The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-12-11
The Presidents MESSAGE

In accordance with our usual custom. wa
lay before our readers the full text of the Pre-.
sident's message at the opening of the annual
session OF congress. The chief interest IN the
present document will be found to consist in
the TACT that it is the first message Of Presi.
dent Grant Beyond that it certainly posses
es very little to rivet the readers attention.
Except the resume of foreign affairs, which is
conceded to have been written by Secretary
Fish, the message is just such plain, common
place, humdrum document as one would OK.
pect Grant himself to write.
The salient points of the message doubtless
are, the recommendation to remand the state
OF Georgia back to the horrors of mill
tary rule; the cold indifference exhibited
to the business distress of the country in urg-
ing the speedy return to specie payment; and
the partlality shown for the bondhclders over
other government creditors by insisting on
the redemption of the 500 bonds in gold but
the partial Reputation of the greenbacks.
The recommendation in reference to Geor.
GA Is little less than brutal. Two years ago
Georgia, under the reconstruction laws, adop-
ted constitution and elected a Legislature
ihat constitution was submitted to congress.
and the senators and representatives elected to
congress under it admitted to their seats. Sub
sequently, when the state legislature met. that
body held that under the constitution inst
adopted, negroes were ineligible as members.
for TINS offence, which Grant says was a vio-
lation OF the state constitution, he proposes
that Georgia shall be punished. Who is the
Judge whether the Georgia legislature violates
the constitution of that state or not il passing
upon the election and qualifications of its own
members Suppose, when our constitutional
convention next week admits certain iudocs
to seats in that body, Grant holds that those
Judges are ineligible under the constitution of
this state, as they probably are can Grant. or
congress or both together, thereupon proceed
to punish Illinois for the delinquency They
nave just as much right to put Illinois under |
military rule for such an offcpse "a Georgia.
The recommendation in reference to an ear
~ resumption OF specie payments shows that
what was said of Grant from the frat is trns
that he was elected in and is wholly devoted
10 the interest of the eastern manufacturers
ana money lords as against the great body of
'he people. sour manufacturer" be says "are
increasing with wonderful rapidity under the
encouragement which they now receive" The
Eastern manufacturers are protected by high
tariffs and specie instead Of grcenbacks for
their goods but adds to their profits. But the
President has no thought about or word for
the depressed condition Of the farming inter.
ests in the west Had he noted the latter phe.
nomenon, possibly he might have understood
the cause OF the wonderful manufactured pros-
perity at the east, for the one Is the compile.
ment Of the other.
But the entire devotion of Grant to the in.
terests OF the bond and money lords is made
still more palpable by his recommendation
partially to repudiate the greenbacks These
arc issued by the government and redecmable
In gold only, but Is they arc mainly held by
the people, Mr.. Grant reasons, it is no harm to
shave them @5 cts. on the dollar but the 500
oonos, which, by the law under which they
were issued are redeemable in paper, being
he by the money lords, must be redeemed
dollar for dollar in gold. 1t is no harm ia
shave the people, but not to pay the bondhol.
der gold, though paper only was promised
him.. is Reputation!