ROOSEVELT TO CONGRESS His Arvnual Communication Upon Qviestions of Importance to the Nation. VIEWS ON TFE TRUSTS AND TARIFF A Lowering of Import Duties Would Not Remedy the Evils of Monopoly—Believes in a Tariff Com mission—Much That Is Good in Labor Unions and Corporations—Many Needs of the Nation. To the Senate and House of Representa tives: We still continue in a period of unbounded prosperity. This prosperity is liot the creature of law, but undoubtedly the laws under which we work have been instrumental in creating the conditions which mai?e it possible, and by unwise leg islation it would be easy enough to destroy it. There will undoubtedly be periods of depression. The wave will recede; but the tide will advance. This nation is seated on a continent llanked by two great oceans. It is composed of men the descendants of pioneers, or in a sense, pioneers them selves; of men winnowed out from among i the nations of the olef world by the energy, boldness, and love of adventure found in their own eager hearts. Such a nation, :-•> placed, will surely wrest success from for tune. As a people wo have played a large part lr. the world, and we are bent upon making • our future even larger than the past. In j particular, the events of Hie last four y- ars ; nave definitely decided that, for woe or for weal, our place must be great among " the nations, we may either fail greatly or succeed greatly; but we ear.rot avoid | the ent?« tvor from which either great fail ure or great success mu.-t come. Kven if i we would, we cannot play a small part. I If we shoultf try, all that would follow would be that we should play a large part ignobly and shamefully. ( niMr.H of Prosperity. No country has ever occupied a higher , plane of material well-being than our - ! at the present moment. This well-being , is due to no sudden or accidental causes, ; but to the play of the economic forces 1 ♦his country for over a century; to | our our sustained and continuous ; policies; «..uve all, to the high individ ual average of our citizenship. Great | fortunes have been won by those who have taken the lead in this phenonn rial | industrial development, and most of these fortunes have been won not by doing i evil, but as an incident to action which ; has benefited the community as a win 1» . Never before has material well-being 1 been so widely diffused among our peo- 1 pie. Great fortunes have been accum ulated, and yet in the aggregate these j fortunes are small indeed when com pared to the wealth of the people as .« whole. The plain people are better off •than they have ever been before. Tin- j insurance companies, which are prac tically mutual benefit societies—especial- | ly helpful to men of moderate mean - represent accumulations of capital which are among the largest in this country, j There are more deposits in the savings banks, more owners of farms, more well paid wage workers in this country now than ever before in our history. Of course, when the conditions have favored the 1 growth of so much that was good, they have also favored somewhat the growth ; of what was evil. It is eminently neces sary that we should endeavor to cut out ' this evil, but let us keep a due sense of proportion; let us not in fixing our gaze' upon the lesser evil forget the greater j good. The evils are real and some of , them are menacing, but they are the i outgrowth, not of misery or decadence, but of prosperity of th» progress of our ' gigantic industrial development. This industrial development must not he checked, but ide by side with it should i go such progressive regulation as will : diminish the evils. We should fall in j our duty if we did not try to remedv the evils, but we shall succeed only if we proceed patiently, with practical common sense iis well ,is resolution, separating: the good from the had and holding onto ! the former while endeavoring to get rid of the latter. THE Tit 1 STS. Tliey Can He Controlled Only l>y Aa- I ion ill Vctlnfi. 11l mv in< ssage to tin- present congress .fit its lii'M • . on I ill. i- —.l :u 1> .. til ; the question of the regulation of ilm . big corporations commonly doing mi in-I terstate business, often with some I 11- dency to monopoly, which lire popularly known as trusts. The expi rii'liee of the past year lias emphasized. In my opin ion, the desirability of Ihe rti ps i tlitn proposed. A fundamental requisite of social efficiency is a high standard of individual energy and excellence; but this is- ir. no wise Inconsistent with pnw ■ •«*r to act in combination for aims wliit-h cannot so well be achieved by the indi vidual acting alone. A fundamental base of civilization is the Inviolability of prop erty; but this is in no wise inconsistent with the right of society to regulate the exercise of the artificial powers which It confers upon the owners of property, un der the name of corporate franchises, in such a way as to prevent the misuse of these powers. Corporations, and espe cially combinations of corporations, should be managed under public regula tion. Experience lias shown that under our system of government the necessary supervision cannot be obtained by st:ite action. It must therefore be achieved by national action Our aim Is not to do away with corporations; on the contrary, these big aggregations are an inevitable development of modern industrialism, and the effort to destroy them would be futile unless accomplished In ways that would ■work the utmost mischief to the entire body politic. We can do nothing of good In the way of regulating and supervising these corporations until we lix clearly in our mind that we are not attacking the ■corporation . but endeavoring to do away ■with any evil in them. We are not hostile to them; w" are merely determined that they shall be so handled as to subserve the public good. We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth. The capitalist who. alone or in conjunc tion with his fellows, performs some great Industrial ffat by which he wins money is a welldoer, not a wrongdoer, provided only he works In proper and legitimate lire ". We wish to favor »Uch 0 man when he < well. We wish to supervise and control his actions only to prevent him from doing ill. Publicity •<: n do no harm to the honest corpora tion: and we need not lie overtemler about sparing the dishonest corporation. Must Kni-rch* l are. Ir. curbing and regulating the e< mbir.a tioi "112 capit il which are or m>y It. run, tr.juri u> to the public we must h. careful not to .