Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-12-04
THE NEss.iGE.


under circumstances Oi irritation and ull-
iicnlty, and il is chiefly noteworthy in
showing how unable the writer is to adjust
himself to the political situation
Philadelphia Press! The portions of the
Presidents message which will command
most attention, as bring by odds the most
important in the light of the recent elcc-
TONS are those concerning the tariff, with
its reciprocity features, and the discussion
of honest election methods. This has been
made natural by the practically unani-
nous claim Of the opposition that the
tariff bill, which was passed, and the cleo
tons bill which was not passed, were the
cause of Republican defeat.
Philadelphia Times. President Harri-
sons second annual message is an elab-
crate matter-oi-tact paper, excepting the
few paragraphs apOlogizing for the McKin-
ley tariff law and demanding its continue
ance; his demand for subdiaed steamships
and his special pleading for the Force lllcc
ton bill. Outside of these three features
which occupy only a few pages of the
formidable document, the message is II dry
summary Of department reports and as
the material features of these reports have
been already given to the public, there is
little of the message that could interest the
general reader. Theone fact clearly taught
BY the message is that the Presi-
dent makes the old Iiourbons of
France comparatively respectable by
learning nothing and forgetting nothing
The people have declared against the in
crease of already eXacting taxes on the
necessaries of life in time Of peace against
the oppression Of the masses for the bene-
fit of limited classes; against the protligacy
that has created the first treasury deficit
sincetllc war, and against a Force Election
bill that no business man, north or south,
Republican or Democrat. is willing to APP
prove, In the face Of popular revolution
entirely uncSampled in magnitude, the
President demands the continuance Of
taxes which the people have revolted
against; demands additional proiligaey by
steamship subsidies to spectators at home
and abroad when free ships would at once
establish our commerce without dollar
of loss or outlay, and demands that the
Force Election bill shall be passed for the
special reason, as he states It, of enabling
irresponsible Federal officials to certify all
election returns for President and congress
men.
Philadelphia inquirer; The feature of
the message is the back bone displayed by
the President. In spite Of the Democratic
whirlwind he stands just where he did he
fore the elections, unless, indeed, he has
advanced step or two upon the subject of
reciprocity. But of one thing he is positive
There should be no attempt to reopen the
Mckinley bill until it has had a fair trial
Baltimore SIM: Any direct or specific
allusion to the result of the November
elections would probably be thought ont
of place in the Presidents message. and
therefore the public will not be surprised
at the absence Of any such allllsion in the
present message Of President Harrison.
That the result of those elections might
have some influence upon the recommen-
dations of the message or its treatment of
some of the questions and measures upon
which the American people are supposed
to have expressed their opinion in Novem-
her would not have been unreasonable to
expect. If there be any persons who
cherished such an expectation, however,
they will find themselves disappointed.
There is not one syllable in the message to
indicate that President Harrison attaches
the smallest Importance or significance to
theeXpressiun of the opinions of majority
of 100000 Of his countrymen upon the
conduct of his administration or the work
of the Fitty-iirst Congress in its first ses-
sion. Only. one thing is evident, and that
is that Mr. Harrison does not agree with
the majority of his fellow-countrymen
Baltimore .ln,erican: A more plucky and
consistent message than that of President
Harrison has never issued from the White
House. Evidently he does not attribute
the recent crushing defeat to the efforts of
Congress and his administration to carry
out the policy Of the Republican party.
the majority in the Fifty-tirst Congress Is
endorsed BY the President and the passage
of those bills on the calendar which still
hang fire because Of lack of time at the first
session strongly urged as an evidence of
good faith to the public and as necessary
to the peace and progress of the country.
Philadelphia North dhericaH: President
Harrison has prepared nothing for cranks,
kiteilyers and doetrinaires in his annual
message to Congress. He has taken the
view of practical business man, and his
message is Il business statement to COM
munity of practical men of business He
has no theories TO exploit. He does not
with great parade bring forward tumble
Of old theories as something new. In read-
ing the statement of good business man
weshould expect 10 find information touch
ing the conduct Of public business, and
that is what we find in the message.
Philadelphia Ledger: As to some of the
topics discussed By the President in the
message sent to Congress yesterday, espec-
tally the tariff, the silver question and the
Federal Election bill now pending. there
but those who read it carefully can hardly
fail to award it the credit of being plain,
dispassionate and business-like document,
unless they are inclined to behypercritical
New York Herald: Mr.. Harrison's mes
sage, on the contrary, does not rise above
the dull monotony of platitude. 1t lacks
the merit of either rhetoric or logic, will
he read from courtesy, but without inter
est. As an exhibit Of craftsmanship il is
serious disappointment, for it conveys an
impression that the writer has no convic.
tions or thinks 1t impolitic to express
them. He calls for the passage of force
bill by a political party which was con
demned at the last elections and he does
this because the political party which re-
IN traI ainfu ~, L.,
will be on hand at the next session and it
will then be too late.
New York Times: The President has
forgotten little and learned nothing. He
meets the Congress in which his party pro-
yoked defeat, on its reassembling, with a
tediously urgent exhortation to remedy
none of the mistakes already made to
press forward in the same line, and trust
to that Providence which the French say
watches aver Americans and fools" One
subject Mr.. Harrison was bound to discuss
the tariff; a second he has chosen to
bring forward-the Force bill. 0nneither
has he anything new to say, the only ele-
ment of novelty in his treatment of them
being the complete change in the declared
sentimont of the people since he last adj
dressed himself to Congress. y Mr..
Harrison stupid adherence TO the policy
of his party leaders will only convince the
country more completely that the party
machinery is hopelessly under the control
of the rich and powerful interests that die
tated the Mckinley bill
New York Horld! The message is
thoroughly partisan but otherwise color
less document whose author writes it not
because he has anything to say or to sug-
gest, but because, in the course of his roli-
tine duty he is required to send message
TO Congress ut this time. 1t makes no effort
to grapple with the problems of the time
or to direct legislative policy in harmony
with tho needs and aspirations of the peo-
pie. 1t j. not state paper, but perfume
tory and by no means candid review of the |