The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-12-05
The MESSAGE.

The Presidents message to Congress is a
long document, as it must be If he under
takes to give any comprehensive survey of
the various important interests of the gov
ernment. Eyer since the establishment of
the nation the Presidents annual mes
sage has differed materially in scope and
substance from the address submitted by
the executive authorities of other govern
ments to the legislative body. This last
message is thoroughly business-like docu-
ment, a summary report upon the affairs of
the nation restricted to plain statement
of the actual situation, and a plain setting
forth of some substantial recommendations
with little of argument in their support and
no sentiment or defamation in its style.
From beginning to end there is not SEN
tence having rank partisan bias, and it
may be read by every citizen, whatever his
party predictions or prejudices, with
satisfying sense that the President is ad-
ministering his Office in no narrow spirit,
but on principles of. broad and catholic de-
Votion to the interests of the whole people.
Neither is the message one which by rea.
son of novel or remarkable suggestions will
give rise to new discussions. No new issues
are presented, nor are old issues presented
in manner which will provoke intemper-
ate feeling. There is an absence of dogma
tsm and pervading tone of moderation
and courtesy which will disarm any who had
expected to find in the document excnse for
assailing the administration. But it does
loa o1o ~;
or defniteness in its recomm endations.
Wherever the President has ventured to ex-
press a judgment concerning what ought
to be done he has spoken in. way
that leaves no doubt of the general,
and in most cases none of the specific,
measures which he approves. He recog-
nizes that he is the chief magistrate of the
whole nation, and that his obligation is to
the constitution, and to the general welfare,
not to party, and still less to a personal
interest.
As usual the first topic treated of in the
message is our foreign relations, which in
the mail are in satisfactory condition and
are in no case threatening. Spain still con-
tinues her dilatory and inefficient policy re-
garding just claims of American citizens,
but the President does not hint purpose to
resort to other than diplomatic measures for
redress. The reference to the state of af-
fairs In Peru is noticeably brief and insig-
nificant. he favors reciprocity treaties in
commercial affairs, and with regard to the
harsh impositions upon American ships and
American merchants in certain Of the West
Indian ports he suggests a policy of retalia-
ton. This passage comes as near deserving
the epithes Spirited as anything in the pa
per. There is a sentence about maintaining
the rights of the Coreans, and another touch
ing the policy of compelling China to adopt
more liberal policy, which will attract atten-
ton.
Concerning the tariff, in view of the public
interest in this subject he speaks very brief
ly. Evidently he is of opinion that Con-
gress did not go so far in the policy of re-
ducing revenues as it might wisely have
done, bat he does not favor any further
disturbance of the conditions of business at
present, because itdoes not yet satisfactorily
appear what the permanent effect of the work
already done may be. He suggests that a
part of the surplus revenue may be used in
building navy adequate to the require.
ments of our position among nations aad- in
constructing adequate defences for our com
mercial ports. He sees in the rapid reduc-
ton of the national debt the peril of con-
of the national bank currency
Therefore he does not favor devoting the
excessive revenues to the payment of the
debt so exclusively as has been done here
tofore unless some measures are taken by
which the national banks will be able to
maintain themselves as banks of issue, and
the measure he recommends is to permit
them to issue circulating notes to the
amount of 80 per cent of the market value
of the bonds deposited as security for them.
four and four and-a-half per cent bonds for
the threes now deposited without material
disadvantage.
He fayors reducing the postage on all
'drop' letters to one cent and opposes all
schemes for government telegraph service.
Concerning the Mormon problem he favors
resort to the most stringent measures sane
toned by the constitution and ,as first step,
the repeal of the act authorizing the organi-
cation of a territorial government in Utah,
thus bringing all its citizens under the di-
rect authority of the national government.
There Is passage concerning the regulation
of interstate traffic by railroads, but he
makes no specific recommendations for cor
recting the evils that are complained of. He
suggests the advisability of creating great
forest preserve in Montana as the security of
navigation on the great rivers that have
headwaters there.
The operation of the civil service law he
though it has not yet been long enough on
trial to develop the full results of the
new system. Since it went into operation no
appointment to offices to which it applies
has been made except in conformity with it's
provisions. He again urges upon Congress
the necessity of making provision for sue
cession to the Presidential Office, and in con-
clusion expresses his desire that Congress
should do whatever is possible for the full
protection of all persons in their civil rights
under the constitution.
There is one omission in the message
which will seem to many an unfortunate
one. There is no reference to the great evil
of the superiuous silver-dollar coinage. He
recommends that the trade dollar be called
il and bought as bullion, but he has moth
ing to say of what is in fact the most serious
danger in connection with our present cur
rency system.