PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS Makes Recommendations for What He Considers Important Legislation. TAILROAD RATES FIRST TOPIC Would Materially Increase the Powers of Interstate Com merce Commission. LIFE INSURANCE QUESTION Sees Good and Evil in Labor Unions —Asks for Immediate Appropri ations for Panama Canal, and Promises Report of Hoard of En gineers and Recommendations Later—Other Matters. Washington, Dec. s.—The annuul mes sage of President Roosevelt was read in l.oth houses of congress to-day. It Is a doc ument of some 24,000 words, and con tains recommendations for much Important 1< gislation. The subject of federal supervision of cor f* nations, and especlall> railroad corpora ti ms, is the lirst subject treated of by the president, and to It he gives the greatest amount of attention. After speaking ol the general prosperity of the country, and the P ,wer of the corporations for good or evil in connection with the nation's prosperity, fee says: So long as the finances of the nation are kept upon an honest basis, no other <i i: est ion of Internal economy with which th» congress has the power to deal begins to approach in importance the matter of endeavoring to secure proper Industrial < auditions under which the individuals— and especially the great corporations doing an interstate business are to act. Th" makers of our national constitution pr ivlded especially that the regulation of interstate commerce should come with in the sphere of the general government. The arguments in favor of their taking this stand were even then overwhelming. Hut they are far stronger to-day, In view ol the enormous development of great business agencies, usually corporate in form. Experience has shown conclusive ly that it is useless to try to get any adequate regulation and supervision of these great corporations by state action. Such regulation and supervision can only lie effectively exercised by a sovereign whose jurisdiction Is coextensive with the field of work of the corporations—that Is, by the national government. I believe that this regulation and supervision can be obtained by the enactment of law by the congress. If this proves impossible, it will certainly be necessary ultimately to confer in fullest form such power upon the national government by a proper amendment of the constitution. It would obviously be unwise to endeavor to secure such an amendment until it is certain that the result cannot be obtained under the constitution as it now is. The laws of the congress and of the several states hitherto, as passed upon by the courts, have result! d more often in showing that the states have no power in the matter than that the national government his p iwer; so that there at present exists u very unfortunate condition of tilings, under which these great corporations do ing an Interstate business occupy the po tition of subjects without a sovereign, neither any state government nor the na tional government having effective con trol over them. Our steady aim should be by legislation, cautiously and care fully undertaken, but resolutely per severed in, to assert the sovereignty of the national government by affirmative action. Present Laws Inadequate. Tt has been a misfortune that the na tional laws on this subject have hitherto been of a negative or prohibitive rather than an affirmative kind, and still more that they have in part sought to prohibit what could not be effectively prohibited and have in part in their prohibitions confounded what should be allowed and what should not be allowed. It is gen erally useless to try to prohibit all re is'raint on competition, whether this re straint lie reasonable or unreasonable; and where It is not useless It is gener ally hurtful. Kvents have shown that It Is not possible adequately to secure the e'i!"r. emi-nt of any law of this kind by Incessart appeal to the courts. The de- T 1 irtme/it . 112 justice has for the last four years devoted more attention to the en forcement of the anti-trust legislation than to anything else. Much has been accomplished; particularly markd has been the moral effect of ,h, prosecutions; but It is increasingly evident that there will be a very insufficient beneficial re 4'ilt in the way of economic; change. The successful prosecution of one device to evade the law Immediately develops an other device to accomplish the same pur pose What is needed Is not sweeping prohibition of every arrangement, good or bad, which may tend to restrict com petition, but such adequate supervision and regulation as will prevent any rc f»*ri tlon of competition from b« ing to the detriment of the public—as well us such supervision and regulation as vvi 1 prevent other abuses in no way connected with restriction of competition. Of thc.