APPENDIX THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE. ppendix to the Conof the Thirty Second sages of the President e Executive Departrs of Congress withLaws that may be hed in the same form, Congressional Globe onal Globe and Appayable in advance,) be printed to supply of January. E TED STATES. esentatives: lapsed since the en marked by no The quadrennial passed off with However indieen disappointed bject of national been effected by e people, undis1 in other counurity of popular an All-merciful g the pestilence solated some of bors of the husrest, and the nas of peace and mind has been Daniel Webster, cretary of State. overnment have family and the occasion. His litical and propatriotism, and le most importis death to be and have earned ry. Message of the President. within nine or ten years have been excluded from waters to which they had free access for twentyfive years after the negotiation of the treaty. In 1845 this exclusion was relaxed so far as concerns the Bay of Fundy, but the just and liberal intention of the Home Government, in compliance with what we think the true construction of the convention, to open all the other outer bays to our fishermen, was abandoned, in consequence of the opposition of the colonies. Notwithstanding this, the United States have, since the Bay of Fundy was reopened to our fishermen, in 1845, pursued the most liberal course toward the colonial fishing interests. By the revenue law of 1846, the duties on colonial fish entering our ports were very greatly reduced, and by the warehousing act it is allowed to be entered in bond without payment of duty. In this way colonial fish has acquired the monopoly of the export trade in our market, and is entering to some extent into the home consumption. These facts were among those which increased the sensibility of our fishing interest, at the movement in question. These circumstances, and the incidents above alluded to, have led me to think the moment favorable for a reconsideration of the entire subject of the fisheries, on the coasts of the British Provinces, with a view to place them upon a more liberal footing of reciprocal privilege. A willingness to meet us in some arrangement of this kind is understood to exist on the part of Great Britain, with a desire on her part to include in one comprehensive settlement, as well this subject as the commercial intercourse between the United States and the British Provinces. I have thought that whatever arrangements may be made on these two subjects, it is expedient that they should be embraced in separate conventions. The illness and death of the late Secretary of State prevented the commencement of the contemplated negotiation. Pains have been taken to collect the information required for the details of such an arrangement. The subject is attended with considerable difficulty. If it is found practicable to come to an agreement mutually acceptable to the two parties, conventions may be concluded in the course of the present winter. The control of Congress over all the provisions of such an arrangement, affecting the revenue, will of course be reserved. The affairs of Cuba formed a prominent topic in my last annual message. They remain in an uner considerable easy condition, and a feeling of alarm and irritae by an official tion on the part of the Cuban authorities appears f Great Britain to exist. This feeling has interfered with the rege protection of ular commercial intercourse between the United e British Prov- States and the Island, and led to some acts of the alleged en- which we have a right to complain. But the Capof the Unitedtain General of Cuba is clothed with no power to of this notice treat with foreign Governments, nor is he in any d to make it a degree under the control of the Spanish Minister vas at first ap- at Washington. Any communication which he force had been may hold with an agent of a foreign Power is inarry into effect formal and matter of courtesy. Anxious to put ovisions in the an end to the existing inconveniences, (which the true intent seemed to rest on a misconception,) I directed the r. It was soon newly-appointed Minister to Mexico to visit Haesign of Great vana, on his way to Vera Cruz. He was respectfully received by the Captain General, who conferred with him freely on the recent occurrences; but no permanent arrangement was effected. ons of the real iven both here ever, between In the mean time, the refusal of the Captain Gen NEW SERIES.......No. 1. presumptive ground for such prohibition, has been made the subject of a serious remonstrance at Madrid; and I have no reason to doubt that due respect will be paid by the Government of her Catholic Majesty to the representations which our Minister has been instructed to make on the subject. It is but justice to the Captain General to add, that his conduct toward the steamers employed to carry the mails of the United States to Havana has, with the exceptions above alluded to, been marked with kindness and liberality, and indicates no general purpose of interfering with the commercial correspondence and intercourse between the Island and this country. Early in the present year official notes were received from the Ministers of France and England, inviting the Government of the United States to become a party with Great Britain and France to a tripartite convention, in virtue of which the three Powers should severally and collectively disclaim, now and for the future, all intention to obtain possession of the Island of Cuba, and should bind themselves to discountenance all attempts to that effect on the part of any Power or individual whatever. This invitation has been respectfully declined, for reasons which it would occupy too