-top i lie great enterprises which have I- glllm itel> reduced the rout of l>r,i- Suctlon, not to abandon In place which our com ,'n laj won ii 1 1." leadership of tie International Industrial wild, i ,t t » rtrik: (.'own wealth with the result of . I I'- ll g fin tone ai d mines or turr.li g the Wag* worker idle in the treats and i.v lug thi farmer without a market for wl.it h< crow Ii sisteicc upon the mp .- Ible meni.s i!e!ay In achieving the p . .-.b|e. ex tj as. oi. the other band, toe stubborn delci se allk. oi what is go.a' are w! it bad in Ihe existing -> st.m. th'e resoluts ef fort to eit< t ruct in v aI ti mpt II t bet term • 1.1, 1 '.rays b.lidr.e i.i the h: torletruthih.it w re . volut lor. is the sure sateguurcl again, t No more Important subject can e .me be fore tl.. eour.-- thai il.-, of the r . tula fion of ir tei late bu Ii • Tl i I |\ . i not alf rcl to • ' Hip, i ,i the p., th i ui der our peculiar »> I' m of govt rnriSei t *> • Ire help.ei ill th' pr- t1,.. if I l.< lew ceil 'ltiol s. and llll.lbh t'. grapple wI: h them cot neetior wHh them Tl e power of the 1 - if.. ui ami prop, t fur . y ot i g 1- T'" r , 1 w ,a"t'h..' 'l'l'ile' 'le.'i k It' • viJu.t, ilitriitit, evil* u.tricllvi el commercial freedom entailing restraint upon national commerce fail within the regulative power eif the congress, an<J that a wise ami reasonable law would be a neces sary and proper exercise of congressional authority to the end that such evils should be eradicated. I believe that monopolies, ur.just i?is crlminatlons, which prevent or cripple competition, fraudulent overcapitalization, and other evils in trust organizations and practices which injuriously affect Inter state trade can be prevented under the pow er of the congress to "regulate commerce with foreign nations ar.rt among the sev eral states" through regulations and re quirements operating directly upon such commerce, the instrumentalities thereof, and those engaged therein. 1 earnestly recommend this subject to the consideration of the congress with a view to the passage of a law reasonable In Its provisions at.d i ffectlve In Its operations, upon which the questions can oe finally adjudicated that now raise doubts as to the necessity of constitutional amendment. Ii" it prove impossible to accomplish the purposes above set forth by such.a law, tin n, assuredly, we should not shrink from ami r.i'ing tin constitution so as to secure beyond peradventure the power sought. Till? TV II IFF. It Is a Subject 'I'lln( StHnili Apart from the Trusts. Or.e proposition advocated has been the ' r. duct ion of the tariff as a mi a lis of reach ing the evils of the trusts which fall wit h in the category I have described. Not inertly would this be wholl) Ineffective, hut the diversion of our efforts in such a direction would m an the abandonment of all intelligent attempt to do away with these evils. Many of the largest corpora tions, many of those which should cer tainly be included In any proper scheme of regulation, Would not be affected! in the slightest degree by a ch-inge in the tariff, 1 save as such change Interfered with the I general prosperity of the countrv. Tlu i only relation of the tariff to big corpora tions as a whole Is that the tariff makes manufactures profitable, and the tariff] remedy proposed would be in effect simpij to make manufactures unprofitable. To ' remove the tariff as a punitive measure directed against trusts would int vitably re su.t In ruin to the weaker competitors who i are struggling against them. Our aim j should be not by unwise tariff changes to give foreign products the- advantage over domestic products, but by proper reguia- ■ lion to give domestic competition a fair chin ce; and tills end cannot be reached by any tariff changes which would affect un favorably all domestic cc inpetltors, good and bad alike. The question of regulation of the trusts stands apart from the ques- , tlon of tariff revision. Stability of economic policy must always ' hi thi prime economic rei e?of tl.is coin.try This staljiMtj should not be fosslllz.it ion. The country has acquiesced jr, the wisdom ' of the protective-tariff principle. It Is ex ceedingly undesirable that this system should be destroyed or that there should be veil i t and radical changes therein. Our 1 1 >st experiet.ee shows that great prosper ity in this country has always coine yr.der a protective tariff: and that the country e i not prosper under fitful tarifl change's at short intervals. Moreover, i: the tariff law.- as a w hole work weil, ami 1 If husir . has pros | --rid under them aid is- pro-per il-, it is biter to endure for .. time slight in -'-nvei.lei cos and 1 , ii •qu a lit ie- ir. s. me sell i c iilcs than to ups i t business by too quick and t" . radical changes. It is most earnestly t,. b< wi -1 .. 1 ti. it w--coiil,: tr-at tl..- tariff from the .-tat .i'poit.t sole ly eif our bus-:t.ess nenls. It Is. perhaps, too much to hope that partlsai ship may !>.- entirely ex cluded rti .in ci.-i..' rat ion of the subject but at least it c .r. be mad. stcond.iry to tl •- business inter. ot the cour.lrv—that t th- inter, st of our people as a w hole. I t-.quest:onably th.-.- business Interests ' will best be s rvcl if together with fixi'v principle as regard., the tariff we . om bti e a .-j.-tem which will permit us from ; time to time to make the m ees.-arv reap- i Plication of the principle to the shifting t a- I toil ill t o We must take scrupulous care that the reapplieatlor. shall be made In such a way that it will not amount to a dislocation ol our system, the mere threat of which (not to sp. ak ot tlio p. r formance) would produce paralysis in the i liin-iiass i nergies of the community. Th. first consideration ir. making these charges would, of course, he to preserv. the prlt - ! cipl. whi.-b underlies our whole tariff sy s tem—that Is. the principle of putting Ami r- : lean business Ir.ti rests at least on a full equality with Interests abroad, aid of al- : Ways allowing a sufficient rate of dim to more thai cover the difference hetw . . i.Tl.e labor Co.