648 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



Kingdoms of Belgium and Wurteinberg, and with 

 the Grand Duchies of Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt. 

 I hope soon to be able to submit equally satisfactory 

 conventions of the same character now in the course 

 of negotiation with the respective Governments of 

 Spain, Italy j and the Ottoman Empire. 



Examination of claims against the United States by 

 the Hudson's Bay Company and the Puget's Sound 

 Agricultural Company, on account of certain posses- 

 sory rights in the State of Oregon and Territory of 

 Washington ? alleged by those companies in virtue of 

 provisions of the treaty between the United States and 

 Great Britain, of June 15, 1846, has been diligently 

 prosecuted, under the direction of the joint interna- 

 tional commission to which they were submitted for 

 adjudication by treaty between the two governments, 

 of July 1, 1863, and will, it is expected, DC concluded 

 at an early day. 



No practical regulation concerning colonial trade 

 and the fisheries can be accomplished by treaty be- 

 tween the United States and Great Britain until Con- 

 gress shall have expressed their judgment concerning 

 the principles involved. Three other questions, how- 

 ever, between the United States and Great Britain 

 remain open for adjustment. These are, the mutual 

 rights of naturalized citizens, the boundary question 

 involving the title to the island of San Juan, on the 

 Pacific coast and mutual claims arising since the 

 year 1853, of the citizens and subjects of the two 

 countries for injuries and depredations committed 

 under the authority of their respective governments. 

 Negotiations upon these subjects are pending, and I 

 am not without hope of being able to lay before the 

 Senate, for its consideration during the present ses- 

 sion, protocols calculated to bring to an end these 

 justly exciting and long-existing controversies. 



We are not advised of the action of the Chinese 

 Government upon the liberal and auspicious treaty 

 which was recently celebrated with its plenipotentia- 

 ries at this capital. 



Japan remains a theatre of civil war, marked by 

 religious incidents and political severities peculiar 

 to that long-isolated empire. The Executive has 

 hitherto maintained strict neutrality among the belli- 

 gerents, and acknowledges with pleasure that it has 

 been frankly and fully sustained in that course by the 

 enlightened concurrence and cooperation of the other 

 treaty powers, namely : Great Britain, France, the 

 Netherlands, North Germany, and Italy. 



Spain having recently undergone a revolution 

 marked by extraordinary unanimity and preservation 

 of order, the provisional government established at 

 Madrid has been recognized, and the friendly inter- 

 course which has so long happily existed between the 

 two countries remains unchanged. 



I renew the recommendation contained in my com- 

 munication to Congress, dated the 18th of July last 

 a copy of which accompanies this message that the 

 judgment of the people should be taken on the pro- 

 priety of so amending the Federal Constitution that 

 it shall provide 



1. For an election of President and Vice-President 

 by a direct vote of the people, instead of through the 

 agency of electors, and making them ineligible for re- 

 election to a second term. 



2. For a distinct designation of the person who 

 shall dischargee the duties of President, in the event 

 of a vacancy in that office by death ? resignation, or 

 removal of both the President and Vice-President. 



3. For the election of Senators of the United States 

 directly by the people of the several States, instead 

 of by the Legislatures ; and 



4. For the limitation to a period of years of the 

 terms of Federal judges. 



Profoundly impressed with the propriety of making 

 these important modifications in the Constitution, I 

 respectfully submit them for the early and mature 

 consideration of Congress. We should, as far as pos- 

 sible, remove all pretext for violations of the organic 

 law, by remedying such imperfections as time and 



experience may develop, ever remembering that "the 

 Constitution which at any time exists, until changed 

 by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, 

 is sacredly obligatory upon all." 



In the performance ot a duty imposed upon me by 

 the Constitution, I have thus communicated to Con- 

 gress information of the state of the Union, and rec- 

 ommended for their consideration such measures as 

 have seemed to me necessary and expedient. If 

 carried into eifect, they will hasten the accomplish- 

 ment of the great and beneficent purposes for which 

 the Constitution was ordained, and which it compre- 

 hensively states were, " to form a more perfect Union, 

 establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide 

 for the common defence, promote the general welfare, 

 and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and 

 our posterity." In Congress are vested all legisla- 

 tive powers, and upon them devolves the responsi- 

 bility, as well for framing unwise and excessive laws, 

 as for neglecting to devise and adopt measures abso- 

 lutely demanded by the wants of the country. Let 

 us earnestly hope that before the expiration of our 

 respective terms of service, now^apidlv drawing to 

 a close, an all- wise Providence will so guide our coun- 

 sels as to strengthen and preserve the Federal Union, 

 inspire reverence for the Constitution, restore pros- 

 perity and happiness to our whole people, and pro- 

 mote " on earth peace, good-will toward men." 



ANDKEW JOHNSON. 



"WASHINGTON, December 9, 1868. 



Correspondence between President JOHNSON 

 and General U. S. GRANT, relative to the 

 office of Secretary of War, etc. : 



WAB DEPARTMENT, [ 

 WASHINGTON CITY, February 4, 1868. f 



SIB : In answer to the resolution of the House of 

 Kepresentatives of the 3d instant, I transmit here- 

 with copies furnished me by General Grant of corre- 

 spondence between him and the President relating to 

 the Secretary of War, and which he reports to be all 

 the correspondence he has had with the President on 

 the subject. 



I have had no correspondence with the President 

 since the 12th of August last. After the action of the 

 Senate on his alleged reason for my suspension from 

 the office of Secretary of War, I resumed the duties 

 of that office as required by the act of Congress, and 

 have continued to discharge them without any per- 

 sonal or written communication with the President. 

 No orders have been issued from this Department in 

 the name of the President with my knowledge, and I 

 have received no orders from him. 



The correspondence sent herewith embraces all the 

 correspondence known to me on the subject referred 

 to in the resolution of the House of Eepresentatives. 



I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your 

 obedient servant, 



EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. 



Hon. SCHUYLEB COLFAX, 



Speaker of the House of Eepresentatives. 



HEADQUAKTEBS ABMY OF THE UNITED STATES, ) 

 WASHINGTON, January 24, 1868. ) 



SIB : I have the honor very respectfully to request j 

 to have in writing the order which the President gave 

 me verbally on Sunday, the 19th instant, to disregard 

 the orders of Hon. E. M. Stanton as Secretary of War 

 until I knew from the President himself that they 

 were his orders. 



I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your 

 obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, General. 



His Excellency A. JOHNSON, 



President of the United States. 



As requested in this communication, General Grant 

 is instructed in writing not to obey any order from 

 the War Department assumed to be issued by the 



