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Cleveland's Words

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Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
December
Year
1894
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

To the congress of the United States: The assemblage within the natlon's legislative halls of those charged with the duty of making: laws for the benefit of a generous and free people impressively suggests the exacting obllgation and inexorable responsibility involved in thelr task. At the threshold of such labor now to be undertaken by the eongresa of the United States and in the discharge of an executive duty enjoined by the titution, I submit this communication ! containing a brief statement of the i tion of our national affairs, and i mending sueh legislation as seems to be j necessary and expedient. The history of . our dealings with other nations, and our ; relations with them at this time, j tionally demonstrates the advantage of ' consistently adhering to a flrm but just foreign poliey, free f rom envious or ambitious national schemes and i Ized by entire honesty and sincerity. Our Foreier ASnlrs. The president speaks of the flrm neutrality of the United States in the Brazilian revolution as having prevented 8erious complications In that country and as having aided in an early ending of that war. Our negotiations with Chili regarding our claims against that government are still unsettled. A new treaty wlth China is only awaiting a ratification by that government. In regard to the China-Japan war but little is said by the president, except to remark that he had lntended to exert nis good offices at the beginning of the trouble in Corea, but the opening of actual hostilitie defeated the purpose. Deploring the destructive war between the two most powerful of the eastern nations and anxious that our I commercial interests in those countries i may be preserved and that the safety of [ our citlzen there shall not be jeopardized, I would not hesitate to heed any intimation that our friendly aid for the honorable termination of hostilities would be acceptable to both belllgerents. He refere to the relations with France and the death of Carnot and of the czar of Russia; the exclusión of meat and cattle from Germany and the Germán protest against the provisión in the customs tariff act which imposes a discriminating duty of 1-10 of a cent per pound on sugars coming from countries paying an export bounty thereon, and the claims thut the exaction of such duty is in contravention of artieles five and nlne of the treaty of 1828, with Prussia, and recommends the repeal of o mueh of the statute as imposes that duty. Referring to the Bering agreement, the president says the United States will pay to Great Britain 25,000 in full satisfaction for all claims which may be made for damages growing out of the controversy. Only France and Portugal have signifled a wiUingness to abide by the regulations of the Paris tribunal. Preliminary surveys of the Alaskan boundary and a preparatory examination of the question of protection of food flsh in the waters of the United States and the dominion of Canada are in progress. The United States will endeavor to settle the boundary differences between Brltish Guiana and Venezuela. In Hawail the orgsnlzation of a government in place of the provisional government which followed the deposition of the queen has befen announced with evidence of lts effective operation. The recognition usual In such cases has been accorded the new government. Our relations with Japan could profitably be broadened, as the people of that empire are seeking closer intercourse with us. A new treaty of coramerce and navigatlon should be promulgated with Mexico. Prominent among the questions of the year was the Bluefields incident, in what is known as the Mosquito Indian strip, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean and withln the jurisdiction of Nicaragua. By the treaty of 1860 between Great Britain and Nicaragua, the former government expressly recognized the sovereignty of the latter over the strip, and a llmited form of government was guaranteed to the Mosquito Indians. The so-called native government, which grew to be largely made up of aliens, for many years puted the sovereignty of Nicaragua over the strip, and clatmed the right to maintain therein a. practically independent municipal government. Early in the past year efforts of Nicaragua to maintain ' ereignty over the Mosquito territory led to serious disturbances culminating in the suppression of the government and the attempted substitution of an impracticable composite administration. in which agua and the alien residents were to ! particípate. Failure was followed by an I insurrection which for a time subverted ' Nicaragua, expelling her oflicers and restoring the old orjanization. This in turn gave place to the exísting local government, established and upheld by Nicaragua. Although the alien interests arrayed against Nicaragua in these transactions have been lrgely