The President's Message

Fellow-citizrns of the Senate and House of JtepreBcutativca : ïho adjournmont of tho last Congi'css without making appropriatious for the support ol thearmyfor the proser.t fiscal year haR rendered neecssary a suspension of paymcuts to tho offleers and men of the aums duo them for services rondered aftor the 30th day of .Tune last. Tho army exista by virtue of the statutes whioh prercribo ita numbors, regúlate its organization and employment, and which fix the pay of its officers and men, and declaro tho rlghi to receive the samo at stated periods. Tho statutes, however, do not anthorize the paymen' of tho troops in the absence of a specific appropriaüou therefor. Tlie eoustitution ha wisuh proviiled that no money shall be drawu f rom the troasmy but in conseqnence of appropriationB made by law, and it has alao been declared bj statute that no department of the Governmont shall oxpend, in any ouo fiscal year, auy sum in excees of the appropriation made by Congres for that fi.cal year. We have, therefore, ai army in servico, authorized by law, and enti tlcd to be paid, but no funds available for tha purpose. It may also be said as an additiona incentive to prompt action by Coagress, tha sinco the commcucemcnt of tho fiscal year the, army, tiiough without pay, has bcen constantlj and actively employod in arduous and danger ous sorvico, iu Uie performance of which botl oflicers and men have dischargcd their duty with iklclity ;uid courage, and -without com plaint. Theso circurnstances, iu my judg ment, constitute au extraordinary occa sion, requiring Congress to be convened in advance of the timo prescribed by law fo your ir.coting in regular session. Tho import anee of speedy actiou upon this subject on th part of Congress is so manifest that I ventur to suggest the proprioty of making the necea sai y appropriations for tho support of the arm for the current year at its present maximum - numerical strength of 25,000 men - leaving fo future consideration allquestionsrelating to ai inerease or decrease of the number of enlistei men. Ia tho event of the reduction of th nriny by mhseqnent legulation dunne tho fiscal year the excess of the appropriation coulc not be expended, and, iu the event of its en largemont, the additional sum requirod fo tho payment of the extra force couk be provided in duo time. It woiik be uu juut to the trejops now in ser vice, and whoso pay is already largel in arrears, if payment to them suoüld be fur ther poatponed until aftor Congress shall hav considered all tho questions Iikely to arise i tho effort to fix the proper limit to the strengt of the army. The estímate of appropriation for the support of tho military extablishmcn for the fincal year ending June 30, 1878, wer transmitted to Congress by the former Secre tnry of the Treasury, at the opening of its Bei ion in December" la"st. These estímales, modi lied by the present Secretary, so as to conform to the preBent requiremonts, are now renev, -et' amounting to .32,43(,7G4.!i8, and, having bee transmitted to both houses of Congress, ar submitted for vour consideration. There is also required by tlie Navy Deparl ment $2,386,127. This sum is made up of 91, 446,888, duo to tlie ofticers and eiilisled men fo the last quarter o& the last fleoal year; $311, 958.50 is due for advances made by the Fisea Ageut of the Government in Londou for th upptrt dl' the foreign f ervice. and 550,000 i duo to the Naval Hospital finid: .Y150.000 is du for arrearages of pay to om'eers, and á-:45,219.5 for the support of the Marino Corps. Ther will also bo needed an appropriation of $262, 535.22 to defray the unsettled expenses of th United States courts for tho riscal yearomiin; June 30 last, now due to attomeyt, ('Ier!;; ('imimipfiiouers and Marshals, and for rent o oourt-roqm.s, tho support of prisoners and otlic dcficieueics. A part of the building of the Interior De bartment ivas dc&troyed by lire on the 21th o last montli. Home immediate repairs and tem porary Btructurea have in consequenee becom necoasary, estimates for which will be trans mitted to Congress immediatelv, and an appro priation of tliu requisito funds is respeetfullj reeommended. The Secretar? of the Treasury will communi cate to Congress, in conuection with the esti matejB for the appropriatious for tho support 01 the arm; for the current fiscal