ore- < gon. including the Straits ot Luca, ol six hundred t and fifty miles; making the whole extent of sea- < coast on the Pacific one-thousand six hundred ] and twenty miles, and the whole extent on both , the Pacific and (he Gulf of Mexico two thousand 1 aud twenty miles. ’I he length of the coast on the Atlantic from the northern limits of the Uni- , ted States, around the Capes of Florida to the ( Sabine on the eastern boundary of Texas, is es- < timated to be three thousand one hundred miles: so that the addition of seacoast, inc tiding On-- ( gon, is very nearly two-thirds as great as all we , ] possessed before; and excluding < >regon, is an ad- | diticu of one thousand three hundred and seventy ; mites, being nearly equal to one half of the ex- s lent of coast which we possessed before these uc- ; quisitions. We have now three great maritime , fronts—on tlte Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, aud . the Pacific—making in the whole an extent ot j seacoast extending five thousand miles. This is , the extent of the seacoast of the United States, , not including bays, sounds, and small irrcgalari- , ties of the main shore, and of the sea islands. If ] these Is included, the length of the shore line of ] coast, as estimated by the superintendent of the , coast survey, in his report, would be thirty-three j thousand ana sixty-three miles j It would be difficult to calculate the value of these immense additions to our territorial possessions. Texas, lying contiguous to the western boundary of Louisiana, embracing within its limits a part of the navigable tribu tary waters of the Mississippi, anil an exten sive sea-coast, could not long have remained < in the hands ot a foreign power without en dangering the peace of our southwestern < frontier. Her products in the vicinity of the tributaries of the Mississippi must have sought a market through those streams, running into and through our territory ; and the danger of Irritation and collision of interests between Texas ns a foreign State and ourselves, would have been imminent, while the embarrass ments in the commercial intercourse between them must have been constant and unavoida ble. Had Texas fallen into the hands, or un der the influence and control of a strong maritime or military foreign power, as she might have done, these dangers would have been still greater. They have been avoided by her voluntary and peaceful annexation to the United States. Texas from her position, w as a natural and almost indispensible part of our territories. Fortunately, she has been re stored to our country, and now constitutes one of the States of our confederacy, “ upon an equal footing with the original States.” The salubrity of climate, the fertility of soil, peculiarly adapted to the production of some of our most valuable staple commodities, and her commercial advantages, must soon make her one of our most populous States. New Mexico, though situated iu the inte rior, and without a seacoast, is known to con tain much fertile land, to abound in rich mines of precious metals, and to be capable of sus taining a large jjppulation. From its position, it is the immediate and connecting territory between our settlements and our passessiou? in Texas, and those on the Pacific coast. Upper California, irrespective of the vast mineral wealth recently developed there, holds at this clay, in point of value and importance to the rest of the Union, the same relation that Louisiana did, when that fine territory was acquired from France forty-five years ago. Extending nt arly ten degrees of latitude along the Pacific, and embracing the only safe and commodious harbors on that coast for many hundred miles, with a temperate climate, and an extensive interior of fertile lands, it is ! scarcely possible to estimate its wealth until , it shall" be brought under the government of j our laws, and its resources fully developed. I From its position, it must command the rich ■ commerce of China, of Asia, of the islands of I the Pacific, of Western Mexico, of Central I America, the South American States, and of the Russian possessions bordering on that ocean. A great emporium will doubtless speedily arise ou the Californian coast, which may be destined to rival in importance New Orleans itself. The depot of the vast com merce which must exist on the Pacific will probably be at some point on the bay of San Francisco, and will occupy the same relation to the w hole w estern coast of that ocean, as New Orleans does to the valley of the Mis sissippi and the gulf of Mexico. To this de pot our numerous whale ships will resort w ith their cargoes, to trade, refit and obtain sup plies. This of itself vrill largely contribute to build up a city, which would soon become the centre of a great and rapidly increasing com merce. Situated on a safe harbor, sufficiently capacious lor all the navies as well as the mu rine of the world, and convenient to excellent timber for shipbuilding, owned by the United Slates, it must become our great western na val depot. It was known that mines of the precious metals existed iu California at the time of its acquisition. Recent discoveries render it pro* I bable that these mines are more extensive and valuable than was anticipated. The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are