The Republican., 1900-12-06
The Presidents Message.

Message is essentially business doc
ument. Its author has been mindful
of the constitutional injunction that
''he shall give to the Congress infor-
''mation of the state of the Union,
land Recommend to their considera-
''tion such measures as he shall judge
necessary and expedient.o The
Message approXimates closely to that
simple and practical ideal. 1t con-
tains no fuss and feathers" and no
superfluous rhetoric. 1t presents in
plain and straightforward language a
summary of the important transac-
tions of the Government during the
last year, a comprehensive view of
the present state of the Union and a
statement of the legislation which.
from the Executive point of view,
seems especially desirable. If the
Message is long that is because of the
varied interests of the Union which
require consideration, and because of
| UllC uCSIlC w Ullc
record as complete as possible. 1t
| certainly contains no padding, no
preaching and no indications of the
itch for writing.
The President might have been
pardoned had he referred to the polit-
ical circumstances of the time
and to the all but unprecedented
National approval which the present
Administration has received. He re-
trains from so doing, and instead pre-
faces his Message with brief refer
ence to the growth of the Nation
since the first written message was
presented to Congress, and with earn
est congratulations upon the fact,
recognized by all thoughtful men,
that after hundred and twenty-four
years of trial the Republic itself and
its principles of liberty are stronger
and more securely established in the
hearts and devotion of the people
than ever before. The bulk of the
Message which follows presents the
strongest practical reasons for such
happy state of affairs, in the success
which popular government has at
tanned, and which at the present time
has reached a higher point than ever
before, in peace and prosperity at
home and in good will and honor
among the nations of the world.
The detailed condition of the Ma
tion's finances is reserved, of course,
for discussion in the report of the
Secretary of the Treasury. The
brief digest given by the President is,
however, we'll calculated to excite the
envy of foreign financiers. In the last
fiscal year the surplus of revenue over
expenditure was $40, ,527, ,060,1S which
was due partly to increased receipts
and partly to decreased expenses.
OF this sum $56, ,544, $4,000 was applied
to the sinking fund for the extinguish-
ment of the Nations Indebtedness.
The Treasury has also been able to
refund at 2 per cent. no less than
1864, ,943, 750 of the outstanding indebt-
edness bearing higher rates of inter
est, thus effecting net saving to the
Government of 50, 1OG, 166, and in ad-
dition reducing interest charges for
the next four years by more than
$7,000,000 year. AT the present time
the available cash balance in the
Treasury is %136, 1903, ,794 so, without
counting the gold reserve of $3.50, ,000,-
600 more. In such fortunate circum-
stances the President advises that
Congress shall at once reduce the in
ternal revenue from war taxes in the
sum of $4,000, 900 a year, doing so by
abolishing those taxes which have
been found more burdensome to the
industries of the people, and especial
ly the legacy taxes on bequests for
public uses of a literary, educational
or charitable character.
With our yearly foreign trade ex-
ceeulnS F@,OUU,UUU,UuU III value, anu
with the great growth of our steel and
shipbuilding industries, the President
thinks the time opportune for the
adoption of a policy which will re-
store to vessels under the American
flag the major part of our ocean car
rying trade. In pursuance of the
same laudable ambition he urges ac-
tion for the speedy construction of a
transisthmian canal and of a trans
pacific cable. Other recommends
tions are for uniformity of legisla-
tion for the regulation of trusts"