year, esiimiü. ■ for Biich oiher deficiencies m the ditferen branches of tho public service as require im mediate action, and eaimot. without inconven ience, be postponed until the regular sesfdon I take this opportunity to invite your atten tion to the propriely of adopting, at your pres ent Bession-i the noress:iry legislaron to enable the people of tho United States to participaU in the advantages (jf the International Exlnbi tion of agricultural indiiHtry and the fmi arts, hii-li U to be held in Paris in 1878, am in which this Oovernment has been invited b' the Government of Franco to take part. Thi invitation was oonimunicated to this Govern ment in }lay, 1H7(. by the Minister of Franco at this capital, and a copy thereof wa subujilted t the proper committecs o Congres at its last session, but no actioi was taken on ihe subject. The Deparünen of State has recorvad many letters from variou ]iartK of the coujatoy expressing a desiro to par ticipate in the exhibition, and numeroua appli eations of a similar nature have also boei made at tho United States Legation at Paris The Department of Htate has nlso rectivet ufticml advitu f thv stroug desire on tlie par of tlie Frenen Govenuneut that the UiniC( Statea should particípate in this enterjirine and space has bitherío been, and is sfill, re eerved iu tho Expoaition Buildings for th" osi of cvliibitois from the United States, to the excïiu.ion of other partios who havo been ap plicants therefor. Iu order that our indusü'ies may be properly represeoted at the exh'bition, an appropriation will be needed for tho pay ui sahuics and expennes of Commlssioners : for the transportation of goeds, and for otber pnrposes in conncetion with tho object in view, and, as Blay next is the time ñxed for the opening of tlie exhibition, if our citizens aro to share the advantages of this international competition for the trado of other nations, the necessity of immedlote action is apparent. To enable the 1'niit d States to co-operate iuthe iGternational I'.xliibition which was held at Yiemia in 1873, Coagress Uien passed a joint redolutioii. makibg an appropriation of $200,000, and authorizing the I'resideut to appoint a certain mmiber of practical artígaos and scieniitic men, who should attend tho exbibition and report their proceedings and observations to him. Provisión was made fur the appointment, of a number of honorary Commispioners, I have feit that prompt actiun by Congress, in u- pling Uu: invitation of the Government of France, is of bo much intereèt to the people of this country, and so suitable to the cordial relations between the Govern ments of the two countrios, that tho subject might properly be presented for attention at your present scasion. Tho Government of Kwedon and Norway has addressed an ofiicial invitation to thia Government to take part in the International Prison Congrega, to be held at Stockholm next year. The problem wbich the congress proposes to Btudy - how to dimmish crime - is one in which all civilized nations have an interest in comnion, and the congresa of Stockholm seems likely to prove tlie most important convention ever held few the study of this grave queslions Under authority of a joint re.-olution of Con. gress, approved Fob. 10. 1S75, a conimis:-i :i was up];oiiited by my predëoessor to repro sent the United States upon that oeeasion, and tho Prison Congress haring been, nl the earnust desire of tho Swedish öovernraent, post[oned to 1878, his commission was renewed by me. An appropriation of $8,000 ias made in the Suiuiry ('ivil-Scrvicc act of IH75 so as to meet tin expenses of the Con ínisKíoner. I lecommcnd the reappropriation of tbat sirni fur the same purpose, the former appropriation having bcen eovered into tho Ireasurv and boing no longer availablo tor tbe purpose without forther action byCongress. TJ e subject is brought " to yonr attor.tion at ihis time in view af oircnbistances whioh ronder it highly deniiable that tho Oommissioner should proceed lo tbe discharge of his important duties immediately. As the overal actn of Congress providing for dutailed reporte from tho ditfei ent departiiHiits cf the Government require their submission at the bfgioning of the regular annual eessiou, I dt.fu, uotil ihat time, any f urther refcrence to subjects of pubüc interest. ( SigMed) K. B, H Washington, D. C, Oct. 15, 1877,