The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-12-11
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

The Presidents annual message to Con-
gress while it includes the usual survey
of the public business, is devoted mainly
to the two or three subject of most con-
spicuous importance at this time. Fore
most of these are the Cuban instruction
and the questions of finance and currency.
Beginning with a few words of congratu-
iation upon the recent demonstration of
the stability of our political structure, he
makes very clear and temperate state
ment of the attitude of this government
toward Turkey and the Armenian disturb
ances, and then takes up and considers at
length the perple kites of the Cuban stu
alton. This part of the message may be
spoken of separately.
The settlement of the Venezuela dispute
is briefly noticed, with reference to the
negotiation of general arbitration treaty
with Great Britain, and the President then
runs rapidly through the various depart
ment reports, summarizing them briefly
with such recommendations as the facts
suggest AS the substance of these reports
has already been published, this longest
portion of the Executive message need
not be reprinted now, although it contains
much information in a compact form that
brings it clearly to the attention of Con
gress.
The paragraphs devoted to civil service
reform require notice, for here the pro-
gresS made furnishes, as the President
SAYS, "a cause for the utmost cOngratula-
ton" There are now in the competitive
classified service upward of "a 900 places,
more than half of which have been added
during the present administration, and If
fourth class postmasterships are not in
cluded, lit may be said that practically all
positions contemplated by the civil service
law are now classified" Recalling how
much of doubt and opposition this great
reform had to encounter, it is indeed
cause for congratulations that it has gain
ed permanent place among the agencies
destined to cleanse our politics and to i'm
prove, economic and elevate the public
service"
With reference to national finance and
the currency, it may be sufficient to say
that the views which Mr.. Cleveland has
so often expressed are here repeated with
undiminished conviction and force. he
believes that the present tariff law, if al
lowed fair opportunity, will yield rev.
enue sufficient, with reasonable economy,
to overcome all deficiencies, and in the
meantime the deficit need not excite or
disturb us, since there is a balance of IA
hundred and twenty eight millions in the
Treasury, over and above the gold reserve,
and the payment of any deficiency in the
revenue is its proper and legitimate use
1t is not one of the functions of our gov
eminent, the President says, ito accumu
late and make additions to a fund not
needed for immediate expenditure" and it
is UNNECESSARILY better to appropriate our
surplus to the payment of justitlable ex-
penses than to allow it to become an in
Loo, Il
travagant expenditures"
What ought to have been done with the
accumulated surplus six years ago, in
stead of paying it out in increased appro-
priations, was to have employed a part of
it in retiring the floating Indebtedness of
the United States, the legal tender notes
so constantly redeemed and reissued The
President renewS his recommendation that
| this be undertaken now, either by funding
or by the gradual retirement of the notes
as redeemed. declaring himself more
convinced than ever that we can have no
assured financial peace and safety until
the government currency Obligations up
on which gold may be demanded from the
Treasury are withdrawn from circulation
and cancelled.
The President rightly says that too
much stress has been laid upon the dan
ger of contracting the currency, and that
the real difficulty is in its unequal distri-
button. which might be obviated by legis-
lation that would facilitate the organiza-
ton of smaller banks under the existing
system. while the government should re-
tire altogether from the banking business
These recommendations are all entirely
sound, and though they may not be acted
upon by the Congress to which they are
addressed, there can be little doubt that
the general principles of sound finance
and of sound government which the Presi-
dent has constantly maintained must
ultimately gain acceptance.-P Tunes.