Governor's Message To The Legislature Of The State Of Michigan

CtmTened in Extra Sessióii, January 19, A. D., 1864. Fellow Citiztns of the Srnateand Home oj l{ejrisentatire.i : I weloome you again to the Capítol. By virtue of that provisión of the Conntttution which autborizes the Governor to convene the LegWaturo upon "extraordinary ocousioos," your present nssembling has been required. The rebellionbtill refuses to give us either peace or rest ; and no human forecast eeeins sufik-ient to próvida for all the exigencias of a eingie yenr. At your last session, after having tried the hard experiences of war for nearlv twoyeare, and leamed gomen hat of the requireniects of the occasion, it was hoped that all had been done which would be required d uring the term for whioh you had been elected, and for thefulfillment of the obligation owed by the poople of Miohigan to the national Government, in its great effort to protect the Union and save the nulion entire. All the tneasures of that sessim were, I believe, wisely adapted to the purposes had in view; but some changes made by acts of Congress in the method of recrnitment of the national forces, and the faihire of those acts to accomplish the object in the manner and to the extent anticipated, have rendered further legislation erped-ient and even necessary. The enrolhnent act wa evidently intended to dispense with the system tf voluhteering. and to rely mainly, if wet entirely, upon drafting, to re-inforce the nationni armies. No furtber appeals were to be made dircotly to the State authoritios, to furnisli their quotas of volüiiteen, as had beon previously uone; but the Government would at once lay its hands upon the men required, by means of the Provost MarshaLj and the rnachiuery of the draft. It resul ted, of course, that local and State bounties would be no further required, nor would aoy further agitation by the local autborities be necessary, in any part of the country. This project has been tried, apparently wilh results not altogether satisfactory, wheiherfor the reasou that the law itself was crude and düfeet'.ve, or that the system was not in accordance with the habits and genius of oup people, it is not necessary now to inquire. The President has, for whatever renson, in his proclamation of October last, "calling upon tho Governors of the different 8 '.alea to raise and have eolisted into the United States service, for tLe varions companies and regiments in the field from their respoctive States, their quota of three hundred thousaud men,' ed to the old system, whieh looks to recruiting as tho chief reliance for strengthening the military forces. The demand that the eulistments should all bs "for the various companiea and regiments in the field," also indicates a defeimination to coaso ornamenting ambltious civilians with the insignia of mililiary commaixJ, and in its stead to reinlorce the veteran corps by eulistnients into their wqil-trained rants, under oftícers of tried courage and ski 11 ; a polii;y so wise that it ia ouly wonderful that it was not adopted long before.- As soon ;is prac'icable after the issue of thjs cali,, tha qnotas of the eeveral States were made known to them, that j of Michigaij beiog a little in excess of' fievdii ihousand. it was the duty of Üje State to reapond to this cali for volunteers with the promptness and energy which has chídfccterized our people since the war began, and has made jjliehïgao eoldiers a pride and a glory in every army ia wh:uh they have iserved. To dó this required that all our recruiting machinery, which had been laid aaide for the draft, should be again brought iato f uil operatien.- Some little dehiy was unavoidably occasioned in consequence of the drafl heing at the time in actual progrese; but all th Luga uonsidered, tbe sucoess has been more than oqual to the mosl sanguine expectatious. Recruiting haa been brought back to the standard oí entlmsiasm of the flrst year of the war, jnd the ability of the State still to fill its quotas by the process of voluntary enlistments, has been proved boyond doubt. EODNTIES. This has been accornplished mainly by the offering of liberal bounties to the volunteers, and a tborough agitation and canvass of the communities iwnsequent upon it. The people have generully taken the matter directly in hand theinselves Without any adoquate Iaw3 directing their action in a öuiforin couise, they have come together Hj their local municipal corporations, and, in the various ways which seemed best to tliem, have ruised the luoaey to enable them to ofier suuh bouuties as ' seeined suñiciont to induce the enlietment of the requisita nuniber of men to fill the quota and escape the