American and the commerce of that región for some time has been and still is chiefly controlled by our citizens, we cannot for that reason challenge the rightful sovereignty j of Nicaragua over this important part of : her domain. He refers to the banishment . of two Americana and their subsequent i pardon, by reason of consular intervention, and regrets the failure of justlce bjr which the murderer of Wilson was I permiutd to escape from Nicaragua. The 1 Nicaraguans have receded from their anti-canal position. A modus vivendi has been arranged with Russia regafding the seallnï question, and Russia is urged to grant reciprocal equality of treatment for our great life insurance companies whose operations have been extended throughout Europe. Unreasonable and unjust fines imposed by Spain on the vessels and commerce of the United States ha-ve demanded from time to time during the last twenty years earnest remonstrance on the part of our government. In the immediate past exorbitant penalties have been imposed upon our vessels and goods by customs authorities of Cuba and Porto Rico for clerical errors of the most trivial character in the manifests or bilis of lading. Turkey claims the right to expel, as persons undesirable and dangerous, Armenians naturalized in the United States, and returning to Turkish jurisdiction. Numerous questions in this relation have arisen. While this government acquiesces in the asserted right of expulsión it will not consent that I ia.ns may be imprisoned or otherwise punished for no other reason than having acquired without imperial consent Americal citizenship. The present government of Samoa has proved a failure, and is only maintained in power by the American, British and Germán warships. Our pa.rticipation in the establishment of this government i agahist the wishes of the natives was in plain defiance of the conservative teachings and warnings of the wise and patroitic men who laid the foundations of our free institutions, and I invite the judgment of congress on the propriety of steps by this government looking to the withdrawal from lts engagemonts with the other powers on some reasonable terms not prejudicial to any of our l'nele san' ose- naitcrs. The secretary of the treasury reporta that the receipts of the government from all sources of revenue during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894, amounted to $376,502,458 2!, and its expenditures to $443,805,758 87, leaving a deñcit of $69,803,260 38. There was a decrease of $15,052,647 68 in the ordinary expense of the government as compared with the fiscal year 1893. m!srt('as cUe,cted frm customs $181,iïi7 is JSq d mírom internal reVenues S.J' th' The balanoe L the income ior the year amounting to $93,815,517 07, ■was deMved from sales of lands and oth.. er sources. The value of our total duta&Üt "i?-1? amnted to $275,199,086, being Ï146,657,62o less than during the precedlng year, a.nd tha Importatlons free of duty amounted to $379,795,536, being $64,743,67 less than aurlng the preceding year. The total amount of gold Mtported durlng the fiscal year was i6,S98.061, as against $108,680,444 during the fiscal year 1S93. The amount imported was $72,449,119, as aganst $21,174,381 during the previous year. The importa of silver were $13,28,o52 anl the exports were $50,451,265. The total bounty paid lipón the Podiirtion of sugar in the United States for the fiscal year was $12,100,208 89, beinK an mI crease of $2,725,078 01 over the payments made during the preceding year The ! a-mount of bounty paid f rom July 1, 194, ] to August 2, 1894, the time when fur.her pavments ceased by operatlon of law, was $966,185 34. The total expenses incurred in i the payment of the bounty upon sugar during the fiscal year was $130,140 3o. It is estimated that upon the basis of our present revenue laws the receipts of the government during the current fiscal year 95 ÍSTeMSl ?&4u& "SnV. ay Wover MJ th. total stoeit of money of all kinds in the country was $2,240,73,888. as asainst $-,- 204 651,000 on the first day of November, 1893, and the money of all kinds in circulation, or not included in the treasury holdings, was $1,672,093,422, or $24 L7 per capita upon an estimated population of 68,587,000. At the same time there were held in the treasury gold bullion arnounti ing to $44,615,177 55. ana silver bullion which was purchased at a cost of $127,79,! 