The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-12-14
Vy000@S U[aDe
WEDNESDAY, DEC. II, 1891.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

spe'' Aing, toierably direct, business paper
written with general grammatical correct
ness, discussing the several topics which it
pres, mis-, with a tolerable degree Of breyity,
thou gh, still, more elaborate than there is
any necessity for. 1t bears the impress of
Il IA; I'D, very different from the one which
cone octed the former messages of Gen
Jacl ;son-so different, indeed, as to force
the conviction, even upon unwilling minds,
that the same person who wrote one, could
not have written the others.
The leading fault of the message is, its
exc sssive egotsm in which T." and nv
adr lnstration," are continually pressed up
on he attention of the reader, in manner
new er adapted in the communications of any
offs ur former chief magistrates. This would
imp liedly, take to himself credit for the suc-
res of policy, of the adoption of which, he
IS 8 innocent as the child unborn The
pre- sent prosperity Of the country is based
on a succession Of wise and judcious meas
ar Is, adopted by former administrations
and the most that Gen. Jackson can right
fully claim in relation thereto, is, that he has
not by any very great innovations on the
system already in operation, very essential
ly diminished the prosperity which was thu
natural result of those measures.
The message speaks OF the payment of
the National Debt, "within the four years
of my administration" in manner, intend
ed to convey the idea to superficial OBJ
server, that that payment is in some degree
attributable to the measures of his admins
tration. Nothing is further from the truth.
The measures for raising the revenue were
all adopted before he came into office, and
the means were provided by Congress, for
enabling the Commissioners of the Sinking
Fund to pay off the debt. Over that fund
Gen. jackson has no control, his admins
tration have adopted no measure for adding
aught to it; and so far as relates to the pay
ment of the debt, it matters not whether
Gen. Jackson, Col. Pluck, or a worthier man
than either, occupies the executive chair.
We will close this article with the following
extract from the Message, and the accom-
panying remarks, from the Washington
Journal:
The payment on account of the principal a nd
interest Of the debt, during the year will exceed
sixteen millions and half of dollars a greater sum
than has been applied to that object, out of the
revenue, in any year since the enlargement of the
sinking fund, except the two years following i'm
mediately thereafter The amount which will
have been applied the public debt from the fourth
OF March, 1929, to the first OF January next which
IS less than three years since the administration has
lpeen placed in my hands, will exceed forty millions
of dollars"
The vaunt in this extract is that sixteen mil
Ii pms and a half, now applied to the diminuton
OF the debt and the payment of interest is an
appropriation unprecedented for its magnitude,
except in the two years after the enlargement
of the public debt. A little investigation might
have prevented the President from falling into
this error as to a point of fact. The amount
ap oed to the payment of the public debt and
int crest in 1916, 1874 ,S7t .o62 96-in 1917
$2i5, 4230 36 l2-and in 1918, So, 236, POI So
an again. in 1894, when the revenue did not
come within millions and nearly half of
thtt OF the last year the appropriation on ac-
COUNT of the debt was $l6,565 1893 &c. 1t will
thus appear that the appropriation of the past
year does not so far transcend all precedent as
the President would have us to believe. There
is as little reason Tor boasting in relation to the
aggregate payments on account of debt and in
aerrs during the last three years. In 1924, '25,
and 20, the aggregate OF revenue was $40 1872
800 ; and the payments on account of the debt
Esero S39709, 204-and during the three years
OF G en-. Jacksons administration, the aggregate
at 'venue has been SIG 625, I40 ard accord
ing 10 the message, the payments on account of
the debt have been 40 millions 1t is not anna.
rent, therefore, that Gen. Jackson has accom-
plish''d any financial miracle SO transcendentlv
super ior to any thing wrought by preceding
ADM distractions.
1t i1ust be borne in mind, that on the transfer
of pc "'cr from the administration of Mr.. Adams,
to tha OF Gen. Jackson, an unexpended balance
OF ABB ut 6 millions was in the Treasury, which
deduc ed from the 10 millions claimed TO be ap-
piled to- the purposes of the public debt, leaves
The acsual amount paid out of the revenue o
the Hast three years about Sd millions And
we viii only add, that in the three first years of
The adj linislratIon Of MIR. Adams, when tho ar-
i1regate Ot the revenue was only $40 O67 656-
aiterwa tds million and half less than that of
the last three years-ihe appropriations on ac-
count OF The debt and interest were 1913, l42 1857
The substitution Of words for deeds, of AFRO.
giant pre- tensions for positive merit, has become
so ser"ic cable since the election OF Gen Jack |
SON. Thai 1t beheoves men TO put the spur to
Their IS gacity, and to investigate long and eau.
tousiy before they yield their convictions on |
any requsition.
q" We understand from an authentic source. |
tnat the Small Pox is prevalent in Worcester |