draft. As a general thing they have aimed at ' levying the amount raised, finally, by u uniftji'in tax, in order that all those who oiight lo contribute to it, should ba made to do so, hovvever unwilling any might be ;. and to this there seems to be uo eolid objection. If auy interest is more indebted than unother for protection to the maintenanoe of stablo government, it is the property upon which the taxation will lajl. And inasnuch as the war is waged for tho preservation of such government, t rnay justly demund that the property of tha uiiuntry sha.il contribute, by fair asseasint, to its euccess in every proper j ; way. What more effectual way than ' by tilling the ranks of the army under tht immediate actioa of the people thenisfclved? In many instancos, county, township and city bondn, and olher evidentes oi debt, have been i-sued, which lack the pecessary statutory saactioa, and do pot therefore possess, in the hands of I the holders, their proper and legitímate valué. These obliafions have been entered ' into in good t'aith, and in good laith : ceived, prenuming upon the patriotism i andjustico of the Legislature. Thoy ' have been incurred for the most ' ie object, and havo acoouiplished most ' honorable and benofioial results, both j ' to the State and the natioo. I ' I have no hesitation, therefore, in ' recoin men ding that the legiflutive 1 ; (ion be given to tho aotion cf the peopie in tho ruising nf money for Üi paymeot oí bountiea to volunte-era , sincu tho papsagu of tho act of 1863, under sncb rruards and restriotions as niay be tuought r.eeessary for proteotiou agíiast fruüds and pretended claims. In Ihis conreeiiou, I wish also to cali tho atteutiou nf tho Legislature to the question of tlie proprioty of providing, by luw, a uniform ule, by virtue oí which bounties tnay hereaíter be raised without tho irreyulai ities whieb have heretofore occurred, and without the necessity of annther ïesort to an extra sei?sion. I II is extresnely thatviheuever b..ui.tiew are iffered, they hhould bo unifi rm throughout the State, ie or! dor that different ioci'lities may bü pre ( vented from a heated eompetitiou and biddin agaii'st eaeh o! her, in a manoor aüks disastrous. tü tbeméelves and I the service, resul t ing in too muny cases in d.-wniight deception nnd iraud, both upou the volunteers theruselves and the to.wnsand cities from vvhich they enlist. For this purpose, it Las been tboiight bet-t by mauy patriotic persons that bounties ehould be offeied ouly by the díate, and that the pjaHir municipal eorp ratiuns boula bo entiroly forbidden to du so. In thi opiuion I do not concur. Af er considerable observaton and oxperience I am conviuced that no eonlmaooe bas jet been adopted uhich can compare in efficiency with tho local bounty for prof uring enlistmants into the military serwce. The same amouut of money ofíered ia any other way, either by the State or General Government, will not begin to equal it, and the reaeon is obvinus. When the people of a town, or ward of a city, are eallod tugethar to eousider the propt iety of raiaiog a bounty to fill the quota of that town or ward, a very great mierest is avvakened in the question at the vory tirst step, and wheu it is fiually determined to do so, and to assess the arnount in eome way upon the linie cnmmunity, the interest i.s so greatly enhanced that every individual of that eommunity ieels thoroughly eommittttd to tha project, and lends his utmost influenoe to actompüsh it. This influenceis worth even more than ihn rnonoy itseli. Few will enlist irom a colJ, lifeldss eommunity, no matter ior the money that nry "be offered.- But lot the whole people rise up to cheer on tliose vrho etiter the service oí their country, offering generoiis bountie, not to boy an unwilling soldier, but as M earnest and hearty good will towarda a paüant defender of a rcost righteou cause, in wbich all the blood that is shed -hall be sacred, and the cuse i " bravely altered." The ambitious, enthutiiasiic, young men wül go shoDting with joy to 'the ranks, and take np their trms with ihe spirit of héroes. In nhatever laws may be enacted upon this subject, the object should be to aid the action of the people by giving legal forcé and validity to sucb meas'ures as thuy pjay decide upon, as being m'Ë lilcely to acoormplish their purpose. At the same timo it will be wise to tix so:ne well deöriod limita, bevond which it shall not be lawful to go, to prevelt inoonsiderate rashness. In fixiig snch liniits, care ehould be taken to avoid i'xii-emer., It is not only important that the object should be pursued with great entliusiasm and patijotic enorgy, but that it houtd at tlie same time be contnnious