The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-06
Grants Last Annual Message.

Grants Last Annual Message.
GRANTS message to Congress il small
meagre, and unsatisfactory. OF course,
nobody expected he would show any com
prehension of the perlous political state
OF the country, or anything in the way of
suggestion, or anything in the line OF
statesmanship. There will, therefore. be
no disappointment among those who look
through it,
At the very beginning rs soon M he has
given the reminder that this IL his last an
nual message, he tries 10 deprecate the
judgment of Justice and the animadvsr-
sion of his countrymen upon ms career rs
President by telling that his IN sdeeds have
been the results of ms inexperience, and
by cloakipg under the name Of "errors"
and mistakes" nscionable enor-
mites aud that obstinacy in wrong doing
which have been the main features Of his
two terms Of Office.
As soon as he has got through with this
deprecatory passage, he adds TO it string
OF those bald and dry summaries of the
reports % the departments, which form
the bulk OF his message and which were
furnished to him by the members OF his
Cabinet or their assistants. There are the
usual paragraphs about foreign relations
from the State Department. none OF which
calls fer mention excepting that in which
fault IL found W tn the inca. ures Of economy
and retrenchment that were enforced upon
This department by the Democratic House
at Its last session. There are "A few para-
graphs about the army from the War De-
partment; but, In supply Ing them, Don
CAMERON has refrined from saying any
thing about the recent and present en-
ployment OF our military forces In
the Southern States. There Is para
graph or two about the navy; but
RoBEsoN here keeps clear OF Ill those facts
relating TO It's mismanag emeDt that would
be OF real Interest 10 the country. 1t Is
rather singular that we have no reference
TO and nothing in the way of a
summary Of the legal opinions or opera
tions of the Attorney General. Father TAFT.
We are ioath TO think that GRANT forgot
bin, on that TAFT himself has been kept
so buy as TO be unable 10 furnish q few
liz for the last annual message OF GRANT,
when he has no chance OF ever appearing
in another document OF the kind.
Having eked out several columns with
tie department summaries, GRANT closes
the message, as he had begun it, with few
sentences that are undoubtedly his own.
though they may have received the revisal
and approval of all the minds In his Cabi-
net. uetakes hold. first, of the important
question, 10 which he calls the especial at
tention OF Congress, of "th owing some
greater safeguard over the method of
choosing aud declaring the election of a
President" aud remarks that, "uudeI the
present sy-tem, there seems TO be no pio-
vlded remedy for contesting the el, elton
in any one State" This is "a good OPEN
ing OF disqulsition upon the great
question of the hour, and now that
he has at last reached it, we may surely
expect some enlightenment, or at least
some observations that viii set people
a-thlnkilg. The remedy" he next goes
on to say, with happy facility that leads
us at once into the regions OF hope" the
remedy" we'll what Is III Why,
II is the establishment OF q compulsory sys-
TEN of education, aud the Gisirauchiso-
ment OF all citizens who cannot read and
write the F""li-h language. We can only
feeIfOroe GRANTS words enforcing upon
the attention Of Congress tins safeguard
over the method of choo. ing and declaring
the election OF President" 1t Is worthy
of its author.
The next and last theme OF his mind ana
me-sag', behold, it il the defeat, many
years AGO, of his and BABCOCK's scheme for
the annexation of san Domingo. lie
gricvcs over the defeat, even 10 tins
day, even in times like these. He re-
minds us of the fertility Of san
Domingo, OF its tropical products, OF
the advantages to our commerce of IT'S ac-
qui.ltion, aud Of its attractions ior oo!oI cd
cmigIants. lie does not think the whole
negro race in this country would have
gone there; but they would have threat
eped To go there, and thus improved their
position here. such ia the eliminating
theme of GRANTS last annual message,
aud such is the way be treats IT,
His closing words express the improba-
bility that pub 10 affairs will ever again
receive attention from hun, otherwise than
as IA private citlzeu, and we must
say there need be no incOnsOlabe
grief over thls fact when we see
how utterly he has failed, and still fails
to comprehend the duties of his Office the
responsibilities # thr situation, aud II Z
gravity OF tho questions that are before
the country