The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-12-15
An Unsatisfactory Document.


An Unsatisfactory Document.
The chief merit of President Cleve-
lands second annual message is its
comprehensive review of our foreign
relations and of all the department re-
ports. 1t also contains sound sugges-
tons in relation to silver coinage, the
Chinese and Indian questions, revision
of the pension and land laws, and coast
defences. But in most respects the
message is not satisfactory. On the
tariff question it is practically an argu-
ment for free-trade, with demagogical
appeal to the interests of the farmers.
He makes out that there is a surplus
revenue of 800, 100000 but ignores the
expenditure required for the sinking
fund, which amounts to S4S,000,000.
According to the report of the secretary
of the treasury, the surplus is not over
$40, 100000, but the secretary omits the
deficit of about S7,000,000 in postal
revenue, which would make the actual
surplus S35 900, 900, without making al
lowance for extraordinary expenditures.
1t will be seen, therefore, that both the
President and Secretary Manning have
greatly overstated the amount of sur
plus revenue, and apparently for the
purpose of giving force to their argu-
ments in favor of large reductions in
the tariff. Before congress proceeds
to the work of revising the tariff it
will do well to ascertain as nearly as
possible the actual revenues of the
government in excess of the expendi-
lures.
The assumption of the President that
reduction of the tariff would reduce
the revenues is not supported by the
lessons of experience, for it has been
found that a reduction of duties to re-
duce revenues has increased importa-
lions and so increased the revenues,
or else effected but a small decrease.
In his efforts to arouse the hostility of
the agricultural and labor elements of
the country against the tariff, on the
ground that it is war tariff" the
President makes no reference to the
internal revenue system, which was
wholly war measure. OF course he
has nothing to say about the bene-
fetal results of the protective policy in
maintaining wages above a free-trade
standard and building up large manu-
featuring industries, thus providing
home market for ninety per cent of the
surplus agricultural products of the
country.
In his treatment of the fishery ques-
ton the President virtually admits that
the course of the administration has
been dilatory, but the country is as
sured that it has good case against
the Canadian officials. This does not
excuse the administration for its lag
gard policy on this question, in the
treatment of which it has displayed a
good deal of cowardice and incompe-
tency. In his remarks on the Cutting
case, in which the administration blum
dered, the President is safe in his at
tacks on Mexican laws and administra-
ton of justice, for no Mexican has a
knife long enough to reach from the
Rio Grande to Washington. The adj
ministration is only bold when it is at
\ lacking an enemy at long distance, for
the President has nothing to say of the
Mormon iniquity, the election frauds
in Ohio and Illinois, or the prevention
of afree ballot and fair count in several
of the Southern States, notably in
South Carolina. He makes rather a
lame defence of his vetoes of the pen
sion bills last summer. A striking
portion of the message is that in which
he commends civil service reform as
necessary and useful, and yet omits to
explain why he has so signally failed to
make his practice accord with his
preaching. A constant reiteration of
the Presidents generalities on this
question is making the country tired,
when it is realized that the President
and his department officers have so
often violated the spirit of the system
he processes to sustain. 1t is generally
believed that he will be a candidate for
reelection, but this message will not
help his prospects in that direction.
In fact, it may be truly said that his
administration does not stand so well
in the estimation of the country as it
did year ago.
Two ImnOrtant Measures