nnd not transitory. Fhü lossea of the eorupanies and regiinents in tfré field are constantly and eteudily occuning. Tho men drop out ï the ranks ona by one into the hospita], Large numbors of them never return to active uuty, disappearing in the Invalid Corps, or bein ffnally discharged to return to civil ife. Their places in the ranks ougbt to be supplied by a steady influx of new recruits. It is better every way that the number re quired to keep up the numbers of the Michigan regiments in the field ehould be oijtaiuod by a eteady and constant recruilment of new men, than that all should have to be done in a period lim itod to a íew days, and consequenlly by a spasmodic exhauf.t;ng efloit which will soon need to be repeated. Under the present system of credits to the iub-diatriets, any Riirplus in always carried forward)in faot tbe enrolltuont law requires that, and any town may, by a steady pystem of recruiting, keep" its quota censtantly filled, thus avoiding the extra expendes and ë&ort occasioned by hasto and strong competition on the evo of a dra ft. We o we a great debt of gratitude to the companies and regiments we have put in the field, and can repay it n no way bo wkII as keeping their ranks full. It ought not to be considered a fulfillment of our vhole duty merely to raise the quota? assigned lis. It is a sacred obligation resling upon the peopie to sustain the troopa iu the field ; and for this purpose it 'is essential that Lhe action be unrernitting and steadily SLstained. Wben bounties are offered, Lhe offer ühouM be cnotiuQtxj affer the i-niiiediale egigencjr is past, thus prov-iding a surplus to meet another cali, 'j'be State bounty which was providd by -he act approved March 6th, 18G3, was withdrawu poou after the late cal] was i;rdt;, ïhis action was rendored proper by two considerations: First, the war loan fund was insufficient n arnount to pny it to po large a number of men as the cali embraced ; and secondly, because the United States Government had so largely inergased its bounties that its payrnent was con sidered unneco.ssary so long as thoae jhould continuo to be paid. Il will be remembered that this State bounty wan recommended in the mes sage of a year :go to bupply the place, to some extent, of the local bounties which it was apprehended would cease ;is soon aa the draft then progressing was over, which proved to be the case And thia was for the purpose of presenting the enlire abindiintncut of the recruiting service, which it ílso has :,c omplished. 'l'his is a caso vvhich is irery likely to ooeur ugain, and I wish ;o reservo the amount still remainingin :ho war loan fund to be ued whon and A'Lera olher bountiea ayu witheid, or Imre is some especial reason for thuir jeiüg paid, as in tbe caso oí the vetean who rc-eulist, having never i !il any botín! y from tne SUitc. Tho ay ment of this bounty na' also con , ■ i Ciied by expresa words of the act, to ) those who should "enlist in any regii I ment, battery or pb'ropany laeretofore , ' mustered from this State into the milii tary service of the United States, or novv [then] organijing in this State for [ such service." purpose of this was to encourage enlistments in tho old regmeota, and to discourage the formai üonTof new ones, a policy vvhich ban i now beeu adnpted by the General Goverument. To prevent niisconstructixm', this aot will requiro some slight amendmeot, more especiaüy in regard to the discretion which wa'a vested in the Exeoutive. lu lts main object, however, I beüeve itto have been a very benefici.il law, and tru6t it rcay be retaiued. ENABU.NG eOLDIERS IS THE FIELD TO VOTK, At your session a year ago, a bilí paesed tha House of Representativos, providing foi the exerciso of the right oí suffrage in our eloctions by our soldiers absent from the State iu the service of the United States. This bil! reachftd the Senate at the very heel of the session and lailed, itwasunderatf.dd, lor went of time to consider it." The subject was one of great importance, and surroundtd with grave doubts and difficulties. Perhaps the minds of the mernbers were not nltogether settled at that time, as to the rightfulness or policy of euch a law. The Constitutions ot the States have all been framed without any view to uch a oondition of things as the present ; and there has alwaya been in this country, as in Engiand,"great jealousy of the army miogling in the affairs of civil iidministraüon. During the jpast yt-ar, however, very great consideration has been given to the subject in nearly all the loyal States. It has come into judgment before the Irghest tribunals of eeveral oí thein, eliciting very leuraed and patriotic opidor.s from the judges, which