ield of industry,
especially in agriculture and in our mines, as well of iron and coal as
of the precious metals. While the demand for labor is much increased here,
tens of thousands of persons, destitute of remunerative occupation, are
thronging our foreign consulates and offering to emigrate to the United
States if essential, but very cheap, assistance can be afforded them. It
is easy to see that under the sharp discipline of civil war the nation
is beginning a new life. This noble effort demands the aid and ought to
receive the attention and support of the Government.

Injuries unforeseen by the Government and unintended may in some cases
have been inflicted on the subjects or citizens of foreign countries, both
at sea and on land, by persons in the service of the United States. As
this government expects redress from other powers when similar injuries
are inflicted by persons in their service upon citizens of the United
States, we must be prepared to do justice to foreigners. If the existing
judicial tribunals are inadequate to this purpose, a special court may
be authorized, with power to hear and decide such claims of the character
referred to as may have arisen under treaties and the public law.
Conventions for adjusting the claims by joint commission have been
proposed to some governments, but no definitive answer to the proposition
has yet been received from any.

In the course of the session I shall probably have occasion to request you
to provide indemnification to claimants where decrees of restitution have
been rendered and damages awarded by admiralty courts, and in other cases
where this government may be acknowledged to be liable in principle and
where the amount of that liability has been ascertained by an informal
arbitration.

The proper officers of the Treasury have deemed themselves required by the
law of the United States upon the subject to demand a tax upon the
incomes of foreign consuls in this country. While such a demand may not
in strictness be in derogation of public law, or perhaps of any existing
treaty between the United States and a foreign country, the expediency of
so far modifying the act as to exempt from tax the income of such consuls
as are not citizens of the United States, derived from the emoluments
of their office or from property not situated in the United States, is
submitted to your serious consideration. I make this suggestion upon the
ground that a comity which ought to