-e abuses, perhaps the ch.ef, although by no means the only one. Is overcapitaliza tion—generally itself the result of dishon est promotion—because of the myriad evils it brings in its train; for such over capitalization often means an inflation that invites business panic; it always con ceals the trim relation the profit earned to the capital actually invested, and il cr< ites a burden of Interest payments whl h IM a fertile cause of improper re duction in or limitation of wages; it d.im.iges the small Investor, discourage* thrift, and en mirages gambling and speculation; while* perhaps worst of ait l* th. trh-klness and dishonesty which it Imp! • ? i harm t<» in rals ,s worse than anv i> »<slbl. h irrn t•» material Interests, and the uch*'ry of politics and busi -1 ■- real t shone*! corporations Is Mr v*» r-e th.m in. actual m iterial evil they do the pubic. I'ntil the nation <1 government "Mali., tn some manner whl h th s\ tlon o the rongrc-* m»y »ugge*t. proper c .ntnd over the big cor p rit ion* cngav< .1 in n" **rs tat coimnei • e that 1~. <ver tlie jjre 11 majority of the tog Mip.tr,it. nit vvih he imp » Me to deal adequately with thes, Ritlro.ut Hate Regulation. I am wII awir of the dimcultlen f* th I'M I illon dill I ,im > 11; W*l - iner. and of the nofl of temperate and ciiutlons i. tlon in securing it.l should emphatically protest against improp erly radical or hasty action. Tin- first tiling- to do i.s to deal with the (Treat corporations engaged in the business of Interstate transportation. As I said In my message of December 0 lust, the immediate anil most pressing need, so far as legislation is concerned, is the enactment into law of some scheme to secure to the agents of the govern ment such supervision and regulation of the rates charged by the railroads of the country engaged in interstate traffic as shall summarily and effec tively prevent the imposition of unjust or unreasonable rates. It must include putting a complete stop to rebates in every shape and form. This power to regulate rates, like all similar powers over the business world, should in- ex ercised with moderation, caution and self-restraint; but it should exist, so that it can be effectively exercised when the need arises. The first consideration to be kept in mind is that the power should be affirmative nnd should be given to some administrative body created by the congress. If given to the present interstate commerce commission or to a reorganized interstate commerce commission, such commission should be made unequivocally administrative. I do not believe in the government in terfering with private business more than is necessary. I do not believe in the government undertaking any work which can with propriety be left in private hands. Hut neither do I be lieve in the government flinching from overseeing any work when it becomes evident that abuses are sure to ob- ' tain therein unless there is govern mental supervision. It Is not my prov ince to Indicate the exact terms of the law which should be enacted; but I call the attention of the congress to certain existing conditions with which it is desirable to deal. In my judg ment the most Important provision which such law should contain is that conferring upon some competent ad ministrative body the power lo decide, upon the case being brought before It. whether a given rate prescribed by a railroad is reasonable and just, and if it is found to be unreasonable and unjust, then, after full investigation of the complaint, to prescribe the limit of rate beyond which It shall iit»t be lawful to go—the maximum reason able rate, as it is commonly called—• this decision togo into effect within a reasonable time and to obtain from thence onward, subject to review by the courts. It sometimes happens at present, not that a rate is too high but that a favored shipper is given too low a rate. In such case the commis sion would have the right to fix this already established minimum rate as the maximum; and it would need only one or two such decisions by the com mission to cure railroad companies of the practice of giving improper mini mum rates. I call your attention to the fact that my proposal is not to give the commission power to initiate or originate rates generally, but to regulate a rate already fixed or origi nated by the roads, upon complaint and after investigation. A heavy penalty should be exacted from any corporation which fails to respect an order of the commission. I regard this power to establish a maximum rate as being essential to any scheme of real reform in the matter of railway 1 regulation. The first necessity is to secure it; and unless it is granted fo the commission there is little use In touching the subject at all. Rebates Really Blackmail. Illegal transactions often occur un der the forms of law. It has often oc curred that a shipper has been told by a traffic officer to buy a large quantity of some commodity and then after it has been bought an open re duction i.s made in the rate to take effect immediately, the arrangement resulting to the profit of the one ship per and the one railroad and to the damage of all their competitors; for it must not be forgotten that the big shippers are at least as much to blame as any railroad in the matter of rebates. The law should make it clear so that nobody can fall to under stand that any kind of commission paid on freight shipments, whether in this form or in the form of fictitious damages, or of a concession, a free pass, reduced passenger rale, or pay ment of brokerage, is illegal. It is worth while considering whether it would not be wise to confer on the government the right of civil action against the beneficiary of a rebate for at least twice the value of the rebate; this would help stop what is really blackmail. Elevator allowances should be stopped, for they have now grown to such an extent that they are de moralizing and are used as rebates. The best possible regulation of rates would, of course, lie that regulation secured by an honest agreement among the railroads themselves to carry out the law. Such a general agreement would, for instance, at once put a stop to the efforts of any one big shipper or big railroad to dis criminate