East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-12-14
q ne q onrier
wednesday. December ID. 1904.
THE MESSAGE.

OF President lincoln possesses the
merit of being brief, if brevity is a
merit whore nothing in particular is
naid about anything in particular cx-
cept the inevitable niggor. As
whole we think it suits democrats
quite as well rs tho result of the re-
sent election, and the peculiar, "no-
holy hurt" complacency which per-
vades tho document as well rs its au-
thor, is beautifully calculated to tenn
per down any Indignation which may
have existed in the minds of the peo-
pie on account of the usurpations,
corruption, Inconsistency, imbecility or
ineiliccncy of "tho government"
The tone of the message is congrat-
ulatory throughout The people are
congratulated upon the blessings of
health, abundant harvests, reason
ably satisfactory condition Of our
I'll adrninic-
tration Of financial affairs which has
resulted in national debt OF como
"billion seven hundred and forty
thousand millions six hundred and
ninety thousand four hundred and
eighty-nine dollars and forty-ninc
conts," with q probability Of its in
crease, should the war continue for
another year, by not far from FIVE
hundred millions. This being hold
for the most part by our own people,
has become, the President AYERS, sub
stautially a branch of the national,
though private property, and of course
upon this comfortable theory, figures
as so much additional wealth to the
nation. The war is thus summarily
disposed of:
The war continues. Since the last
annual message, all the important
lines and positions then occupied by
our forces have been maintained, and
our armies have steadily advanced,
thus iberating the negroes left in the
rear, so that Missouri, Kentucky, Ten
nessee, and parts of other States have
again produced reasonably fair crops.
The most remarkable feature in the
military operations of the year is Gen.
Sherman's attempted march Of 300
miles directly through the insurgent
region. 1t tends to show a great in
crease of our relative strength, that
our General-in-C Chief should feel able
to confront and hold in check every
active force Of the enemy, and yet to
detach a well appointed largo army to
move on such an expedition. The re-
suit not yet being known, conjecture
in regard to it is not here indulged.
The people are congratulated upon
The result OF the elootlon, and upon
tho fact asserted that Notwithstanding
the devastations Of war we have more
men and material now than we had
when the war began that we are not
exhausted nor in the process of ex-
haustion; that we are gaining strength,
and may if need be, maintain the con-
test indefinitely, continuation by no
means to be regarded as improbable
in view of the Executive ultimatum
promulgated last summer at Niagara
Falls and reiterated in the concluding
paragraph of the message wherein
occurs the following language:
As TO slavery, L repeat the Procla-
NATION made year ago and while L
remain in my present position i shall
not attempt to modify or retract the
Emancipation Proclamation, nor shall
] return to slavery any person who is
free by the forms Of that Proclama-
ton, or 10y any of the acts Of Con-
gress. If the people should, by what
over mode or means, make it an Exc
cutive duty to reenslave such persons,
another, and not /, must be their in
strument TO perform it. In stating a
single condition of peace, mean
simply to say that the war will cease
ON the part of the Government when
ever it shall have ceased on the part
of those who began it.