Year: 1874




Grant is a more creditable document, both in
point of reasoning and literary execution, than
its predecessors from the same source. 1t is,
indeed, open to criticism in point of language,
but mere style is 80 trivial matter, provided
the ideas arc intelligibly conveyed, that fas-
.idious criticism would be puerile The
President is to be judged by the sagaclty OF
| his recommendations. The Message is respect
able in point Of composition, and quite free
from the verbiage which Is the besetting fault
of the literary tribe. Dismisslng such trivial
tiles as unworthy of serious attention we
proceed to consider the Message on the higher
and broader grounds which alone make 1t
deserving of comment


The first point which will naturally enlist
curiosity is the attitude Of the President as the
head of defeated political party. OF course
the dignity of his position precludes any direct
reference to the late elections, and we must
collect his sentiments from scattered indica-
tons in various parts OF the document But
these indications, though not obtruded, are
unmistakable. The President makes it clear
enough that, in his view, the three principal





of his party are the prostration of business,
the condition Of the Southern States and the
unsuccessful experiment of reforming the civil
service. This is not directly stated, but it is
necessarily implied in the texture of his views
on those subjects. President Grant puts the
financial question in the foreground, and
gives it more space than any other topic.
D..xl - r>vk c<a tfnr
of business as would exempt his administra-
ton from blame. He represents it as the
consequence of the bloated irredeemable
currency forced on the country by the
war, which matured its evil fruits in
the panic of last year. There is an
implication that the responsibility does
not rest with him, but with the national ne
cessities that caused the debasement Of our
currency. He, therefore, recommends that
Congress, ignoring the past, legislate for
speedily discarding the irredeemable cur
rency forced on US by the~ war, and for
turning, as rapidly as possible, to specie
basis. From this line OF reasoning Presi-
financial disasters are not chargeable to his
administration, but to the fiscal legislation
under President Lincoln. of which the con-
sequences did not fully ripen until last year.
He also makes an indirect attempt to clear
himself from responsibility for the unfortunate
condition of the South. He processes to dep
recate the obligation which has been forced
upon him Of interfering with the Southern
State governments. He justifes his inter-
ference in tone of apology, and processes to
regret its necessity. He confesses that South
ern citizens have suffered grievous wrongs,
and admits that 'sthe better part of them
have "a disposition to be law-abiding and to
do no violence either to individuals or to the
laws existing" and says thathe 'sympathizes
with their PROSTATE condition, and would
do all in his power to relieve them, acknowl-
edging that they have had most trying govern
ments to live under and very oppressive
ones in the way of taxation" This line OF
remark attests his wish to concilate the
| people Of the South, and is an implied recog-
milton Of the effect of their wrongs on public
| opinion as declared in the recent elections.
He feels the necessity Of pacitying the South.
and among his minor recommendations he
asks Congress to restore to the pension list
the pensioners of the war of 1912 who were
cut off by their participation in the rebellion.
This defensive, apologetc tone in reference to
the South evinces the Presidents sense that
the condition of that section is one of the main
causes Of the recent political revolution. He
feels also that the pretended civil service reform,
which has so disappointed public expectation,
is one of the causes of defeat, and he threat
ems to abandon it unless Congress enacts the
civil service rules into law. He tries to
| make it appear that he has failed in that re-
form because he was not properly supported
'If Congress adjourns, he says, without
positive legislation on the subject, will re-
gard such action as a disapproval Of the sys-
tenn and will abandon it. Competitive ex-
aminations will be abandoned. AS il is
quite certain that Congress regards civil ser
vice reform as q specious humbug, and will
pass no such law, this is q convenient ruse
for getting quit of it and recovering the un-
restrained power of appointment and removal
for political purposes. The sum of the Mes
sage, SO far as it has party bearing is a
committal of the President to the restoration
of sound currency, an implied promise to
treat the South with lenity and justice, and to
abandon the civil service reform unless Con-
gress supports it by legislation. This is the
programme of President Grant for reinstating
the republican party.


In trying to estimate some of the prominent
views Of the Message we will take up Cuba
and the Spanish question first, because it is
really connected with the topics we have just
been considering and is part Of General
Grants party policy. 1t is trump card held
in reserve. If Congress does not accept his