against or secure advan tages over some rival; and such agree ment would make the railroads them selves agents for enforcing the law. The power vested in the government to put a stop to agreements to the detriment of the public should, in my judgment, be accompanied by power to permit, under specified conditions and careful supervision, agreements clear ly in the interest of the public. But. in my judgment, the necessity for giving this further power is by no means as great as the necessity for giving the commission or administra tive body the other powers I have j enumerated above; and it may w -11 j be inadvisable to attempt to vest this | particular power in the commission or ! other administrative body until il al i ready possesses and is exercising what j I regard as by far the most important I of all the powers I recommend —as in- I deed the vitally important power— that to fix a given maximum rate. I which rite, after the lapse of a reason - \ able time, goes into full effect, subject I to review by the courts. I All private car lines. Industrial roads, refrigerator charges, and the like should ' be expressly put under the supervision i of the interstate commerce commission ir some similar body so far as rates and , agreements practically affecting rates are concerned. The private car owners and ! the owners of Industrial railroads are en titled to i fair and reasonable compensa tion on their Investment, but neither pri vate . ars nor industrial railroads nur spur tracks should be utilized as devices for -ecurinu preferential rates. A rebate in | icitu harges, or ,n mileage, or In a divi sion of the rate for refrigerating charges is just as pernicious as a rebate In any ; other way. No lower rate should apply 1 in gon Is Imported than actually obtains in domestic goods from the American >eab > ird to destination except In cases I where w iter competition is the controll ing influeiie • There should be publicity , the i -.lit - of common carriers; no .mm ti carrier engaged In Interstate on.sine..-, should keep any books or mem nan ! i other than those reported pur suit li Uw or regulation, and these oo iks r memoranda should be open to the in ji i i HI of the govern men i only .n thi way con violation* or evasloi.s of h * law be surely detei led A system of •x mi.nut on of railroad account' should ! provided imtiar to that now conducted nto tin national hiftiki by the bank ex am »sers; a lew tlrst-cl »s» rullio.nl ac j< uirituntM, if they hud proper dire'lion ; it I proper authority to lu»pc< t book and • p.tp ii. ould i omplUU mu> It in pit. CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1905. venting willful violations of tli • law. It would not be necessary for them to ex amine into the accounts of any railroad unless for good reasons they were direct ed to do so by the interstate commerce commission. It is greatly to l>e desired that some way might be found by which ati agreement as to transportation with in a state intended to operate as a fraud upon the federal interstate commerce laws could lie brought under the juris diction of the federal authorities. At present it occurs that large shipments of interstate traffic are controlled by con cessions 011 purely state business, which of course amounts to an evasion of the law. The commission should have power to enforce fair treatment by the great trunk lines of lateral and branch lines. Immediate Action Urged. I urge upon the congress the need of providing for expeditious action by the interstate commerce commission In all these matters, whether In regulating rates for transportation or for storing or for handling property or commodities in transit. The history of the cases liti gated under the present commerce act shows that its efficacy has been to a great degree destroyed by the weapon of delay, almost the most formidable weapon in the bands of those whose purpose it is to violate the law. The president asks for legislation com pelling railroads to Install block systems on their lines, and also calls the attention of congress to the excessive hours of labor of train service employes of the railroad companies are often subjected to. He rec ommends that a commission be appointed to study of employers' liability with the ob ject of the enactment of a law covering the subject and applicable to all Industries within the scope of the federal power. The Labor Question. The labor question is treated of at con siderable length, and in this connection the president says: There has been demand for depriving courts of the power to issue injunctions in labor disputes. Such special limita tion of the equity powers of our courts would be most unwise. It is true that some judges have misused this power; but this does nit justify a denial of the power any more than an Improper exer cise of the power to call a strike by a labor leader would justify the denial of the right to strike. The remedy is to regulate the procedure by requiring the Judge to give due notice to the adverse parties before granting tiie writ, the hear ing to be ex parte if the adverse party does not appear at th.