have thrown great light upon it, and goce far to establish the legal principies which must guide all proper legisiation in that direetion. That patrio'Jsm, justice acd sound policy require the passage of such laws, wherever they can be constitutirnally enacted. seen.s to be now generally ftereed. Tho volunteer army of the United Staten is compesed of the peopie of the United States. They have feft their various occupatioms ia civi! life and taken up arms ut the cali of their country, not to become professional soldiere, hut lo defend their country and government from destruc'.ion, and their homes and property from desesration and pillage; not to renounce civil life and the pursuits oí peace, but to establish upon an enduring basis, the I right to both, for themselves and their posterily. With a patriotism and courage worthy of everlasting remembrance they have periled everything, that their country, and its free institutions mav continue to exis'. They aro absent from the polls of the elections in their eeveral towns and ward.-, beating back the power of a causeless and cruel rebellion, in order that those very electione may be held in peace, and that the right to ho'd them and to have their resu!t3 respected and obeyed shall continue forever. If these volunteer citizen soldiers ehould not have a voice in the civil administration of the government for trhicb they fight, then it would he well to imjuiro who is worthy of it. Though soldiers they have not oeased to be citiaena and resídents, nor is their state less in the country than that of those who remain in peace at horre. Surely, he who stands faithfully by bis country in the shock of battle, may be safoly truRted at the ballot box, though it should be carried to biro at Vicksburg or Chattanooga. Is it, then, within the constitutional powersofthig Lcgislaturo, to enact a law granting the exercise of the right of sufirage elrseivhere than in tho town or vvard wtire the voteris a resident ? It s pot a queation of the right to vote, but only of the place where the ballot shall be received. No chsnge of qualifications in the voter, nor in the manner of his exercising the right, will be required. All the case demands is the establishment of a poll ior the reception oí votes in or near the camp of the troops. Ko right of challenge will be denied, nor any safeguard vvhich the utmost prudsnee may enact, If such power exists in your body, then by every considenition of justiee and right let it be done; but if not, then, however much we may regret it, wc must not move a step in that direi-tion, nee they would not be fit to rnake laws who will not obey the fundamental law. It beoomes ns, therefore, to exainine carefully and judge dispassionaioly. That the Legislature has power to 6x the time place and manner of holding electioDi, and to establish thequali(icat-ions of voters, unless prohibited bv the Constitution from doing so need not be doubted. Justiee Butler, in delivering the unanimous opinión of the Supreme Court of Coniiecticut, declaring unconstitutional and void the act of the General Assembly of that State, approved December 24th, 1862, " providing a mode of taking the votes, in the election of State and other officers, of persons absent from the State as voiunteers in the military service of the United States," remarked as follows: " The OoiiBtitution establishes an elective government, and under it there must of necessity be a fixed time, place and manucr of holding elections. If these are cleurly and sufficiently fixed and preEcribed by the Constitution, and nothing is cxpressly delegatod, or by implication Icft to the Legislaturc, that body cannot inferiere to alter, extend or suspend them, or either of them, in the slightest particular. If they are not thus fixed and ; scribed by the Constitutioo, it is by . plication incident to tho general legislative power to do it, so that the government may be perpetuated and ssustained. ' " Our simple inquiry, thoreforc, is whether the Constitutiun has so fully and : clearly prescribed the time, placo ancj ' manner of holding elections, or either of ' them, as to leave by implication no ' er in the General Assembly to prescribe -: them, or either of them, in the wuy and to the extont they have attempted to do, in the act in question. i " In ri'lation to the time, place and i raanner of holding elccticms, the 1 tutions of the scvural States ilijfer. ín ( eornc of tjui 11 tbcie are jrijsciibod j with (Ijat pnrticularity wbich forbids al] aotiou of the Legitíuture. Iu others neitber aro prescribed, but the qualifications of the votara are fix;ed, and the power to regúlate the time, place ano i nianner, eommitted to tlio