much space in this communication to state in detail, but which led me to think that the proposed measure would be of doubtful constitutionality, impolitic, and unavailing. I have, however, in common with several of my predecessors, directed the Ministers of France and England to be assured that the United States entertain no designs against Cuba; but that, on the contrary, I should regard its incorporation into the Union at the present time as fraught with serious peril. Were this Island comparatively destitute of inhabitants, or occupied by a kindred race, I should regard it, if voluntarily ceded by Spain, as a most desirable acquisition. But, under existing circumstances, I should look upon its incorporation into our Union as a very hazardous measure. It would bring into the Confederacy a population of a different national stock, speaking a different language, and not likely to harmonize with the other members. It would probably affect, in a prejudicial manner, the industrial interests of the South; and it might revive those conflicts of opinion between the different sections of the country, which lately shook the Union to its center, and which have been so happily compromised. The rejection by the Mexican Congress of the convention which had been concluded between that Republic and the United States, for the protection of a transit way across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and of the interests of those citizens of the United States who had become proprietors of the rights which Mexico had conferred on one of her own citizens in regard to that transit, has thrown a serious obstacle in the way of the attainment of a very desirable national object. I am still willing to hope that the differences on the subject which exist, or may hereafter arise, between the Governments, will be amicably adjusted. This subject, however, has already engaged the attention of the Senate of the United States, and requires no further comment in this communication. The settlement of the question respecting the port of San Juan de Nicaragua, and of the controversy between the Republics of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. in regard to their houndering then April, 1850. e purposes, hat quarter, greed to in I the Ministhe wish to e two Reom a desire between the to establish caragua unwer. The Co by Costa not proved it is to be the subject n that spirit ughtalways at they will ou that the as acknowlnited States, rged by our hoped that e Congress ms for their res and the prospect of quarter, the ance detere new Con ommerce to = tributaries endly notice t we might, course. In Minister at ; at Buenos nclude trealeration, or which have w Governon of those on to hope ally opened and fifty-six thousand five hundred and forty-seven dollars and forty-nine cents, ($2,456,547 49,) and the surplus in the Treasury will continue to be applied to that object, whenever the stock can be procured within the limits, as to price, authorized by law. The value of foreign merchandise imported during the last fiscal year was two hundred and seven millions two hundred and forty thousand one hundred and one dollars, ($207,240,101;) and the value of domestic productions exported was one hundred and forty-nine millions eight hundred and sixty-one thousand nine hundred and eleven dollars, ($149,861,911,) besides seventeen millions two hundred and four thousand and twenty-six dollars ($17,204,026) of foreign merchandise exported; making the aggregate of the entire exports one hundred and sixty-seven millions sixty-five thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven dollars, ($167,065,937;) exclusive of the above there was exported forty-two millions five hundred and seven thousand two hundred and eighty-five dollars ($42,507,285) in specie; and imported from foreign ports five millions two hundred and sixtytwo thousand six hundred and forty-three dollars, ($5,262,643.) unfortunate countrymen who from time to time suffer shipwreck on the coasts of the eastern seas are entitled to protection. Besides these specific objects, the general prosperity of our States on the Pacific requires that an attempt should be made to open the opposite regions of Asia to a mutually beneficial intercourse. It is obvious that this attempt could be made by no Power to so great advantage as by the United States, whose constitutional system excludes every idea of distant colonial dependencies. I have accordingly been led to order an appropriate naval force to Japan, under the command of a discreet and intelligent officer of the highest rank known to our service. He is instructed to endeavor to obtain from the Government of that country some relaxation of the inhospitable and anti-social system which it has pursued for about two centuries. He has been directed particularly to remonstrate, in the strongest language, against the cruel treatment to which our shipwrecked mariners have often been subjected, and to insist that they shall be treated with humanity. He is instructed, however, at the|| same time, to give that Government the amplest assurances that the objects of the United States are such, and such only, as I have indicated, and that the expedition is friendly and peaceful. Notwithstanding the jealousy with which the Governments of Eastern Asia regard all overtures from foreigners, I am not without hopes of a beneficial result of the expedition. Should it be crowned with success, the advantages will not be confined to the United States, but, as in the case of China, will be equally enjoyed by all the other maritime Powers. I have much satisfaction in stating that in all the steps preparatory to this expedition, the Government of the United States has been