Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-12-09
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1897
The Presidents Message.

As was expected, President Mckin-
ley's message to Congress, which met
IN regular session on Monday. was a
clean cut, dignified, unequivocal and
business like document. 1t was free
from those glittering generalities and
which characterized the annual essays
of his predecessor.
The tariff question having been dis
posed OF at the extra session, the next
most important pledge of the repub
ican party-the reform of the cur
rency-is taken up, and he strikes at
the root of the matter by inquiring
first: What is the matter with the
currency? II is all as good as gold
because the government guarantee is
good but the country ought to have
currency intrinsically good, and re-
lieve the government of the heavy
expense it is now under to maintain
parity
1t is recommended that as soon as
receipts equal expenditures govern
ment notes redeemed in gold should
only be reissued for more gold, a plan
feasible without new legislation as
soon as the country gets over the eff
fects of anticipatory importations
National banks, the President argues,
should be allowed to issue notes up to
the face yalr,a nF fbair hnrIe and
tax on circulation should be reduced
to one half of per cent. To aid vii
lagos and agricultural districts. he
recommends that national banks with
capital as low as s25, 200 be authorized.
but he would limit their notes to
minimum of $40.
On the Cuban situation the Presi-
dent is sound. While heartily in sym
patty with the purpose of the insur-
gents, be shows that having no sea-
port. no seat of government, no gov
eminent de .fdcto, they possess 10
belligerent rights that this govern
ment can properly recognize: to do
so under existing circumstances
would not help Cuba, and would i'm
pose new duties and hardships on
ourselves
The fact is noted that change of
administration on the island has re-
Gently taken place, the policy of gov
eminent changed and reforms prom
ised, and that it would be manifestlv
inopportune for this government to
take new action now. If Spain fails
to redeem her present pi omises, then
the United States will be called upon
to act, and the President declares that
IN that emergency he will not shrink.
The annexation of Hawaii is recon-
mended. Five years of successful
home rule have demonstrated her abil-
lty for self government. An increase
OF the navy is considered desirable.
but attention is directed to the utter
fnadequacy of dock facilities and
plants for making armor.
Anti-civil service believers will not
md much comfort in the Presidents
treatment of this topic. Some
changes are suggested, and they are
all in line with the promotion of the
weli-being of the service.
The message closes with a plea for
economy in appropriations, and he
believes these can be cut down with
out injury to the nation. Keep ex-
penses within receipts" is his slogan;
deficits ar not business like.
The Pr sident's most violent oppo-
nents ART having hard work to take
serious exception to his message as
whole; II is statesmanlke docu-
ment, brim full of sound texts for
Congress, a chart that it can safely
consult as 1t starts out over the sea of
coming legislation