

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



709 



uited State* wisely, freely, and liberally offers 

 it* citizenship to (ill who mny oome in good faith to 

 A it hi H us limit* oa their complying with cer- 

 tain |.iv.Hi-rileil n-oMoimblo and ciini.li- lormiilities and 



'ion*. Among the highest ontiM of tli> 

 eminent is that to ail'ord linn, HUtlk'init, un : 

 promotion to all r whether native-born or 



ilized. C'are r-houU be taken Unit u right, carry- 

 li it Midi Mipport i'n.in tin- lioYcriimcnt, nhould 



.iilently obtained, And should bo be- 

 i-nlv upon tull proof of a oompliauoo with the law; 

 .'i.-nt instances are brought to the atu-n- 

 i tin-lit iij' illegal and fraudulent nat- 

 lion : ,ii-l t' tin- unauthorized use of certificates 

 tliu-i improperly obtained. In some cases the fraud- 

 ulent L-haraeter of tin- naturalization has ap| 

 upon tin- face of the certificate itself; in others ex- 

 atiiination discloses that the holder had not complied 

 with the law; and in others certificates have !.. , n 

 obtained where the persona holding them not only 

 were not entitled lo be naturali/.-.l, but had not even 

 been within the United States at the time of the pre- 

 tended naturalization. Instances of each of these 

 classes of fraud are discovered at our legations, where 

 the certificates of naturalization are presented, either 

 lor the purpose of obtaining passports, or in demand- 

 ing the protection ol the legation. When the fraud 

 is apparent on the face of such certificates, they are 

 tulii-n up by the representatives of the Government 

 and forwarded to the Department of State. But even 

 tlu-n the record of the court in which the fraudulent 

 naturalization occurred remains, and duplicate certiti- 

 catea ore readily obtainable. Upon the presentation 

 <>i' these for the issue of passports, or in demanding 

 ion of the Government, the fraud sometimes 

 s notice, and such certificates are not infre- 

 quently used in transactions of business to the decep- 

 tion and injury of innocent parties. Without placing 

 any additional obstacles in the way of the obtainment 

 of citizenship by the worthy and well-intentioned 

 foreigner who comes in good faith to cast his lot with 

 OUIH, I earnestly recommend further legislation to 

 punish fraudulent naturalization, and to secure the 

 ready cancellation of the record of every naturaliza- 

 tion made in fraud. 



Since my last annual message the exchange has 

 been made of the ratification of treaties of extradition 

 with Belgium, Ecuador, Peru, and Salvador ; also of 

 a tre.'ity of commerce and navigation with Peru, and 

 one of commerce and consular privileges with Sal- 

 vador; all of which have been duly proclaimed, as 

 has also a declaration with Kussia with reference to 

 trade-marks. 



The report of the Secretary of the Treasury, wEich, 

 by law, is made directly to Congress, and fonns no 

 part of this message, will show the receipts and ex- 

 penditures of the Government for the lost fiscal year ; 

 the amount received from each source of revenue, and 

 the amount paid out for each of the deportments of 

 Government. It will be observed from this report 

 that the amount of receipts over expenditures has 

 been but $2,844,882.30 for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1874, and that for the current fiscal year the es- 

 timated receipts over expenditures will not much ex- 

 ceed nine millions of dollars. In view of the largo 

 national debt existing, and the obligation to add one 

 per cent per annum to the sinking-fund, a sum 

 amounting now to over $34,000,000 per annum, I sub- 

 mit whether revenues should not be increased or ex- 

 penditures diminished to reach this amount of surplus. 

 Not to provide for the sinking-fund is a partial failure 

 to comply with the contracts and obligations of the 

 Government. At the last session of Congress a very 

 considerable reduction was made in rates of taxation, 

 aud in the number of articles submitted to taxation ; 

 the question may well be asked whether or not, in 

 some instances, unwisely. In connection with this 

 subject, too, I venture the opinion that the means of 

 collecting the revenue, especially from imports, have 

 oeen so embarrassed by legislation as to make it ques- 



tionable u In -tin r or not large amount* arc not loct by 

 luiimv to colleet, lo the direct IOM of the Treasury 

 and to the prejudice of the interest* of honeat im- 

 porter* and ux-payera. 



uiry of the Treasury in hi* report favors 

 legislation looking to an early return to specie pay- 

 . thus Bupporting views previously expressed 

 in tiiis meaMge. He alao recommend* economy in 

 appropriations ; calls attention to the loss of revenue 

 from repealing the tax on tea and coffee, without 

 benefit to the consumer ; recommend* an inenxue of 

 ten cents a gallon on whiskey ; and, further, ihat no 

 modification DO made in the banking and cut 

 bill j loaded at the last session of Congress, unless 

 modification should become necessary by reason of 

 the adoption of measures of returning to specie pay- 

 ments. In these recommendations I cordially join. 



I would suggest to Congress the propriety of re- 

 adjusting the taritf so as to increase the revenue, and, 

 at the same time, decrease the number of articles 

 upon which duties are levied. Those articles which 

 enter into our manufactures, and are not produced at 

 home, it seems to me should be entered free. Those 

 articles of manufacture which we produce a constit- 

 uent part of, but do not produce the whole, that part 

 which we do not produce should enter free also. I 

 will instance fine wool, dyes, etc. These articles must 

 be imported to form a part of the manufacture of the 

 higher grades of woolen goods. Chemicals used as 

 dyes, compounded in medicines, and used in various 

 ways in manufactures, come under this class. The 

 introduction, free of duty, of such wools as we do not 

 produce would stimulate the manufacture of good* 

 requiring the use of those we do produce, and, there- 

 fore, would be a benefit to home production. There 

 are many articles entering into " home manufactures" 

 which we do not produce ourselves, the tariff upon 

 which increases the cost of producing the manufact- 

 ured article. All corrections in this regard are in the 

 direction of bringing labor and capital in harmony 

 with each other, and of supplying one of the elements 

 of prosperity so much needea. 



The report of the Secretary of War, herewith at- 

 tached, and forming a part of this message, gives all 

 the information concerning the operations, wants, 

 and necessities of the Army, and contains many sug- 

 gestions and recommendations which I commend to 

 your special attention. 



There is no class of Government employe's who are 

 harder worked than the Army officers and men: 

 none who perform their tasks more cheerfully ana 

 efficiently, and under circumstances of greater priva- 

 tions and hardships. 



Legislation is desirable to render more efficient this 

 branch of the public service. All the recommenda- 

 tions of the Secretary of War I regard as judicious, 

 and I especially commend to your attention the fol- 

 lowing : The consolidation of Government arsenals ; 

 the restoration of mileage to officers traveling under 

 orders ; the exemption of money received from the 

 sale of subsistence stores from being covered into the 

 Treasury ; the use of appropriations for the purchase 

 of subsistence stores without waiting for the begin- 

 ning of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is 

 made ; for additional appropriations for the collection 

 of torpedo material ; for increased appropriations for 

 the manufacture of arms ; for relieving the various 

 States from indebtedness for arms charged to them 

 during the rebellion ; for dropping officers from the 

 rolls of the Army without trial for the offense of 

 drawing pay more than once for the same period ; for 

 the discouragement of the plan to pay soldiers by 

 checks ; and for the establishment of a professorship of 

 Bhetoric and English Literature at West Point. The 

 reasons for these recommendations are obvious, and 

 are set forth sufficiently in the reports attached. I 

 also recommend that the status of the staff corps of 

 the Army be fixed where this has not already oeen 

 done so that promotions may be made and vacancies 

 filled as they occur in each grade when reduced below 