materially aided by the good offices of the King of the Netherlands, the only European Power having any commercial relations with Japan. the Senate. ion, it will r citizens a ed in natutions have In passing from this survey of our foreign relations, I invite the attention of Congress to the condition of that department of the Government to which this branch of the public business is intrusted. Our intercourse with foreign Powers has of late years greatly increased, both in consequence of our own growth and the introduction of many new States into the family of nations. cluded beIn this way the Department of State has become l Republic overburdened. It has, by the recent establishment of the Department of the Interior, been relieved of some portion of the domestic business. If the residue of the business of that kind, such as the distribution of Congressional documents, the keeping, publishing, and distribution of the laws of the United States, the execution of the copyright law, the subject of reprieves and pardons, and some other subjects relating to interior administration, should be transferred from the Department of State, it would unquestionably be for the benefit of the public service. I would also suggest that the building appropriated to the State Department is not fire-proof; that there is reason to think there are defects in its construction, and that the archives of the Government in charge of the Department, with the precious collections of the manuscript papers of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, and Monroe, are exposed to destruction by fire. A similar remark may be made of the buildings appropriated to the War and Navy Departments. cretary of res relative ed to Conon. Since he subject, of the title oved; and ry wrong her, from 'ed by an reignty. 1 that the ible to the 'as known ledged at ffairs had ma to an had gone ian Govn its own rried into y an arintageous The condition of the Treasury is exhibited in the annual report from that Department. In my first annual message to Congress I called your attention to what seemed to me some defects in the present tariff, and recommended such modifications as in my judgment were best adapted to remedy its evils and promote the prosperity of the country. Nothing has since occurred to change my views on this important question. Without repeating the arguments contained in my former message, in favor of discriminating, protective duties, I deem it my duty to call your attention to one or two other considerations affecting this subject. The first is, the effect of large importations of foreign goods upon our currency. Most of the gold of California, as fast as it is coined, finds its way directly to Europe, in payment for goods purchased. In the second place, as our manufacturing establishments are broken down by competition with foreigners, the capital invested in them is lost, thousands of honest and industrious citizens are thrown out of employment, and the farmer to that extent is deprived of a home market for the sale of his surplus produce. In the third place, the destruction of our manufactures leaves the foreigner without competition in our market, and he consequently raises the price of the article sent here for sale, as is now seen in the increased cost of iron imported from England. The prosperity and wealth of every nation must depend upon its productive industry. The farmer is stimulated to exertion by finding a ready market for his surplus products, and benefited by being able to exchange them, without loss of time or expense of transportation, for the manufactures which his comfort or convenience requires. This is always done to the best advantage where a portion of the community in which he lives is engaged in other pursuits. But most manufactures require an amount of capital, and a practical skill, which cannot be commanded, unless they be protected for a time from ruinous competition from abroad. Hence the necessity of laying those duties upon imported goods which the Constitution authorizes for revenue, in such a manner as to protect and encourage the labor of our own citizens. Duties, however, should not be fixed at a rate so high as to exclude the foreign article, but should be so graduated as to enable the domestic manufacturer fairly to compete with the foreigner in our own markets; and by this competition to reduce the price of the manufactured article to the consumer to the lowest rate at which it can be produced. This policy would place the mechanic by the side of the farmer, create a mutual interchange of their respective commodities, and thus stimulate the dependent of foreign nations for the supplies required by the habits or necessities of the people. The cash receipts into the Treasury for the fiscal year ending the 30th June last, exclusive of trust funds, were forty-nine millions seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand three hundred and eighty-six dollars and eighty-nine cents, ($49,728,386 89,) and the expenditures for the same period, likewise exclusive of trust funds, were forty-six millions seven thousand eight hundred and ninety-six dol-industry of the whole country, and render us inlars and twenty cents, ($46,007.896 20;) of which nine millions four hundred and fifty-five thousand eight hundred and fifteen dollars and eighty-three cents ($9,455,815 83) was on account of the principal and interest of the public debt, including the last installment of the indemnity to Mexico, under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, leaving a balance of $14,632,136 37 in the Treasury on the first day of July last. Since this latter period, further purchases of the principal of the public debt have been made to the