CHAPTER XIII. GRANT AS PRESIDENT. Difficulties Encountered on his Induction to the Chair of State-General Policy of the Administration-The Will of the People Supreme-Economy the Rule-Some Figures-Grant and the Civil Service-Important Reforms-Grant and Amnesty-Policy toward the Colored Race-The Treaty with England-History of the Negotiations—Grant's Indian Policy-The Olive Branch Armed with a Switch. Some of the peculiar difficulties with which President Grant had to contend at the outset of his administration were alluded to in a previous chapter; the two chief being reconstruction and the unhappy state of the civil service. Each of these was partly the natural growth of the war and partly the legacy of Andrew Johnson's cross-grained administration; and the treatment of either of them would have furnished a very good eight years' job to a moderately active President. But General Grant, though commencing his administration very modestly, so far as all his public utterances went, has undertaken not only these Herculean labors which thrust themselves forward the most prominently, but numerous other beneficent works within the sphere of his duties as Executive. Many of these he has happily accomplished; others he has advanced creditably, and seems sure to secure both Congressional and popular co-operation in their behalf within a year or two; while a single one, having met serious opposition in the legislative branch, which General Grant, unlike his predecessor, consents cheerfully to recognize as a co-ordinate branch of the Government,-has been quietly dropped, in lieu of the persistent scolding to which Congress became so accustomed during the incumbency of Johnson. GRANT'S VIEW OF HIS DUTIES. Grant's general policy, as mapped out by himself, for himself, at his inauguration, has been made familiar to all. "The office," he said, "has come to me unsought. I commence its duties untrammeled. I bring to it a conscientious desire and determination to fill it to the best of my ability to the satisfaction of the people. On all leading questions agitating the public mind I will always express my views to Congress, and urge them according to my judgment; and when I think it advisable will exercise the constitutional privilege of interposing a veto to defeat measures which I oppose. But all laws will be faithfully executed, whether they meet my approval or not. I shall on all subjects have a policy to recommend, but none to enforce against the will of the people. Laws are to govern all alike, those opposed to as well as those who favor them. I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent execution." In other words, he proposed to discharge the duties of an Executive without attempting to trench upon those of the Legislature. He rightly judged that as an Executive merely (with his slight semi-legislative function added, of signing or vetoing acts of Congress) he could find ample scope. for all his ability and energy, even though he were the ablest and most energetic of statesmen. ECONOMY IN ADMINISTRATION. As is well known, one of the main tenets of the Republican faith is Economy in administration. As is also well known, the annual expenses of the Government, at the installation of President Grant, had become very large-partly through the inevitable increase of business, especially of the Revenue Department incident to the long war, and partly through the demoralization brought about by Johnson. To reform this as far as possible, and to reduce the annual outgo to the minimum, was the early effort of President Grant. During the year ending July 1, 1866, the annual revenues of the Government, raised from duties and from excise taxes, reached the enormous sum of $558,000,000. This sum has been so reduced that, although we are still paying off $100,000,000 annually of the national debt and defraying all the interest as it comes due, the Government only asks about $240,000,000 per year from the people for all purposes. Part of the reductions have been made by Congress, to be sure; but they could not have been made if the collection of duties and of inter |