j of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not cor roborated by the authentic reports of officers in the pu’Jic service, who have visited the mineral di-Ariel, and derived the tacts which i they detaillfoiu personal observation. Reluc tant to credit the reports in general circula tion as to the quantity of gold, the officer commanding our forces in California visited the mineral district in July last, for the pur pose of obtaining accurate information ou the subject. I|G report to the War Department of the result of his examination, and the facts obtained on the -q>ot, i-* herewith laid before , Congress. When he visited the country,there j were about four thousand persons engaged iu collecting gold. There is every reason to he- j laivc that Hie number of persons so employed has since been augmented. The explorations already made warrant the belief that the supply is very large, and that gold is tound at various places iu an extensive district of coun try. Information received from officers of the navy ami other sources, though not so full and minute, confirm the accounts of the com mander of our military force in California. It appears, also, from these reports, that mines of quicksilver are to be found in the vicinity of the gold region. One of them is now be ing worked, and is believed to be among the most productive in the world. The effects produced by the discovery of these rich mineral deposites, and the success which has attended the labors of those who ; have resorted to them, have produced a sur prising change in the state of affairs in Cali- ' fornia. Labor commands the most exorbitant ' price, and all other pursuits but that of search ing for the precious metals are abandon’d. Nearly the whole of the male population of the country have gone to the gold district. | Ships arriving on the coast are deserted by their crews, and their voyages suspended fur want of sailors. Our commanding officer there entertiflns apprehensions that soldiers cannot be kept in the public service without a large increase of pay. Desertions in his command have become frequent und he recoin- i mends that those who shall withstand the strong temptation, und remain faithful, should be rewarded.! This abundance of gold, and the all-en grossing purjuitjof it, have already caused in California an unprecedented rise in the price of the necessities of life. That we mfey more speedily and fully avail ourselves of the undeveloped wealth of these mine*’, it is dtomed of vast importance that a brunch of the mint of the United States be | authorized to be established, at your present ■ session, in California. Among other signal J advantages which wou d result from such an establishment would be that of raising the j gold to its par value in that Territory. A branch mint of the United States at the great commercial depot ou the west coast, would convert into our own coin not only the gold derived from tfcr own rich mines, but also the bullion and apeciu which our commerce may bung from the whole west coast of Central and South America. The west coast of Ame rica and the adjacent interior embrace the richest and best mines of Mexico, New Gren ada, Central America, Chili, and Peru. The bullion and specie drawn from these countries, and especially from those of Western Mexico and Peru, to an amount in value of many millions of dollars, are now annually diverted and carried by the ships of Great Britain to her own ports, to bo recoined or used to sustain her National Bunk, and thus contribute to in crease her ability to command so much of the commerce of the world. If a branch mint be established at the great commercial point upon that coast,a vast amount of bullion and specie would flow thither to be recoined, and pass thence to New Orleans, New York, and other Atlantic cities. The amount of our consti tutional currency at home would be greatly increased, while its circulation abroad would be promoted. It is w ell known to our merch ants trading to China and the west coast of America, that great inconvenience and loss are experienced from the fact that our coins are not current at their par value in thos countries. The powers of Europe, far removed from the west coast of America by the Atlantic ocean which intervenes, and by a tedious and dangerous navigation around the southern cape of flh-e continent of America, can never successfully compete with the United States in the rich and extensive commerce which is opened to us at so much less cost by the ac quisition of California. The vast importance and commercial ad vantages of California have heretofore remain ed undeveloped by the government of the country of which it constituted a part. Now that this tine province is a part of our coun try, all tlie States of the |Umon, some more immediately and directly than others, arc deeply interested in the speedy development of its wealth and resources. No section of our country is more interested, or will be more hem-fitted, than the commercial, naviira- | more UUllcuttcUf man cue lai, ua»i”a --i ting and manufacturing interests of the east ; ern States. Our planting and fanning inter ests in every part of the Union will be greatly boned ted by it. As our commerce and naviga tion .m 1 enlarged and extended, our exports of agricultural