Show MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES fellow citizens Citi zens sens of the ite lie senate and of the house representatives the constitution of the united state states s provides that Cl congress ingress shall ass assemble embe annually on the first monday of december and it has been usual for the president to make no communication of a public character to the senate and house of representatives until advised of their readiness to receive it I 1 have deferred to this usage usa e until the close of the first month of the session but my convictions of duty will not permit me roe longer to postpone the discharge of the obligation enjoined by the constitution upon the president to give to tha the congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as lie he shall judge necessary and expedient it is matter of congratulation that the republic is tranquilly advancing ina lna in a career of prosperity and peace whilst relation loni ioni of amity continue con tinne to exist between the unit united d states and all foreign powers with some of UI them em grave questions are depending which may r quire require the consideration of congress my of such buch questions the most important is that which has arisen out of tile the negotiations with wath great britain in reference to central america by the convention concluded between the twe governments on the of april aprile 1850 both parties coren coven covenanted anted that neither will ever occupy or fortify or colonize or assume or exercise any dominion over nicaragua costa rica the mosquito coast or any part of central america it was the undoubted understanding of the united states in making malting this treaty that all the present states of the former republic of central america and the entyre territory of each would thenceforth enjoy complete independence and that both contracting parties engaged equally and to the same extent for the ahe present and for the future thit that if either then had any claim of right in central america such claim and all occupation cu pation pr authority under it were unreservedly relinquished by the stipulations of the tile convention and that no dominion was thereafter to be exercised or assumed in any part of central america by great britain or the united states this government consented to restrictions in regard to a region of count country ry wherein we had specific and peculiar pecullar interests only upon the conviction that the like restrictions were in tha the same sense obligatory on great britain but for this understanding of the force and effect of the convention ven tion it would never have been concluded by us so clear was this understanding ou oil the part of the tho united states that in correspondence co with the ratification of the convention it was distinctly expressed that the mutual covenants of non occupation were not intended to apply to the british establishment at the baliza this qualification is to be ascribe ascribed d to the fact that in virtue of successive treaties with previous fr trevious evious sovereigns of the country great britain had d obtained a concession of the right to cut mahogany or dye woods at the balize but with positive exclusion of all domain or sovereignty and thus it confirms tha the natural construction and understood under stool import of tile the treaty as to all the rest of the region to which the stipulations applied it however became api ap arent at all an early day after entering upon the disei disel age a ge of my present functions that great britain still continued in the exercise or assertion of large authority in all that part of central america commonly called the mosquito Mos quito quilo coast and covering tile the entire length of the state of nicaragua and a part of gusta rica that she regarded the balize as her absolute abs lute inte domain and was gradually extending it lits it at the expense of the state of honduras and that she had formally colonized a insular group known os as the bay islands ai u d belon belonging ginz of right to that state ali al thee the e acts or pretensions of great britain being c irry fly oly arry to the rights of the states of cent centi A iii til iiii rica and lo 10 the manifest mani fist tenor other of her ulis hiis ns with the united states us as understood by this Government have been made the subject subhi copf af pf negotiation through 1 ugh the A merican american minister in london dondon I 1 transmit herewith the instruct tins tans to iii n on the subject and ahe correspondence between him and the british secretary for foreign assails affairs Af falis sails by which you will perceive that ihal the two governments govel differ widely and irreconcilably as to the construction of the convention and its effect on their respective relations to central america grat griat gri at britain so cons construes trues trueE the convention as to maintain unchanged all her previous preten creten s sious 0 as over the fie Mo slut lut siut coast coat and in d lff iff r it t parts 1 arts of central america this preten creten pretensions I 1 as to the mosquito Mo quito coast are founded on the lie ahsu ip on of pofi political relation beaw between een gret greit arti brtna in ai at d the remnant of a tribe of indians on that c as enterer into at a time when the whole country w was ts a colonial possession of spain it cannot ie successfully controvert ed that by the public law of europe and america no possible act of indians or their predecessors could conf r on great britain any political diglis great britain does not allege agege the assent of cf spain as the sri jiin in of hec hee claims on the mosquito coast she has on the contrary ay by repeated and successive treaties renounced and shed all preten creten ions tons of her own and d the full and sovereign rights of spain 1 in lle ile lie the mot unequivocal terms yet these the se pie pre pretensions tensions so without solid foundation in lit the beginning and thus repeatedly abjured al ju red were at a recent period revived by great britain against the central american state slate the leAtI legitimate mate successors sols sois to all the a 1161 ut lit of spain in that region thov tiley w ic girst first applied only to a defined part of tiia ilia caasi consi 0 01 nicaragua Mcara gua afterwards to the whole of oi its A idiotic coast emst and lastly to a part pait of the tile cuatt oi costa rica and they are now reasserted to this extent notwithstanding engagements to u ui united states on the eastern coast of nicaragua and costa rica the interference of great britain though exerted at one ime nime in the form of military occupation of the port of san juan del norte then in the he peaceful poss possession sion slon of the appropriate authorities ties of the central american states is now presented by lier her as the rightful exercise of a over the Mus quito tribe of indians indians but the establishment at the balize now reaching far beyond its treaty limits into the state of honduras and that of the tiie bay islands Island st appertaining tain dg of right to the same state are as distinctly colonial to nial vial governments as those of jamaica or oi canada and therefore contrary to the very letter as well as the spirit of the convention with wilh the united states as it was at the time of ratification and now is understood by this government the interpretation which the british government thus in assertion and act persists in as bribing to the convention entsiel entirely changes its character while it holds us to all our obligations it in a great measure releases great britain from those which constituted the consideration of tills this government for entering into the convention it itis is impossible in my judgment for the united states to acquiesce in such a construction of the respective relations of tile the two governments to central america tira tina renewed call by this government upon great