938. The purchase of silver bullion ; under the act of July 14, 1890, ceased on ! the flrst day of November, 1893, and up to i that time there had been P}-Lha9ed durin the fiscal year 11,017,658,078 fine ounces at a cost of $8,715,521 32, an aver' age cost of $0.7313 per fine ounce. The total i amount of silver purchased from the ! time that law took effect until the rei peal of lts purchaslng clause, on the date last mentioned, was 168.674,632.53 fine ! ounces, whlch cost $155,931,002 25, the average price per fine ounce being $0.9244. The total amount of standard dollars ! coined at the mints of the United States since the passage of the act of February 28 1873, is $421,776,408. Fifty national banks were organiza-I during the year endmg October 31, 1894, with a capital of $5.28o,000, and seventy-nine, wlth a capital of $10,475.000. went Into voluntary liquidation. Twenty-one banks, with a capital of $2,770,000, were placed in the hands of recelvers. The total number of national banks in existence on the 31st day of October last was 3,756, being forty less than on the'31st day of October, 1893. The total resources of' the banks at the date meiitioned amounted to $9,473,922,050, against $3.109.563.284 36 In 1893. Conditlon of the Army. The secretary of war reporta an effective force in the army of 2,135 offlcers and 25,. 600 enllsted men, an apparent decrease from last year, but an actual effective inorease of two regiments. Fifteen small posts have been abandoned by concentrattng troops at large cities. Three-fourtha of the army Is stationed west of the Mlssissippl. The president recommends that the effective foree of the army, now about 20,000, be mad equal to the legal force, 25,000. The president recommends the authorization of the three-battalion formation of regiments, as economically providing an effective skeleton organization. The president only cursorlly alludes to the use of troops during the railroad disturbances of 1894. I The enrollment "f militla s 177,333 officerg I and men, an increase of 5,33 over last year. The reports of the militia inspections by regular army ofHcers show a marked increase in interest and efficiency among the state organizatlons and a contlnuance of the policy of affording every practical encouragement possible to this Important auxiliary to our military establishment is reeommended. The skill I and industry of our ordnance officers and inventors have, it is believed, overeóme I the mechanical obstacles which have heretofore delayed the armament of our I coasts, and this great national undertaking upon which we have entered, may now proceed as rapidly as consress shall determine. The total expenditures for the war department for the year ended June B0, 1S94, amounted to $56,390,009 34. Estimates for the next year cali for priations of $52,318,629 55. The president puggests that the rank of ' eral be restored In recognition of the I services of Maj.-Gen. John M. Schofleld to permit nis retirement with rank befltting his merits. The Ili-iilm of the niiiu'l Goildess. Satisfaction is expressed by the president because of the success of the I preme Court in overcoming the arrears ! in lts business, as reported by the ney-general. A recommendation is made j for an additional judge in the Supreme i Court and the Court of Appeals. I gress is asked to consider the abolition I of the fee system in compensating federal offlcers; the allowance of writs of ' error on behalf of the United States; the I establishment of degrees of murder; a Federal Court for the Indian Territory; the reorganizatlon of the Union Pacific Railway Co. on a basis equitable to all ! public and private Interests; an appro-! priatlon for the erection of two or three prisons for the confinement of United States Drisnners. The Postofflce Department. The postmaster-general says: The ! ceipts of the postofflce department for the fiscal year were $75,080,479 04; ■ flitures, $S4,324,414 15. The I general sugeests the rearrangement of ! second-class ratea so that none but legitímate newspapers and periodicals shall get the benefit oí the rate. He also wanta an amendment excluding government seeds from free transmlssion. With these changes the postofflce department can pay lts way from lts own resources. The total number of postofflces In the United States on the 30th day of June, 1S94, was 69,805, an increase of 1,403 over the preeeding year. Of these 3,428 were presidentlal, an increase in that class of sixtyeight over the preceding year. Whlle 610 towna are provided with free delivery, 93 other oities nd towns entitled to this service have not been accorded it on account of insufflclent funds. The Nary Departnient. The report of the secretary of the navy shows very gratifying progress in the I construction of ships for our new navy. ' All the vessels now building will probably be completed during the coming fiscal j year. The estimates for the increase of i ,L,? nav7 for tne year onding June 30, 1896, are large, but they include practicaJly the entire sum necessary to complete and equip all the new ships not now in commission, so that unless new ships are authorized the appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending - June 30, 1897, should fall below the i 5?