The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-12-05
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

If President Cleveland's message Of
year ago was confined to the one
subject Of tariff reform, the document
sent to the Congress on Monday fully
makes up for the subjects then omitted
The Estate of the Union" is pretty
thoroughly discussed, aud if any point
of interest Of the affairs of the nation
is omitted, unless it be the Civil Ser.
vice reform, we fail to detect it. In.
stead of being the message of Presi.
dent about to retire from public life
one whose policy has been repudiated
by the people-it reads like a docu.
ment Of man with the greater part
of term yet to serve, and who lays
out an elaborate programme Of reform.
1t might pertinently be asked, why
did not the Democratic party, when
in power, accomplish some of these re.
forms, or at least make attempts which
would command the confidence Of the
people?
The protective tariff receives a great
deal of attention. While Grover
Cleveland as candidate for re elec.
tion was mo free. e.trader," as a man
about to retire from public life his
free trade sentiments are very clearly
expressed.
He attacks the protective system as
o violation of the Constitution--the
compact between the Government and
the people, and predicts that all class.
es of society will rise to destroy it.
He talks glibly of equal rights Of cit.
izeuship; Of poverty and wealth; of
the fortunes of manufacturers being
exacted from the masses of the people !;
about trusts, combinations, and mo.
nopolies; of the broken bond of the
Government with the people; and,
letting his feelings outrun his judg.
ment, he says:
Communism is hateful thing, and
menace to peace and organized gov
ernment; but the communism of com.
bined wealth and capital, the out.
growth of overweening cupidity and
sel6shness, which insidiously under.
mines the justice and integrity of free
institutions, is not less dangerous than
the communism of oppressed poverty
and toll, which, exasperated by injus
tice and discomfort, attacks with wild
disorder the citadel of rule.
The President detects a tendency tc
extend the federal power into the do
main of State and local Jurisdiction
says it must be checked, and passes OF
to quote with approval and presuma
bly, to apply to himself Andrew Jack
sons declaration: "The ambition
which leads me on is an anxious de
sire and fixed determination to re
store to the people, unimpaired, thu
sacred trust they have confded to M
charge" etc.
Mr.. Cleveland then mentions tn
constitutional provision requiring tb
President to give to Congress informa
tion as to the state of the Union, ant
proceeds to tell what has happened
since his last annual message, and l.
review the international questions set
tied and unsettled. He mentions tn
rejection of the Fisheries treaty b.
the Senate, and then says that no cas-
of unlawful treatment of America
vessels by Canada has been reporte
since March 3, 1887. in which repars
ton was not promptly obtained fror
the Dominion Government, thus cor
Tossing that his demand for extraord
nary retaliation powers was piece {
buncombe. The Sackville matter
mentioned, and the correspondence
tne case IS promised.
He has tried to prevent the exte
mination of the fur seals, to fix II
boundary between Alaska and Britis
Columbia, protect American citizens
foreign birth from military servi'
when visiting home, and to duly col
dole with Germany on the death
the two Emperors.
The history of the rise and fall
civil service reform, which, if write
as exhaustively as other subjects di
cussed, would have used several thor
and words more, is not given 10 t
message.