The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-04
Tho Message.

4
partments of the government, together
with recommendation of more o. less i'm
portance. It IS hardly probable that i.
will rank as a great state paper, but it is
only fair to say that it is a very creditable
one. 1t IS, Of course. written from the
standpoint Of a republican, and some Of its
suggestions have partisan flavor, but it
was TO be expected that it would present
public questions as they are viewed by tie
Republican party.
1t is well known, as stated in the message,
that the relations of this country with
other countries are peaceable. and that
there are no questions pending which
threaten TO change their character. There
are questions being discussed which, doub:-
less will be settled satisfactorily IN the
near future. Some Of them are with Eag-
land, and others are with Portugal aad
Peru. A new extradition treaty has been
negotiated with England, and, if it is rati-
! fed by the Senate, that country and its
| dependencies will cease TO be Al asylum for
certain classes Of our criminals that now
seek refuge there.
| The treasury is shown to be in an excel
lent condition The surplus last year was
over So, O0), 900, and it is estimated that
next year it win be over $40, ,GO) A
| great deal Of the surplus has been, and is
still, deposited in certain national banks.
The President thinks that these banks are
favored to a greater extent than they ought
TO be. They get the interest not only on
the bonds which are the security for their
circulation, but also the use of the proceeds
OF those bonds. The surplus, the President
thinks. should be used to retire outstanding
bonds, and the secre AIRY is now calling in
Of making greater purchases of bonds.
OF course the President has something TO
say about the tariff in connection with the
! surplus. He doesn't think there ought 20
be any surplus. The tariff, he says, should
be revised, and the revenues so reduced
! that they would just about meet the gov
| ernment's expenditures. He recommends
the enlargement of the free list and reduc-
ton Of such duties as will not take away
from our industries any of the protection
they now enjoy. He thinks the tobacco
tax ought to be repealed and also the tax
on such spirits as are used in the arts and
| manufactures HIS effort seems to be to
make some concession to the tariff reform
| sentiment, which showed itself in the
elections last fall to be remarkably strong,
particularly in tho west. Doubtless it is on
the republican programme to make such a
reform in the tariff as will lessen the demand
for the tariff reform policy of the Demo-
| cratic party. 1t is doubtful if the monop-
ko
will permit it to make reductions in the
tariff that will amount to reform.
Ii the Presidents recommendation with
regard to pensions is adopted it is doubtful
if it will be possible to reduce the revenues,
because there will be no surplus. He ad-
vises that all the ex-soldiers and sailors
who, though healthy when discharged from
the army, have become unable at any time
since the war to earn a living, shall be
granted pensions The granting of pen
sions to this class of veterans would take
many millions Of dollars annually out Of
| the treasury, and, besides, it will require
| nearly 100000, 900 to meet the pension
| charge next year, although only $50 900, 900
was appropriated for that purpose the
present year. The prospect is that by
the time this congress adjourns there will
be no surplus.
1t can be stated with safety that the ad-
vocates Of the free coinage of silver, or
even an increase in the amount of the coin
| age of that metal, will get no comfort from
| this administration. Neither the President
nor the Secretary Of the Treasury believes
| that any greater amount of silver should
| be coined than is being coined at present.
| The President says that it is probable that
| if the coinage Of silver were made free, or il
| the amount now annually coined were consid
| erably increased, the difference in the bullion
| values Of the gold and silver dollar would
| be taken account of in commercial transac-
| tons, and that the result would be disas-
! trous to all our business interests. There
| is no doubt that he is right about this. The
silver men, who are demanding an increase
in the coinage of silver, are not only illogi
cal, but they do not have a proper regard
for facts. Their purpose, they say, is to
increase the volume of the currency, which
they allege. has been greatly contracted.
The government has now millions of silver
dollars that it cannot get into circul atior
either as coin or in the shape of certif-
Gates. IL what is coined at present cannot
be got into circulation what is the use of
increasing the coinagel As to the state
ment that the volume of the currency has
been contracted, that is not true There
has been reduction in the amount of bank
notes in circulation, but there has been q
very great increase in the amount of gol 1
and silver certificates In 1S78the amount Of
money in circulation was about $685., 000, 900,
and on Oct. L. 1889, it was about 81, 405.-
100000
The President wants liberal appropriation
for coast defenses. He thinks we should
have another defense for our principal
cities than the friendly disposition of other
nations-a defense wholly under our own
control. There is very general concensus
of opinion that the work of providing coast
defenses should be entered upon with as
little delay as possible.
The suggestions which the President
makes in connection with rivers aud har-
bors are very sensible ones. There ought,
he says, to be fewer river and harbor works
tho most important being attended tc
first-and the appropriations for then
should be so ample that they could be
pushed to completion as rapidly as possible.