The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-10
FIRST EDITIO N
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

ing, commenting on the Presidents last state
Tho "Trlbune"
declares that
ITbis message is his Johnsons) worst, aud
fortunately his last, insult TO the American
DeoJle. 6s he goes out vi The Waite 'lse he
stops 10 stake his fist at the Capitol There sit
the men who bafiled him. There are the Repre-
sentatives who lmpeacbed bim the Sens,Ors
who convicted him; the makers OF the laws that
tettPr him; the servants ot the people who pre-
veuIed HIM from restoring Rebels TO power saud
making the war useless sacri1ce. Utterly
DO eriess as is to arrest the bright chariot of
destiny, be cannot torbeRr 10 thrOV mud 1t it
rs 1t passes. While he Is President he will play
the part III the heroic sly,e. 1t makes no DIFF
ference to him INIT pot only has Congress tram
pleu upon his policy. out tOat the pc ple have
iorn il TO pieces at the polls; he cares nothing
that be and his prioc Piles b ave been tried be-
fore q higher court than The Senate, aud are
utery condemned. He must dance his war
dar ce to the end though it loEg sIhce Ceased
to o. either terrible or amusing. aud merely
wtaries the puoic, who are tired OF the polii-
Cal al cs OF man without party to follow
him, ard who has scarcely friend who Is no.
, WIN Ky inspector or po'tDas'tr. But tired
OF 1t rs we are, we must be spectators ot the
performance; the Constitution gives Mr. john
son he right 10 spread out hts views officially
before Congress. an therefore he spreais them
out, He has the RIG BIT TO send any message he
pleases; and he sends one as lnsolent a5 he can
invent. Such an insult as the prop 'sal TO
repeal the laws which established freedom and
Jobnson's plan Of financial repudia ion."
The "wOrld"
taF es the other tack, sayine:-
"Tbe doctrines OF tue President, though sus-
ceptbe OF ConfItatioJ, are sucn as an honest
ran may entertain. Tue fuudame tai idea OF
President Johnson is. that tue pubic credic
are ruled 10 IT ceive back as mucn "a tbey
&C uslly gave. with rea onaole compensation
for It's u,e. THIS principle NAV be mlsaoplied;
but 1t is beyond all question founded in equity.
President johnson proposes to treat the deot,
not after the manner OF court OF Law
eniorcrg the strict construction OF
court of equity aiming 10 do substantial
justice Wba'eVer NAV be thoug ut of his pro-
los lion, it certainly does not bee me the Re-
publican party, OF all men in the world, to pat
on a re- OF ou ragged virtue. They have been. for
more tbao six years, ca alsing debs to be paid
in haeraDt violation OF beth the letter and the
fp'rlt OF The engagements by VIII ch the d"b
we're contracted. And yet The Republican
parry caused many OF those debts to be dis
charged by sham money worth only ,hrty-
seven cents on dollar. SEQ nful pratiny
was received from the public editors
sounds well IN their mouths On what grounl
do they justify The forcing OF State creditors an
private creditors to take thirty seven per cent.
in DISCHARGE of their whole deOt2 WhV, on the
ground that 1t was forced loan exacted by the
general Welfare. But II he general wei are is n
justification for restoring TO class of creditors
oIly a third of what they lent, why NAV it not
justify restoring TO another class of creditors
precisely what they LEM, instead OF panlng them
treble We resort to this line o. rea son'ng ouly
TO expose the revolving hypocrisy o. President
JObnsOus iradUcers. Ius'ea1 OF outing on airs
they ought to hang their heads in shane"
The "Herald"
says in its leader:-
''As the wrath OF Achilles is the theme of
Homer's Iliad-
'Achn es' wrath tn Greece the diref spring
OF woes uunumbered. heavenly goddess Ig'-
so is the wrath of Mr. Johnson the text Of his
farewell Annual Message to Con res. Upon
the leassemhling OF COn"ress,' he says 1T ain
becomes my dnty to call your atention to the
state OF the Union aud to its cOntu led dis
oreaIized condition under the Varols laws
which have been passed upon the subject OF
reconstruction Last December be pXIltlngly
called the attention OF the two hou,es to The
auspiccus results OF the fall elections of 1851,
and 1t is therefore very remarkable fact
that he has entirely ieuored the ausDiclous re-
suits of the fall elections of 1863 We are afraid
that Mr. johnson h as learned only one SIDED
es imate OF the voice OF the people; O b ar wise
after this late final and decisive Trial of IN Y
policy before The people he Won'd ha 20 dropped
1t. BoastIng and pleading the mar
yellOus eXceleuCies of the Consu.u'i all The
way through. Mr.. johnson closes h 8 Message
with prOl oslton for. lour ameudmens. Toe
style OF The document Is very good, and IN lts
arguments and recommendations gene 'allV it iS
an aDle and seasonable s'a'e paoer; but tor al
practical purposes II might have bren proitab y
reduced to one'half or onetouIth the space il
occupies. In this matter as in otner thng',
REFORM"
The "TImes"
asks:-
"Yet what but stubboruness impels Mr.. John.
son TO arTaiEn afre acts which have fLliliej
seven bs of their work. and To lmpute to
tham as inherent a weakness VIII tch has maiulS
resul ed from Executive hostilI or inddereuc
AFTER far nldl,' he says of tne-e ac 3, they
have substantially ialeo and proved perucIou'
In Their results, and there seems to b.
no good reason why they should longer
remain upon the sta ute book and then
follows a denial of the constitution
atty of the Congressional act OIL, aud a
complaint that his own proceedngs in 1856
were not ratified rs a 6nslEy. Wba good car
possibly accrue from this attack? Mr. JohusoI
car no; imagine that his demand for The repel
OF The ac,s IN question will be attended 10. Ht
knows, as every man kno vs. that 10 relation
TO seVen ares recons Iuctiou Is Il substanti4
snccPss; that it has Ietcred six States tC
the full privileges of the Union; and tnat the
complete Testo alton Of the seventh Il
drlt yed by the bad faith OF IFS Demo
dispute which. in Iepsrd TO these States Il
ended Why reopen The issues involved IN III
proceedings as she administrator OF the law. on
OF which has grown the doubt whether recon
FtrOclion has had fair trial or LOT? hes
Issues ere no loneer pertinent. Events in thei
rapid march have superseded them. Aud thei
presentation nov, when by no accident cal
they be practically adVau'ageous, may wei
recOucne US % the termination OF Mr.. Johnson
powell"
Brick POmcrOy,
In the Democrat, remaIks:-"But It is when tn
PresiCeLt takes up lbe subject OF tue funde
Deb, aud enters mo Il consideration OF IN
relations between the OondnOl1ers and III
people, and defines what he deems to be To