The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-04
The Presidents Message.

After all that has been said in ad-
vance about what the president might,
could, would or should say in his mes
sage to congress, that document ltset,
with its utter lack of sensational or dra-
matte elements, comes to us in the ma
ture of a surprise. Under commonplace
circumstances its commonplace utter
ances would not occasion ripple OF in
terest: and even in the face of last
months unexampled popular rebuke,
about the only thing in the message
which will be remembered is the presl-
dents fatuitous reimbursement of free
coal used doubtless as type of his free
trade ideas in general, and his curt al
most offensive, disposal Of the Hawaiian
incident, with its disagreeable reminis-
cences of personal blunderng and in
ternational embarrassment
There was a chance, of recent origin,
for the president to connect his name
with a strong, vigorous and patriotic
demand for greater firmness in our
utdllIlBS WIFI lIt lldllOllS VI tiiV VI i'IlN
The humiliating Shanghai episode could
have served as the text for such an
enunciation of foreign policy as would
have precluded partisan criticism at
home and commanded the respect of
diplomatists abroad. In the place of this
we have only neglected opportunity
and few unimportant words of rou-
tine, reportorial review To a record
for blunders of commission seldom
equalled by an American administra-
tion the president now adds an almost
parallel error of omission in the one
part of his message that could have at
least partly redeemed his second term
from medocrity..
The presidents much-heralded deliv-
erance on the financial problem turns
out, after all, to be nothing more than a
qualified Endorsement of the plan of
currency revision suggested at the re-
cent Baltimore conference of bankers,
with a side reference to Secretary Car
isles report, which had not yet been
made public This plan the president
states to mean the repeal of all laws
providing for the deposit of United
States bonds as security for circulation;
and the authorization of national and
state banks dhe latter to be exempt
from the present taxi to issue notes of
not less than $40 denomination each, in
amount not more than rs per cent. of
their paid-up and unimpaired capital
Without dlsputing the apparent ad-
vantages of such a plan. in the more
general and mobile diffusion of cur
rency it would occasion among the peo-
pie, it will be noted that this PROPOSE
tion leaves wholly untouched the fun.
damental problem of bimetallism, tc
which both Democratic and Republican
parties are pledged; and, If anything
makes even harder the efforts of those
who contend that American silver, al
least, should have equal chance with
gold for coinage at our mints.
In those parts of his message which
summarize subordinate department re-
ports, the president re-echoes many
good suggestions, notably in his ples
for additional battle ships, for a ma
tional board of health and for a re
vival of our merchant marine, albei
the latter plea is coupled with palpablC
misstatements Of fact. The documen
as a whole, however, is disappointing
and the impression that it's perusa
leaves upon one is that its author, prio
to its composition, had grown so eff
fectually disgusted with those to whom
1t was to be addressed that he had de
cided to cast no more pearls befor
swine.