- Tim • and place ordered. What I- due notice must depend upon ihe facts of the case; it should not be used as a pretext to p"rmit violation of law. or the jeopardizing of life or property. Of cour-e tills would not au thorize the Issuing of a restraining order or injunction In any case in which It Is not already authorized by <-x -ting law. 1 renew the recommendation I made in my last annual message 112 r an in vestigation by the departm tit of c m merce and labor of general labor condi tions, especial attention tj be paid to the conditions of child labor and child labor legislation in the several states. Such an investigation should take Into account the various problems with which the question ot child labor is connected. It is true that these problems can be actu ally met ill most eases only by the states themselves, but it would be well for the nation to endeavor to secure and publish comprehensive information as to the con ditions of the labor of children in the dif ferent states, so as to spur up those that are behindhand, and to secure approx imately uniform legislation of a high character among the several states. In such a republic as ours the one thing that we cannot afford to neglect is the problem of turning out decent citizens. The future of the nation depends upon the citizenship of the generations to cume; the children of to-day ire those who to-morrow will shape the destiny of our land, and we cannot afford to neg lect them. The legislature of Colorado has recommended that the national gov ernment provide some general measure for the protection from alms-- of children and dumb animals throughout the United States. I lay the matter before you for what I tru-u will be your favorable con sideration. The department of commerce and labor should also make a thorough Investiga tion of the conditions of women In in dustry. Over "i.000.000 American women are now engaged in gainful occupations; yet there is an almost complete dearth of data upon which to base any trust worthy conclusions as regards a subject as important as it is vast and compli cated. There Is need of ftill knowledge on which to base action looking toward state and municipal legislation for the protection of working women. The in troduction of women Into Industry Is working change and disturbance iii the domestic and social life of the nation. The decrease In marriage, and especially in the birth rate, has been coincident with it. We must face accomplished facts, and th" adjustment to factory conditions must be made; but surely it can b> made with less friction and less harmful effects on family life than Is now the case. This whole matter in reality forms one of the greatest sociological phenomena of our time; it is a social question of the first importance, of far greater im portance than any merely political or economic question can be; and to solve it we need ample data, gathered in a sane and scientific spirit in the course of an exhaustive investigation. In concluding with the subject of labor the president says: In any great labor disturb.in not only are employer and employe interested, but also a third party—the general public. Every considerable labor difficulty in which interstate commerce is Involved should be investigated by the govern ment and the facts officially reported to the public. Equal Rights for All. The question of securing a healthy, self-respecting and mutually sympathetic attitude as between employ rand em ploye, capitalist and wage worker, Is a difficult one All phases of the labor problem prove difficult when approached. Hut the underlyng principles, the root principles, in accordance with which the problem must be solved ire entirely sim ple. We can get justice tltd right dealing only If we put as of paramount Impor tance the principle of treating a man or his worth as a mail rather than with reference to his social position, his occu pation, or the class to which lie belongs. There are selfish and brutal men in all runks of life. If they are capitalists their selflghness anil brutality may take the form of hard indifference to suffer ing. greedy disregard of every moral re straint which Interferes with the accum ulation of wealth, and cold-blooded ex ploitation of the weak; or, if they are laborers, the form of laziness, of sullen envy of the more fortunate, and of will ingness to perform deeds of murderous Violence. Such conduct is just as repre hensible In one case as In the other, and all honest and 1 irse lug men should Join Iti warring against It wherever It he tomes manifest. Individual capitalist and Individual wage worker, corporation ami union, are alik entitled to the protec tion of the law, and must ilike obey the law. The Insurance Scandal. On tie subject of life | rib urate • the presl i.Vnt sa>s recent events have emphasized Ho imp .nan I' ear.y a inn looking to a solution of ihi subj. i 1 of some hurt of con trol that will furnltl better safeguards than the \ rul stale* have been able to furnish against corruption of the flagrant kind which ha.-, been exposed, ur.J in this connection I Mil ue» I Tbcre Un- i ut * alrivUr unU uni- form regulation of the vast insurance interests of thin country. Tin* United States should in this respect follow the policy of other nations by providing adequate national supervision of com mercial interests which are clearly na tional in character. My predecessors have repeatedly recognized that tha foreign business of these companies Is an important part of our foreign com mercial relations. During the admin istrations of Presidents Cleveland, Harrison and MeKinley the state de partment exercised its influence, through diplomatic channels, to pre vent unjust discrimination by foreign countries against American insurance companies. These negotiations illus trated the propriety of the congress recognizing the national character of Insurance, for in the absence of fed