products and of mauufactuies will be increased ; and in the new markets thus opened,they cannot fail to command remunera ting and profitable prices. The acquisition of California and New Mexico, the settlement of the Oregon bound ary, and the annexation of Texas, extending to the Kio Grande, are results which, combin ed, arc of greater consequence, and will add more to the strength and wealth of the na tion, than any which have preceded them since the adoption of the constitution. But to effect these great results, not only California but New Mexico, must be brought i under the control of regularly organized gov- ; ernmeulf. The exiting condition of Cahfor- | nia, and of that pait of New Mexico lying' west of the Kio Grande, and without the limits of Texas, imperiously demand that ; Congress should, at its present session, organ- j ize territor al governments over them. Unon the exchange of ratifications of the treaty of peace with Mexico on the thirteenth of May last, the temporary governments ; which had been established over New Mexi- | co and California by our military and naval commanders, by virtue of the rights of war, ceased to derive any obligatory force from that source of authority; and having been ceded to the United States, all government and i control over them under the authority of j Mexico had ceased to exist. Impressed with I the necessity of establishing territorial gov ernments over them, I recommended the sub- j ject to the fuvoroble consideration of Con i gress in my message communicating the rati > fied treaty of peace, on the sixth of July last, - and invoked their action at that session. Con ! [ gross adjourned without making any provis ; ion for their government. The inhabitants, by the transfer ot their country, had become ; entitled to the benefits of our laws and con | stitution, aud yet were left without any reg ularly organized government. Since that time, the very limited power possessed by the Executive has been exercised to preserve and I protect them from the inevitable consequences of a state of anarchy. The only government which remained was that established by the j military authority during the war. Regard ing this to be a clc facto government, and that I by the presumed consent of the inhabitants it might be continued temporarily, they were i advised to conform and submit to it for the , short intervening period before Congress would i again assemble and could legislate on the sub , ject. The views entet tained by the Executive I on this point are contained in a communica tion of the Secretary of State, dilted the se venth of October last, which was forwarded for publication to California and New Mexi co, a copy of w hich is herewith transmitted. The small military force ot the regular ar my, which was serving within the limits <>t the acquired territories at the close of the war, j was retained in them, and additional forces have been ordered there for the protection of i the inhabitants, and to preserve and secure 1 the lights and interests of the United States. No revenue has been or could be collected | at the ports iu California, be nu>e Congress failed to authorize the establishment of cus tom houses, or the appointment of officers for ! that purpose. The Secretary of the Treasury, by a circa ■ lar letter addressed to collectors of the cus ; toms, on the seventh day of October last, a 1 copy of which is herewith transmitted, exer | cised all the power with which he was in vest ! ed by law. In pursuance of the act of the fourteenth j of August last, extending the benefit of our ( post office laws to the people of California, j the Postmaster General has appointed two j agents, who have proceeded, the one to Cali fornia and the other to Oregon, with authori ty to make the necessary arrangements for carrying its provisions into effect. The monthly line of mail steamers from Panama to Astaria has been required to “stop and deliver and take mails at San Diego, Mon terey and San Francisco.” These mail steam ers, connected by the isthmus of Panama with the line of mail steamers on the Atlantic be tween New York and Chagres, will establish a regular mail communication with Califor nia. It is our solemn duty to provide, with the least possible delay, for New Mexico and Cal ! iforniu, regularly organized territorial govern i ments. Tut* causes of the failure to do this i at the lust session of Congress are well known, i and deeply to be regretted. With the open ing prospects of increased prosperity and na ; tional greatness which the acquisition of these I rich and extensive territorial possessions as ; fords, how irrational it would be to forego or reject these advantages, by the agitation of a domestic question which is coevil with the existance of our government itself, and to en danger by internal strifes, geographical divis ions, and heated contests for political power, or for any other cause, the harmony of the glorious Union of our confederated States: that Union which binds us together as one people, and which for sixty years has been our shield and protection against every dan ger. In the eyes of the world and posterity, how’ trivial and insignificant will be our inter ‘nal divisions and struggles compared with the preservation of this Union of the States in all its vigor and