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