Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-12-14
The Presidents Message.

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sress should partake, says the Balti-
more sam, largely of the character of
abored defense of the administration
Of which he has been for four years the
official head and which is now drawing
10 its close, and Of the measures and
policies of the republican. party, was
to be expected. Under the circum
stances some allowance will naturally
be made for the self-laudatory tone of
the document which the President has
as an exhibit of the work OF
the executive departments" and "of
the growth and prosperity of the coun-
try under his administration. At the
same time, Mr.. Harrison cannot expect
1.-The public" to whom, equally with
Congress, this exhibit is submitted,
to accept without question either the
statements of facts or the conclusions
which he presents simply because ne
may honestly believe in them. In IacI
the President exhibits himself as an
apt illustration of the saying that "a
man convinced against his will is OF
the same opinion STILL" He bows TO
the result of the November elections as
something that cannot be helped. lie
is not at all reconciled to it as being
the right thing. Regarded as even
mysterious dispensation of an all-WIse
but inscrutable Providence, he seems
to view it rather in the light OF
chastisement for our national sins, and
not even as blessing in disguise, for
he anticipates nothing but evil as like
" to follow from reversal Of the
protective" policy of the republican
party and the adoption of a tariff
framed upon democratic ideas.
In the very first sentence of his mes
sage this feeling of soreness and this
readiness to anticipate and predict
calamity plainly betray themselves
He invites the people to review the
record of the nations growth since
1860, the increase in its aggregate
wealth, the increased mileage OF its
railways, the development of its in
dustries, as if he were asking them to
look upon a picture of golden and
happy past to which they were about
to bid farewell forever. While dis
claiming ''any purpose to renew the
argument in favor of a protective tar
iff," he says, and that is the whole OBJ
ject, apparently, of all his statistics,
that he believes that the protective
system, which has now for something
more than thirty years continuously
prevailed in our legislation, has been a
mighty instrument for the develop
ment of our national wealth, and a
most powerful agency in protecting the
homes of our workingmen from the in
vasiOn of want"
The picture which the President
draws and the conclusion to which he
wishes to draw the minds of his readers
are both open to some very obvious
criticisms In the first place, while
speaking of the increase of wealth and
the development of Industries, he
omits to refer to the increase of popu-
lation, the extension of the erea OF
cultivation and the development of
natural resources during all these
years. Even the very extension of the
railroads, to which he does refer, may
have had something to do with this in
crease of wealth and prosperity as well
as a high tariff. Avoiding all facts
that would initiate against his argu-
ment, he Cmits to present to his read
ers the actual condition of one once
fiourishing branch of American enter
prise and industry, the shipping and
ship-bpilding interests of the country,
where. perhaps more clearly than in
any other field, the direct effects of a
high tariff can be traced
He leaves out of account entirely as
factors in the nations prosperity the
possession of a vast untitled, unopened
continent, virgin lands to be had al
most upon the single condition of oc-
cupancy, and all the advantages of
SOIL climate and institutions, which
have contributed to the growth and
prosperity of the country since its first
settlement without reference to tariffs
or to changes in administration or of
parties. Not only does he fail to recog
nize or discount these obvious causes
of prosperity. but he ignores the fact
that the last thirty years have been
years of unexampled production and
of increase of wealth throughout the
civilized world. He makes no compari-
son with the rates of increase of wealth,
capital, manufactures and manu-
featured products, even in Great
tective tariff, orin France or Germany,
where industrial progress, measured
by the number of industries and in
dustrial establishments in existence,
the amount of capital invested, of per-
sons employed and the value of the
products turned out, has been almost
as rapid and as marked as in the
United States.
FINALLY, Tor MS very ngures, the
President draws upon sources that are
not authoritative nor in some instan-
ces even trustworthy, as, for example,
when he again quotes and relies upon,
as he did in his letter of acceptance of
the Minneapolis nomination, the
worthless and discreditable report of
Labor Commissioner Peck, of New
York. In short, we regret to say it,
the Presidents review" is too much
like the summing up" of an ingenious
attorney who selects his own witnesses
and such portions of the testimony as
suit his case and studiously ignores
and omits to dwell upon every incon-
venient or damaging fact.
The Presidents argument is not only
too one sided and partisan to have the
effect which he would wish; it is also
too much tinged with partisan and
disappointment and bitter
ness. 1t is a covert attempt to prove
to the American people that they do