- 1 h-re and abroad. The wi-11-hc ii g of ciie wage-worker, like the well-be ing of the tiller of the soil, should be treat- I ed as an essential In shaping our whole economic policy. There must never be any i change which will jeopardize the standard of comfort, the standard of wages of the American wage-workt r. <me way in which the readjustment sought can be reached is bv reciprocity treaties. It Is greatly to be desire.! that such treaties may be adopted. They can b. used to widen our markets unci to give a greater field for the activities of our producers on the one hand, and on the other to secure In practical shape the lowering of duties when they are no longer needed for protection among our own people, or when the minimum of damage dune may be disregarded for the Hake of the maximum ol good m ooi pllshed. If it prove impossible to ratify the pending treaties, and If there >.-ern to in no warrant for the endeavor to execute others, or to amend the pending treaties so that they can be ratified, then the same end—to secure reciprocity— should be met by direct legislation.. \ eeil of a Tnrill < nm in Imn 11» n. Wherever the tariff conditions are such that a needed change cannot with ad vantage be made by the application of the reciprocity Idea, then it can be made outright by a lowering of duties on a given product. If possible, such change should be made only after the full, st consideration by practical experts, who should approach th* subject from a busi ness standpoint, hav.ng in view both tlie particular interests affected anil the com mercial well-being of the people as a whole. The machinery for providing such careful Investigation can read ly be sup plied. The executive department has al ready at Its disposal methods of collect lug facts and figures, iind If the con gress desires additional consideration to that which will be given the subject by its own committees, then a cominlH-l ii of business experts call be appointed wh.. . duty it should b« to action by ihe congress after a deliberate and scientific exauiinat.on of the various clledules as they are affected by the changed and .'hanging conditions. The unhurried and ulibla i d report of this commission would show what chungcx -dtould lie made In the various selic.lilies, and bow tar the • . b.iuges cttithl go Without also 'hanging Ihe great pros perity wh • h ibis country Is now enjoy ing. or Upsetting Its tlx.,! economic p.t|- The canes In which the tariff can pro duce a monopoly art so tew as to con stitute an Iricon. derable im-tor in the question; but of course If in any cane It be found that a given rate of duty does promote a monopoly which w yk llljj no pretei tlonl I would objt«t lo such no cffeel at all HtW In it'-n, but 111 CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1902. crises it might be of service to the peo ple. Needed Kllla nela 1 I.cffilslnl ion. Interest rates are a potent factor In business activity, and in order that these rates may be equalized to meet the vary ing ileitis of the seasons and of widely .separatee! communities, and to prevent the recurrence of financial stringencies which Injuriously affect legitimate busi ness, it. is necessary that there should be an element of elasticity in our monetary system. Banks are the natural servants of commerce, and upon them should be placed, as far as practicable, the burden of furnishing and maintaining a circu lation adequate to supply the needs of our diversified industries and of our do mestic and foreign commerce; and the issue of this should be so regulated that a -sufficient supply should be always available for the business Interests of the> country. It would be both unwise and unneces sary at this time to attempt to recon struct our financial system, which has been the urowth of a century; but some additional legislation is, I think, desir able. The mere outline of any plan suffi ciently comprehensive to meet these re quirements would transgress the appro priate limits of this communication. It is suggested, however, that all future legislation 011 flic subject should be with the view of encouraging the use of such instrumentalities as will automatically supply every legitimate demand of pro ductive Industries and of commerce, not only In tile amount, but in the character of circulation; and of making all kinds of money interchangeable, and, at the will of the holder, convertible Into the estab lished told standard. THE I>AIIOIt I'll (MiI.KM. t'nionlsiii Contain* Mueh That IwGood anil Koine Ituil. How to secure fair treatment alike for labor and for capital, how to hold in cheek the unscrupulous man, whether employer or employe, without weakening individual initiative, without hampering and cramping tlie industrial development ot the country, is a probltm fraught with great difficulties and one which it is of the highest importance to solve on lines of sanity and far-sighted common sense as well as of devotion to the right. This is an era of federation and combination. Exactly as business men find they must often work through corporations, and as it is a constant tendency of these cor porations to grow larger, so it Is often necessary for laboring men to work in federations, and these have become im portant factors of modern industrial life. Both kinds of federation, capitalistic and labor, can do much good, and as a nec essary corrollary they can both do evil. Opposition to each kind of organization should take the form of opposition to whatever is bad in the conduct of any given corporation or union—not of at tacks upon corporations as such nor upon unions as such; -for some of the most far-reaching beneficent work for our peo ple has been accomplished through both corporations and unions. Each must re frain from arbitrary or tyrannous Inter ference with the rights of others. Or ganized capital and organized labor alike should remember that in the long run the interest of each must be brought into harmony with the interest of the general public; anil the conduct of each must conform to the fundamental rules of obedience to the law. of individual freedom, and of justice and fair dealing toward all. Each should remember that in addition to power it must strive after the realization of healthy, lofty and gen erous ideals. Every employer, every wage worker, must be guaranteed his liberty and his right to do as he likes with his property or his labor so long as he does not infringe upon the rights of others. It is of the highest impor tance that employer and employe alike should endeavor to appreciate each the viewpoint