Iicgialataro : aud in such States the reception of votes out of the State may be Uonstitutionally Í autiiorized." j _ Tilia doctrino of the Coanecticut Courf I is sustained, substautially, by all the cases whieh have met my observatioa. It seems to me, also the doctrine of gooc sense. Takiug these principies asa ffuide it will not be difficult, I think, to deter miue whether the Constitution of Michi gan ' has so fully and clearly prescribed the time, plae-3 and niauner of holding electioDS, s to leave by iujplication n power ii the Legislatura to presorib thou). It has oer tai ni y so prescribed tb time. In seotion 34 of article 4, section 3 of article 5, and secfiou 1 of artide 8 the Tucsday succeeding the first Monday of November, in thu year 1852, andjn cvery seaoad yoar thereafter, is ostablisi ed as the time of holding the general bi euüial eloction. And it is clear tha every ck-otiou of State officers and mem bers of the Legislature must be upon tha day, and i;o otber, iu ppite of any legis tive euactment whatever. If the Constitution is equally explici ;;s to the place and nianuer of Iroldihg the electioLis, then we may dismiss the discus sion at once, and obey the prohibition but I am coufident it" will bo found oth erwise. ïhat instrument has no where requirec that the olection shall be held iu any particular piase or number of places, nor in any particular mauner. No election districts are established or required to be estabiished, nor are any rules prescribec for the form or estent of guoh districts, They may be formed of ontire oounties il the Legislature so choose, unless the requireraont that Senators and Representatives shall be electedby single districts affects the question. Neither is the manccr of LoldiDg the electicu preseribed, except that the vote shall be by ballot. All these things have been left to'the Legislature, uoless the concluding words oi section 1, article 7, should be held to provide otherwise. ïhis article is headed " Elections," aud deak entirety witb the qualifications aud privileges of electors, except that in the second section the vote is required to be given by ballot, " except for such township ofïïcersas may be authorized by law to be othewise chosen." The words of section 1, referred to aro as follows : "But no citizen or iuhabitant shall be an elector, or entitled to vote at any clection, unless he shall be above the age of twenty-one years, and has íesided in the State three months. and iu the township or wardiu which he offers to vote ten daj s next preceding such election." These are fit words to establish" the qualifications of veters, but not to control the Legislature as to the places when: polls of election shall be established aud votes offered aüd received. They speak directly as to age and residence, and on!y to these qualifications. All else is incidental and explanatory. The elector must be twenty-one years of age, and he must have had a residence 'm some place or a number of places in the State, o'f three months, aud in some particular township or ward ten days r.ext preceding the election at whieh he offers to vote. Can any greater scope be fairly giveu to this okuso than that? If it was inteuded to foruid the Legislature from authorizing the reception of a vote iu any other place than in the to'.ni or ward wherc the elector resided, it is not conceivable that it should have been left by the conven tion ta -a mercly casual espression, which does not directly cither commacd or forbid anything. The words, no doubt, pre suppote that the offer ío vote wili Ue made in tho towusLip or ward in which the elector resides ; but they ueither require it to Le sa, cor forbii it to be otherwise. In tho sume artiele, at section 5, this Constitution is at the pains to declare that " no elector shall be deemed to have gained or lost a rosidenco by reaon of bis be-' ing employed in the service of the Uutted States." Did the people in establishing ibis Constitution, intend, while preserving the residence of the soldier, and consequently bis right to vote, at the same time to forbid the Legislature to eaact such !ws as might enable him to exercise the right. The Constiiution, like any other acts, must be taken together, as a whole, and have such a reasonable construction as will carry into full and beneficial effect the system of gavernrnent established by it. The usual and rBasonable potters of the Legislature will not be held to be abrogatcd unless by olear and distinct enactments to that effect. The government established is in all its branches elective, and tho suffrage universal, or nearly so. Great care seems to have been taken to preserve for all white male citissens, of proper