The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-12-08
THE MESSAGE.

In his message sent 10 COngrebs on Moi
day President Cleveland resumes the rou-
tine method, which for good reasons he
abandoned year ago, and takes up serta-
tim the sui jects presented by the depart
ment reports, expressing In each case
either simple approval or adding sensible
practicable suggestions. There Is, how
ever, In this nothing more than a passing
interest, AZ no subject, not even the fisheries
question, seemed Of sufficient present I'M
portance to call for any marked expression.
On the one subject, however-the neces-
sity Of tariff reform and revenue reduction
the importance Of which the President
felt 80 deeply year ago as TO emphasize
1t by making It the only theme OF his an.
nual message, he remains as thoroughly
convinced and as deeply In earnest now AZ
then. Though the announcement Of a
popular election may have been appar-
emily against him, the president, in his
thorough conviction, remains undisturbcd.
Like Calico, when confronted by middle~
age bigotrv with the fgurative, hyperboli-
cal liberalism that Joshua made the "sun
70 stand still on Gideon and the moon In
the valley Of Askalon," consented to save
his head BY giving it literal interpreta.
tion. yet said al KNOW all the same that
the sun does not move and that II Is the
world that moves" or words to that effect
80 President Cleveland says In effect,
Though they mny take Off my official
head AS punishment FOR my alleged error, |
KNOW am right" accounting the con
dillon Of the treasury, he again demon
suates the absolute mood OF tax reduction,
and with equal absolute clearness demon
strates that such reduction, In justice 90 the
great body OF the people the consumers
AS we'll as to the great manufacturing In
terests themselves, should be made along
the line OF the tariff and especially through
the removal OF the tax upon raw materials
used In our domestic manufactures. I'm
der our present unequal tariff, few lead
Ing Industries have been centralized and
continue to demand from the mass of the
people enormous profits which an unjus,
law permits them TO impose. Greed dis
places patriotism, capital becomes arru-
CANT and intOlerant Ia demands for the per
petuation of system helpful of itself, and
discomfort Is bred He mocks the people
who proposes that the government shall
protect the rich and that they in turn will
take care Of the laboring poor, Nor less
torcefu in singing truth is the declaration
that communism is a hateful thing ard a
menace to peace and organized govern
ment. But communism of combined
wealth and capital, the outgrOwth OF over
weening cupidity and setishness, which
insidiously uNdermines the justice and in
tegrity of free institutions, is no less dan
geruus than the communism OF oppressed
poverty, which, eXasperated by injustice
and discomfort, attacks with wild disorder
the citadel of rule"
The Presidents able finance secretary,
the bland and silvery- haired Fairchild,
adds, If possible, force ami emphasis 10
Mr. Cleyeland's language, by asking the
questions whether, aside from the veNed
economic problem whether a country can
make itself prosperous by divernng a por
tion of its labor from employments which
could be most profitably followed under
natural conditions, a government can be
kept pure, which, though the
agency of its laws, offers vast pecunilry
temptations 10 some kinds Of business =
Whether government can be kept pure
where large classes of men depend for
success In their business upon mauipulat
Ing government agencies, rather than upon
,heir own industry, Intelligence AMI honor
a3le competition? Whether TO make
men rich will NOT, under this system, soon
become the chief function of our govern
ment; and lastly, whether 1t were not bet>
ter TO sever the government from private
business and thus forestali that eagerness
with which, regarding the wealth they ac-