ÍSsfor the cominS yer by at least 2,000,000. The secretary presents with rauch earnestness a plea for more torpedo i boais. The secretary recommends the ' manufacture of a reserve supply of I nance and ordnance material for ships of the navy, and also for the a-uxiliary fleet ' Guns and their appurtenances should be Í provided and kept on hand for both these purposes. The president refers to the use of American ships to protect American lnterests in various parts of the world in the past year. Admiral Benham's action at Hio is commended. He recommends the transfer of the coast survey to the navy department, and sugseats that some remedy be provided for the ; present stagnation oL promotion in the navy. He wants the civil service system i-rmttmipd in navy-yard administration. The Interior Department. During the year there were 10,406,100 acres of public land sold, Including 23,876 acres of Indian lands. The public domain now left amounts to 600,000,000 acres, I cluding 60,000,000 acres in Alaska, and all military reservations and selected I road la.nds. Total cash receipts for land were $2,674,285. Thirty-five thousand patents were issued, and 3,100 more to Indiana of lands in severalty. The Indiana can t sell their lands for twenty-flve years after allotment. The president recommends that there be more money spent pn protecting the government lands, and tnat a comorehensive forestry system be adqpted. He also urges a cessation of the po.icy of selling lands that eught to be kent as a source of permanent timebr suppyluS so recommends a change in the rnethod of hearing the cases growins; out of contests for government lands which are now practically decidefl upon testimony taken bcfore the local register, who has not even power to Issue a aubpoena. The president favors a land cour; with power to certify its cases to the Su'preme or Circuit Court of Appeals. The condition of the Indians is quite sat'sfactory, but Setter aarents should be appoin'.ed. Jun 35, 1S94, there were 969,544 persons on t::e pension rolla, a net increase of 3.532 lor tlie year. C'assifled they are: Soidiers and aallors, survivors oí all wars, ! 753 9Su ; widows and relatives of deceased . soldiere, 215,1G2; nrmy nuraes in the civil war. 41 1. Of thesa pensioners 32 039 are survivlns so'.diers oí Iridian and other wars prior to the late civil war, and the I remaifider mimbering 937,505, are of the civil war. The amount expended fur siono duiing the year was $139,804,46105, i leavtlïg a balance oí $25.205,712 67. The gum necessary to meet pension expenditures Lor the year ending .Tune 30, 1896, is estimated at $140,000,000. The commissloner of pensions is of the opinión that the year 1S95 will see the hiphest limit of the pension roll. The ñames dropped from the roll for all causes during the year numi bered K7,961. Amonrr our pensioners are : nine wliows and three daushters of the I soldiera of the revolution and forty-flve ! survivors of the war of 1S12. The bars faced and extensive pension frauds posed under the direction of the courageous and generous veteran soldier now at the head of the bureau leave no room for the claim that no pnrgatlon of our j pension rolls was needed, or that continued vi'iilance and prompt actinn are not necessary to the same end. The accusation that an effort to detect pension frauds Is evidence of unfriendliness I ward our wortliy veterans and a denial of their claims to the generosity of the government, suggests an unfortunate indifference to the commission of any fense which has for its motive the securing of a pension, and indieates a willingness to be blind to the existence of mean i and treacherous crimes which p!ay upon demagogie fears and raake spurt of the patriotic impulse of a grateful people. The census is nearly flnished. It has cost $10,000,000 up to date. It will fill twenty-five volumes and be all published by March 4. 1895. Department of AsrricnW The secretary of agriculture reports a saving of $600,000, or 23 per cent of the Eum appropriated. A sudy of the foreign markets of American exports leads to 1 the belief that corn wlll Avance in im; portance and wheat diminish. Our agricultural exports for the year ending june : 30, 1894, amounted to $628.303,038. Ainong ' new lines of research by the department has been grasses and forage plants. The ! weather service bureau has been a prominent feature. lts warnings of two tropical storms in September and October resultei in detaining sarely in port 2,305 vesselg, valued at $36,283,913, laden with cargoes of still greater value. The special and scientific work of the bureau of animal industry has been productive of much good in preventing and curing diseases of animáis. The $10,000 appropriated to enable the secretary to investigte and report upon the nutritive value of various articles and commodities used for human food.'was well utilized,. and he has preparad for distribution a discussion upon the subject. The promlscuous free distribution of seeds by congressmen is pernicious, and should be dispensed with at once.. The president says he is entirely convinced that we ought not to be longer without a national board of health offleer, charged with no other duties than such as pertain to the protection of our country from tno Invasión of j lence and Sisease. The president refers to his appointment of a national commission to investígate I the Pullman strike. He simply alludes to the fact of their I port. He then passes to constderation of Í The New Turl Bill. The tarifï act passed at the last seasion of the