Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1873-12-06
TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The Presidents message, which was
delivered to the two houses OF Congress
yesterday, shortly after one o'clock, and
was published in Sun Extra within
two hours afterwards, while it touches
upon a great number of important sub
iects, hardly discusses any OF them III
way to challenge special criticism or
comment. In the very first sentence OF
the message the President speaks of the
past year, especially the latter part OF
it." as ''an eventful one to the country,
and then proceeds to summarize the
euents that have happened, somewhat
oddly including among them, and in the
same breath with the Firginius affair,
the fact that political partizanship has
almost ceased to exist, especially i'll the
agricultural regions The statement
is somewhat obscure, and whether In
tended to refer to the rise of the oranges
at the West, or the decline of the ku-
Klux at the South, does not clearly APP
pear In any case the fact chronicled
can hardly be classed among events.
Following the usual order of subjects
observed in such documents, the mess
age begins as far from home as possible,
with our foreign relations and with one
of the remotest of these-the Emperor
of China. Gradually approaching mat
tiers of more consequence, the President
refers to the payment by Great Britain
Of the Geneva award, and urges the
appointment of a commission to make
distribution of the amount among the
parties entitled to it. Common honesty
would suggest as much, and it is to be
hoped that the Prcsidentsrecommenda-
ton will be acted upon. There can be
no justification for the appropriation or
retention of this money by the United
States. A very sensible and timely re-
commentator is made in retence to the
subject of repatriation. 1t Is shown
how exceedingly defective our present
Legislation is, and how anomalous the
position of this country before the world
in this respect. The nation which was
the first TO resist the slavish doctrine OF
perpetual allegiance is now among the
last to indicate how its own citizens
may elect foreign nationality.
Upon the subject of the Nlrglnlus
nothing new is communicated Ill the
message. The terms OF settlement are
stated in the most favorable manner
possible to the United States, with a
curious omission to mention those pro
visos and qualifications which the public
have been given to understand form
part of the settlement and which were
evidently inserted as safeguards of Span
ish honor and to soothe Spanish pride.
The President excuses himself from
going into greater detail, upon the
ground that the correspondence between
the two governments wos conducted III
cyphcr and by telegraph, and he awaits
the receipt OF the actual text by mail.
Passing from matters foreign to do
nestle, the President recommends fur
ther amendments to the constitution
authorizing the executive to veto bills
in part and to approve i'll part; prohibit
ING any legislation by Congress within
the last twenty four hours of its sitting,
and restricting that body when conven-
ed in extra session to such business as
the executive may lay before it. 1t is
questionable whether any of these mea-
ures are sufficiently important torequire
an amendment of the constitution.
In introducing the subject of the ma
tional finances, the President alludes to
the present difficulty to make both ends
meet, and the necessity OF greater econ
omy in the matter of government ex-
pendtures. One saving recommended,
being the suspension, for the present, of
work upon government buildings not
vet commenced, the hope is incidentally
expressed that one day we may feel rich
enough to build houses at Washington
for the cabinet officers and all persons
who now receive Communication tor quar-
tiers or rent at government expense, and
that the States may be tempted to DO
the handsome thing by building similar
residences for their Senators.
Later on in the message the city OF
Washington, its improved streets and
avenues, and its board of public works,
come in for ''first-rate notice at the
hands of the President. The idea, which
has ceased to be novel one, is present
ed that the establishment OF the capital
should be an object fpride and interest
to the whole country, and that the i'm
provements in question should be re-
garded as "a national investment.
Upon the subject of finances generally,
and the cognate topics of the currency
and the ''panic," the message will hardly
satisfy the expectations of those who
have been more or less eagerly awaiting
its utterances. There is want OF clear
ness in the language of the message
which is painfully suggestive of want OF
clearness in the ideas of the writer.
First and foremost we have the declara-
ton ''that we cannot have permanent
prosperity until a specie basis is reach
ed, and that specie basis cannot be
reached and maintained until our ex-
ports, exclusive of gold, pay for our i'm
ports, interest due abroad, and other
specie obligations, or so nearly so as to
leave an appreciable accumulation OF the
precious metals in the country from the
product of our mines"
Next we are shown how, from in
crease of population, increase of manu-.
featuring industries, and the habit OF