The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1876-12-08
Grants Last 8nilUOJ f!cSSOgc.


Grants message to Congress is small,
mearrc, and unsatisfactory. or course,
nobody expected he would show any com
u, ,ehension of the perilous political state Of
the country, or anything, IN the line of
statemanship. There will, therefore, be
no disappointment among those who look
through 1t.
At the very beginning, as soon as he has
given the reminder that this is his last an
uual message, he tries to deprccate the
Judgment of justice and the animadversion
of his couutrymen upon his career as Pres
ilent by telling that his misdeeds have
been the results of his iuexperience, and by
cloak:ng under the name Of ''errors'' and
mistakes" those uuconscionable enOrini-
ties and that obstinacy in wrong doing
which have been the main features of his
tyo terms of office.
AS soon as he has got through with this
dcprecatory passage. lie adds TO it string
of those bald and dry summaries of tie
reports of the departments, which form The
bulk of his message and which were furn-
ished to him by the members of his Cabinet
or their assistants. There are the USua |
para graphs about foreign relations from
the State Department., none of which calls
for mention excepting that in which fault
is found with the measures of economy and
retrenchment that we're enforced upon this
department. Nv ltG IJelUpCIdIlC House at
its last session. There are few para
graphs about the army from .he War De-
partmcnt but in supplying them Don
Cameron has RETAINED from saying any
thing about the recent and present employ
ment of our military forces in the Southern
States. There is n paragraph or two bout
the navy: but Robinson here keeps clear
of all those facts relating toi.e mismanape-
mcnt that would be of real interest to the
country. 1t Is rather singular that we
have no reference to and nothing in the
way of n summary of the legal opinions or
operations of the Attorney General Father
Taft. We are loath to think that Grant
forgot him, or that Taft himself has been
kept so busy as to be unable to furnish a
few lines for the last annual message of
Grant, when he has no chance of ever an
pcaring in another document of the kind.
Having eked out several columns with
the department summaries, Grant closes
the message, as he had begun it. with Il
few sentences that are unduuJtell his
own, though they may have received the
revisal and approval Of all the minds in his
Cabinet. He takes hold, fiist, of the inn
portant question, to which he calls the at
tcntion of Congress, OF 'throwing some
greater safeguard over the method of choOs-
ing and declaring the election of Presi-
dent" and remarks that, ''undcr the pres
cut ~ SlCIil lHtlt StClIlS 10 Dc no bIONlQpU
remedy for contcstlng the election in any
one State" This is a good opening of a
disquisiiion upon the great question of the
hour, and now that lie has at last reached
II, we may surely expect some enlghten-
mcnt. or at least some observations that
will set people thinking. ''Thc remedy"
he next goes Oh to say, with happy faclli-
ty that leads us at once into the regions of
hope-"the remedy" well, what is it?
Why, it is the establishment of Il compul-
sorry system of education, and the d:sfran-
chiscment of all citizens who cannot read
aud write the English language. We can
only rC-enfOrce Grants words enforcing
upon the attention Of Congress this 'sa fe-
guard over the method of choosing and
declaring the election of q Presiden 1t
is worthy Of its author.
The next and last theme Of his mind and
message, behold, it is the defeat, manv
years ago, of his and Babcocl<' scheme for
the annexation Of San Domingo. lie
grlevcs over the defeat. even 10 this day.
even in times like these. He reminds ms
of the fertility of San Domingo. of its
tropical products, D! the advantages to our
commerce of it's acquisition, and of it's at
fractions for culoIed emgrants. He does
not think the whole negro race in this
country would have gone there but ;hey
would have threatened to go there, and
thus improved their position here. Such
is the eliminating theme Of Grants last
annual message, and such is the treats it,
Ills closing words express the improba-
bility that public affairs will ever again re-
ceive attention from him. otherwise than
as private citizen and we must say there
need be no inconsolable grief over this
Tact when we how utterly he has
failed, and still fails, to comprehend the
responsibilities of the situation. and the
gravity of the questions that are before the
country,-N. \. lSnn.