The Montana post., 1869-01-01
HOW THE MESSAGE Is RE-
CEItED.


In the transmission of the Presidents
message 10y telegraph we had thought il
possible some errors might have occur.
red the propositions on some points
were utterly absurd and in others neith-
er more or less than repudiation OF the
national debt, guised under the himsy
artiice of solicitude for the welfare of
the tax payers. Eastern exchanges TO
hand show that few errors occurred in
the report received here. and the denun-
citation of the message on this point by
the leading Republican journals is un.
measured. The New York World can
didly admits that his financial PROPOSE
tions are wholly indefensiblr;." The
New York Tribune says: He is right
in urging that provision be made for the
steady reduction OF the debt, and in de-
claring that the time has come tor i'm
mediate payments of spec.e- But this
truth is lost in his monstrous proposal
that the nation shall cheat its creditors,
foreign and domestic. dishonor the
American name. and run up the black
flag of the pirate over the dome of the
Capitol itself. Other repudia,ors have
only dared to propose to pay the Princi>
pal of the debt in paper. bat this new
apostle of infsIny advises the American
people not to pay the principal at all,''
The Rochester Express says: This
proposition is the most Infamous which
any American President has ever made,
and we do not wonder that Congress,
after hearing the message read. laid il
on the table without moving
the usual reference TO com mittees."
These quotation might be multiplied
with but little variation of sentiment,
except in papers Ike Pomeroy's Demo
crat. which are devoted to reputation
and ruin. Not only is the proposal one
of fraud, but the arguments adduced to
show the condition of the finances are
dangerous. are founded on falsehoods
and perversson of facts, and so shown
in the very reports which accompany
the message. He says the annual ex-
penditure of the War Department was
500, 100000, while the expenses for the
last year were only s6S, ,743, ,09471, as
shown in the Secrstary's Report de
says the estimate for the current year is
SOS. .6S2, ,3SS-s5. while the report shows Il
is s49. .375, ,555.47. He says again that
81 800. .0O0,0 900 have been paid for the OF
dinary and current expenses of tue gov
ernment in three years and seven
months, when the report of Secretary
McCulloch shows that nearly seven hun
dred millions of this money was paid
on the public debt. aad OF the remainder
the preponderance was paid for interest,
pensions and unsettled war accounts.
IL the intention had been 20 make
a iSir statement of the financial
condition OF the country he would not
have found it necessary to resort to such
prevarications Of truth. His assertion
that the Government received 800 or
400 per cent less than the value of the
bond which il gave. is turned over to
the mathematicians for their cons;dera-
tion, with a recommendation TO revise
the system extant wherein IL is held as
a rule that 100 per cent less than
fixed amount is nothing. Aside from
the financial portion which is calculated
to cause dictrust OF the nations solyen-
cy and determination to redeem its
bonds, but little remark is devoted to