CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. (PKESIDENT'S MESSAGE.) 



181 



Through our ministers at London and at Monrovia, 

 this Government has endeavored to aid Liberia in its 

 differences with Great Britain touching the north- 

 western boundary of that republic. There is a pros- 

 pect of adjustment of the dispute by the adoption of 

 the Mannah river as the line. This arrangement is a 

 compromise of the conflicting territorial claims, and 

 takes from Liberia no country over which it has main- 

 tained effective jurisdiction. 



The rich and populous valley of the Congo is being 

 opened to commerce by a society called the Interna- 

 tional African Association, of which the King of the 

 Belgians is the president and a citizen of the United 

 States the chief executive officer. Large tracts of 

 territory 'have been ceded to the association by native 

 chiefs, roads have been opened, steamboats placed on 

 the river, and the nuclei of states established at twen- 

 ty -two stations under one flag, which offers freedom 

 to commerce and prohibits the slave-trade. The ob- 

 jects of the society are philanthropic. It does not aim 

 at permanent political control, but seeks the neutrality 

 of the valley. The United States can not be indiffer- 

 ent to this work nor to the interests of their citizens 

 involved in it. It may become advisable for us to co- 

 operate with other commercial powers in promoting 

 the rights of trade and residence in the Congo valley 

 free from the interference or political control of any 

 one nation. 



In view of the frequency of invitations from foreign 

 governments to participate in social and scientific con- 

 gresses for the discussion of important matters of 

 general concern, I repeat the suggestion of my last 

 message, that provision be made tor the exercise of 

 discretionary power by the Executive in appointing 

 delegates to such convocations. Able specialists are 

 ready to serve the national interests in such capacity 

 without personal profit or other compensation than 

 the defrayment of expenses actually incurred, and this 

 a comparatively small annual appropriation would 

 suffice to meet. 



I have alluded in my previous messages to the in- 

 jurious and vexatious restrictions suffered by our trade 

 in the Spanish West Indies. Brazil, whose natural 

 outlet for its g/eat national staple, coffee, is in and 

 through the United States, imposes a heavy export 

 duty upon that product. Our petroleum exports are 

 hammered in Turkey and in other Eastern ports by re- 

 strictions as to storage and by onerous taxation. For 

 these mischiefs adequate relief is not always afforded 

 by reciprocity treaties like that with Hawaii or that 

 lately negotiated with Mexico and now awaiting the 

 action of the Senate. Is it not advisable to provide 

 some measure of equitable retaliation in our relations 

 with governments which discriminate against our 

 own ? If, for cxamplej the Executive were empow- 

 ered to apply to Spanish vessels and cargoes from 

 Cuba and Porto Eico the same rules of treatment 

 and scale of penalties for technical faults which are 

 applied to our vessels and cargoes in the Antilles, 

 a resort to that course might not be barren of good 

 results. 



The report of the Secretary of the Treasury gives a 

 full and interesting exhibit of the financial condition 

 of the country. 



It shows that the ordinary 



revenues from all sources 



for the fiscal year ended * 



June 80, 18S3, amounted 



to $398,287,581 95 



Whereof there was received: 



From customs $214.708,496 98 



From internal revenue . . . 144,720,368 98 

 7,955,864 42 



From sales of public lands. 



From tax on circulation 

 and deposits of national 

 banks 



From profits on coinage, 

 bullion deposits, and as- 

 says 



From other sources 



Total.... 



9,111,008 85 



For the same period the ordinary expendi- 

 tures were : 



For civil expenses $22,348,285 76 



For foreign intercourse 2,419,275 24 



For Indians 7,862,51/0 84 



For pensions 66,012,578 64 



For the military establishment, including 

 river and harbor improvements and 



arsenals 48,911,882 98 



For the naval establishment, including ves- 

 sels, machinery, and improvements at 



navy-yards 15,288,43717 



For miscellaneous expenditures, including 

 public buildings, lighthouses, and col- 

 lecting the revenue 40,098,482 78 



For expenditures on account of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia 8,817,028 48 



For interest on the public debt 59,160,131 25 



Total $265,408,137 54 



Leaving a surplus revenue of $182,879,444 41 



Which, with an amount drawn from the 



cash balance in the Treasury of 1,299,812 55 



Making $184,H8,756 96 



Was applied to the redemption 



Of bonds for the sinking fund $44,850,700 00 



Of fractional currency for the sinking 



fund 46,556 96 



Of funded loan of 1881. continued at 3J per 



cent 65,880,250 CO 



Of loan of July and August, 1861, contin- 

 ued at 8t percent 20,594,600 00 



Of funded loan of 1907 1,418,850 00 



Of funded loan of 1881 719,150 00 



Of loan of February, 1861 18,000 00 



Of loan of July and August, 1861 266,600 00 



Of loan of March, 1868 116,850 00 



Of loan of July, 1882 47,65000 



Of five-twenties of 1862 10.800 00 



Of five- twenties of 1864 7,050 00 



Of five-twenties of 1865 9,600 00 



Of ten-forties of 1864 188,550 00 



Of consols of 1865 40,800 00 



Of consols of 1867 235,700 00 



Of consols of 1868 154,650 00 



Of Oregon war debt 5.450 00 



Of refunding certificates 109,150 00 



Of old demand, compound interest, and 



other notes 13,300 00 



Total $184,178,756 96 



The revenue for the present fiscal year, actual and 

 estimated, is as follows : 



4,460,205 17 

 17,338,637 00 



$398,287,581 95 



The actual and estimated expenses for the same pe- 

 riod are : 