w ith all its countless blessings! No patriot would ferment and excite geogra phical and sectional divisions. No lover of his country would deliberately calculate the value of the Union. Future generations would look in amazement upon the folly of such a course. Other nations at the present day would look upon it with astonishment; and such of them as desire to maintain and per petuate thrones and monarchical or ar'stocia.i cal principles, will view it with delight, be cause in it they will see the elements of fac tion, which they hope must ultimately over turn our system. Ours is the great example of a prosperous and free self-governed repub lic, commanding the admiration and the imi tation of all lovers of freedom throughout the world. How solemn, therefore, is the duty, how impressive the call upon us and upon all parts of our country, to cultivate a patriotic spirit of harmony, of good fellowship, of compromise and mutual concession, in the administration of the incomparable system of government formed by our fathers in the midst of almost insuperable difficulties, and transmitted to us, with the injunction that we should enjoy its blessings and hand it down unimpaired to those who may come af ter us! In view of the high and responsible duties wc owe to ourselves and to mankind, I trust you may be able, at your present session, to approacli the adjustment of the only domes tic question which seriously threatens, or pr o bably ever can threaten, to disturb the har mony and successful operation of our sys- tain. The immensely valuable possessions of New Mexico and California are already inhabited by a considerable Attracted by their great fertility, their mineral wealth, their commercial advantages and the salubri ty of the climate, emigrants from the older States, in groat numbers are already prepar ing to seek new homes in these inviting re gions. Shall the dissimilarity of the domestic in stitutions in the different States prevent us from providing for them suitable governments: These institutions existed at the adoption of the constitution, but the obstacles which they internosed were overcome by that spirit of compromise which is now invoked. In a con flict of opinions or of interests, real or ima ginary, between different sections of our coun j try, neither can justly demand all which it ! might desire to obtain. Each, in the true I spirit of our institutions, should concede ! something to the other. 1 Our gallant forces in the Mexican war, by i whose patriotism and unparalleled deeds of arms we obtained these possessions as an in | demnity for our just demands against Moxi j co, were composed of citizens who belonged 1 to no one State or section of our Union. They i were men from slaveholding and non-slave- I holding States, from the North and the South from the East and the West. They were all ! companions in arms and fellow citizens of the I same common cause. When prosecuting that war, they were brethren and friends, and sha -1 red alike with each other common toils, dan j gers and sufferings. Now, when their work ; is ended, when peace is restored, and they return again to their homes, put oil the hab | i!intents of war, take their places in society, and resume their pursuits in civil life, sure ly a spirit of harmony and concession, and of equal regard for the rights of all and of all sections of the Union ought to picvail in providing governments for the acquired territo ries— the traits of th“ir common service.— t he whole people of the United States and of every State contributed to defray the expen ses of that war; and it woiqd not be just for any one section to exclude another from all participation in the acquired territory. This would not he in consonance with thejust sys tem of government which the framers of the constitution adopted. I he question is believed to be Jrather abstract than practical, whether slavery ever can or would exist in any portion of the acquired territory, even if it were left to the option of the slaveholding States. From the nature of the climate and productions, in much the lar ger portion of it, it is certain it could never exist; and in the remainder, the probabilities are it would not. Hut however this may be, the question, involving, as it docs, a princi ple of equality of rights of the separate and several States, as equal co-partners in the -confederacy, should not he disregarded. In organizing governments over these Ter ritories, no duties imposed on Congress hy the constitution requires that they should legis late on the subject of slavery, while their power to do so is not only seriously ques tioned, hut denied by many of the soundest expounders of that instrument. Whether Congress shall legislate or not, the people of the acquired Territories, when assembled in convention to form state constitutions, will possess the sole and exclusive power to deter mine for themselves whether slavery shall ex ist within their limits. If Congress shall ab stain from interfering with the question, the people of these Territories will be left free to adjust it as they may think proper when they apply for admission as States into the Union. No enactment of Congress could restrain the | people of any of the sovereign States of the Union, old or new, north or south, slave holding or nou-slaveholding, from determin ing the character of their own domestic insti tutions as they may deem wise and proper.