of the other and the sure dis aster that will come upon both In the long run if either grows to take as habit ual an attitude of sour hostility and dis trust toward the other. Few people de serve better of the country than those representatives both e>f capital and labor —and there are many such—who work continually to bring about a good under standing of tills kind, based upon wisdom and upon broad and kindly sympathy be tween employers and employed. Above all. we need to remember that any kind of rlnss animosity in the political world is. If possible, even more wicked, even more destructive to national wotfure than sectional, race or religions animos ity. "We tan gel good government only upon condition that we keep true to the principles upon which this nation was founded, and judge each man not as a part of a class, but upon his Individual merits. All that we have a right to ask of any man, rich or poor, whatever his creed, his occupation, his birthplace, or his residence. Is that he shall act well and honorable by his neighbor and liv his country. We are neither for the rich man as such nor for the poor man as such; we are for the upright man. rich or poor. So far as the constitutional powers of (lie national government touch these matters of general and vital mo ment to the nation, they should lie exer cised in conformity with the principles above set forth. Keenni men iln He pa rt nienf of Com merce. It Is earnestly hoped that a secretary of commerce mas be created, with a seat In the cabinet. The rapid multiplication of questions affecting labor and 1 capital, the growth and complex it jof the org u iz.u iur.w through which both labor and capital now find expression, the steady tendency to ward. the employment of capital In. huge corporations, ar.d the wondi rful strides of this country toward leadership In the in ternational business world justify an ur gent demar.d for the creation of such a po sitior . Substantially all the leading com mercial bodies in this country have united in requesting its creation, it is desirable that some such rrwasure as that which has already passed the senate be enacted into law The creation of such a department would in itself be an advance toward deal ing with ait 1 exercising supervision over the whole subject of the great corporations doing an interstate business; and with this en! ir. view, the congress should endow the department with large powers, which could be increased as experience might show the need CIII.W ItEt'H'HOCITY. President IIIHIKIM (lie inland Siinuld llnve CotiMlderallon. 1 hope soon to submit to the senate a reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On May 3> Inst ihe I'nited States kepi its promise to the island b> formally vacating Cuban soil and turning Cuba over to those whom her nvt i. people had chosen as the first officials ol the nt w republic. Cuba lies at our doors, ar.d whatever af i fects her for good or for 111 affects us also. So much have our people felt this that In ihe Piatt amendment we definitely look the I ground that Cuba must hereafter have ! closer political relations with us than with ■ an> other power. Thus in a sei..-e Cuba 1 hie become a part uf our international po : lit it ;il system. This makes It necessary that In t i l urn she shoultl h. given stum- of ihe benefits of becoming part of our eco nomic sysiein. It Is, from our own stand point, a short-sighted and mischievous pol .l *v to fail to reeogi ize this need. More over. it is unworthy of a mighty and gt n- I 1 rous nation. Itself the greatest ard most -uci c.-sfjii republic In history, to refuse to I stretch out a helping har d toa young and ! weak sister republic just entering upon Its career of Indt pentfence. We should al ways fearle-siy Insist upon oui rlglii? In ■hi fate of th. strong, and we should wlih | in grudging hut! do ouc, gi inrou tfuiv L\ tie weak I urge the adoptToi of reciprocity wllh t'uli t 1 ot only beta list It I- emli.ejiily 1 tor our own. Interests to control tie Cuban market ant! by every means to fosttr our upi 1 inacy in lhi tropical lai ds .>ntt waters out h of Us bill a!-o because We, of the 1 gj.iM republic of the north, should moke 1 a' i our : - 11 r 1 a 1101.« of 1 In- American, cor. - 'li •'! l!■ . I ill.ll wh 1 ever they will permit ;II w. th n- io P how 011 rselve disinter, st j • tfI > at..f elf. . lively their friend 11111' rmt 11 ollit I trlillriilltm. | A elviiizitl ■ grow warfare I.e. me" | lews and In-* the normal condition of foreign relation- The last century has fill a marked tl I 111 111 lit ioll 'I Will's be tween civilised powers wars with unelv t iz- 1 power - aii largely mere m liters of I International poli-e duty, t i-nlt il for 111- We! 112 tie ti 112 the until Wlin.v.i po ilbie •rbltratl n -t mmm -nui.tr method I• Ii 111.'! I • t nip 1 fit It lieu of War to -ettlr dlfHi vdlle- ln-iw.il . v.llstil nations, .-ii I<h ugh it - yet the world has 1..1 progrt -»et! .Mi. Until 1., it 1 d.-r liJm Ibii ..1 1 .... I t , - I I . I ~ w II- 1 ■ . • . Tl . liar!- of M "1. t l.k'li* | ,i V,. l . l | v' flu*' Vl"i Y: I better, wi'iv j 1 l*r iitv k- acta a permanent trlbtin.il than to create spe cial arbitrators for a given purpose. It is a matter of sincere congratulation to our country that the Vniied States and Mexico should have been the first to use the rood offices of The Hague court. This was done last summer with most satisfactory results in the case of a claim at issue between us and our sister republic. It is earnestly to be hoped that this first case will serve as a prece dent for others, in which not only the I'nited States, but foreign nations may take advantage of the machinery al ready in existence at The Hague I commend to the favorable considera tion of the congress the Hawaiian fire claims, which were the subject of care ful investigation during the last session. THE PANAMA CANAL. French Company OfTVr* n (iooil Title to 11* Proper!y. The congress has wisely provided that we shall build at once an isthmian canal, If possible at Panama. The attorney gen eral reports that we can undoubtedly ac quire good title from the French Panama Canal company. Negotiations are now p( tiding with Colombia to secure her assent to our building the canal. This canal will be one of the greatest engineering feats of the twentieth century; a greater engineer ing feat than has yet been accomplished