Wellington Independent FRIDAY, 13th MARCH, 1874.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXIX, Issue 4052, 13 March 1874, Page 2

Wellington Independent FRIDAY, 13th MARCH, 1874.

The .message of President Grant to Congress was presented on the 2nd of December last. It is a remarkably able statement of the position and prospects of the United States, and of the views the Cabinet entertains on matters of domestic and foreign policy. Its tone is pacific, its suggestions practical, and its aims liberal and hightoned. We shall glance over its leading features for the purpose of placing our readers in possession of the latest and most authentic information as to the state of matters and feeling in America. The President commenced his message by referring to the year 1872, especially in its latter part, as having been a highly eventful one for the country. In the midst of great national prosperity a financial crisis had occurred that had " brought low fortunes of gigantic proportions." In the great Western agricultural States, which during the war with the South clamored for separation and the formation of a Western Union, and in the States generally, " political partisanship has almost ceased to exist ;" and, " finally," he says, "the capture upon the high seas of a vessel bearing our flag has for a time threatened the most serious consequences and has agitated the public mind from one

end of the country to the other ; but this, happily, now is in the course of satisfactory adjustment honorable to both nations concerned." The President notes that the relations of America with the great as well as with the little powers were of the most friendly character ; and taking advantage of a reference to the favorable reception of the diplomatic representatives of the Western powers at the Court of Pekin on the attainment of his majority by the Emperor of China, the President counsels Congress to take steps towards the total suppression of " the infamous coolie trade." In this respect America sets an example to England, which has eucouraged the coolie trade from China and India to Mauritius and' the West Indies ; and also to the Colonies, the extensive importation of coolie labor to work the sugar plantations of Queensland being openly advooated there. Referring to the Alabama claims, the President recommends the appointment of,a commission to audit and determine " the amounts of the several direct losses growing out of the destruction of vessels and their cargoes by the Alabama and the Shenandoah after leaving Melbourne," and ascertain the names of the persons entitled to receive compensation for them, on " the basis indicated by the Tribunal of Arbitration at Geneva." The President then informs Congress that the boundary between the United States and the British possessions in the West had been marked off in accordance with the decision of the Emperor of Germany ; that the survey of the northern boundary had been carried west for 497 miles from Lake of the Woods ; and that about 350 miles of survey, completing the boundary line, would be made in the following summer. The mixed Commission appointed under the Treaty of Washington " for settling aud determining the claims of citizens of either power against each other " occurring between April 13, 1861, and April 9, 1865, had made a final award in September last. It had decided that the United States should pay to Great Britain within twelve months 1,929,819 dols. in gold, in full of all claims, the amount of demands presented by the English Government having been 93,000,000 dollars. The Commission had disallowed all the claims brought by citizens of th^ United States against Great Britain that had been presented to it. The clainjis presented under the Treaty of Washington, however, were confined to those of Great Britain, and as other British claims arising after the 9th of April, 1865, as well as foreign claims, were likely to be sent in, the President recommended the creation of a special Court, consisting of three judges, "to hear aud determine all claims of aliens on the United States." The Eepublic of San Domingo, the President reported, had applied to the Government of the United States to exercise a Protectorate over that island — an application which he remitted to Congress for consideration. With reference to the Spanish affair, after narrating the story of the Virginius, and the action of his Government in reference to the matter, the President gave the following information, new to the public generally, as to the relations of Cuba with Spain, and the action of the Spanish Republic with reference to slavery. The message says : — The existence of this new Republic [in Spain] was inaugurated by striking the fetters from the slaves in Porto Rico. This beneficent measure was followed by the release of several thousand persona illegally held as slaves in Cuba. Next, the Captain-General of that Colony was deprived of the power to set aside the orders of his superiors at Madrid, which had pertained to the office since 1825. The sequestered estates of American citizens, which had been the cause of long and frequent correspondence, were ordered to bo restored to their owners. All these liberal steps were taken in the face of violent opposition directed by the reactionary slaveholders of Havana, who are vainly striving to stay the march of ideas which has fcermiaatedjslavery in Christendom — Cuba only excepted. Unhappily, however, thia baneful influence has • thus far succeeded in defeating the efforts of all liberalminded men in Spain to abolish slavery in Cuba, and in preventing the promised reform in that island. The struggle for political supremacy continues. The pro-slavery and ari9tooratio element in Cuba is gradually arraying itself in more and more open hostility and defiance of the home Government, while it still -maintains a political connection with the Republio in the Peninsula, and although usurping and defying the authority of the home Government whenever such usurpation or defiance tends in the direction of oppression or of the maintenance of übueee, it is still a power in Madrid and is recognised by the Government. Thus an element more, dangerous to continued colonial relations between Cuba and Spain than that which inspired the insurrection at Yara — an element opposed to granting any relief from misrule and abuse, with no aapirations after freedom, . commanding no sympathies in generous breasts, aiming to rivet still stronger the shackles of slavery and oppression — has seized many of the emblems of power in Cuba, and, under professions of loyalty to the mother country, is exhausting the resources of the. island, and is doing acts which are at variance with those principles of justice, of liberty, and of right which give nobility of character fco a republic. In the interests of humanity, of civilisation, and of progress, it is to be hoped that this evil influence may be soon averted. Before leaving this portion of his subject, President Grant expressed his belief that the existence of slavery in Cuba was the principal cause of the lamentable condition of that island, and expressed a hope, in which he had no doubt Congress would share, that it would soon disappear. Following this hope came the not unmeaning announcement, that the President had •• authorised the Secretary of the Navy to put the navy on a war footing, to the extent of the entire annual appropriation for that branch of the service." As to domestic affairs, the President suggests various amendments as to the manner in which measures submitted for the approval of the Executive should be dealt with, obviously with the purpose of lessening the passages of Bills to which suspicion of improper motives might be attached, With the Bame object in view he suggests that there should be no legislation by Congress in the last twenty. four hours of its sitting, so that the Executive might have

an opportunity of examining and ap- ! proving or disapprovinig Bills " under- j standingly" — a highly suggestive phrase. The President remarks 5 that " many of the citizens of the United States reside permanently abroad with their families," and that children of American parents so residing abroad claim the privilege of citizenship for the purpose of escaping military duty in the country in which they reside. He recommends that American citizens so resident abroad should be enabled • ;to renounce their citizenship, and that t,he right to he regarded as Americans should be withdrawn from the children of such persons born abroad. During the year the Treasury receipts from all quarters amounted to 333,783,204d015., and the expenditure to 890,345,245 dollars. The revenue, however, had " materially fallen off" in the first fiv« months of the fiscal year 1878-4. He regarded the late financial crisis a& something like " a blessing in disguise," as it would facilitate a return to specie pay- ' ments, whioh he regarded as indispensable to the prosperity of the country. The President remarks on this branch of his subject :- — We can never have permanent prosperity until a specie basis is reached, and a specie basis cannot be reached and maintained until our exports, exclusive of gold, pay for our imports, interest due abroad and othor specie obligations, and so nearly so as to leave an appreciable accumulation of the precious me tula iv the country from the products of our mines. The development of t,he mines of precious metals during the past year, and the prospective development for years to come are gratifying in their results. Could but one-, half of the gold extracted from the mines be retained ab home, our advance towards specie payments would be rapid. To increase our exports, sufficient currency is required to keep all the industries of the country employed. Without this, national as well as individual bankruptcy must ensue. In the closing passage of his message President Grant recommends a reform of the Civil Service, and a general amnesty. With this characteristically considerate suggestion, the conqueror of the South concludes a message which, as we have already remarked, is able, and unusually interesting to English readers.