Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-12-11
yHE MESSAGE.

~ THE MESSAGE.
The Presidents Message lis clear,
Elaborate and impresses the reader
With the sincerity and honesty Of Gen.
Grant, and also his marked ability as
! wise and prudent counsellor.
M His recommendations as to amend
II ng the Federal Constitution SO as to
Madmit Of the President vetoing q part
pf bill without necessitating the We
4oing of the whole bill is plainly just
NOD proper. Again, his further re.
commendafion that there should be
no legislation by Congress during the
Hast twenty-four hours Of any session
Of Congress, except to consider ve-
toes, II adopted, would cut off the
most fruitful source Of hasty and un-
fair legislation, The recommendation
= an excellent one, and one which It
Nould do well to follow in all State
legislatures.
The President plainly indicates
what has given rise to this latter re-
commendation In his mind when he
ays: ut would protect the public
against the many abuses and waste Of
the public moneys, which creep into
appropriation bills and other import
mt measures, passed during the ex-
piring hours of Congress, to which
otherwise due consideration cannot be
given."
9 Az we have before said, we do not
believe that the back.pay salary bill
would ever have received the approval
OF the President. nor would It. hsvs
been enacted into . law, had such o
fecommendation % the President now
makes, been previously acted upon
Avorably. We have Aaid that the
Rresident was placed between the
upper and neither millstones upon the
passage Of the back-salsry bill In the
very last hours Of the 42d Congress,
yis: either to approve the bill or call
Anlextra session OF Congress If he
vetoed 1t. Though any Of us could
re how easily this might have been
determined In favor Of the veto,
pirty days AFTER the adjournment Of
1l6ngress and after the people and the
press had spoken, vet 1t was not 30
easy to determine It on the spur of
the moment. As we have before said,
We are clearly of the opinion that the
President erred, yet We could feel
that he was not deserving of acrimoni-
Gus censure under the circumstances. 1t
= clear that his experience on that oc-
easion is the father of the foregoing
Recommendation.
The President approaches the finan- |
eial question with that degree Of mod
esty and acknowledgment Of the
great likelihood OF error In the views
ef the ablest men, which to us is con.
tincing that he has given the subject
profound study. We have no conf.
eence whatever In that man who
hatantly and brassily announces that
/ p has complete panacea for sll the |
Ms Of our finances.
The Presidents remarks are clearly,
earefully and wisely mRdA gfvtny1
ouggestions which strike us % at |
least very good In the main.
His recommendation In regard to the
encouragement of our ship building u
worthy of most careful attention from
Congress. His recommendation for
TIE increase Of our navy and the proc
eiding of heavy armament for coast
defences meets with our hearty Gp-
proval. The President agrees In the
main with. the improvements which
the Post Master General urges In his
Department.
We commend to our readers the
careful perusal of what the President
Aas to say upon the Spanish Cuban
question. He seems to us to have
completely exhausted the subject and
Given abundant and satisfactory res-
sons for the course of the administrA-
hon in this matter, showing clearly
that eminently wise sction has been
had. He especially puts the cause Of
III the trouble primarily where II mn.
questionably belongs, viz: at the door.
q African slavery In Cuba. The
President makes no Recommendation
n regard to the transportation ques-
Hon, but says he shall do go after the
report of the committes ID made which
vas appointed by Copgfess at its last
session upon this subject.
Without palticularizing further we
commend the Message a. fully estab-
lishing the sreputationsof Of the President
. among onr ablest. wisest and most
prudent statesman -
THE DIEEEnRNCE.
FNhA Dn~Mhle~~- r~~~,.. e>nA 0.k,r.