during the history of mankind. The work should! be carried out as a continuing policy without regard to change of administra tion; and it should be begun under circum stances which will make it a matter of pride for all administrations to continue the policy. The canal will be of great benefit to Amer ica.and of importance to all the world. It will be of advantage to us industrially and also as improving our military position. It will be of advantage to the countries of tropical America. It is earnestly to be hoped that all of these countries will do as some of them have alreacfy done with sig nal success, and will ir.vfte to tneir shores commerce and improve their material con ditions by recognizing that stability arc? order are the prerequisites- of successful development. No independent nation in America need have the slightest fear of aggression irom the I'nited States. It be hooves each one to maintain order within its own borders and to discharge its just obligations to foreigners. When this is done, they can rest assured that, be they strong or weak, they have nothing to dread from outside interference. More and more the Increasing interdependence and com plexity of international political and eco nomic relations render it incumbent on all civllizt d and orderly powers to insist on the proper policing of the world. The Pacific Cable. During the fall of 11*01 a communication was addressed to the secretary of state, asking whether permission would be granted by the president to a corpora tion to lay a cable from a point on the California coast to the Philippine islands by way of Hawaii. A statement of con ditions or terms upon which such cor poration would undertake to lay and operate a cable was volunteered. Inasmuch as the congress was shortly to convene and Pacific cable legislation had been the subject of consideration by the congress for several years, it seemed to me wise to defer action upon the ap plication until the congress had first an opportunity to act. The congress ad journed without taking any action, leav ing the matter in exactly the same con dition in which it stood when the con gress convened. Meanwhile it appears that the Com mercial Pacific Cable company had promptly proceeded with preparations for laying its cable. It also made applica tion to the president for access to ami use of soundings taken by the I*. S. 8. Nero, for the purpose of discovering a practicable route for a trans-Pacific cable, the company urging that with ac cess to these soundings it could complete its cable much sooner than if it were required to take soundings upon its own account. Pending consideration of this subject, it appeared important and de sirable to attach certain conditions to the permission to examine and use the soundings, if it should be granted. In consequence of this solicitation of the cable company, certain conditions were formulated, upon which the presi dent was willing to allow access to these soundings and to consent to the landing and laying of the cable, subject to any alterations or additions thereto imposed by the congress. This was deemed prop er, especially as it was clear t,h»* « . onn. . tiou or SUilirr KIIIU With Chilia, a foreign country, was a part of the eom pany's plan. This course was. moreover, in accordance with a line of precedents, including President fJrant's action in the case of the first French cable, explained to the congress in his annual message of December. and the instance occur ring in 1ST!) of the second French cable from Brest to St. Pierre, with a branch to ('ape Cod. These conditions prescribed, among other things, a maximum rate for com mercial messages and that the company should construct a line from the Philip pine Islands to China, there being :i£ present, as is well known, a British line from Manila to Hong-Kong. The representatives of the cable com pany kept these conditions lons under consideration, continuing, in the mean time, to prepare for laying the cable. They have, however, at length acceded to them, and an all-American line be tween our Pacific coast and the Chinese empire, bv way of Honolulu and the Philippine islands, is thus provided for, and is expected within a few months to be ready for business. PIHL.IPPI\K IShWDS. The Pulley of Holding: Them Ifn* lleen Vindicated. On July 1 last, on the one hundred and twenty-sixth anniversary of the declara tion of our independence, peace and am nesty were promulgated in the Philip pine islands. Some trouble has since from time to time threatened with the Mohammedan Moros, but with the late insurrectionary Filipinos the war has entirely ceased. Civil government has now been introduced. Not only does each Filipino ertfoy such rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as he has never before known during the recorded history of the islands, but the people taken as a whole now enjoy a measure of self-government greater than that granted to any other orientals by any foreign power and greater than that enjoyed by any other orientals under their own governments, save the Japan ese alone. We have not gone too far in granting these rights of liberty and self government; but we have certainly gone to the limit that in the interests of the Philippine people themselves it was wise or just to go. To hurry matters, togo faster than we are now going, would en tail calamity on the people of the is lands. No policy ever entered into by the American people has vindicated it self in more signal manner than the pol icy of holding the Philippines The tri umph of our arms, above all the tri umph of our laws and principles has cothe sooner than we had any right to expect. Too much praise cannot be given to the army for what it has done in the Philippines, both iu warfare and from an administrative standpoint in preparing the way for civil government; and similar credit belongs to the civil authorities for the way in which they have planted the seeds of self-govern ment in the ground thus made ready for them. The courage, the unflinching en durance, the high soldlerlv efWeienvy. and the general kind-he irtedness and humanity »»f our troops have been strik ingly manifested. There now remain only some 15, I*'*) troops in the islands. All tol l, over I'O.hio have I< en sent there Of course, there have been individual In stances of wrongdoing among them They warred under fearful difficult I** of climate and surroundings; and under the i • in of ihe i errib e provo it lon which they continually receive from their toes, occasional Instance- of cruel retaliation occurred. Kvery effort has been mi le to prevent such cruelties, ind finally the -e efforts 1 ve In i n completely suc cessful Kvery effort h»» alio been mule tn detect ,|.