eral legislation the state department could only give expression to the wishes of the authorities of the several states, whose policy was ineffective through want of uniformity. I repeat my previous recommenda tion that tlie congress should also con sider whether the federal government has any power or owes any duty with respect to domestic transactions in in surance of an Interstate character. That state supervision has proved in adequate is generally conceded. The burden upon insurance companies, and therefore their policy holders, of con flicting regulations of many states, is unquestioned, while but little effective check is imposed tipon any able and unscrupulous man who desires to ex ploit the company in liis own Interest at the expense of the policy holders and of the public. The inability of a state to regulate effectively insurance corporations created under the laws of other states and transacting the larger part of their bus! ess elsewhere is also clear. As a r medy for this evil of conflicting, ineffective, and yet bur densome regulations there has been for many years a widespread demand for federal supervision. The congress lias already recognized that interstate insurance may be a proper subject for federal legislation, for in creating the bureau of corporations it authorized it to publish and supply useful in formation concerning interstate cor porations, "including corporations en gaged in insurance." It is obvious that if the compilation of statistics be the limit of the federal power, it is wholly ineffective to regulate this form of commercial intercourse be tween the states, and as the insurance business has outgrown in magnitude the possibility of adequate state su pervision. the congress should care fully consider whether further legisla tion can be had. What is said above applies with equal force to fraternal and benevolent organizations which contract for life Insurance. Under the subject of national revenues th' presi lent makes a plea for the enact ment of reciprocal arrangements bet ween this and other countries, but does not asK for any tariff legislation at the present tin . In th- same connection he asks for economy in appropriations. Business Methods in Departments. <>n the subject of "graft" in the several government departments that have been under investigation he says; At various times I have Instituted investigations into the organization and conduct of the business of the ex ecutive departments. While none of these inquiries have yet progressed far enough to warrant final conclu sions, they have already confirmed and emphasized the general impres sion that the organization of the de partments is often faulty in principle and wasteful in results, while many of their business methods are anti quated and inefficient. There is every reason why our executive govern mental machinery should be at least as well planned, economical and efficient as the best machinery of the great business organizations, which at present is not the case. To make it so is a task of complex detail and es sentially executive in its nature; prob ably no legislative body, 110 matter how wise and able, could undertake it with reasonable prospect of success. I recommend that the congress con sider this subject with a view to pro vide by legislation for the transfer, distribution, consolidation and assign ment of duties and executive organiza tions or parts of organizations, and for the changes in business methods, within or between the several depart ments. that will best promote the economy, efficiency and high character of tiie government work. Federal Elections. fin the subject of federal elections he rec ommends That it be made unlawful for po litical parties to receive campaign con tributions from the corporations, and also that it b" made unlawful for corporations to give such contributions, and in this con nection he says: Contributions by corporations to any purpose should be forbidden by law; directors should not be permitted to use stockholders' money for such pur poses; and, moreover, a prohibition of this kind would be. as far as it went, an effective method of stopping the evils aimed at in corrupt practices acts. Not only should both the na tional and the several state legisla tures forbid any officer of a corpora tion from using the money of the cor poration in or about any election, but they should also forbid such use of money in connection with any legisla tion save by the employment of coun sel in public manner for distinctly le gal services. The Hague Conference. The Hague conference and the sub ject of arbitration generally is treated of at considerable length, and in this connection an explanation is given of tliis government's connection with the coming conference in the following words: The tirst conference of nations held at The Hague in IVJ9. being unable to dis pose of all the business before it, recom mended the consideration and settlement of a number of important questions by another conference to be called subse quently and at an early date. These questions were the following: (1) The rights and duties of neutrals; (21 the Imitation of the armed forces 011 land and sea, and of military budgets; till the use of new types and calibers of military and naval guns; (4) the inviolability of private property at sea in times of war; (.It the bombardment of ports, cities and villages by naval forces. In October, 1904, at the Instance of the Interparlia mentary union, which, at a conference held in the United States and attended by the lawmakers of 15 different nations, had reiterated the demand for a second conference of nations, I Issued invitations to all the powers signatory to The Hague convention to send delegates to such a conference and suggested that it be again held at The Hague. In Its note of De cember Iti, 1901. the United States govern ment communicated to the representa tives 01 foreign governments its belief that the conference could be best ar ranged under the provisions of the pres ent Hague treaty. From all the powers acceptance was re ceived, coupled in some ca»e< with the condition that we should wt.t until the end of the war then waging between Rus sia and Japan The emper .r of Russia, immediately after the treaty of peace which so huppi!