Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1888 — The President's Message. [ARTICLE]

The President's Message.

The Logansport .1 oarnal now issues a semi-weekl y edition. The Journal is an excellent paper, in all its editions, daily, weekly and semi-weekly. It is enterprising and thorough as a newspaper and editorially is lit to rank with ftintiy publications from towns of far greater pretensions than Logansport. In fact the Journal is a paper of which not only Logansport and (lass county but the whole Tenth District, may well be proud. The official canvass of the Indiana vote give? this result on electors, the vote of the leading candidate on each ticket being given: Republican, 263,361; Democrat 261,013; Prohibition 9,881; Union Labor, 2,691. Harrison’s plurality, 2,348. The plurality of the lowest Republican elector over the lowest Democratic elector is 2,434. The tot .1 vote for governor was only 139 less than for president. Gen. Hovey’s plurality is 2,10 L. The largest plurality received by any candidate on the state ticket was 3,361, received by LaFollette candidate for Superintendent of public instruction. $ The Presidential electors recently chosen in the several States meet in their respective Slate fwpitals.on the second Monday in January, ISS9. At their several meetings the result is formally dedared and a certificate thereofduly forwardej to the President of the Senate. If the certificate from any state fads to riTrcfa-that .gfficiat by the fourth Monday in January, “1889, he is empowered to send a s ; i- ci..l messenger after the same. All certificates having been duly? received by the President of the Senate, the count is made and the Vote declared at 1 o’clock p. m. on the second Wednesday of February, 1889. This method of precedure is in accordance with the law of 1887, and it is the formality that will control the official declaration of the triumphant election of Harrison and Morton. The Third party lunacy is tersely and skillfully diagnosed in this fashion: ‘’The Prohibition party seems to be the Salvation army of politics. Its literature and its speeches are hysterical; they try to keep up. not merely in campaigns, but the long year through, the bounding enthusiasm of the soldier victoriously storming the enemies’ Works. The effort is never eduoAtional, but always sensational —camp meeting fervor, dash and Inn rah. They seem to take it as a command of God, forgetting how very leisurely God is, that they shall rush madly over insuperable obstacles and achieve instant rescue of the world. Men who want to be sure of their ground, who refuse to lie harried along after the drums of enthusiasts, are held to-be in the bonds of Sat m, and are to be condemned and hated.” pkT-.v • **—l' ■*£

j_a r. ■ ——- The Borne Market Club, with I headquarters at Chicago, has done I a vast amount of work during the I campaign just passed and it proI poses to keep up the organization Ijpsd work and not confine itself to the brief period of political campaigns. The work of the club is directed towards the single object of preserving the htvoie niarket for home producers. It invites the correspoudehce of all citizeffs wh > feel an interest in, this object. Discussion of important points,are solicited in order that the best thoughts of the people may be secured. Communications with reference to membership or discussion of important points in the theory of protection >should be addressed to A. M. Garland, secretary 6f the Home Market Club, 69 Homa Insurance building, Chicago. '• - Speaking of the country editor the New York World says editorially: “In selecting Editor Halford or the Indianapolis Journal to lie his private secretary, General Harrison has paid a compliment tab the ’ newspaper guild in the involved admission that men wtfrwe business is to print the news can also keep the news, if that obligation is upon them. President Cleveland has found Journalist Lamont an invaluable assistant and bis successor of course can have no better wish in that direct ion t! ia n pqual success to the friend whom he has chosen for his confidential relation. We observe that it is said of Elijah Halford that he is “very pleasant in his manner, and courteous and obliging,” but that he “dressed like a country editor.” If he has some of the other characteristics of this type, it would not prove a bad thing for the White House. Who knows so well as the country editor the “all classes and conditions of men” that wend theii way to the office of the president? The country editor is not awed by the reputation of the great nor does W feel called upon to snub the humblest. He does not judge of men by their clothes nor of women by their style. He is a democrat with ‘d’ or a republican with a small ‘r,’ as the case may bd—a ’man of the people, who knows the labors of the people and ilhsustained by the people. The country editors did more toward electing garrison than was accomplished by the politicians who claim the credit. A little of this;‘style’ at Washington will Sk&ke the new administration more representative.” « • Gen'eral Hovey, the Governorelect, will offer his resignation as a member of Congress next month, and it will in conftCqueucc be uec-y essary to call a special election in the First District to choose s sucfor the unexpired term. After a visit to his home the Governor-elect will begin preparing his message to the General Assembly, in which he will recommend the enactment of a registration law, and also an ast somewhat similar to the New York or j Australian election laws. He believes that there^should not be •more than 250 voters to a precinct; that it should be made a crime to challenge the vote of any person who is known to be legally entitled to the right, and, except when voting, no person should be permitted to approach the polls nearer than fifty or sixty feet. It is further said that it is the new Governor’s intention to recommend the use of the liquor license and dog tax incomes iu the construction of free gravel roads. He believes that the value of lands would be greatly 7 increased by these* improvements. The income, be thinks, is not needed for the schools now. 1 He believes thatconvicts ought to be employed on , the ■pdbHe4ugh\vays. I He also wants something done ■ to reduce the cost bf scbdol liooks. ’ At present, he says, the profit in such books is from five to eight handred per cent. “Jher^ is,” he says, “a monopoly- in the trade which should be broken. 1 feel