«l punish the wrongdoer*- After making ail allowance for tin* c misdeed*, it remain"' true that few in | dee.l have been the In«tancc4 in w I *h war has been waged b.\ a viliz-I power u: in I eHi I iv Mixed .nil* barbarous force* where there has bceil -o little wrongdoing by the victors m tn the Phll- I tpt>itic Islands fin the < ther hand the amount of <1 11l -nit Important, and b> - ' iieflcent w rk which ha* been done Is I T.k.og' tit uo»k of the army and the I Civil authorities together, it imiN be que !!me- l th. h, W h | I V| , « V . VV !re. , ( ' ' V ,.,1e "! J,7„" p|e 'i| V .on truetu latcsii IM| IMuh | • I gate \- i>ua* who feava a « the now corvlitlons and Jolnrrt with our representatives to work with hearty good will for the welfare of the islands. 1 urgently call your attention to the net d of paying a bill providing for a general stuff and tor the reorganization of the sup ply departments on the lines of the bill propostd by the secnt;iry of war last year. When the yout.g officers enter the army from West Point they probably Hard above their compt ers in any other military service. Kvery effort should be made, by training, by reward of merit, by scrutiny into their careers and capacity, to keep them of the same high relative excellence throughout their careers. The \ntlonul Unard. The measure providing for the reorgani zation of the militia system ant?, for secur ing the highest efficiency In the national guard, which hast already passi d thehouse, should! receive prompt attention ar.tl ac tion. It is of great importance that the re lation of the national guard to the militia and volunteer forces of the United States should be deiinetf, and that in place of our present obsolete laws a practical ar.d ef ficient system should be adopted. STEEDS OF THE NAVY. More Slil|i« mid Men Needed to Keep I'jiee with tll f* Ti ill t'H. For the lirst time in our history naval maneuvers on a large scale are bt iug held unifer the immediate command of the ad miral of the navy. Constantly increasing attention is being paid to the gunnery of the navy, but it is jet far from what ii should be. 1 earnestly urge that the in crease asked for by the secretary of the navy in the appropriation for improving the marksmanship be granted, in battle the only shots that count are the shots that hit. It is necessary to provide ample funds for practice with the great gur.s in time of peace. These funds must provide not only for the purchase of projectiles, but for allowances for prizes to encourage the gun crews, and especially the gur. pointers, and for perfecting an intelligent system under which alone it is possible to get good practice. There should be no halt In the work of building up the navy, providing every vear additional lighting craft. We are a very rich country, vast in extent of territory and great In population; a country, moreover, which has an army diminutive indeed w hen compared with that of any other first-class powt r. We have deliberately made our own certain foreign policies which demand the possession of a tlrst-class navy. The Isthmian canal will greatly increase the efficiency of our navy if the navy is of stif licient size; but if we have an inadequate navy, then the buHdlng of thecar.al would lie merely giving a hostage to any power of superior strength. The Monroe doctrine should he treated as the cardinal feature of American foreign policy; but it would be worse than idle to assert it unless we In tended to back It up. aficJ It can be backeM up only by a thoroughly good navy. A good navy is not a provocative of war. It is the surest guaranty of peace. l'lach Individual unit of our navy sh'ould be the most efficient of its klr.d as rt gards both material and personnel that is to be found in the world. I call your special at tention to the need of providing for the manning of the ships. Serious trouble threatens us IT we cannot do better ifian we are now doing as regards securing the services of a sufficient number ot the high est type of sailormen, of sea mechanics. The veteran seamen of our warships are of as high a type as can be found In any navy which rides the waters of the world: they are ur.surp.as-, d In daring, in resolu tion. In readiness, in thorough knowledge of their profession. They deserve every consideration that can be shown them. Hut there are not enough of thim. It is 110 more possible to Improvise a crew than It is possible to improvise j warship. To build the finest ship, with the deadliest battery, and to send it afloat with a raw crew, r.o matter how brave thev were in dividually. would i)i- to Insure disaster If a foe of average capacity w 1 re encountered. Neither ships nor men can be improvised when war has begun. We need a thousand additional officers in order to properly man the ships now pri,- vided for ai d under construction. The classes at the naval school at Annapolis should be greatly charged. At the same time that we thus add the officers whi re we need them, we should facilitate the re tirement of those at the head of the list whose usefulness has become impaired. Promotion must be fostered If the serv ice is to be kept efficient. There is not a cloud on the horizon at present. There seems not the slightest We most earnestly hope tha t'ills' state of things may continue; and the way to Insure its continuance is to provide for a thoroughly efficient navy. The refusal to maintain such a navy would Invite trouble, and if trouble came would insure disaster. Fatuous self-complacency or vanity, or short-sightedness in refusing to prepare for danger, Is both foolish and wicked in such a nation as ours; and past experience has shown that such fatuity in refusing to recognize or pre pare for any crisis 111 advance Is usually succeeded by a mad panic of hysterical fear once the crisis has actually arrived. ICiimf l-'ree Delivery. The striking Increase in the revenues of the post office department shows e-lear ly the prosperity of our people and the increasing activity of the business of the country. The receipts of the post office depart ment feir the nscal year ending June 30 last amounted to sl2l ,548,047.26. an increase of $10,216,853.87 over the preceeiing year, the largest increase known In the history of the postal service. The magnitude of this increase will best appear from the fact that the entire postal receipts for the year 1860 amounted to but S.S,. r il 1 <.067. Rural free delivery service is no longer in the experimental stage; it has become a fixed policy. The results following Its introduction have fully justified the con gress in the large appropriations made for its establishment and extension. The average yearly Increase in post office re ceipts in the rural districts of the coun try is about two per cent. We are now able, by actual results, to show that where rural free delive'ry service has been established to such an extent as to enable us to make comparisons the yearly Increase has been upward of ten per cent. On November 1, 1902. 