> terminate,| this war. in a note presented t" the pre<ld< nt on September 11. throiiKh Amlin ».i'ln Ho en to>>k the Initiative in recommending thai the conference be now culled The I'u.ted States governrneu' in response expressed Its cord al «cqule.n enee an I itati d that ,lt would, as a matter of course, take part la the new conference ami endeuvor to further Its alms. We assume that all civilized governments will support the movement, and that the conference is now an assured fact. This government will do everything in its power to secure (lie success of the conference to tin' end that substantial progress may be made in the cause of International peace, jus tice and good will. In the conclusion of this subject he says: I have dwelt much on the dangers to be avoided by steering clear of any mere foolish sentimentality because my wish for peace Is so genuine ami earnest; because I have a real and great desire that this second Hague conference may mark a long stride forward in the direction of securing the peace of justice throughout the world. No object is better worthy the attention of enlightened statesmanship than the establishment of a surer method than now exists <if securing justice as between nations, both for the protection of the little nations and for the prevention of war between the big nations. To this aim we should endeavor not only to avert bloodshed, but, above all, effectively to strengthen the forces of right. The Golden Rule should be, and as the world grows in morality it will be, the guidleg rule of conduct among nations as among Individuals; though the Golden Rule must not be construed, in fantastic manner, as forbidding the exercise of the police power. This mighty and free republic should ever deal with all other states, great or small, on a basis of high honor, respecting their rights as jealously as it safeguards its own. The Monroe Doctrine receives lengthy consideration, as does also the appeal of Santo Domingo for assist ance which the president believes it is our duty to give. Tn treating of the subject of the army and navy the president favors a change in the method of promotion. He would promote officers on merit instead of by seniority, believing that this method would be conducive to bet ter efficiency than iu» one now in vogue. He also recommends an in crease In the coast artillery; the gar risoning of considerable bodies of troops at one place, and for an in crease and reorganization of the med ical service in both the army and navy. Naturalization Laws. legislation in line with the recommenda tions of the naturalization commission ap pointed by the president last March is asked for. These recommendations are given as follows: First. A federal bureau of naturaliza tion, to be established in the department of commerce and labor, to supervise the administration of the naturalization laws and to receive returns of naturalization pending and accomplished. Second. Uniformity of naturalization certificates, fees to be charged, and pro cedure. Third. More exacting qualifications for citizenship. Fourth. The preliminary declaration of intention to be abolished and no alien to bo naturalized until at least 90 days after tiling of his petition. Fifth. Jurisdiction to naturalize aliens to be confined to United States district courts and to such state courts as have jurisdiction in civil actions in which the amount in controversy is unlimited; in cities of over I'iO.OOO inhabitants the United States district courts to have ex clusive jurisdiction in the naturalization of the alien residents of such cities. Public Land Laws. Recommendations for changes in the pub lic land laws are made, and In this connec tion the president says: The creation of small irrigated farms under the reclamation act is a powerful offset to the tendency of cer tain other laws to foster or permit monopoly of the land. Under that act the construction of groat irrigation works has been proceeding rapidly and successfully, the lands reclaimed are eagerly taken up. and the prospect that the policy of national irrigation will accomplish all that was expected of it is bright. The act should be ex tended to include the state of Texas. The reclamation act derives much of its value from the fact that it tends to secure the greatest possible num ber of homes on the land, and to cre ate communities of freeholders, in part by settlement on public land, in part by forcing the subdivision of large private holdings before they can get water from, government irrigation works. The law requires that no right to the use of water for land In private ownership shall be sold for a tract exceeding 160 acres to any one land owner. This provision has excited ac tive and powerful hostility, but the success of the law Itself depends on the wise and firm enforcement of it. We cannot afford to substitute tenants for freeholders on the public domain. The greater part of the remaining public lands cannot be Irrigated. They are at present and will probably al ways be of greater value for grazing than for any other purpose. This fact has led to the grazing homestead of< t>4o acres in Nebraska and to the pro posed extension of it to other states. It is argued that a family cannot bo supported on ISO acres of arid grazing land. This is obviously true; but neither can a family be supported on '>4o acres of much of the land to which it is proposed to apply the grazing homestead. To establish universally any such arbitrary limit would be un wise at the present time. It would probably result on the one hand in enlarging the holdings of some of the great land owners, and on the other in needless suffering and failure on the part ,of a very considerable pro portion of the bona tide settlers who give faith to the implied assurance of the government that such an area is sufficient. The best use of the public grazing lands requires the careful ex amination and classification of these lands in order to give each settler land enough to support his family and no more. While this work is being done, and until the lands are settled, the government should take control of the open range, under reasonable reg ulation;) suited to local needs, follow ing the g< neral policy already in suc cessful operation on the forest re serves. It is probable that the present grazing value of the open public range is scarcely more than half what it once was or what it might easily be again under careful regulation. The- Immigration Question. Several recommendations looking to changes In the present Immigration laws are made, and he suggests that United States government agents pass upon Immi grants before they leave their native shores for this country. I le also recommends such changes In the laws as would not work a hardship 011 the educated Chinese coming into or visiting this country, but without ictlng down the bars to the Chinese coolie labor, and la this connection he says: liut in tiie effort to carry out the policy of excluding Chinese laborers, Chtne-e coolies, grave Injustice and wrong ha* ■ been done by this nation to the people ot Uhina. at' ! therefore ultimately to this na tion Itself. I'hli ese students, business ar.d professional m> n of all kinds— not only merchants, but hankers, doctors, nianufa - tuiers, professor*, travfer* and the like should be encouraged to come here and treated on precisely th. same footing tl ai we treat students, business men, trm e.ci 3 iiul the like of other nations our |i«. an I treat 1.-s shon.d be framed, rot so as to put the.- people in the except* | but to >tate that »e will admit ali Chii • except Chinese of th* coolie class, Chines • •kiiiod or unskilled iabortia. There wuu.4 not bo the least danger that any such pro-, vision would result In any relaxation of the law about laborers. These will, under all t conditions, be kept out absolutely. But it I will be more easy to see that both justice ami courtesy are shown, as they ought to be shown, to other Chinese, if the law or treaty is framed as above suggested. Ex aminations should be completed at the port of departure from (,'hina. For this purpose there should be provided a more adequate consular service in China than we now have The appropriations, both for the offices of tile consuls and for the office forces in the consulates, should be In creased. Insular Possessions. He treats at considerable length of condi tions in the Philippines, and recommends that the coastwise laws of the I'nited States as applied to the archipelago be sus pended until July 1, IPO9. He recommends the immediate fortification of Hawaii in order to conserve the interests of this coun try in the Pacilic. He also advocates thn adoption of legislation that will explicitly confer American citizenship on the peopia of Porto Rico, and on the general subject of insular affairs says: I wish also to call the attention of the congress to one question which affects our insular possessions generally; namely, the need of an Increased liberality in the treat ment of the whole franchise question in these islands, in the proper desire to pre vent the islands being exploited by specula tors and to have them develop In the inter est of their own people an error has been made in refusing to grant sufficiently lib eral terms to Induce the investment of American capital in the Philippines and in Porto Rico. Elsewhere in this message I have spoken strongly against the jealousy of mere wealth, and especially of cor porate wealth as such. But it Is particular ly regrettable to allow any such jealousy to be developed when we are dealing either with our insular or with foreign affairs. The big corporation has achieved its pres ent position In the business world simply because it is the most effective instrument in business competition. In foreign affairs we cannot afford to put our people at a dis advantage with their competitors by in any way discriminating against the ettlcien■ v of our business organizations, in the sama way we cannot afford to allow our insular possessions to lag behind in industrial de velopment from any twisted jealousy of business success. It Is. of course, a meio truism to sa\ that the business Interests of the islands will only be developed if it be come the financial Interest of somebody tt» develop them. Yet this development ls-one of the things most earnestly to be wished for in the interest of the islands themselves. We have been paying U possible heed to the political and educat onal Interests of the Islands, but, important though these ob jects are. It is not less important that wa should favor their industrial development. Th ■ government can in certain ways help this directly, as by building good roads; but the fundamental and vital help must be given through the development of tha industries o£ the Islands, and a most effi cient means to this end is to encourage bi,j American corporations to start Industries in them ar.d this means to make it advan tageous for them to do so. To limit tha ownership of mining claims as has been done In the Philippines is absurd. In treating of Alaska he asks that that.• territory be granted an elective delegate to congress, and of the territories of Okla homa. Indian territory, New Mexico ana Arizona he says: Admission to Statehood. I recommend that Indian territory and Oklahoma be admitted as one state and that New Mexico and Arizona be admitted as one state. There Is no obligation upon us to treat territorial subdivisions, which are matters of convenience only, as bind ing us on the question of admission to state hood Nothing has taken up more time in the congress during the past few years than the question as to the statehood to be granted to the four territories above mentioned, and after careful consideration of ail that has been developed in the dis cussions of tho question I recommend that they be immediately admitted as two states. There is no justification for further delay; and the advisability of making tha four territories into two states has been clearly established. In some of the territories the legislative assemblies issue licenses for gambling The congress should by law forbid this practice, the harmful results of which ara obvious at a glance. The Panama Canal. He refers to the Panama canal, but asida from asking for an immediate appropria tion do"s no', give any recommendations as to other legislation at this time, but prom ises a later communication which shall con tain the report of the board of engineers and his own conclusions as to the type of canal, on this subject he says: The American people is pledged to tha speediest possible construction of a canal adequate to meet the demands which tha commerce of the world will make upon it, and I appeal most earnestly to the con gress to aid in the fultillment of the pledge. Gratifying progress has been made during the past year arid especially during tho past four months. The greater part of the nec essary preliminary work has been done. Actual work of excavation could be begun only on a limited scale till the Canal Zor t was made a healthful place to live in anil to work in. The isthmus had to be sanitat ed first. This task has been so thoroughly accomplished that yellow fever has been virtually extirpated from tlie isthmus and general health conditions vastly improved. The same methods which converted tha Island of ''uba from a pest hole, which menaced the health of the world, into a healthful place of abode, have been app i -1 on the isthmus with satisfactory results. There is no reason to doubt that when tha plans for water supply, paving and sewer age of Panama and Colon and the large labor camps have been fully carried out, the isthmus will be. for the tropics, an un usually healthy place of abode. The work is so far advanced now that the health of all those employed in canal work is as well guarded as it is on similar work in this country and elsewhere. In addition to sanitating the isthmus, satisfactory quarters are being provided for employes and an adequate system of supplying them with wholesome food at reasonable prices has been created. Hos pitals have been established and equipped that are without superiors of their kind anywhere. The country has thus been made lit to work In, and provision has been made for the welfare and comfort of those who are to do the work During the past year a large portion of the plant with which the work is to be done has been or dered. It Is confidently believed that by the middle of the approaching > ear a sultl clont proportion of this plant will have been installed to enable us to resume the work of excavation on a large scale » What Is needed now and without delay is an appropriation by the congress to meet the current and accruing expenses of tha commission. The llrst appropriation cl tlo.uiu.UUO, out of the |135,0U0.U00 authorized b> the Spooner uct, was made three years ago. It Is nearly exhausted. There is barely enough uf it remaining to carry tha commission to the end of the year. Cniess the congress shall appropriate before that time all work must t. a.-e. To arrest prog ress i ir an> length of time now. whqn mat ters are advancing so satlsfa< t rlly, woutf be den ,11 able There wi lhenort.ine\ With wliuh to meet pay-roll obligations and nine with wblci. to meet Mils, mlngdll* for materials and supplies; an I tier- will V b-morallza' lon 1.1 11: foi'ees. lerea ad on the isthniUH i . w u rklngs.i harm nloiis.y and effective >, if there is . la> in glint ing an emergency appropriation The message closes with a rec mmenda tion for n. a« adequate 1 1: \ ssoi, fi r tho work of li.e * ate uepar*n.' nt, u: I a read just meat u| the »a.ai> list ul oui <!<(■. u (liters. 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers