The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-12-23

pccvishnesc. They read the
Message with q determination to
be displeased with it, whether or
no. They perusel it With sharp,
anxious, cynical eye, born of ul-
conscionable malignity, which hop
ed to discover errors, but in case of
failure, was ready to resort to mis-
representation tomake such appear.
There is nothing noble or generous
in the criticisms ofthese journals. \
magnanimous foe will not withhold
from his opponent the mead of
praise and fairness, which is justly
his due; but these representative
journals of Democracy have been
rendered calous to a generous, high
toned magnanimity, by a rredeter-
mination to be displeased with it.,
and thus fortified against it, they
have attempted to make it and its
distinguished author appear as re-
pulsive as possible to their readers.
In their ungencrous and malignant
animadversions, they have been
compelled to acknowledge, or at
least have Inadvertently acknowl-
edged, that the message appears
upon its face to he ''frank" and
"open," and it's author "kind-heart-
ed, as we'll as tolerably fair states
man." Grant has been heretofore
represented by this class ofthe Dem
ocratic press, as an ignorant buffoon,
incapable of anything statesmanlike,
and even this acknowledgment,
that the message indicates states
manship, as we'll as kind heart, is
more than was probably intended
by them. But the truth is, the
message is one of the best, in many
respects, that has ever been issued
from the White House. 1t is re-
markable for its simplicity of lam
guage, lack of vcrbosity, clearness,
comprehensiveness and precision.
No attempt at display is made, and
yet it is elegant and eloquent in its
and truth. The compre-
hensiveness of its statements of po-
litical facts, the clcarness of its ex-
plantations, are remarkable when we
remember that all classes of mind
may read them comprehendingly,
and with profit. These statements
and explanations, too, are. without
exaggcration, or covering up, and its
recommendations are wise and hui
name. It is one of the hardest
messages to find fault with In the
world, because it confines itself to
historic facts, and its recommends
tions commend themselves to every
good mans sense of justice and
right but these Democratic iourn-
ais are equal to the difficulty. They
say the President is a hypocrite ;
that while he talks like an angel,
he has the devil in his heart that
he doesn't mean what he says. They
say that while he talks beautifully
about the humane Indian peace
policy, and congratulates the coun-
try on the Alabama treaty, and of.
fers good suggestions in regard to
civil service reform, he has declared
"martial law over peaceful, law
abiding people, SO that cotton
spectators may seize the hard
earnings" of the people. Every one
who knows what martial law lis,
knows that such statements are not
true. Carrying out the Ku Klux
laws, as he is bound by his oath to
do, by suspending the writ of ha-
bcas corpus, is not declaring mar
tial law. Martial law is substitute
ing the will of the military leader
in the place ofall other law. The
suspension Of the writ Of hobeds
corpus, is offering military assist
ance to the civil officers, to enable
them to enforce the civil law against
criminals, whom alone, they cannot
arrest without imperiling their lives.
In other words, it is military assist
ance offered in cases where crimi-
mails have the upper hand of the
civil law. As we have said before
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