age, t'ue cxercise of the right to vote, and I thiuk this manifest intention OUgbt to have great weight in the determiuation of the present question. Uuquestionably the present contiogency is one not contemplated by the convention ivhicli framed the Constitution, or by the people in adoptingit; and there is, on that account, all the more reuen for declbing to adopt any narrow construction which would make it accomplish what no one at the time designed it should do. In several of thu States faws of the sort proposed liave been enacted and put into practical eperation without mach inconveuience, and with i,o appareut danger of public injury. In some of these States, with constitutions similar to our own, the question of the validity of such laws bas been before thcir highest courts, and they have been there sustained. Such, I believe, has been the case in Iowa and Wisconsin. After giving the subject considerable ittentioD, I do not hesjtate to recommend the passage of sueh a law, by this Legislature, as will enable tho soldiers of Michigan, while absent froro the State in the 3ervice of the United States, to avail themselves of the right whieh they have oever forfeited, to vote in all the State ind loca; ejpptions Tt will be otilj jast :ow;)rds them. and th'ir votos wil'í be liiiigeroüs tu traitors only. illfA;V JW.U) FKjOSl l'uKï' W1LE1N8 T(J j orkkn ;;.v. Sood after the adjoijriimeiit of the last i .e.-sinii of tlit Leg wla ture, I received a i :opy iif au act of CoigresB "gmütiog I anda lo the Êtates of Michigan aiid Wi.s :oi:sin, to aid in tbc construotion of a 1 uititary road fro.m Fort Wilkin.; ('opper ( [ i Harbor, Keweenaw county, in the State , of Michigan, to Fort Huward, Greon Bay, in the State of Wisconsin." This act was approved March 3d, 18C3, I and grants ' ta the State of Michigan, to ; aid in the con&truction of a military wag i on road frota Fort Wilkins,. Copper Har■ bor, to_ lloughtoii, Portage Lake, and thence in a soutberly directioa to the ; State line of Wisconsin, every altérnate ■ section of public land designated by even ; j numbers, for three octious in width, oa eaob sido of said road." The landa are made subject to thedisposal of the Legislature, for the purposes designated and no other; aud the nianner of their dispositioii, together with the width, grade and constructioü of the road, are particularly pvescribed ; and that if the road is not completed within íive years, the lands shall revort to tho United States. One year of the five has airead y passed without actioii, and it is important that the uccessary legislativa action shouid be had at once. The enterprise is oue of great importance to the Lake Superior country, and the grant is quite liberal. I recornriiecd that the grant be aecepted on behalf of the State, and the neoessary laws enacted to carry it into effect according to its conditions. SOLBIERS' NATIONAL CEMKTEKY AT GKTTYSBURG. On tho 3d day of July, in the year 1863, was fought at (íettysburg, oue of tho most memorable battles of the war. When we tako iuto account all the circumstances surrounding and attending the campaign whic-h culminated there, it is impossible not to feel that that field is historie and famous forever. ' The army of the Potoinac, the largest and besi appointed of the Union arinies ia the field, had then lately, under the command of Gen. Hooker, crossed the Rappahannock River Buoofissfully, in the face of the enemv, and niarched fo Chanoello'rsñile, with 1(1 (kil , - -,, .... . ] il ■ % . l 1 ingu uopes ana me cougratulatione of the whole Country, to offer" bitn battle; but on!}' to return witb. hopos diaappoiutcd, and oougrafulatums turncd to doubts and diseouragement. ' ïbe rebel General, tho most trusted and skiliful of them all, immediately made his preparations to inprove the occasion of his great advantage. CoUeoting wiih great rapiditj the largest and best tiisciplined army tliat the Coufederacy has ever put in the field, he assumedtlie offensive. Taking up his line of march straight for the Middle States, the wealthiest and most populous portion of the Uuion, he left the'Union army behind bim, or merely covering the capital and the great cities now most seriously menaced vvith pillage and destruction. His troops, flushed with victory, and meeting with do serious obstacles to thoir advance, were alrcady in the midst of Pennsylvania. Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and even New York, are all within his grasp, unless this triumphant mareh can be intorrupted. The great struggle oan be no longer delayed. The Aruiy of the Potomac, humiliated by partial dcfeat, less in uumbers, but still indomitable in spirit and courage, approach rapidly, and prepare to accept the offered gage of battle. Tbe mightiest of hutnau interests hang upon the issue. The prize to be fought for is the life of the country and the hberties of a whole people, perjaps of mankind for generations to come. The whole uatiou looks with troubled anxiety towaids tbat field. If Lee is victoriou?, wbere will his march be stay-' ed ? Then Hooker is removed and Moade tates the command. The apprehensions of tbe people are Will he be equal t& the occasion ? Yes, he will be equal to it; and the namelesa héroes under his conimand will be more than equal to it. They meet in the quiet country village of GettysLiurg, and there, in the sliock of terrific battle, for three days is he great stake fought for, and won. - Wou for libertj a'ud the Union. The iroud rebels turn and üee back across the Potoinae, over the Kappahannock, and jeyoiïd the Rapidan. And there, atGetysburg, was the nation preserved, and he power of the rebellion broken, never o be reconstructed. It may liuger yet awhilo. and bui-n, and destroy, and kill, and murder, but its fate is none the less uro. On that great field of Irettysburg, aft er the roar of battle had ceased, and tho moke had cleared away, thero la y tho uaburied dead. They were 2,271 íq nuinber, exclusive of all such as were removed by friends for burial among their indred - eight hundred of them were enirely unknown. Of the remainder, one mndred and twelvo wero from Michigan ; nd thore slie staDda on that sad roll or' lonor, the fourth in point of actual Dom)ors. but first in the comparison of the urnbers of lier slain wjth the ratio of )opulation. The Governor of Pennsylania proposed to purehase a portion of he battle-geld, a picturesque, beautiful round, and to establish there " The Soliers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg," be State of Pennsylvania holding the tile in trust for all the States havin lers buned thero, eacb bcaring a proper iiare of the expenses. All the States oncurriDtr, this has been done, and the emains of the dead soldiers have been 5athered up " tenderly " and buried by btates together. Aud there they rest who saved their country with their blood. The aeoorapanying papers will show the details of the plan of the cemetery and the estimates of the expenses. I have ventured to promise that Michigan will not fail to do her proportion with alaority, and I now recommend that the requisite appropriation may be made, and authority given to appoint an agent to proceed to Gottysburgand direct the proper arrangement and ornamentation of the portion of the grounds which have been set apart for this State. Tuis cemetery will be a Mecca of patriotism as long as the country exists. Gentlemen qf the two. Ilouses, I congratúlate you upon the happier auspices under which we re-assemble. We have reason to be thankful not only for bountiful harvests and the material wealth aud prosperity which surrounds us, but also for the bright hopes which promÏM the epeedy return of peace to our country. Unwearied by threeyears of continued war, the people are still faitbful to the freo institutions under which wo have grown to be great, With unabated , age and ever-increasing confidence, they ' march steadily forwanl under the " ' i-y flag " of freedom, " keeping step to the music of the Uuion." Since,"our last jsserabling, the nrms of the Repubüc ! iiave been victoriousat all points. A just! ;auo ha added to our strpugtfa Ihcsmile , of th betiiguant Heaven. The raadness ' and dcsperation of rebellion has not been able to maintain its ground. With sul, len rage and gnashing of tecth it yields up its most cherished strongholds. The bloody usurper in Richmoud, with alter nate prayers aud curses, calla upcm the civilized nations for help, even for recoffnition, and calis in vaiu. There are none so base as to keep hita company. Nor have our victories been those o: the field alone. The loyal and true men of the country have crushed and silencec at the ballot-boxes, those ruore insiduoua enemies who, uuder specious political pretensos, plead the cause of the more manly traitor who are in arms. The great and necessary measure of emancipation - the measure of justiceand God-like charity- has, the past year, won triumphs of no loss iciportance than the greatest military suociss. The great mistake and wrong of the oatioo is being put away. We return to our great and immortal deelaration. In npite of soorn, contempt and the pride of caste- of the lust of power and the love of monoy of stupidignorance and. intellect without conscienco, all men in America vvill be free. Let us thank God, bind up our woundá and fight oa. -tXECUTIVE OïFICE, Lansixg, Jauuarj 19, 1864. (