Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-12-12
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vine BODY or The message and contains
little that is important or instructive.
1t is seldom that an Executive in gen
eral message departs from recognized
routine. Lincoln did it when the men
ace of rebellion was upon us. Cleveland
did 1t when he wished strongly to
emphasize his conviction that the para
mount need of the country was tariff re-
form. But, pursuing the old lines,
President Harrif on opens with couple
OF columns descriptive of the status of
our affairs with foreign lands, in all of
which, since we are at peace with the
world, there is little OF genuine interest.
For the rest the message, save as the
Presidents view has been changed by
recent elections and by Department re-
ports, is restatement of his letter of
acceptance and his speech on the 4th of
March last aftettaking the oath of Office
The obligations of his office make him
more solicitous about the evil effects of
Treasury surplus than when he was
candidate. The surplus for the last
year was in round numbers $4,000 OOO
The estimated surplus for the next year
is $43, 100000. AS matter of fact this
may be falsified, and it is altogether
likely that it will, for when Con-
gress will have made it's appropri-
ations 1t is not likely that the show
ing will be quite so rosy. the President
speaks upon this question as II he were
Cleveland himself, save that his rec
concentrations are not so logical. He
would have the internal tax on tobacco
removed. He would have the free list
of the custom-houses enlarged. He
would have the tariff revised; but he
would have the protective feature re-
tanned in revising the schedules upon all
articles of domestic manufacture. and is
particularly solicitous upon paper that
farm products shall come in for share
of protection. just how this can be
done he doesn't stop to say. The farmers
of Iowa recently considered the subject,
and concluded with eminent practicable
1ty that it wasn't in the power of Con-
gress to do it. The farmer can be re-
ieved at the custom-house by reduc-
tion of taxation. He can not be bene-
hted in any other way.
Passing from the report of the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury the President treats
OF variety of subjects in perfunctory
way. He wants the law for the exclu-
sion of Chinese rendered more efficient.
He wants coast defenses improved and
discriminating appropriations made for
rivers and harbors. He recommends
legislation for intermediary Federal
courts, increased payment of district
judges and greater protection for Fed
eral judges and witnesses summoned
thereto. A small paragraph against
jS NV 1afi
that an international copyright law be
passed, that National bankrupt law be
enacted and that the naturalization laws
be so amended as to guard against adj
hitting to the privileges of citizenship
aliens who can not be trusted.
Upon departmental questions the
President follows the information and
adopts the recommendation Of the chief.
He notices that the pension roll in
wolves at tremendous expenditure, but he
asks for more upon the suggestion that
there are hume rous dependent veterans
who ought to be provided for out of the
National exchequer. Regarding the
Interstate commerce law the one recon-
mendation, humane enough, is that COM
mon carriers be required to look special
ly to the safety of their employees, es-
pecially brakemen and yardmen. Con-
corning the District of Columbia it is
asserted that 1.-The laws regulating the
sale of Intoxicating drinks should be re-
vised with a view to bringing the traffic
under stingent limitations and CONTROL"
which will be taken by testers as sly
thrust at our amiable Vice-President,
mine host of the Shoreham, and it's at
tractive buffet.
While recommending the Worlds Fair
he prudently refrains, of course, from
naming particular city.
The negro and the civil service are
taken care of in the usual method. The
message, having recommended subsidies
for ocean mail service between our ports
and South and Central America, closes
with a suggestion which was not needed
that Congress mustn't mistake cheese
pairing for economy. When Congress
will have voted large additional sums
for pensions, for education, for coast
defense, for naval increase, for subsi-
dies, there will be no further need for
the Presidents solicitude about the sur
plus. That will disappear as totally as
the lost tribes of Israel and the embar-
rassment will not be, as in Clevelands
day, to find means of reducing the rev.
enue, but to devise ways of increasing
axation.-Chicago Times.