Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-12-06
CLEVELAND'S FINAL.

President Cleveland's last annual
message Viii be found elsewhere in
this paper. Long as it is, it is more
remarkable for what it omits than
what it contains. 1t portrsys to
snme extent the state Of national
AFFAIR.", but to a greater extent the
frame of mind III which the chief
of defeated party pays his fare
well compliments to congress and
to the public at large. The message
is characteristic in all its parts of it's
peculiar author. 1t is egotistical TO
colossal degree. 1t shows tina. he
has learned nothing from the les
sons Of the election. 1t is a bad
tempered, scolding paper, full of
invective and denunciation, of
coarse complaints against the body
of the people, and of reproaches as
to the voters who defeated him at
the polls.
1t is almost melancholy to read in
this message highly seasoned, re-
peated and final rehash of the stale
topics of the last message, as it was
hashed up in the platform of the
Democratic National Convention at
St. Louis, and was hashed up again
in vast variety of forms by the
Democratic orators of all degrees
in the late campaign. He tells the
farmers that their farms are decreas-
ing in value, while the necessaries
of life which they buy are constantly
increasing in price. So wild mis-
statement of facts could hardly have
proceeded from a man in his senses.
Farm property, as to the whole, was
never before so valuable as it is to-
day; farm products, though possibly
in some respects low as to price,
were never in the aggregate so great
in value as at the close of this har-
vest season; the necessarles of life,
with but few minor exceptions,
were never before so cheap in the
shops and markets.
The false assumptions as to the
accumulation Of wealth in a few
hands are renewed, and the evil is
charged to the tariff. 1t can not be
possible that Mr. Cleveland is ignor-
ant of the fact that the greatest
millionaires of the country are not
its manufacturers, but its railroad
magnates, of whom "Chairman"
Brice, Congressman Scott, Jay
Gould, the Vanderbilts aud a few
others-all Mr.. Cleveland's support
ers-are examples. The great trusts
which he denounces are not the
products of the tariff, but relate to
free trade articles, or to such articles
as sugar, on which the tariff is one
for revenue and protects no great
industrial interest of the country.
But these matters were so fully dis
cussed during the campaign that
they are tedious topic, and ought
to have been avoided.
Not word was written about
civil service reform. But then,
neither was there any of it in his
administration.
There are parties and papers, how
ever, emotional over the courage
Mr. Cleveland displays in repeating,
in his message, the same opinions he
expressed before election. They
call it holding "the rudder 'rue."
His effort, taken as a whole, Is
regarded as "masterly, in that 1t
strained the capacity of every print
ing Office in the land" The com
ments of the press are a unit in this
particular. Many writer's, who draw
a salary for so thinking, have pro
nounced the document marvel of
statecraft, and a good thing to have
in the house to be kept handy in
case of an attack of insomnia.
ASKING LETTER.