extent of two millions four hundred Another question, wholly independent of protection, presents itself; and that is, whether the duties levied should be upon the value of the article at the place of shipment, or, where it is practicable, a specific duty, graduated according to quantity, as ascertained by weight or measure. duties are at present ad valorem. A certain per centage is levied on the price of the goods at the port of shipment in a foreign country. Most com All our 32D CONG.....2D SESS. mercial nations have found it indis purpose of preventing fraud and Į the duties specific whenever the ari orm value in weight or measu cha duty. Legislation should i Eshonesty, or crime. It is impossi ence offers at the port where the tered and the duties paid, should I y what they cost in the foreign the requires that they should le erdag to such cost. They are eled to resort to very unsatisfact certain what that cost was. Th e of the importer, attested by h be evidence of which the nature c But every one must see the ay be fabricated, and the oath b red false, by reason of which rer pays a part only of the du by the honest one, and thus from the Treasury of the U for his fraud and perjury. 1 1 TY of the Treasury, heret practiced to a great extent t earnestly recommend the Iwade again call your atter anufactured from it es which had been negotiat parts of our territory partic asive nght of the Indians to any 1 ra by temporary arrangements y relations with them. be the desire of Congress to e country altogether, or to as ar districts more remote fro of the whites, it will be prope the territory which they are to de the means necessary for re Justice alike to our own citize requires the prompt action of ect. mendments proposed by t ies which were negotiated w of Minnesota, have been su who were parties to them, ed their assent. Las thus been opened for s A large tract of tion, and all danger of collisi erful and warlike bands has be The removal of the remnant of the dispensable, for the ad perjury, to make article is of such a ensure as to justify ld never encourage possible that the reve the goods are enld know with cereign country. Yet id levy the duty acare therefore comfactory evidence to They take the inby his oath, as the ure of the case ade that the invoice th by which it is which the dishonest he duties which are thus indirectly rehe United States a ry. The reports of heretofore made on that these frauds extent. The tendnoral character for been distinguished; Es revenue; to break à dishonest compethe business of imnsible agents, to the tizens. I therefore nd the adoption of acticable, or a home ds. ur attention to the me cases imposes a rial imported, than from it; the conseity operates to the r and the discour ation in regard to ndian affairs, I rert of the Secretary nying documents. ht proper to ratify egotiated with the nd Oregon, our rein a very unsatis particular districts for the exclusive their right to the een acknowledged 1 and Oregon there Government of the o any part of the mere tenants at ren from place to New Mexico" to a point one hundred and thirtyfive miles below Eagle Pass, which is about two thirds of the distance along the course of the river to its mouth. The appropriation which was made at the last session of Congress for the continuation of the survey is subject to the following proviso: ished object of the Government, and it is one to point agreed on by the Commissioners as "the The report from the General Land Office shows increased activity in its operations. The survey of the northern boundary of Iowa has been completed with unexampled dispatch. Within the last year 9,822,953 acres of public land have been surveyed, and 5,032,463 acres brought into market. In the last fiscal year there were sold... Located with bounty land war rants. 1,553,071 acres. 3,201,314 66 Making an aggregate of.......13,115,175 Being an increase in the amount of lands sold and located under land warrants of 569,220 acres over the previous year. The whole amount thus sold, located under land warrants, reported under swamp land grants, and selected for internal improvements, exceeds that of the previous year by 3,342,372 acres; and the sales would, without doubt, have been much larger but for the extensive reservations for railroads in Missouri, Mississippi, and Alabama. For the quarter ending 30th September, 1852, there were sold..... 243,255 acres. Located with bounty land warrants 1,387,116 Making an aggregate for the quar .4,131,253 66 ter of.... Much the larger portion of the labor of arranging and classifying the returns of the last census has been finished, and it will now devolve upon Congress to make the necessary provision for the publication of the results in such form as shall be deemed best. The apportionment of representation, on the basis of the new census, has been made by the Secretary of the Interior, in conformity with the provisions of law relating to that subject, and the recent elections have been made in accordance with it. I commend to your favorable regard the suggestion contained in the report of the Secretary of the Interior, that provision be made by law for the publication and distribution, periodically, of an analytical digest of all the patents which have been, or may hereafter be, granted for useful inventions and discoveries, with such descriptions and illustrations as may be necessary to present an intelligible view of their nature and operation. The cost of such publication could easily be defrayed out of the patent fund; and I am persuaded that it could be applied to no object more acceptable to inventors, and beneficial to the public at large. An appropriation of $100,000 having been made at the last session for the purchase of a suitable site, and for the erection, furnishing, and fitting up of an Asylum for the Insane of the District of Columbia, and of the Army and Navy of the United States, the proper measures have been adopted to carry this beneficent purpose into effect. By the latest advices from the Mexican Bound "Provided, That no part of this appropriation 'shall be used or expended until it shall be made satisfactorily to appear to the President of the United States that the southern boundary of New 'Mexico is not established by the commissioner 'and surveyor of the United States further north ' of the town called 'Paso' than the same is laid 'down in Disturnell's map, which is added to the treaty. My attention was drawn to this subject by a report from the Department of the Interior, which reviewed all the facts of the case, and submitted for my decision the question whether, under existing circumstances, any part of the appropriation could be lawfully used or expended for the further prosecution of the work. After a careful consideration of the subject, I came to the conclusion that it could not, and so informed the head of that Department. Orders were immediately issued by him to the commissioner and surveyor to make no further requisitions on the Department, as they could not be paid, and to discontinue all operations on the southern line of New Mexico. But as the Department had no exact information as to the amount of provisions and money which remained unexpended in the hands of the commissioner and surveyor, it was left discretionary with them to continue the survey down the Rio Grande as far as the means at their disposal would enable them, or at once to disband the Commission. A special messenger has since arrived from the officer in charge of the survey on the river, with information that the funds subject to his control were exhausted, and that the officers and others employed in the service were destitute alike of the means of prosecuting the work and of returning to their homes. The object of the proviso was doubtless to arrest the survey of the southern and western lines of New Mexico, in regard to which different opinions have been expressed; for it is hardly to be supposed that there could be any objection to that part of the line which extends along the channel of the Rio Grande. But the terms of the law are so broad as to forbid the use of any part of the money for the prosecution of the work, or even for the payment, to the officers and agents, of the arrearages of pay which are justly due to them. I earnestly invite your prompt attention to this subject, and recommend a modification of the terms of the proviso, so as to enable the Department to use as much of the appropriation as will be necessary to discharge the existing obligations of the Government, and to complete the survey of the Rio Grande to its mouth. It will also be proper to make further provision by law for the fulfillment of our treaty with Mexico, for running and marking the residue of the boundary line between the two countries. Permit me to invite your particular attention to the interests of the District of Columbia, which are confided by the Constitution to your peculiar care. Among the measures which seem to me of the greatest importance to its prosperity, are the introduction of a copious supply of water into the city of Washington, and the construction of suitable bridges across the Potomac, to replace those which were destroyed by high water in the early part of the present year. At the last session of Congress an appropriation was made to defray the cost of the surveys necessary for determining the best means of affording an unfailing supply of good and wholesome water. Some progress has been made in the survey, and as soon as it is completed the result will be laid before you. Further appropriations will also be necessary for grading and paving the streets and avenues. APPENDIX TO THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE. ct our froncan States, - Of about my is comoyed in the -y, (includng thereto. =have been ception of nd Oregon, tion of the e disturbed = of the In t whenever E, collisions e collisions apart porve occupaty occurs, to Texas. that State etained the in her limt is undererritory to nts advance to survey tends, not but to com stence. It t influence no durable the whites. or her own humanity assign a he provis s of tribes her ownshe should eaty stipuhe Indians ■ subject of ent. It is provision were made he cause of in a growns adopted es revision. and careful yed longer e there are ced-some to protect New Orts. In reis believed mong milithe appro be made. ks on this is Depart-port of the into effect ovision for harbors, Message of the President. suggestions of which I ask your approval. It Two officers of the Navy were heretofore instructed to explore the whole extent of the Amazon river, from the confines of Peru to its mouth. The return of one of them has placed in the possession of the Government an interesting and valuable account of the character and resources of a country abounding in the materials of commerce, and which, if opened to the industry of the world, will prove an inexhaustible fund of wealth. The report of this exploration will be communicated to you as soon as it is completed. erce of the character. zed should otherwise be lost. -nt will inthe branch harge. It opics and Among other subjects offered to your notice by the Secretary of the Navy, I select for special commendation, in view of its connection with the interests of the Navy, the plan submitted by him for the establishment of a permanent corps of seamen, and the suggestions he has presented for the reorganization of the Naval