Arthur's Essay

Washington, Dec. 4 - The president's mes sage congratulates country upon the favor able aspect of domfs'i" and fordgn aflüirs and suggests Ihe ere ¦ ¦ a coinmisf-ion to consider the flsheiiee qu.ijn. Iu the absence of couventional engagement the rights of our citizens in Mexicodependup on domestlc statutes of that country. When the will of the Peruviaa people i manifested the president wil! not hesitate to recognize the government approved by them. The president repeats the suggestion tha provisión be made lor the ezcTdse of dlscre tionary power by the executive ia appcintiue delegatiODS to particípate in social and selen t'fic congressen for the discussion of importan matters of general colcite. He quotes f rom the eecn-tary of the ticos ury s report, and says : If the Burplus slial hereafter be as large as the treasury estimatei uow indícate the türee p r cent bondg may al be redeetned at least four years bef ore auy o: the 4)s can be called in. The lattcr at the saine rate of accuinulation can be paid ai maturity and the moneys requisito ior the redemptiou of the fours will bü in the treasurj inany years before those obligations becomi. paj able. There are cc-geut reasous, howevcr, why the national indebteduess shou.d not be thus rapidly extinguisLed, chief auiong them the f iet that only by excessivc taxation is euch rapidity attainable. The president does not ad. vise tha adoption at this session of anv measures ior large djmnutiou of the national revecues. üiving to tbeioterval which mustelapse before the effect of the act of Muren 80, 1S83, eau dtfinitelj be astertained, a certain portion at least ol the surplus revenues may be wisely applicd to the loug-neglected duty of rehabüitatiug oui navy and providing eoast defenses for the protection of our harbore. Immediately associated with the financia] subject is the important questiou of what leislatiou is neecsary regarding the nationa] currency. The aggregate amount of bnnds now on deposit iu thetreasury to support the national bank circulation is about $350,01)0,000. Ner)y $ajO,000,000 of this aiuouat, eoasists of three pe.r cents, whicli are pajable at the pleasure of the government and are likejy to be called in within less thau four years. Culftss, Hieautime, tbe surplus revenue scall be dimiuished, the probable effect of such an extensive retiremciit of 6tcuiities which are the basts of national bank circulatiou would be eucb a contraction of the volume of tbe curreucy as to produce grave cocuuiercial embarassmeuts. If the revenues of the ni xt four years shall be Kcpt tubstantially cou.mensuiate with the expenditures the volume of circulation wiil Bot be likely to fuffer an material chaoge; bot if, on tue othfrhand, thereshall be gnat delay in reducing taxation, it will l'eeome nece&6ary either to substitute some othcr form of bank ciirreucy in place of uational bank notes, or to make important changes iu the laws by whi".h tbeir rirculatiou is now contrclled. In my judgement, the latler cour6e is far prcferable. The objtctions which the secretary urges against the acceptance of any other securipits ttian t,he obligatious of the government itself, as the foundation for national bank eireulation, secm to me insuperable for avoidiug the threateued contraction. Two cüurses hae been suggested, either cf wblch is probabiy ieasible. One is the issuance of new bonds Liaviug many years to ruu, benrini; e, tow vate uf interest, and ejchangeable upon ppecided trms for tho6 now outstanding. The other course, whicb commends itself to my own udgmeut as tbe better, is the enactnicnt of ¦ :aw repealing che tax on circulatiou ;iud permittlng banks to issue notes for an amount .qualtoÜO per ctnt. .f the market value, iustead of as uow tbe face value, of deosited oonds. I agree with the secretary iu ;he belief that the adoption of this plan would afford the necessary rtlief. The trade dollar should no lonscr be permittcd to embarrass our currency system. He recommends that provisión be made for their reception by the treasury and mints as bullion xl a small percentage aboye the current market price of silver of like h'ueness. He calis tbe attention of Congres6 to the present condition of our extended sea coast, ind suggtsts that these works be put in au jfneient condition. Suitable facilities for the manufacture of heav)' orduance should be idopted for modc-n warfare. The perfeetion of our submariue torpedo defenses is also rec3mmended, He ttpeyes that cncoiiragciuent oí state mtlitla organizatious ly the natioual government will be followcd by very gratífying re6ults, and endeavors to impress the nceessity of continuea progress tn the rt construction oL the nayy. On the subject of government telegraph the president 6ays, such rcflcction as he has been able tj give it 6lucc bis last annual message has not led him to ehange the views then expressed. He believes, however, that the government should exercisi; some sort oí supervisión over intcr-stafe telc-gra'phlc eommunlcatiop. Reïerrlng to the great etate of llliteracy in certain portions of the country, hc suggeets federal aid to public primary educatiou,when;ever adequate provisión t.-not already made. Conceruing the extirpation of polygamy the president is conviuced that the evü has become so strongly intrenched in Utah that (t je profltle8s to attack it with any but vhe stoutest weapons wdich constitutional legislation can fashion. Therefore he favt)rs the repeal of the act upon which the exisling Dtah gover nmnt depends, the aesumption by the national leglslature of the entire political control of the territory, and tin; establishment of a commission with such powers and duties as ph.aH be dclegated to it by law. The subject of sovernrtental interference, supervisión or control of interstate railroad c.-ommerce i dismis6ed as follows : The right of these railroad corporations to a fair and profitable return upon their investimnts, and to reasonable f-eedom in their regulatlons, must be recogniied ; but it ;eem6 only just that so far as constitutional authority wiíl pí-imit, Congrcss should prote(;t the peQplo at large in their inter-state trafiip agalnst acts of injustice which state governments are powerltss to pveyent. He belleves the new system oí civil Bervipe has thus far proved beneficial. On the subject of the preslcenttal Buccession and the proper lnterpretation of the constitutional phr.&6et 'iuabiilty to dificharge the powers and dutiti of 6aid offlee," the president txpresnes a hope that these queetione will flud ¦peedv solutione, lest emergfnei 8 arise when longer delay will be impoi-sible and any deter mination may furnish a cause of anxiety and alarm. The me6sage closes wi)h the following allusion and 6Ugge8tion resn:cting the tiyil ri)ihts of the colored raci-: "Tlie fo'.irteenth amendoient to the coustitucion coufere the rlifhts of cltlzcnshlD uuon all persons bom or naturaliïed in the Unitid States and subjictto the jurisdicción thereof. It wa6 special ly the purpos; of tbie aniendment to insure members ot the colored race a f uil enjoymt-nt of civi' and polilical rights. Certaiu etatutory provislons intended to s.=cure the enforceniint of tho.e rlght6 have been rccently declared unconstitutiopa.1 by the upreine court. Anv legislation whereby Congrou may lawfully supplement the guarantits whicli the constitution affords for the iqual eojoymeot by all citizens of the Un'ted States of every right, privilege and immuuity of citlzenship, wil! receiTe my unbeeitatlng ap; royal."