A— -fa f that the public will eland by me in an effort to break np any collusion there may be between the school book publishers.”

Mr. Cleveland’s farewell message is very Clevelandish in style and temper. If the most characteristic parts and passages had been left out it would be a much better message. Ito uidividuality and ambitions of Mr. Cleveland’s personality mar whst would oth- , erwise be a fairly good business J message. , ' ' _ j ’ The Constitution says the President “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of tHb j state of the Union, and recom1 mend to their consideration such ; measures as hb shall Judge neces- { sary and expedient.” Mr. Cleveland seems to construe the constitutional requirement as a license to scold the country for rejecting his free-trade policy, and lecture the people for their lack of intelligence and capacity for self-gov-ernment. This is very characteristic of Mr. Cleveland. He is a chronic scold and lecturer. The general tone of most' of his utterances is that of a man who has devoted the best years of his.,life to trying to save the American / people from self-destrcction, , and whose efforts have been erdwned with poor success. His pessimistic style bespeaks great anxiety for the fate of the country wlieu he shall let go of it. We do not believe Eis anxiety is shared by the people to any great extent. The solemn and ponderous way in which the President begins by referring to the dangers that threaten the government at the of its- second- hundred years of national existence, and then lapses into chronic platitudes about the tariff and surplus, seems like a great reach after something statesmanlike. It only attains to mischievious demagogy, for that is the size of his talk about the growth of classes; the gulf between employers and employes: the exactions of capital; the wrongs of labor, etc. In all this jeremiad about the decadence of patriotism and morals there is not a sound principle nor healthy idea. No ’resident has ever before so roundy lectured the American people ‘or an alleged neglect of duty, or so plainly appealed to class interests and prejudices in support of a pet policy. The business parts of the message are better. The reports of the various heads of departments are summarized in the usual manner, and some recommendations made in regard to legislation which,Sunder other ci rcumstauces, might be deserving of careful consideration. It is doubtful, however, if the present Congress, ip the short time at its disposal, can give any of them proper attention, and the next one will take its. diggestions from another source. The argument agaiust using tin surplus for the purchase and retirement of go ver n men t bomb- is rediculous. The. Presidmt the money, if left in;the hands r the people, would have b—u “worth in their bttTS hi ess ar o per cent per anntlm,” th erefore ir *was a great hiss l-> use i 'r“irr“tbe" purchase of uouds at a saving oi 2 per cent. But the money whs not left in the hands of the people. It was in the treasury, ai d the question is what to-do with it. The President’s argument nnghf be good against creating asurplu-, but as against the disposition of an existing surplus it is absurd. It is a condition that confronts us, not a theory.—lndianapolis Journal.