Academy. [Dec. 6, SENATE & HO. OF REPS. Your attention is respectfully called to the report of the Postmaster General for the detailed operation of his Department during the last fiscal year, from which it will be seen that the receipts from postages for that time were less by $1,431,696 than for the preceding fiscal year, being a decrease of about 23 per cent. This diminution is attributable to the reduction in the rates of postage made by the act of March 3, 1851, which reduction took effect at the commencement of the last fiscal year. Although in its operation during the last year the act referred to has not fulfilled the predictions of its friends by increasing the correspondence of the country in proportion to the reduction of postage, I should nevertheless question the policy of returning to higher rates. Experience warrants the expectation that as the community becomes accustomed to cheap postage, correspondence will increase. It is believed that from this cause, and from the rapid growth of the country in population and business, the receipts of the Department must ultimately exceed its expenses, and that the country may safely rely upon the continuance of the present cheap rate of postage. In former messages I have, among other things, respectfully recommended to the consideration of Congress the propriety and necessity of further legislation for the protection and punishment of foreign consuls residing in the United States; to revive with certain modifications the act of 10th March, 1838, to restrain unlawful military expeditions against the inhabitants of conterminous States or Territories; for the preservation and protection from mutilation or theft of the papers, records, and archives of the nation; for authorizing the surplus revenue to be applied to the payment of the public debt in advance of the time when it will become due; for the establishment of land offices for the sale of the public lands in California and the Territory of Oregon; for the construction of a road from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific ocean; for the establishment of a Bureau of Agriculture for the promotion of that interest, perhaps the most important in the country; for the prevention of frauds upon the Government in applications for pensions and bounty lands; for the establishment of a uniform fee bill, prescribing a specific compensation for every service required of clerks, district attorneys, and marshals; for authorizing an additional regiment of mounted men, for the defense of our frontiers against the Indians, and for fulfilling our treaty stipulations with Mexico to defend her citizens against the Indians "with equal diligence and energy as our own;" for determining the relative rank between the naval and civil officers in our public ships, and between the officers of the Army and Navy in the various grades of each; for reorganizing the naval establishment by fixing the number of officers in each grade, and providing for a retired list upon reduced pay of those unfit for active duty; for prescribing and regulating punishments in the Navy; for the appointment of a commission to revise the public statutes of the United States, by arranging them in order, supplying deficiencies, correcting incongruities, simplifying their language, and reporting them to Congress for its final action; and for the establishment of a commission to adjudicate and settle private claims against the United States. I am not aware, however, that any of these subjects have been finally acted upon by Congress. Without repeating the reasons for legislation on these subjects which have been assigned in former messages, I respectfully recommend them again to your favorable consideration. In reference to the first of these, I take occasion to say that I think it will greatly improve the efficiency of the service, and that I regard it as still more entitled to favor for the salutary influence it must exert upon the naval discipline, now greatly disturbed by the increasing spirit of insubordination, resulting from our present system. The plan proposed for the organization of the seamen furnishes a judicious substitute for the law of September, 1850, abolishing corporal punishment, and satisfactorily sustains the policy of that act, under conditions well adapted to maintain the authority of command and the order and security of our ships. It is believed that any change which proposes permanently to dispense with this mode of punishment, should be preceded by a system of enlistment which shall supply the Navy with seamen of the most meritorious class, whose good deportment and pride of character may preclude all occasion for a resort to penalties of a harsh or degrading nature. The safety of a ship and her crew is often dependent upon immediate obedience to a command, and the authority to enforce it must be equally ready. The arrest of a refractory seaman, in such moments, not only deprives the ship of indispensable aid, but imposes a necessity for double service on others whose fidelity to their duties may be relied upon in such an emergency. The exposure to this increased and arduous labor, since the passage of the act of 1850, has already had, to a most observable and injurious extent, the effect of preventing the enlistment of the best seamen in the Navy. The plan now suggested is designed to promote a condition of service in which this objection will no longer exist. The details of this plan may be established in great part, if not altogether, by the Executive, under the authority of existing laws; but I have thought it proper, in accordance with the suggestion of the Secretary of the Navy, to submit it to your approval. The establishment of a corps of