The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-12-09
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

our Inside pages. Inc document Is gehcl
ally commended by the press as a yer
able, iud,clous and businessllke paper
may be divided into two parts--the frs
which includes two.thirds OF 1t, would al
proprlately come under the New York Ma
tions heading of "Mere Mention" |
gives IN short paragraphs a condensation
of all the matters of fact and suggestion
presented In the reports of the varlou
cabinet ministers, with here and Their
a suggestion thrown in, but without an,
distinctive expression Of presidential opin
ion. While constructing lengthy mess
age on this plan involves very little bralr
labor, it is valuable TO the country press al
well as ordinary readers in that it relieves
them OF the labor Of toiling through nu
merous lengthy documents to get at thell
marrow, which the President has so adroit
ly extracted for them.
The second part is gotten up IN the style
OF party platforms. The President is In
favor OF everything that the voice of the
country as expressed through the press and
at the late elections has shown to be popu
lar, and IS opposed to everything that is
unpopular, without much regard. to his
own attitude or action or that Of his party,
or peculiar section of his party to which
he belongs, on thequestions involved here.
tofore.
Thus, in spite of The utter unwllingness
of either the President or his party year
ago to touch the question of a reduction
of taxation the warning of the President
on that subject now is quite earnest and
peremptory. The people, he says, have
been oyer,axed by the present laws to an
extent that left IN the treasury last year q
surplus of $l000O0,O0O, and this year of
$145, 900, and such a condition leaves
no alternative but extravagant expenditure
or extlngulshment Of the public debt BY
the wastelul process of the government,
buying up Its bonds at an enormous pre-
mum before they are redeemable. The
proper way, he thinks, to reduce taxation
Is to abrogste all internal taxes except on
spirits and to effect moderate reduction
of tariff taxation, not however, in a way
that shall amount to an abandonment Of
the policy of protection TO American in
dustry.
He is quite outspoken on the subject of
extravagant appropriations, and recurs
with evident satisfaction to his veto of the
great river and harbor grab. To defeat
the .obbers and log.rollers in congress
hereafter, in their practice Of grouping in
a single bill appropriations for a great va
rlcty of objects, some proper and others
but all of which must stand
he recommends constitutional
like that in force in New York
by which the executive may veto any Item
or items of an appropriation bill without
the measure as whole.
Considering the attitude and action of
the President on the subject Of civil service
reform, especially In connection with tho
New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia
last fall, the Presidents solemn
sermon on that subject is 80 droll as to sug.
gest the idea of Intentional burlesque. In
the same VEN Of burlesque or biting irony
is his reference to Blalne's wonderful
Peace Congress" which was to meet at
Washington In the present month, but be-
lore summoning which the President says
he thought it but decent to consult the
Of the people on the sub
ect," which Blame had no idea OF doing.
Other recommendation such as the re-
luctlon of letter postage 70 2 or ~ cts. an
ounce, protection OF our forests, &c, are in
he same vote eatching, party platform
vein, but while they may elicit some news.
paper praise as being conceived In states.
nanlike and patriotic spirit. will hardly
,ome to truition, any more than his tariff
Md revenue and civil service reform re.
until the republican party
oassses out of power and the reins come
nto democratic hands.