The Republican journal., 1869-12-16
THE MESSAGE.

MESSA0E.
The first annual message of President
Grant will not fill the world with admiration
OF his talents as a writer Ii is a strikinc
proof of the correctness of Bnlwer's brilliant
SAYING
Beneath the rule of men entiyely 0fpat
The pen is mightier than the sword.''
Grant is not entirely great, in fact he is
not great at all-and whatever his sword
may have done, this production of his pen is
q very fiat affair.
| We would not view this or similar dozen
ments with microscope, for the purpose OF
searching out faults, but reasonable degree
OF accuracy is to be looked for. And when
the President asserts that this is the first time
that he has come before Congress as chief
Magistrate, he shows q plentiful lack of
memory. Others remember him as COMING
before Congress very soon after his election
with request for the repeal of a Treasury
regulation almost century old, in order that
he might nominate to that department a
prominent New York merchant who had
taken the initiative in presenting him with a
house!
There is good deal in the opening por-
ton of the Message that is tlowerv in rhetor-
lc and brilliant in colors as to the future
prospects of the country. Among others we
are reminded that there is ga revenue tlowino
into the national treasury beyond the require
ments of the government If this be true.
Low,
ed, why not let up little on the terrible tax
alton that is grinding the people?
The President, early in the document,
plunges into the mazes of reconstruction,
which he declares to have been successful.
He very soon finds fault, however, with
Georgia, the Legislature of which has as
sumed to exercise the constitutional preroga-
tive OF deciding upon the election and quail
ficatiOns of its own members The President.
therefore, recommends that Congress shall
authorize the Governor Of Georgia, a Mr..
Bullock, OF New York, to convene the men,
bers originally elected to the Legislature, re-
curing each member to take the oath pre-
scrlbed by the reconstruction act-none to be
admitted who are ineligible under the third
clause of the 18th amendment But it would
sorely trouble his excellency, we think, to
show by what right he thus intcrferes in the
affairs of Georgia more than in those of
Maine, or New York. Such a course has no
warrant. nor will its actual accomplishment
by Congress have. The proposition to over
throw by federal power the Legislature of
Georgia, in connection with the appropriate
legislation" clause of the fourteenth amend
ment, shows the people how rapidly they are
drifting towards centralized despotism
What Congress has Il right to do in Georgia,
it has a right to do in New York. And it
will attempt the same intervention in New
York just as soon as its courage will raise it
to the audacity of the undertaking. The
President, on the other cxtreme-to an end
which we desire to see accomplishcd-recom
mends Congress to admit the Senators and
Representatives from Virginia. With the
admission of these Senators and Representa-
tives he has no more to do than with the
Georgia Legislature, and in assuming to di-
rect Congress in either case he manifests u
lack of appreciation of the rightful duties of
his office.
One portion Of the mcssage-that recon-
mending the repeal of the Tenure of Office
acts remarkable instance of the engineer
hoisted with his own petard. This radical
invention, which SO overrode the law and
shocked the legal sense of the country, is
condemned by the first of it's own party
Presidents, and its repeal called for on the
ground that it is ''inconsistent with a faithful
administration Of the government"
The financial portion of the message is a
following out Of the idea suggested in the
inaugural, that the bonds should be paid in
gold, with other advantages to the monied
class, at the expense of the people. The
funding plan will give the pets fnancers of
the administration another chance to handle
the vast amount of the public debt, with a
liberal commission to themselves.
The portion relating to Cuba is q buffet di-
rect in the face of the struggling patriots
who have looked to Washington for sympathy
with the heart-sickness of hope deferred.
With it sinks probably forever the hopes of
the Gem of the Antilles.
The nominations for the new .judgeships of
the Circuit Court have been sent to the Senate.
Gen. Geo. F. Shepley, Of Portland is to fill
the position in the district composed of Maine,
New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Gen.
Shepley is well qualified for the place, by a
first class legal mind, thorough training and