apprentices for the Navy, or boys to be enlisted until they become of age, and to be employed under such regulations as the Navy Department may devise, as proposed in the report, I cordially approve and commend to your consideration; and I also concur in the suggestion that this system for the early training of seamen may be most usefully ingrafted upon the service of our merchant-marine. The other proposition of the report to which I have referred the reorganization of the Naval Academy-I recommend to your attention as a project worthy of your encouragement and support. The valuable services already rendered by this institution entitle it to the continuance of your fostering-care. I think it due to the several Executive Depart- ments to exercise, still the due administration and 320 CONG.....2D SESS. peculators and fraudulent claim 1: has been the uniform policy o other nations. The consequence the the nations of Europe have be eating wars, our country has pur ourse to unexampled prosperi The wars in which we hav engage, in defense of the rig destry, have been fortunately Juring the terrific contest of which succeeded the Frenc abled, by the wisdom an Pet Washington, to maintain o Tether nations were drawn in eping whirlpool, we sat quiet a pour own shores. While the f Das armies was wasted by dis hundreds of thousands upd fed routh of this favored land we were blessings of peace ben tertaro While the States of Eur ems, under the burden of San, and which mus de product of the hon of the cares for generations to Case States have once been enable theprdctacle of a nation free des; and, permitted to pursue our a few years longer in peace, Bow said by some that this We see more of her movement sire of their subjects in mainta most seductive but dangerou it prudent or is it wise to in their freedom, could never mants can prompt t a wise precaution ainst that source of as it can be done, egal penalties. The sed to be defective, to call your attenommend that proe punishment not bribes, but also of e, give, or offer to r clerks a bribe or any matter of their Report of the Secretary of War. 66 nent safety and interest of the country. They knew that the world is governed less by sympathy than by reason and force; that it was not possible for this nation to become a 'propagandist" of free principles without arraying against it the combined Powers of Europe; and that the result was more likely to be the overthrow of republican liberty here than its establishment there. History has been written in vain for those who can doubt this. France had no sooner established a republican form of government than she manifested a desire to force its blessings on all the world. Her own historian informs us that, hearing of some petty acts of tyranny in a neighboring principalcy of this Govern-ity, "The National Convention declared that she The present day, to the domestic affairs ence has been, that ve been engaged in s pursued its peacesperity and happie have been comThe rights and honor nately of short dust of nation against French Revolution, om and firmness of tain our neutrality. wn into this wide uiet and unmoved the flower of their by disease, or perds upon the battleand were permitted|| ce beneath the paof Europe incurred den of which their h must absorb no he honest industry ions to come, the enabled to exhibit a free from public ue our prosperous peace, we may do would afford succor and fraternity to all nations 'who wished to recover their liberty; and she gave it in charge of the executive power to give 'orders to the generals of the French armies to aid 'all citizens who might have been or should be at this policy must er separated from steam navigation days' sail of our vements, and take ersies. Although join the fraternity lavished the blood maintaining "the that we ought to ereigns and their hrowing the moning in their place eged that we have urse from a sense your conscious icy, and that it is in these contests for liberty. ngerous appeal to en. Enjoying as overnment, there heart that would extended to all ess the struggle ressor any where the former, and iumph. Nevere to involve ourindeed true that doing so merely scious weakness? have gone before Revolution who ressions of the Heaven "their cred honor" to ever have been They knew no luty pointed the fair fame for us, ch they so nobly oppressed in the cause of liberty." Here was the false step which led to her subsequent misfortunes. She soon found herself involved in war with all the rest of Europe. In less than ten years her government was changed from a Republic to an Empire; and finally, after shedding rivers of blood, foreign Powers restored her exiled dynasty, and exhausted Europe sought peace and repose in the unquestioned ascendency of monarchial principles. Let us learn wisdom from her example. Let us remember that revolutions do not always establish freedom. Our own free institutions were not the offspring of our Revolution. They existed before. They were planted in the free charters of self-government under which the English colonies grew up, and ur Revolution only freed us from the dominion of a foreign Power, whose government was at variance with those institutions. But European nations have had no such training for self-government, and every effort to establish it by bloody revolutions has been, and must, without that preparation, continue to be a failure. Liberty, unregulated by law, degenerates into anarchy, which soon becomes the most horrid of all despotisms. Our policy is wisely to govern ourselves, and thereby to set such an example of national justice, prosperity, and true glory, as shall teach to all nations the blessings of self-government, and the unparalleled enterprise and