congress needs important amendments If it is to be executed I fectively and with certainty. In tion to such necessary amendments a9 i wlll not change rates of duty, I am still very decidedly in favor of putting coal and iron upon the free list. So far aa the sugar schedule is concerned, I would be glad, under existing aggravations, to see every particular of differential duty in favor of refined sugar stricken out of our tariff law. If, with all the favor j now accorded the sugar renning interest in our tariff laws, it still languishes to the extent of closing refineries and thousands of discharged workmen, it would seem to present a hopeless case for reasonable legislative aiu. Whatever else is done or omitted, I earnestly repeat here the recommendation I have made in another portion of this communication, that the additional duty of one-tenth of a cent per pound laid upon sugar imponed from countries paying a bounty on its export be abrogated. With the advent of a new tarift policy, not only calculated to relieve the consumers of our land in the cost of their daily life, but to invite a better development of American thrift and créate for us closer and more profitable commercial relations with the rest of the world, it follows as a logical and imperative necessity that we should at once remove the chief, if not the only, obstacle which has so long prevented our partieipation in the foreign carrylng trade of the sea. Our new tariff policy, built upon the theory that it is well to encourage such importationa as our people need, and that our products and manufactures should flnd markets in every part of the habitable globe, is consistently supplemented by the greatest possible liberty to our cttizens in the ownership and navigation of ships in which our products and manufactures may be transported. The millions now paid to foreigners for carrying j American passengers and products across the sea should be turned into American ! hands. The anclent provisión of our law denylns; American registry to ships built abroad and owned by Americans appears in the Hght of present conditions not only to be a fallure for good at every point, but to be nearer a relie of barbarism than anythine that exists under the permisfion of a statute of the United States. I earnestly recommend its prompt rAnMi The Issue of Donds. During the last month the gold reserve In the treasury for the purpose of redeeming the notes of the government clrculating as money in the hands of the people became so reduced, and lts further depletion in the near future seemed so certaln, that in the exercise of proper care for the public welfare, it became necessary to replenish the reserve and thus maintain popular faith in the ability and determination of the government to meet, as agreed, its pecuniary obligations. It would have been well if in this emergency ! authority had existed to issue the bonds of the government bearing a low rate of interest and maturins within a short riod; but the congress having failed to confer such authority, resort was necessarily had to the resumption act of 1S76, and pursuant to its provisions bonds were lssued drawlng interest at the late of 5 per cent per annum and maturing ten years after their issue, that being the shortest time authorized by the act. I am glad to say, however, that on the sale of these bonds the premium received operated to reduce the rate of interest to be paid by the government to less than 3 per cent. Nothing could be worse or further removed from sensible flnance than the relations existing between the currency the government has issued, the gold held for its redemption and the means which must be resorted to for the purpose of replenishlng such redemption fund when impaired. Even if the claims upon this fund were conflned to the obligations originally intended and If the redemption of these obligations meant their cancellation, the fund would be very small. ■ But these obligations when received and redeemed in gold are not cancelled, but are reissued and may do duty many times by way of drawing gold from the treasury. ! Thus we have an endless chain in operatlon constantly depleting the treasury gold i and never near a final rest. As if this ; was not bad enough, we have a statutory declaration that it is the policy of the government to maintain the parity between gold and silver. Alded by the force and momentum of this exhausting process and added largely to the currency obligations claiming this peculiar gold redemption, our small gold reserve is thus subject to drain from every slde. The demands that increase our danser aleo increase the necessity of protecting this reserve against depletion and It is most unsatlsfactory to know that the protection afforded is only a temporary palliation. It is perfectly and palpably plain that the only way under present conditions by whieh this reserve when dangerously dep".eted can be replenished Ís through the Issue and sale of the bonds of the overnment for gold.

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Ann Arbor Courier