The herald., 1893-12-05
THE MESSAGE.
problem.

The president has departed from his
usual habit, and has given the people
rather voluminous message, in which he
reviews with considerable fullnese of
detail both our foreign relations and
domestic affairs. There are in this docu-
ment no startling departures from the
methods OF his predecessors. 1t is writ
ten in remarkably calm and dispas-
sionate vein, without the slightest sug-
gestion OF rhetoric from beginning to
end, and the reader will seach it in vain
for any of the epigrammatic expressions
which have characterized many of his
public utterances in the past. Many OF
his recommendations are characterized
Dy admirable good sense, notably
that in which he suggests that
the Congress should apply itself
to reforming the system by which
such q remarkable increase has
been brought about in the expenses Of
the United States courts. He calls
attention to the fact that he made this
suggestion in his message of 1885, and
gives figures that prove that his judg-
ment was notably accurate at that time.
The message is pervaded by strong
demand for economy in all lines in which
discretion ia left to congress-, and he en-
forces this judicious counsel by ref.
erence to the marked stringency of tie
times, and the difficulty OF accomplish
ing much desired things, such az a con-
tinuance of naval construction. He
thinks that we should rather aim to
complete vessels that are already under
way than to undertake new ones until
times ehall have improved.
His message differs etrikinely from
those of his predecessor in that he
makes no lsbored arguments for pet
theories, such as those so frequently
made by President Harrison on the fed
eral elections laws and the tariff. In
treating the latter topic the president
plainly indicates that he is in sympathy
with the Wilson tariff bill. The only
portion of his remarks under this head
that shows any salient angle that might
be attacked by his political opponents is
where he intimates to the workingmen
that they should rather aim at steady
employment than at high wages. His
decriere will doubtless assert that the
ideal of the workingman is rather a
minimum of work and a maximum OF
wages. On the Hawaiian question,
without being at all demonstrstive, he
plainly elbows that ne is in favor of the
restoration of Queen Liliuokalani. His
references to the silver question are
mainly colorless, and he does not dig
guise his opinion that it would be use
less at the present time to re-aseembie
the Brussels conference, suggesting that
the matter should be left to the discre.
ton of the president. On the subject oI
Hawaii he leaves the impression that
he may favor congress with special
message when he sends in documents
and correspondence on that matter, to
which be refers.
Mr. Cleveland reviews very carefully
and laboriously the reports of the heads
of departments, and has enriched his
message with a large mass of instructive
statistics. There is not line from be-
ginning to end OF the document W hich il
couched in controversial or propagand
ist spirit; and, in fact, it is somewhat
surprising from it's temperate tone or
matters that have been the subject o.
hot debate on the stump and i'll the
press. II the late elections, go disas