Morris tribune., 1888-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
Congress Assemblies and Receives
the Annual RecommenGia-
tiOns of the Executive.
The Document Touches Briefly On
Nearly All Subjects of Interest to
the Government.
The Democratic Tariff Views Upheld
The Indian Question Discussed
Various Recommendations.

Upon the assembling of congress Presi-
dent Cleveland submitted his annual
message The document follows:
To the Congress of the United States:
As you assemble for the discharge of the
duties you have assumed as the repre-
sentatives of free and generous people,
your meeting is marked by an interest
ingand impressive incident, with the
expiration of the present session of con-
gress, the first century Of your constitu-
tional existence as nation will be COM
pleted.
Our survival for 100 years is not suf-
ficient to assure us that we no longer
have dangers to fear in the maintenance
with all its promised blessings of gov
ernment founded upon the freedom Of
the people. The time rather admonishes
us to soberly inquire whether in the past
we have always kept in the course of
safety or whether we have before us a
way plain and clear which leads to hap
piness and to perpetuity. When the exper-
iment of our government was under
taken. the chart adopted for our guild
ance was the constitution, and departure
from the lines there laid down is failure.
It is only by strict adherence to the
direction they indicate and by restraint
within the limitations they fixed that we
can furnish proof to the world of the
fitness of the American people for self
government.
TIE equal and exact justice of which
we boast as the underlying principle of
our institutions should not be confined
to the relations of our citizens to each
other. The government itself is under
bond to the American people, that In
the exercise of its functions and powers
it will deal with the body of our citizens
in manner scrupulously honest and
fair, and absolutely just.
It has agreed that American citizen
ship shall be the only credential neces-
sarT to Justify the claim of equality be-
fore the law and that no condition In
life shall give rise to discrimination IN
the treatment of the apostle by the gov
eminent.
The citizen of our republic in its early
day rigidly insisted upon full compliance
with the letter of this bond and saw
stretching out before him a clear field
for individual endeavor. His tribute to
the support of his government was
measured by the costs of its economical
maintenance, and he was secure IN the
enjoyment of the remaining recompense
of his steady and contented toll.
In those days the frugality of the peo-
ple was stamped upon their government
and was enforced by the free, thought
full and intelligent suffrage of the citi-
zens. Combinations, monopolies and
aggregations of capital were either
avoided or sternly regulated and re-
strained. The ponp and glitter of gov
ernments less free, offered no tempta-
ton and presented no delusion to the
plain people who, side by side IN
friendly competition, wrought for
the ennoblement and dignity OF
men for the solution of the problem OF
free government and for the achieve
rnent OF the grand destiny awaiting the
land which God has given them. A CEN
t1ry has passed. Our cities are the
abiding places of wealth and luxury;
our manufactures yield fortunes never
dreamed of by the fathers of our repub-
lie; our business Iaen are nadly STRIVING
in the race for riches and immense ag-
pregations of capital outrun the inlmagi-
nations of their undertakings.
The Question OF Trusts.
As we view the achievement of aggre-
gated capital, we discover the existence
of trusts. combinations and monopolies,
while the citizen is struggling far in the
rear. or is trampled to-day beneath an
iron heel. Corporations which should
be the carefully restrained creatures OF
the law and the servants of the people
are fast becoming the peoples masters
Still. congratulating ourselves upon
the wealth and prosperity OF our coun-
try, and complacentiy contemplating
every incident of change inseparable
from these conditions, it 10 our duty as
patriotic citizens to inquire at this stage
of our progress how the bond OF the
government made with the people has
been kept and performed. Instead OF
limiting the tribute drawn from our
citizens to the necessities of its econom-
cal administration, the government per-
sists in exacting from the substance OF
the people millions, which, unapplied
and useless, lie dormant in its treasury.
This fragrant injustice and, this breach
of faith and obligation add to extortion
The danger attending the diversion Of
the currency of the country from the
legitimate channels OF business Under
the same laws by which these results are
produced, the government permits many
millions more to be added to the cost of
the living of our people and to be taken
from our customers, which unreason-
ably swell the profits of small but
powerful minority.
Goyernln entail Favoritism.
The government, under pretext OF
an exersise of its taxing power enters
gratuitously into partnership with these
favorites to their advantage and to the
injury of vast majority of our people.
This is not equality before the law.
The grievances of those not included
within the circle of these benefciar1es,
when fully realized, will surely arouse
irritation and discomfort. Our farmers,
long suffering and patient, struggling in
the race OF life with the hardest and
most unremitting toll, will not fail to see,
Ia spite of misrepresentation and mis-
leading fallacies, that they are obliged
10 accept such prices for their products
as are fixed in foreign markets who're
they compete with the farmers of the
world. That their lands are declining
~ value, while their debts increase,
end that without compensating favor
hey are forced by the action Of the
9orernment to pay for the benefit OF
6thers such enhanced prices for the
{hingp they need that the scanty returns