| Show I aw j err tyr ala ST i 4 t I 1 11 WR enli u hillige MESSAGE ti I 1 t il ther the reconstructed mates A year of peace and general prosperity to this nation has passed since the tho inso last assembling of congress behave we have havo through a 1 kind ind providence been blessed with abundant crops and have been spared from complications and war with forel foreign gri nat nations loje in our midst comparative harmo dyb has hab as beon restored it is to bw regretted leg jeg retted however thal that 1 free exercise of the elective franchise has hy by violence and sad intimidation beani appl eppl denied to citizens in exceptional cases cabes and in several df of the estates tates lately in rebel rebellion llon ilon rand and the verdict of the people lias lids ha a thereby been reversed the states of Virgin virginia iq mississippi and texas llave have been restored to toi tok representation in our national coun councils ells clis Geor Georgi georgiadi glai giai aj the only state now without representation may confide confidently atly be expected to take her place there aiso also at the beginning of the new year and then let Jet us hope will be completed the work 0 of reconstruction with an on the part of the people in the national obligation tapay to pay the tiie public debt created as the price of pur nuu union urion the per pen pensions siona slona to our disabled big Fig soldiers idlers ala and sailors and their widows and orphans and in the changes to the constitution which have been made necessary by the great rebellion there is no reason why we should not advance in material prosperity yand and happiness as no other nation di did dafter after so protracted and devastating a war american protection in eranee france soon boon after the existing war broke out in europe the protection of the U US S minister in paris lasris was invoked in fa vor gor of the north germans domiciled in french territory instructions were issued to grant the protection this has been followed b by y an extension of american protect protection ion ibn to citizen citizens of saxony hesse saxe coburg gotha columbia portugal uruguay the dominican Ee republic public equador chill chili paraguay guay and Venez uin uld ja paris the charge was ian jan oner onerous ons oms one requiring constant and severe savere labor jabor i as well as the exercise of patience prudence and good judgment ithai been performed entire entine satisfaction of this government and as I 1 wa officially informed t equally so to theatis faction of the government of north germany attitude of the U V S to tle ilie re public i As soon as I 1 learned that a tepu republic alic had been proclaimed in arla paria aria and und the peo people leof of france had bad acquiesced in the chango change the abb nil mil minister alster of the united states Stites was wab was directed by telegraph to recognize zb it ana and t tender tonder e rider my cong ratu lablona and aud those bathe of the people of the united states in the re rb establishment in france of a system of government disconnected with the dynastic traditions of europe europi which appeared to be a proper subject for the felicitations feli citations of americans should the present struggle gleVe result sult suit in attaching the hearts of the french to our simpler forms of representative enta tive government it will be a subject jeet of still further satisfaction I 1 our off people while w we e make no effort to impose our institutions the inhabitants in of other couil couii countries tries and while we adhere to the traditional neutrality in civil interests elsewhere we 0 cannot be indifferent to the spread of Ame american political ideas in a great and und highly civilized country like france we ave welea were asked by the new government to use our grod offices jointly with those thos 0 of european powers I 1 inthe in the interest bf peace phd answer was wasl made that the established policy and the true inter intent ests of the united states for forbade bader them I 1 to interfere in european questions jointly with eur european powers I 1 ascertained certa ined informally ani andl unofficially that the government germany was not then than disposed fo to listen to huell such representations froni from any powers and though earnestly wishing lo 10 see the blessings of peace restored to the belligerents lige rents with all of whom the united states are on terms of bf friendship I 1 declined antho on tho the part of we toe government to take a step which could only result in injury to our rub tribe rue interests without advancing the object fur which odi our intervention tion was vas invoked should the time come when the action of the united states state scan sean can ean hasten the return of peace by a single kibur libur that action will be heartily tak taken eun efi t W Ame american neutrality it prudent in view mew of the number of persons of german germar and aud French birth living in the to issue soon official notice ofa st state a te been received fron from both belligerents ft proclamation la matlon mation defining the duties of t the bp e run united sted states as a neutral and the obligations of persons residing within their territory to observe their laws and the laws of nations the proclamation was followed by others as circumstances