britain to abide by and carry into effect the stipulations of the convention according to its obvious import by withdrawing from the possession po session or colonization of portions of the central american states of honduras nicaragua crua crun and costa the british government has at length replied affirming that the operation of the treaty is prospective only and did not require great britain to abandon lr r contract any possessions held by her lier in central america at the date of its conclusion this reily reely reply substitutes a partial issue in lle ile the lie place of t the e general one presented by the united states the B batish ibish government passes over the question of tile tiie rights of great britain real or supposed in central america and assumes that she had such rights at the date of the treaty and that those rights comprehend the tl e of the tiie mosquito indians the extended jurisdiction and limits of the balize and the colony of islands at ard d thereupon proceeds by implication to infer that if tile the stipulations of the treaty be m merely future in lit effect great britain may still continue to hold bold the contested portions of central america the united states cannot admit either the inference Infer erce or the premises we steadily deny that at the date dale of the treaty great britain had any possessions there other than tile the limited and peculiar establishment at the balize and maint tiia tila in that if she had bad any they were surrendered by the tile convention this government recognizing the obligations of the treaty has of course desired to see it executed in good faith by both parties and in tile tiie discussion therefore ther elore has not looked to rights which we might assert independently of the treaty in consideration of our geographical position and of other circumstances which create for us relations to the central american states different from those of any government of europe the british government in its last communication although well knowing the views of the united states sill still declares alitt it sees no reason why a conciliatory spirit may not enable the two governments to overcome all obstacles to a satisfactory adjustment of the subject assured of the correctness of the construction of the treaty constantly adhered to by this government ern ment and resolved to insist on the rights of the united states yet actuated also by the same desire which is avowed by the british government to remove all causes of serious mi misunderstanding sunder between two nations associated by BO so many ties of interest and kindred it has lias appeared to ins proper not to consider an amicable solution of the controversy hopeless there is however reason to apprehend that eliat with great britain in the actual occupation of disputed territories and the treaty practically i ull so boaras far as regards our rights this tilis international difficulty cannot long remain undetermined ter mined without involving in serious danger friendly relations which it is the tiie interest as well as s the duty of both bolli countries to cherish and preserve it will afford me sincere gratification future efforts shall result in the success anticipated heretofore with more confidence than aspect of the case permit me now to entertain one oue other subject of discussion between states and great britain has grown out the attempt which the exigencies of the war in which she is engaged with russia induced her make to draw recruits from the united states it is the tile tri al and d settled policy of united states to maintain impartial durig durig the wars which from time to time lime among the great grat gr at power powers sot of the world performing all the duties of neutrality towards the respective belligerent states slates we may reasonably expect them not to interfere with our lawful enjoyment of its bene bent benefits fits notwithstanding the existence of such hostilities our citizens retain the individual right light to continue all their pursuits by land or by sea at home or abroad subject only to such restrictions in this relation lalion re as the laws of war the usage of nati nations olis oris or special treaties may impose and arld it is our right U lit that our territory and jurisdiction shall b ba invaded hy by either of the belligerent parties for the transit of their armies the operations their fleets the levy of troops for their service the fitting out of cruisers by or against either any agy other act or incident of war and these undeniable den lable labie of neutrality individual and na tonal fonal the united states will under no circumstances surrender render in pursuance pursuant e of this the laws of united states d do 0 not forbid their citizens to sell either or of the bellig belligerent ers til rent powers articles contraband of war or to take munitions of war or soldiers so on board their private ships for transports I 1 i llon lion and although in so doing the citizen exposes his 1113 property or person to some of the hazards of war his file acts do not involve any auy breach of national neutrality dor nor of themselves I 1 implicate the tile government this abts during the tile progress of the present war ar iu in europe our citizens have without national responsibility sold gunpowder and arins arms to all buyers regardless gard less of or the destination of those articles our i merchantmen merchantman merchant men have been and still continue to be i largely employed by great britain and by france I 1 in lit transporting troops provia provisions lons ions and munitions of war to the ibe principal seat ol 01 operations and in fit bringing home borne their sick and wounded soldiers but such use of our mercantile marine murine is not interdicted interdict ed either by the international or by our municipal law and therefore does docs not compromise our neutral relations with russia but our municipal mun cipal law iu in accordance with the law of nations peremptorily forbids for Lids not only foreigners but our own citizens to fit out within the limits of the united states a ven vessel vea to commit hostilities against any state with which the united states are at peace pence or to increase the force of any foreign armed vessel intended for such hostilities against a friendly astl style ite tte whatever concern m may ay have bave been felt by either of the belligerent powers lest last private armed cruis cruls cruiser ew or other othe vessels in the service of one might befitted be fitted out in the ports of this tills country to depredate on the property of the other all such fears have proved to be utterly groundless our citizens have llave been withheld from any such abet or purpose by good faith and by respect for the tile law while the laws of tiie the union are thus peremptory in the prohibition of the equipment or armament of belligerent cruisers in lit our ports they provide not less absolutely that no person shall within the territory or jurisdiction of tile the united states enlist or enter himself or hire or retain letain another person to enlist or enter himself or to go beyond the limits or jurisdiction of the united states with intent to be enlisted or entered in the service of any foreign state either as a soldier or as a marine or seaman oil on board of any vessel of war letter of marque or privateer and these enactments are also in strict conformity with the law lalk of nations which declares aies that no state has the right to raise troops for land or sea service in amoser another state without its consent and that whether forbidden bythe by the municipal law or not the very attempt to do it without such consent is an attack oil on the national sovereignty such being tile tiie he public rights and the municipal law of tile the united states no solicitude oil on the subject was entertained by this government when a year since the british parliament passed an act to provide for the |