11,650 rural free delivery routes had been established anil were In operation, covering about one third of the territory of the I'nited States available for rural free delivery service. There are now awaiting the action of the department petitions and applications for the establishment of 10.71* additional routes. This shows conclusively the want which the establishment of the service has met and the need of further extend ing it as rapidly as possible. It Is justi fied both by the financial results and by the practical benefits to our rural pop ulation; it brings the men who 1 i\. 011 the soli Into close relations with the ac tive business world; It keeps the farmer In daily touch with the markets; It is a potential educational force; it enhances the value of farm property, makes farm life far pleasanter and less isolated, and will dn much to check the undesirable current from country to city. It is to be hoped that the congress w'll make liberal appropriations for the enn tlnuanee of tile service already estab lished and for its further extension. l*rttKr«»M.<i ttf IrriuullHii. Few subjects of more importance have been taken up by the congress in recent years than the inauguration of the sys tem of nationailv aided Irrigation for tie arid regit ns of the far west. A good be ginning therein has been made Now that this policy of national Irrigation has been adopted, the need of thorough and scientific forest protection will grow more rapidly than ever throughout the public-land states. So far as they are available for agri culture. an 1 to whatever extent they may be reclaimed under the national Ir rigation law the remaining public lands should be heltl rigidly f.ir the home builder, the settler who lives on his land, ami for no one else In their act 'la 1 u . ihe desert-land law, the timber aiul stone law. and Die commutation clause of the hnmeslf 111 law h»\- been mi perverted from the Intention with wh '■!» the* were enacted as to permit th" aetiuis ton of large areas of the public domain for oth er than actual settler- and the i-.irme t| uent prevention of settlement More over. the appronhlng ixhau-ilon of tl.e pilbllc ranges lias of late led tom .-!t disruption as to the b<-tt manner of living these tiulilie lands ti lie west wblt h re suitable 1 lilt tlv or onl\ tor gr.nlng T<>e mind ami steady development of tie we t tit |ien<l itpoti the build ir' w homes tin-rein. Mueh of our prosperity is 11 nation has in en due In lie opt 11 I hand. We should reen*id*e lilt fact that a the i-.ru/ og reg on the man who cor- Vl.l- t.. . it|. permanently If onlv allowed [ it.. t* 1 I ,11 '| II Itttiii. >- ell r 1 al- I .owed to uv u urublt laud tti h a;. dred and rlxfy acres of fairly rlrfi nr. II well watt-led soil, or a much smaller amount of Irrigated land, may ke-p .i« family in plenty, whereas no one couidl g»*t a liviri from 160 acres of dry pasture) land capable of.supporting at the out-t side only one head of cattle to every ten| acres. In the past great tracts of thai public domain have been fenced in by persons having no title thereto, in direct! defiance of the law forbidding the main-i tenanee or construction of any such un-' lawful inclosure of public land. For va rious reasons there has been little lnter-1 ference with such inclosures in the pasta but ample notice has now been glveril the trespassers, and all the resources at) the command of the government Willi hereafter be used to put a stop to such trespassing. Alaska Lpfflfdnlliin Anlifd For. | I especially urge upon the congress the need of wise legislation lor Alaska. It Is not to o'ur credit as a nation that. Alaska, which has been ours for 35 years.) should still have as poor a system of laws as is the case. No country has a more valuable possession—in mineral wealth, in fisheries, furs, forests, and! also in land available for certain kind» of farming and stock growing. It is a. territory of great size and varied re sources, well fitted to support a large permanent population. Alaska needs a. good land law and such provisions for homesteads and preemptions as will en courage permanent settlement. Wo should shape legislation with a view not to the exploiting and abandoning of the territory, but to the building up of homes therein. The land laws should be liberal in type, so as to hold out inducements to the actual settler whom we most de sire to see take possession of the coun try. The forests of Alaska should be protected, and, as a secondary but still important matter, the game also, and at the same time it is imperative that the settlers should be allowed to cut tlm be, under proper regulations, for their own use. Laws should be enacted to protect the Alaskan salmon fisheries against the greed which would destroy them. _ They should be preserved as a permanent industry and food supply. Their management and control should be turned over to the commission of tish and fisheries. Alaska should have a dele gate In the congress. It would be well if a congressional committee could visit Alaska and Investigate its needs on the ground. The Indians. Tn dealing with the Indians our aim should be their ultimate absorption into the body of our people. Hut in many cases this absorption must and should bo very slow, in portions of the Indian territory the mixture of blood has gone on at the same time with progress in wealth and education, so that there are plenty of men witli varying degrees of purity of