success of a free people. We live in an age of progress, and ours is emphatically a country of progress. Within the last half century the number of States in this Union has nearly doubled, the population has almost quadrupled, and our boundaries have been extended from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Our territory is chequered over with railroads, and furrowed with canals. The inventive talent of our country is excited to the highest pitch, and the numerous applications for patents for valuable improvements distinguish this age and this people from all others. The genius of one American has enabled our commerce to move against wind and tide, and that of another has annihilated distance in the transmission of intelligence. The whole country is full of enterprise. Our common schools are diffusing intelligence among the people, and our industry is fast accumulating the comforts and luxuries of life. This is in part owing to our peculiar position, to our fertile soil, and comparatively sparse population; but much of it is also owing to the popular institutions under which we live, to the freedom which every man feels to engage in any useful pursuit, according to his taste or inclination, and to the entire confidence that his person and property will be protected by the laws. But whatever may be the cause of this unparalleled growth in population, intelligence, and wealth, one thing is clear, that the Government must keep pace with the progress of the people. It must participate in their spirit of enterprise, and while it exacts obedience to the laws, and restrains all unauthorized invasions of the rights of neighboring States, it should foster and protect home industry, and lend its powerful strength to the improvement of such means of intercommunication ne re necessary to promote SENATE & HO. OF REPS. progress, and the invasion of the rights of others for national prowess and glory. The former are constantly agitating for some change in the organic law, or urging new and untried theories of human rights. The latter are ever ready to engage in any wild crusade against a neighboring people, regardless of the justice of the enterprise, and without looking at the fatal consequences to ourselves and to the cause of popular government. Such expeditions, however, are often stimulated by mercenary individuals, who expect to share the plunder or profit of the enterprise without exposing themselves to danger, and are led on by some irresponsible foreigner, who abuses the hospitality of our own Government by seducing the young and ignorant to join in his scheme of personal ambition or revenge, under the false and delusive pretense of extending the area of freedom. These reprehensible aggressions but retard the true progress of our nation and tarnish its fair fame. They should, therefore, receive the indignant frowns of every good citizen who sincerely loves his country and takes a pride in its prosperity and honor. Our Constitution, though not perfect, is doubtless the best that ever was formed. Therefore, let every proposition to change it be well weighed, and if found beneficial, cautiously adopted. Every patriot will rejoice to see its authority so exerted as to advance the prosperity and honor of the nation, whilst he will watch with jealousy any attempt to mutilate this charter of our liberties, or pervert its powers to acts of aggression or injustice. Thus shall conservatism and progress blend their harmonious action in preserving the form and spirit of the Constitution, and at the same time carry forward the great improvements of the country with a rapidity and energy which freemen only can display. In closing this, my last annual communication, permit me, fellow-citizens, to congratulate you on the prosperous condition of our beloved country. Abroad its relations with all foreign Powers are friendly; its rights are respected, and its high place in the family of nations cheerfully recognized. At home we enjoy an amount of happiness, public and private, which has probably never fallen to the lot of any other people. Besides affording to our own citizens a degree of prosperity, of which on so large a scale know of no other instance, our country is annually affording a refuge and a home to multitudes, altogether without example, from the Old World. We owe these blessings, under Heaven, to the happy Constitution and Government which were bequeathed to us by our fathers, and which it is our sacred duty to transmit in all their integrity to our children. We must all consider it a great dis tinction and privilege to have been chosen by the people to bear a part in the administration of such a Government. Called by an unexpected dispensation to its highest trust, at a season of embarrassment and alarm, I entered upon its arduous duties with extreme diffidence. I claim only to have discharged them to the best of an humble ability, with a single eye to the public good; and it is with devout gratitude, in retiring from office, that I leave the country in a state of peace and prosperity. MILLARD FILLMORE. WASHINGTON, December 6, 1852. Report of the Secretary of War. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, December 4, 1852. SIR I beg leave to submit a brief account of the operations of this Department during the year. The efforts of the Department have been principally directed to the defense of our frontiers and those of Mexico from the Indian tribes within our borders. For this purpose, out of about 11,000 officers and men borne on the rolls of the Army, about 8,000 are employed in the defense of Texas, New Mexico, California, and Oregon, or of emigrants destined to the last two. It affords me great pleasure to say that sha |