— Any and all the States possess this right, and Congress cannot deprive them of it. The people of Georgia might, if they chose, so al ter their constitution as to abolish slavery w’thin its limit.-; and the people of Vermont might *o alter their constitution as to admit slavery within her limits. Both States would possess the right; though, as all know, it is not probable that either would exert it. It is fortunate tor the peace and harmony of the Union that this question is in its nature temporary, and can only continue for the brief period which will intervene before Cali fornia and New Mexico may be admitted as States into the Union- From the tide of pop ulation now flowing into them, it is highly probable that this will soon occur. Considering the several States ami the citi zens of the several States as equals, and enti tled to equal rights under the constitution, if tins were an original question, it might well be insisted on that the principle of non-inter ference is the true doctrine, and that Congress could not, in the absence of any express grant of power, interfere with their relative rights. Upon a great emergency, however, and under menacing dangers to the Union, the Missouri compromise line in respect to slavery was a dopted. The same line was extended further west in the acquisition of Texas. Alter an acquiescence of nearly thirty years in the principle of the compromise recognised and established by these acts, and to avoid the danger to the Union which might follow if it were now disregarded, I have heretofore ex pressed the opinion that that line of compro mise should be extended on the parallel of thirty-six degrees thirty' minutes from the western boundary of Texas, where it now ter minates, to the Pacific ocean. This is the middle ground of compromise, upon which the different sections of the Union may meet, as they have heretofore met. If this he done, it is confidently believed a laige majority of the people of every section of the country, however widely their abstract opinions on the subject of slavery may differ, would cheerfully end patrioticaiiv acquiesce in it, and peace and harmony would again fill our borders. The restriction north of the line was only yielded to in the ease of Missouri and Texas upon a principle of compromise, made neces sary for the sake of preserving the harmony, and possibly the existence of the Union. It was upon these considerations that at the close of your last session, I gave my sanction to the principle of the Missouri compromise line, by approving and signing the bill to es tablish “the Territorial government of Ore gon.” From a sincere desire to preserve the harmony of the Union, and in deference for the acts of my predecessors, I felt constrained to yield my acquiescence to the extent to which they had gone in compromising this de licate and dangerous question. But if Con gress shall now reverse the decision by which the Missouri compromise was effected, and shall propose to extend the restriction over the whole territory, south as well as nortli of the parallel of thirty-six degrees thirty minutes, it will cease to be a compromise, and must be regarded as an original question. If Congress, instead of observing the course ot non-interference, leaving the adoption of their own domestic institutions to the people who may inhabit these Territories; or if, in stead of extending tire Missouri compromise line to the Pacific, shall prefer to submit the legal and constitutional questions which may arise to the decision of the judicial tribunals, as proposed in a bill which passed the Senate at your last session, an adjustment may b<* effected in this mode. If the whole subject be referred to the judiciary, all parts of the Union should cheerfully acquiesce in the final decision of the tribunal created by the consti tution for the settlement of all questions which may arise under the constitution, trea - ties, and laws of the United States, Congress is earnestly invoked, for the sake of the Union, its harmony, and our continued prosperity as a nation, to adjust at its present session this, the only dangerous question which lies in our path—if not in some one of the modes suggested, in some other which may be satisfactory. In anticipation of the establishment of reg ular governments over the acquired territo ries, a joint commission of officers of the am y and navy lias been ordered to proceed to the coast of California and Oregon, for the pur pose of making rpconnois lances and a report as to the proper sites for the erection of fortifi cations or other defensive works on land, and ot suitable situations for naval stations. The j information which may be expected from a scientific and skilful examination of the whole lace ot the coast will be eminently useful to Congress, when they come to consider the pro priety of making appropriations for these great national objects. Proper defences on laud will be necessary for the security and protec tion of our possessions; and the establishment of navy-yards, and a dock far the repair and construction of vessels, will be important a- Uke to our navy and commercial marine.— Without such establishments, every vessel, j*
