Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-12-16
Comm enfs Of the Press upon the
-H Presidents Message. ST,

he COI1lfueDIS VI Tue lcduiuS PapSAS, t
as general thing, upon the style and
contents of President Grants mes
sage are anything but complimentary
to that functionary. The annexed ex.
tracts will indicate the general tenor of
these expressions: aa. L III ~;
> The New York Herald says:
"The last annual message Of Presi-
dent Grant is the emptiest document of
the kind ever sent to Congress, but IL
has the merit of being short. In the
whole message there is hardly topic
of sufficient dignity or Importance to
justify comment. No Presidential mes
sage was ever before composed with so
small an expense of political thought.
President Grants lack of taste for po-
ltical life is equalled by his lack Of ca
pacity. Had he possessed any talent
Tor civil administration he could not
have repeated the stupendous blunder
he made in Louisiana two years ago"
The New York Sun says: "Grant's
message to Congress is small, meagre,
and unsatisfactory. Of course, nobody
expected he would show any compre-
hension OF the perilous political state OF
the country, or anything in the way OF
suggestion, or anything in the line OF
craftsmanship. There will, therefore,
be no disappointment among those who
look through it.
The New York World says "Presl-
dent Grants last annual message, like
his singular conversation of last Sunday
with Mr. Hewitt, is in effect plea set
ting forth what he considers to be rea-
sons why he ought not to be impeached.
1t is a plea of profound Ignorance sup
plementing the plea of good intentions
made by President Grant to Mr.. Hew-
it,"
The New York Tribune says: "
''The message bears the unmistakable
impress of President Grants peculiari-
ties throughout. His vivid personality
and apparently unconscious selfuncon-
sciousness, his sensitiveness to criticism,
his dogged adherence to his opinions
upon obsolete questions, and his persis-
tence in thrusting them forward with
no apparent object but to illustrate his
obstinaey, are all conspicuous in this his
last annual message. The message is
that of man who is tired OF public life
and weary of political strife. 1t is a
confession that his civil career has not
been success, and a plea for charitable
Judgment, or at least for division of the
blame. 1t is only just to say OF him
that his military services entitled him
to the country's gratitude, and that if
his civic career was failure, IL was on
ly his misfortune, while it was the peo-
pies fault" @
The New York Times finds fault
with the President for his silence in re-
gard to the three contested Southern
States, saying: He owed an emphatic
declaration of his opinions to his own
reputation, which may be easily mis-
judged, to the republican party, which
is in no mood to brook timidity or hes
itation in its leaders, and to the people,
who, in the presence ola great emer-
gency, are entitled to be advised as to
the principles and purposes Of those
who arc entrusted with the administra-
tion of affairs" @ ir aia..s .r.
The Philadelphia Times Lcommends
the message as plain and, practical
document, with strong streak of good
sense running through it," but adds ::
president Grant was conspicuous In
the army for his success in always Sc
lecting the right man for the right
place, but he will be remembered while
his name shall help to make the annals
of the nation illustrious, as the civil ru-
ler who was pre-eminently successful i'll
getting the wrong man pretty much ey
erywhere, and as implacable in his hos
tility to the right man, on all occasions
and under all circumstances. s-.'
The Philadelphia Inquirer says t
"Ths message is peculiar in that it
makes not singular original sugges-
ton upon any matter of great public
interest. AS to the depressed condition
of business interests of the country, or
as to any suggestions to help them, ne
is equally inexpensive. The Presidents
confession of incapacity would -haye
been exceedingly interesting before the
day of the Presidents first election, and
they are not uninteresting now, as they
explain the reason for the many failures
which the message defends or apologi-
zes for, r hay..-3'. ..7ae ~. -..,....
The Philadelphia Evening Telegraph
says "a perusal of President Grants
eight aud last annual message will, we
think, have tendency to intensity
rather than diminish the feeling of sat
isfaction experienced by vast majority
of the good people of this nation over
the fact that it is his last, and that it
marks the beginning of the end of an
administration that has been conspicu-
ously undistinguished by any of the
qualities of statemanship that were de-
manded by most important and criti-
cal era in the history OF the country
The Cincinnati Commercial says
"The first paragraphs Of the message
are written in spirit that leads us to
regret that the writer did not know
some things eight years ago that he
has been painfully slow in finding out;
but it isTa curious commentary upon
the humility with which mistakes are
admitted that the message. closes with
dull recital Of the old San Domingo
bIunder, not to confess its folly, 4 but TO
vindcate its wisdom. js bgr,,r. s4.-g
The Cincinnati Enquirer says:
alt cannot truthfully he said tn he q