The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1882-12-13
The prcsident,s Niessagc.
TFfam The,New York SUM-

Everybody who reads President
Arlhurs econdannual message with
attention will feel that it is made in
the interest Of honest aud economical
Government. No subsidy scheme
runs between The lines. No public
or private job turks behind the para
graph. From beginning to end there
is no recommendations upon which
dishonest hopes can begin to build.
The two most important passages of
the document are those in which the
President discusses, first, the way to
reduce the great and growing surplus
in the Treasury, and, secondly, the
way TO protect that surplus from the
inroads Of wasteful or knavish legis
laiion.
As to the immediate necessity of
reducing taxation, President Ar
thurs warning to Congress is perem.
tory. The people of the United
States have been over taxed by ex-
isting laws that left in the Treasury
last year $780, M0,00 and this year
s145, 100000. With the Treasury
full to overlooking, the alternative.
lies between neutrality-suspicious.
and a too rapid extinguishment of
the public debt, the Government
buying back its bonds at an enor.
mons premium before they are re.
deemable. For the reduction of the
surplus, the President suggests that,
unless the expenditures Of the Gov.
eminent for the coming year have
been underestimated, all internal
taxes may be abrngated with the ex-
ception of those upon distilled spir-
its. The retention of the tax on do.
nestle spirits, he thinks. viii leave
margin for large reductions from
the customs revenue. In recon.
mending judicious revision of the
tariff, however, he disclaims any in.
tention of advising an abandonment
Of the policy Of protection to Ameri.
can industry
On. the second point the best meth.
cd TO prevent extravaganza in the
appropriations, Gen. Arthur offers
two suggestions. One way to defeat
the jobbers and log-rollers in Con.
groes is to abandon the practice of
grouping in single bill appropria.
tions for a great number and variety
of objects, all Of which must stand or
fall together. The other and the
wiser way is to provide by constitu.
tional amendment that the Execu-
tive may veto any item or items of
an appropriation bill, without disap.
proving the measure as O whole
Congress can find no better work to
do this winter than is pointed out in
this earnest recommendation of the
Presidents.
We observe with satisfaction that
Gen. Arthur lends no aid to the Mon.
tor jobbers; that he explicitly with
holds his concurrence from the Post.
master Generals argument in favor
of q postal telegraph system; that he
sees the way clear to q reduction of
letter postage from three to two cents;
that he has not a word to say in fav.
or Of the nonsensical idea of Initiating
the Commissioner of Agriculture into,
Cabinet officer; that he urges upon
Congress she imperative need of
further law for the protection of the
invaluable forests on our public do
main; and that he promises that no
Star route conspirators shall escape
punishment through any lack Of dill
igent effort on the part of the Admin
istration. There is considerable sig.
nifcance in the fact that he speaks
of the prosecution of Brady and Dor
sey as zone Of the Star route cases."
People were beginning to forget that
other persons we're involved in the
frauds.
There lives in the State Of Maine
retired statesman who will be'partic
ularly interested in that part of the
message which gently lays away to
rest the Sonth American policy of the
Blaine. Garfield Administration
The President deplores the troubles
between Chill aud Peru and BOLIVIA,
frt does not see how we can inter.
fere any further without plnnging
into measures which would be "in
keepinr neither with the temper of
our people nor the spirit of our insti,
tutidns." MIR. .Blaine's wonderful
Peace Congress does pot survive the
other details of the guhno policy
Last April the President surned! over
to Congress the whole subject of the
proposed convention of representa-
tives of the American republics
"This action" he says, "was promp.
ted in part by doubts which mature
reflection had suggested whether the
diplomatic usages and tradition of
the Government did not make it fit
ting that the Executive should con-
suit the representatives of the people
before pursuing a line of policy some
what novel in its character and far.
reaching in its possible results. =
Whether the irony OF this passage is
conscious or unconscious, it will be
fully appreciated by Mr.. Blaine.