seemed to call for them the peo gie gle pie thus acquainted in advance of their duties and obligations have assisted in preventing violations of the neutrality of the united states the united states and nud spain it is not understood that the condition of the insurrect insurrection loh ion in cuba has mater materially lally changed since the close of the last bession session of congress in an early stage of the contest the authorities af of spain inaugurated a system of arbia arary arrests of close confinement or military arV arr triai trial hrict and execution of persons suspected of complicity with voit volt t the jh insurgents gents andoe nna af summary embargo of ithelia property and the of their revenues by executive warrant such proceeding proceedings sas as faras far AS they affected the ithe persons or property of citizens of gidow eisom the united niti states were in ili violation foi iol fol atlon of the provisions bt the treaty of df 1795 betwee between n the united states and spain representations of injuries resulting res alting to td sev several dial persons claiming to be citizens of the united state states by reason of stia such violations were made to the spanish governa government ent from april 1869 to june last the spanish minister at washington had been clothed with a limited power to aid in redressing such wrongs but that power was found to be withdrawn in yiew view as it was wa said sald of the theredo revolutionary lutio nary situ situation atio atlo n in which the island of cuba then was which chich however did not lead to the revocation or suspension of the extraordinary and arbitrary functions exercised by tty the executive power ili in cuba arnd arid e were obliged to make out complaint madrid in the negotiations thus thug opened and still pending there the united onitta Onit td states only claimed ithac forthe for the future the them rights secured to their citizens by treaty should be respected in cuba and that as to the past a joint tri trl bunat tribunal should be established in the united states with enli jurisdiction over all such claims before stich such an paral im tribunal each claimant would be required to prove his hi s case ease on the other hand spain would be at rit liberty to traverse every material foot and thus complete equity would mould be done A case which at one time threatened threaten dd seriously to affect tha relations between the united states and spain has already been als posed posea of lof th this way the tile claims of the lloyd aspinwall for fbi rne the illegal siez arcand ure and detention of that vessel was was wag referred 1 feriod to arbitration by mutual consent and has resulted in an award to the united unita states for the owners of the same of nineteen thousand seven beven hundred and two dollars and fifty cents in gold another and long lony pending claim of dike nature mature that of the whale ship canada has hab been disposed of by friendly arbitration durin during the present year it was referred by tile the joint consent of brazil and the united states to the decision esio ello of sir edward thornton her britannic Maje 0 at washington who kindly undertook the laborious task of examining the volu voluminous mi gnass of correspondence and testimony submitted by the two govern ments and awarded to the united states the suns suni sum bum of one hundred thousand seven hundred dollars and nine scents cents in gold which has since been paid by the imperial governing government rit these recent examples show that the mode which the united states has proposed to spain for adjusting the pending claims is just and feasible and that it may be ba agreed to by other othen nations without dishonor it is to be hoped that this thia moderate demand will be acceded to by spain without further delay should the pending neg negotiations otla otia unfortunately and unexpectedly be without re result stilt it ibb will then become my duty to communicate that fact to congress Coil cori gress and invite its action on the subject the ebe south american republics 1 the loag deferred peace conference between spam and the allied south american republics hab haa been inaugurated in washl Wash washington ington logton under the auspice auspices 4 of the ithe united states pursuant to a jre ire commendation contained faithe in the reso 1 lutian of the house of representatives representative s f the december 1866 the executive department of the gov government joff offered ered its friendly offices for the promotion of apt kee tee and harmony between spain and th allied republica republics hesitation and obstacles occur occurred hed ked to the ac the offer ultimately how ow everi evert a con eon conference ferenee ferebee was arranged and slid was opened in this city on the be october pc tober at which I 1 3 authorized the sec amr mary bof of state to p preside reside it was at tended ended by the mii mil ministers peru chili and equador in consequence of the he absence of a representative from irom bolivia the conference was adjourned until the attendance of a plenipotentiary from rom that republic could be secured or other measures could be adopted towards compassing its object the allied and other republics of spanish origin on this continent may see in this fact a new proof of our sincere interest