The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1871-12-06
PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGES.

writing 1t, but presume the credit Is
distributed among several authors.
1t has the appearance of patch work,
contributions from the clerks and
heads of bureaus, iudiciously dove
taileG together. completing a mosaic
composition. containing considerable
information on many matters Of
State policy, but nothing very new
to the public. Readers who remem-
Der the brilliant messages of Frank
lin Pierce, or the clear, logical En-
glish Of James Buchanan, will find
n this peSsaso but little to remind
them of the literary culture. and
broad craftsmanship which usually
characterized tie Presidents of the
age before the war. Few men in
America could have written the mes
sages We have alluded to any clerk
of ordinary attainments at Washing
ton could easily have written the
last message OF President Grant.
The President makes few recon-
mendations. The President and
some of his cabinet have heretofore
displayed some talent in devising
machinery for securing places, and
~enrichinS their personal pockets;
but when the interests and policy ola
great nation are to bedeterminedthe y
are singuLarly silent. They Grift
with the current, and appear to have
ne opinions, no system, no future.
Each day takes care of itself. The
clerks make up a statement of the
routine work OF their respective Off
ces and his. and little more, con-
stitutes the Presidents message.
From statesmen the public expects
something more than this. When
jackson, Adams, Van Buren. Tyler,
Polk or Fillmore fillel the Presiden-
tial chair. and the office of Secretary
OF State was occupied by a Clay, a
Van Buren, Forsyth, Webster, Cal
houn. Marcy, Cass, Seward, the
publication of aPresilential message
was eagerly anticipated for weeks
and months in advance. \ message
was expected to contain facts and
reasoning that would form subjects
for thought and discussion over all
the country ; and to develop a COM
prehensive system of administration
and legislation for the present and
the future c~OeXtensIve with the va
riety ef interests affected, the magul-
tude and dignity of a leading nation.
Now a II -l'antial Message counts
for almost nothing. It scarcely
creates interest enough to be read.
What the President and his cabinet
think, or whether they think at all,
or not, is Il matter of indifferencetio
the public. They are known to be
men of mediocre abilities, inexperi-
enced in political life, careless of
their duties, absent from their posts
the larger portion oftheirterms, and
themselves dependent on their sub
ordinates for what little information
they possess respecting their own
Offices. The highest posts of the
government are filled by third or
Fourth rate men, incapable of COM
pretending the necessities of the
country, or Of exercisingany consid-
cradle influence on its policy or
destiny. They = simply clerks,
and poor ones at that-possessing
neither that drill nor knowledge of
detail, which in the course Of long
experience often reinforces deficient
ability, and raises the subordinate
into an influential though obscure
operator in governmental affairs.
Grant, reared in the army, knows
little of the civil service, and cares
less Fish in New York was u nom
entity-Boutwell in Congress res
pectable but nothing more-Delano