The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-04
The Presidents Message.

v
,,essaye OF President HAYES to Congress.
Jt,sa document OF which neither the author
nor the country can ever become ashamed,
It IS the production OF an honest man II we
are capable Of Judging. 1t IS the message
OF an independent. outspoken, sincere pa
triot, who has no private ends to subserve-
OF man who seeks not Office nor the ai-
plause OF the multitude, but the best means
OF promoting the.welsare OF his country.
1t bespcaks man who would, II nc eou'o'
have his countrymen to agree with hlm' put
who will no, fatter them BY processing TO
agree with them when he does not nor
swerye the ninth part OF hair from the
. line of rectitude upon which ne proposes 10
travel in the pursuit and performance OF
duty.
Snch being the man it is not strange that
the first subject to which he calls the attcn'
tion OF Congress, after the usual almost
,nerfunctory reference to the health, peace,
and prosperity OF the country, should be
the course which he has pursued towards.
the southern States. When his letter &C
ceptinc the Republican nomination for the
Presidency was originally published-to
which letter he refers in this messaSe-wc
paid it such compliment rs to draw down
upon US some severe comments from GER
tain of our brethren Of the Conservative
press OF Virginia. Now, when his
first message has, been published.
we can safely say much more IN
his praise than we then said. and feel
no fear that any true Southron will
find fault with our words. The President
promised in that letter that If elected he
would do all that he could to make the peo-
ple OF the United States forget that there
was any South or any North. Well has he
kept this pledge. He says in his message
that the pacihcation OF the country is the
most important of all the measures that can
be considered by Congress or the people
He boldly affirms that what lie has done WAS
most in harmony with the Constitution Of
the United States and the genius OF our peo-
ole. Free institutions, in word, could not
cocxist with government from " ashinSton.
Satraps and provinces belong not TO this
hemisphere. Military rule does not consist
with republican institutions, with small
cry He does not regard his southern
policy as an experiment, but as success.
It is success. 1t can never be anything
else. whatever may take. place hereafter.
He is not the wiseSt man, says EMERSON,
who does what turns out to he the best
thing. but he who does what is the best
thing when it is done. We have no fears,
however, that laudation Of the Presidents
southern policy will ever need even these
few words OF qualification. The people will
approve it, voluntarily, and they will COM
pei the politicians to approve it. CoNK-
LING and BLAINE may mislead the fanatics
of the North, but the masses OF the people,
North and South, will never allow the ma
tional clock to be set back. .....
On the silver question the President takes
exactly the right position. BE wishes to
utilize both silver and gold, but he is not
willing to declare by law that ninety cents
worth OF silver is equal to dollars worth
of gold. Such declaration would amount
to nothing. Nobody would believe it. And
SO the President, whilst desiring to use sill
yer, wishes to employ it honestly. He would
have it pass for what it is worth, and no
more. The debt Of the country is owing in
the money of the world. The bonds were
sold with the understanding that they were
payable in such money. And he would
have the faith Of the nation preserved. The
interest has always been paid in gold, and
every bondholder purchased his bonds with
the understanding that he was to receive his
interest in that kind of coin. The Presi-
dent, therefore, would not favor measure
proposing to pay the nations creditors in
silver dollars worth less than gold dollars.
The President does not waste much space
upon ciYil-service reform. Nor will we.
Heis right in his views upon this question;
but his practice has hardly squared with his
precepts, and we are not sure that it is pos
sible for him, under the circumstances, to
do more than he has done to aid in this sort
OF reform.
The President refers appropriately to the
state Of affairs upon the Rio Grande. We
are ahead of him on this subject, and also
on the question Of looking after Cuba. His
aggressive policy, if such it may be termed,
meets with our approval almost as fully as
it would il it were still more vigorous.
His reference to the army furnishes him
another occasion for defending his southern
policy. We have said enough on that topic.
His reference to the Postmaster-Ge Generals
report reminds us that Dir. KEY has recon-
mended change in the postal laws which
will bring him much applause-namely, that
all matter sent from the Office Of publication
OF newspaper and registered and weighed
together shall go ut the rate OF two cents per
pound. Such we understand to be Mr.. KEYS
recommendation and q capital one it is.
The President does not forget the colored
people. He is little touched with fanati-
cism on this one subject, we fear. His ap-
pointments Of DOUGLASS and LANGsToN to
important offices were unwise acts looked
ut from our point OF view. Nevertheless,
as Mr.. LINCOLN, the best OF Republicans,
was the unconstitutional emancipation OF
the sIaves-we rejoice that they are free
Mr.. HAYES may be excused for pandering
to the preiudiees Of the Western Reserve
OF his grand State OF Ohio. But the ne
groes can never be protected from Washing
ton. The southern people, let alone, will
do better part by the negroes than all OF
the watchfulness recommended to Congress
by the President can accomplish.
The President tells us what OF course we
knew-and he knew that We knew-that
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