Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1875 — THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE. [ARTICLE]

THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

President Grant’s seventh annual message to congress was delivered Tuesday. It is very lengthy, occupying eight columns of the„Cbicago Tribune in solid minion type. Owing to its length and the fact that the daily papers which published it were not received here until last night, it is impossible to give the readers of The Union anything like a fair synopsis of the document in our present issue; next week, however, it will appear at length in these columns. Some of the subjects to which the President makes - allusion —are treated in a clear and practical ft manner and the reader can readily understand his meaning; on other topics he is verbose, foggy, uncertain. The important features of his message are: 1. Recommending an amendment to the constitution to provide, for free public schools in all the states, and the compulsory education of “all the children in the rudimentary branches within their respective limits, irrespective of sex, color, birth-place, or religion; forbidding the teaching in 6aid schools of religious, atheistic, or pagan tenets; apd prohibiting the granting of any school funds or school taxes, or any part thereof, either by legislative, municipal, or other authorities, for the benefit of any other object, of any nature or kind whatever.” 2. Legislation by which church and state shall be kept forever separate and distinct; and taxing all church property. 3. To drive out the Mormons, and prohibit the immigration of Chinese women. 4. “To repeal so much of the legal-tender acts as make these notes receivable for debts contracted after, say not later than the Ist of January, 1877.” Also, to authorize the redemption of the noninterest bearing debt at the rate of not more than two millions monthly xctih 3.65 per cent, interest bearing bonds. And to provide for the accumulation of gold in the United States treasury redemption.

These four measures are the most important recommendations ot the message. It will be observed that they are radical, extreme, and of such grave importance as to demand the deepest thought, the protoundest stndy, the amplest discussion, and the most deliberate and careful action of statesmen, press, pulpit and people. Since our nationality no Chief Magistrate has urged upon the consideration of congress and the country measures fraught with deeper significance, or which were calculated to have greater bearing upon our destiny as a people. There are 4 also other matters ot immediate importance treated of by the President, in his message, among w r hich allusion may be made to the Cuban and Spanish question; telegraphic connection with other lands by means of ocean cables; citizenship and (expatriation; a change in the tariff law by which revenue may'be derived and pro-’ tection prevented; army, navy, postal, centennial and other appropriations; claims against the government; our relation with foreign powers, etc. Upon the Caban question the

President is quite voluminous, and, we think, somewhat ridiculous. He reminds us of a phained dog chafing, and snarling, and growling qnd showing his teeth in a wonderful savage manner at another dog that is worrying a smaller one outside of the enclosure. There is a deal of bluster and hinting at what he would like to do if he only had sufficient provocation. He is considerably incensed at the Spanish government but is net quite fighting mad, for the reason that he lia| no lawful cause to be. But wd have neither time nor space to devote to a further discussion of this, in many respects, highly important state paper, and the reader fdr further information is referred to the document itself, which, as before said, will appear in these cplumns next week.