in their welfare of our desire to see them blessed with good governments capable of maintaining order and preserving their respective territorial integrity and of our sincere eero gero wish to extend our own commer acial and social relations with them the time ignot probably far nar distant when aih iiii the natural course bf tit events the european political connection w with i ith this continent will cesse cease our policy should be shaped in view of this probability pa ab as to ally tha the continental interests of I 1 these spanish states lnore snoie closely to ours and thus give the united states tates all the preeminence pre eminence and all the pd vantage advantage which monroe adams adain and clay contemplated when thay propos ed to join to the congress of panama san sau D etingin annexation during the last lawt session of congress 1 a treaty for the annexation of there thebe the republic u ot 0 san domingo to the he united states failed to receive the requisite two thirds vote of the senate I 1 was thoroughly convinced then that the best interests of the countr country yi f commercially and materially teri ally demanded its ratification time has only confirmed me in this view I 1 now firmly believe that the moment it Is known that the united states have entirely abandoned the project of ace accepting epting as a part of its ter ten eer ler the island of san domingo a it free tree port will be negotiated for by european nations in the bay of samana A large edin commercial mercial city will spring up to which we will be tributary without receiving corresponding benefits the government 0 san pan domingo has voluntarily unta rily sought this annexation it Is a weak power powen I 1 nuna nuba numbering bering probably less than one hundred and twenty thousand souls soule and yet possessing one ofie of the richest localities under the rhe san sun capable of supporting a population of ten tea millions of people in luxury the people of san ban domingo are not capable of maintaining themselves in their pres present ent condition and must look for outs outside lda ida support they yearn fortha for tha protection of our tree jlee institutions and laws 1 our progress and civilization shall shail we refuse themo theto tha the acquisition of ean san domingo is desirable because of its ibi geographical position I 1 it commands the entrance to the carridean Carrl Carri bean sea and the tho isthmus transit of commerce It pos besses the richest boll soil the best beat and glud most capacious harbors the thi most salubrious climate and and the most valuable products of the forest and mines and fanyo any of thorest india islands its possession by us IN win in a few yearb years buildup a coastwise commerce commeree of immense magnitude which wll wall go far toward restoring to us our lost merchant marine it will give to us ug those articles which we consume greatly and do not prod produce tice thus equalizing our exports and imports in case of foreign war it will give us command of all t the he islands referred to and thus prevent an enemy from again possessing himself of a rendezvous upon our coast at present our coast trade between the states bordering on the atlantic and those bordering on the gulf of mexico isley is by the bahamas and the antilles twice we must as it were pass through foreign countries to get from geor georgia Is to the cast coast of florida florid i san ban uyer uler with a stable government under which her immense resources cau can be developed will glye give I 1 remunerative wages to ten thou thousand and laborers not now upon the island this labor will take advantage of every available Inae ansaf transportation to abandon the adjacent islands Island sand and see seek beek k the bles sings of its freedom and the sequence of esch each inhabitant receiving the reward of his own labor porto rico and cuba will s have to abolish slavery las a m measure ea of self preservation to retain their laborers san domingo will become a large consumer of the products odthe of the bor northern thern farms and manufactures rhe the cheap rate at which her citizens can be furnished with food tools and slid make it necessary that citizens of contiguous islands abound have the th e same advantages in order to compete with the production of bugai bugal sugar bugar coffee tobacco and tropical fruits this will vill open to the united states a wider market for her products and the pro id induction of our ohr our supply of these articles will cut cul off more than one hundred millions of our annual imports besides angely increasing our et exports ports wath sueh such a picture leture it is easy to see how bow our large debt abroad la is ultimately tabe to be extinguished with a balance of trade against ua us including inte Inie interest reat of bonda bonds I 1 held by foreigners and the money ship mentor our citizens trave lingin foreign lands which Is equal to the entire yield of precious metals in this country it is not so easy to see how this result is to be otherwise accomplished the acquisition of san ban domingo is an adhesion to the munroe doctrine and is a measure of national protection it i la asserting our just claims to a controlling influence over the great commercial traffic soon to flow from the west to the east byway by way of the |
