Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1888-12-08
THE MESSAGE
OF President Cleveland to the
Fiftieth Congress.
A Review Of the Oountry's Pro-
gress in the Past Century.
AWARNINe AGAINST THE COMBINING
OF WEALTH AND CAPITAL.
HE CONSIDERS A REVISION OF THE
TARIFF LAWS THE REMEDY.

Silver Recomme nded-Aiso the Forma-
tion of New Courts to Relieve the SUI
preme Court, the Amendment of Laws
Relating to Public Lands, A Prison for
United States Prisoners. and Revision of
Pension Lsws-Reference Made to the
Sackville Incident.
President Cleveland's annual message, sent
to congress Monday opens with review of
the material progress Of the country during
the first century OF Its existence as a nation,
and an exhaustive argument in favor of
tariff revision Nearly one-fourth of the
message is devoted to a consideration Of
these topics. The president says:
As you assemble for the discharge of the
duties you have assumed as the representa-
tiyes Of free and generous people, your
meet ng is marked by an interesting and i'm
pressive incident With the expiration of
the present session Of the congress, the first
century OF our constitutional existence as a
nation will be completed. Our survival for
one hundred years is not sufficient to assure
us that we no longer have dangers to fear in
the maintenance. with all its promised
Blessings, OF a government founded upon the
freedom of the people. the time rather ad-
monishes us to soberly inquire whether In
the past we have always closely kept in the
course of safety, and whether we have before
as way plain and clear which leads to
happiness and pei petuity.
Vaen thc experiment of our government
was undertaken the chart adopted for our
guidance was the constitution. Departure
from the lines there laid down Is failure
IL is only by a strict adherence to the drec-
tion they indicate and by restraint within
the limitations they fix that we can furnish
proof to the world of the fitness of the Amer
lean people for selfgovernment.
The equal and exact justice Of which we
boast as the underlying principle of our in
situations, should not be confined to the re-
lations 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 scrupu-
lousy honest and fair and absolutely just
Il has agreed that American citizenship
shall be the only credential necessary to
justify the claim of equality before the law,
and that no condition in life shall give rise
to discrimination in the treatment Of the
people by their government.
The citizen of our republic, in its early
days, rigidly insisted upon full compliance
with the letter OF his bond, and saw stretch
ing out before him clear field for individ-
his government was measured by the cost 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 people was stamped upon their govern
ment, and was enforced by the free, thought
full and intelligent suffrage Of the citizen.
Combinations, monopoles and agsregations
of capital were either avoided or sternly
ba ~
glitter of governments less free offered ne
temptation and presented no delusion to the
plain people, who, side by side, in friendly
competition, wrought for the enoblement
and dignity Of man, for the solution of the
problem Of free government and for the
achievemcnt Il the grand destiny awaiting
the land VIII en- Go had given tnem
A century mas passed. Our cities are the
abiding place of wealth and luxury; oul
manufactures yield fortunes never dreamed
of by the fathers of the republic; our bust
ness men are madly striving in the race fo
riches, and immense aggregatons OF capita
outrun the Imagination in the magnitude oi
their undertakings. We view with prid
and satisfaction this bright picture of ou
country's growth and prosperity, while only
closer scrutiny develops a somber shading
Upon more careful inspection we find tn
wealth and luxury Of our cities mingled will
poverty and wretchedness and unremuner
alive toll. A crowded and constantly in
creasing urban population suggests thu i'm
poveriShment of rural sections and discon
tent with agricultural pursuits. Tns farm
er'S son, noJ satisfied with his fathers simp
and laboriouS life, joins the eager chase TO
easily acquired wealth.
We discover that the fortunes realized b,
our manufacturers are no longer solely tn
reward OF sturdy industry and enligh tene
foresight, but that they result from the dis
eliminating favor of the government, an
are largely built upon undo exactions fror
the masses of our people, The gulf betwee
employers and the employed is constant
widening, and classes are rapidly forming
one comprising the very rich and powerful
while in another are found the toiling pool
As we view the achievements of aggrt
gated capital we discover the existence {
trusts. combinations and monopOlies Will
the clizen is strugglins. far in the rear, or
tramp,ed to death Ueueath iron hee
Cgrporutions, winch should be the CAREFUL
restrained creatures of the law, and ii
servants OF the people, are fast becoming I'll
peoples masters
Still congra:ulating ourselves upon tt
wealth and prosperity of our country an
complacently contemplating every incidel
of change inseparabte from these conditions,
is our duty as patriotic citizens to inouir
at the present stage of our progress, how II
bOlltl vi IuH Win ulo pc
pie has been kept and performed.
Instead of limiting the tribute drawn fro
our ctizelts to the nece Sc. ties of its econon
ical administration, the government perSis
in exacting from the substance of the pc
pie millions which unappiied and useless /
dormant in its treasury. This llgrant il
justice and this breach Of faith and oDig
tiou add to eXtortion the danger aJtendir
the diversion of the currency OF the cuuntI
from the legitimate channels Of business.
Under the same laws bv which these r
suits are produced, the government permi
many millions more to be added to the CO
of the living Of our people and to be TAXI
from our consumers, winch unreaSonabl
swell the profits of small but powerful IL
nority.
The people must still be taxed for the SUI
port of the government under the operati,
of tar II laws. But 20 the extent that 81
mass II our citiZsuS are Unfortunately bu
dened beyond ANY useful public purpose al
for the benefit of u favored few, the COVE
1nent, under pretoxt of an exercise ut
taxing power, enters gratuitousy into pal
nership with these favorites, to their adva
tage and to the injury of a vast ma ority
our people This is not equality BEFORE {
law.
The existing situation is injurious 70 {.
health of our entire body polite. 1t stiles,
those for whose benefit it is permitted, all !
triotic love of country, and substitutes in
place selfish greed and grasping avari
Devotion 10 American clClZ5IsnI LJr lJs ON
sake and For what 1t should accomplish as
motive 70 our nations advancement and I
happiness of all our people, Is displaced
the assumption that the government, inste
of being the embodiment OF equality, is