Indian blood who are abso lutely indistinguishable in point of social, political and economical ability from their white associates. There are other tribes which have as yet made no per ceptible advance toward such equality. To try to force such tribes too fast Is to prevent their going forward at till. More over. the tribes live under widely differ ent conditions. Where a tribe has made considerable advance and lives on fertile farming soil It is possible to allot the members lands in severalty much as is the case with the white settlers. There are other tribes where such course is not desirable. On the arid prairie lands the effort should be to induce the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricultural lives, and to permit them to settle in villages rather than to force them into isolation. The large Indian schools situated remote from any Indian reservation <!o a special and peculiar work of great importance. But, excellent though these are. an im mense amount of additional work must be done on the resi rvatlon.s themselves amor.if the old. and above all among the your.g, Indians. The first nr.d most important step towarc' the absorption of the Indian is to teach him to earn his' living: yet it Is not neces sarily to be assumed 1 that in each commur ity all Indians must become either tillers of the soil or . tock rais. rs. Their industries may properly be diversified, and those who show special desire or adaptability for in dustrial or even commercial pursuit* should! be encouraged so far as practicable to follow out each his own bent. Scientific. Viil to rarmpr*. Tn no department of governmental work In recent y< ar : - has there le-en greater si.c ttie farming populatTor'.' theretty VVuVwiiij? them how ino.-t efficiently to hi Ip them selves. There Is 10 r.ei d of insist ir-g upon Its Importance, for the welfare of the farmer is fundamentally i.ece-.-ary to the welfare of the republic a~ a whole. It: ad dition to such work as quarantine against animal and vegetable plagues, and war ring against tliem when here introduced, much i indent help has be. n. rendered, to the farmer by tie intivduclion of new plants specially lltti ■: for cultivation um.Vr the peculiar conditions existing in cfift' rent portions of the country. Ni w cereals have been established lit the semi-arid west. For instance, the practicability of produc ing the best types of macaroni wheats in r.gions of an annual rainfall of only ten inehe- or thin abouis has bei inconclusive ly demonstrated. Through the introduc tion of new rices in Louisiana and Texas the production of rice In this country has been made to about equal the home tJi— mand. In the southwest the possibility of regrassing overstocked range lands has been demonstrated; in the north many tew forage crops have b en introduced, while In the east it has bet n shown that s >jne of our choicest fruits can be stored nr.d shipped in such a way as to find a profitable market abroad. The District of Columbia is the only part of our territory in which the national gov ernment exercises local or municipal func tions. and where In consequence the gov ernment has a free hand in reference to certain types of social and economic legis lation which must be essentially local or municipal in their character. The govern ment should see to if, lor instance, that the hygienic and sanitary legislation affecting Washington is of a high character. The evils of slum dwellings, whether in the shape of crowded and congested tenement house districts or of the back-alley type, should never be permitted to grow up in Washington. The city should be a model In every respect for all the cities of the country. The charitable and correctional systems of the district should receive con sideration at the hands of the congress to the end that they may embody the results of the most advanced thought in these fields. Moreover, while Washington Is not a gn at industrial clfy, there is some ir.dus tr: Wism here, and our labor legislation, while it would r.ot be Important it itself, might be made a model for the rest of the nation. We should pass, for Instance, a e -e i miiii ycr's-liabilitv »*t for the Dis trict of Columbia, and w »weif such ar. act in our navy-yards Rallroti! companies in the district ought to be required by law to block their frogs I'rolccl 101 l for Itr 11 nr I Kin|>lnyf«. The s tfety-appllanci lan' for the better protection of the lives ait? limbs of rail way employes, which wit passed In 1533. want Into full effect on A'-gu-t 1. I9t>l. It has resulted in gvertlnj thousands of casualties. Kxperil i cc shoVs. how• vr. the necessity of additional legislation to per fect this law. A bill to proviiA' for this passed tin- nate at the ;,st • - -ion. It is to be hoped that sun. -u'h measure may now be enacted Into law Gratifying progress ban been made dur ing the year :n the extension of tb« merit system of makiag appointment* In the government set \ It .should be extended by law to the District o' Co lumbia It Is much to be desired lhat our consular system b' estahl In d by law on a basis providing for appointment and promotion only ill consequence of proved fitness 'l'lle \ew While Hninr. Through a wise provision of the con gress at its last session the white house, which has become d.stltiurrd bv Incon gruous inUlit ons and chains' has now been r tor- I tow hat i was planned t.» be b> Washington In making the nMtor atlons the utmost cure has been exer cised to come as near a* po-s.ble to the early plan- ind to |i|demeut the-, pans b.V a careful study of stub buildings us that of the I'nlvei 11\ ■.f V rg n a <vhl<>i was built by Jefferson The wl.lli home Is the proper! \ of the nation and •• far as is compatible with living tin re nit should be kept as it orlglnalls w.is, for the same rt < ins thit we keep Mo int Vernon as it ur glnally was The state ly Implie: I v of lis architecture In an egpres isn Ihe character o th< inr o<l In which ;t was built, and is In aei iipd with tile pitriii ' it w I < ned ti • rte It i a go d Ih iof to |oe >rt» such building- as h storfe monument* which Itis i> il've our ois of niiMln il.lv with tin uathin's past The r* pOrtS Ot Hi \e! i | . 101 ,|lvt departments ure submitted to the con i runs w ih ills ■ i.mmunl at'on THK»i|M »HK H«'«>*KVKI«T. Wtilts l|ii e. I l ** «|>: Pel I, U 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers