Should he fail in
concluding such arrangements, and should Great Britain insist on
enforcing the unequal and unjust measure she has adopted, it will become
necessary to confer additional powers on the Postmaster-General in order
to enable him to meet the emergency and to put our own steamers on an
equal footing with British steamers engaged in transporting the mails
between the two countries, and I recommend that such powers be
conferred.
In view of the existing state of our country, I trust it may not be
inappropriate, in closing this communication, to call to mind the words
of wisdom and admonition of the first and most illustrious of my
predecessors in his Farewell Address to his countrymen.
That greatest and best of men, who served his country so long and loved
it so much, foresaw with "serious concern" the danger to our Union of
"characterizing parties by _geographical_ discriminations--_Northern_
and _Southern_, _Atlantic_ and _Western_--whence designing men may
endeavor to excite a belief that there is a real difference of local
interests and views," and warned his countrymen against it.
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