RATES OF ADVERTISING! One Square, one inch, one week... 100 One Square, one inch, one month- 3 00 One Square, one inch, 3 months.... 5 00 One Square, one inch, one yew .... 10 00 Two Squares, one year. ............... 16 08 Quarter Column, one year 30 M Half Column, one year ..- 60 00 One Column, one year .. 100 00 Legal advertisements ten cents per line each insertion. We do fino Job Printing of every de scription at reasonable rates, but it's cash on delivery. ' Repuk , , . .uj A VaUi Strictly UliniM. o lured aa aeoond-olaM matter at tbe , S-offloe at Tionesta. Ho Bubsoriptlon received for a shorter period than three montha. Correspondence solicited, but no notloe will be taken of anonymous oommunica lions. Always give your name. VOL. XLI. NO. .38. TIONETSA, PA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1908. $1.00 PER ANNUM. BOROUGH OFFICER!. ' Burgess. J. T. Carson. Justices ufthe Peace C. A. Randall, D. W. Clark. Oouncttmen. J. W, Landers, J. T. Dale, O. T. Anderson, Wm. SmearbaUKh, E. W. Bowman, J. W. Jamieaon, W. J. Campbell. Countable Archie Clark. Collector W. H. Hood. School Director J. C. Soowden, R. M. Herman, Q Jainleeon, J. J. Landers, J. R. Clark, V. U. Wyman. FOREST COUNTY OFFICERS. Member of Congress "S. P. Wheeler. Member of Senate 3. K. P. Hall. Assembly W. D. Shields. President Judge W. M. Llndsey. Associate Judges F. X. Kreltler, P. C. Hill. Prothonotary, Register d Recorder, cte. -J. C. UelNt. Sheriff. A.. W. Stroup. Treasurer Ueo. W. Uoleman, Commissioners Leonard Agnew, An drew Wolf, I'hilip Einert. District Attorney A.. O. Brown. jury Commissioners J. B. Eden, H. II. MeClellan. Coroner l)r O. Y. Detar. County Auditors-George H. Warden, K. L. UauKh, 8. T. Carsnu. County Surveyor D. W. Clark. County Superintendent U. W. Morri son. Iteaalar Terms f Oaart. - Fourth Monday of February. Third Monday of May. Fourth Monday of September. Third Monday of November. Regular Meeting of County Commis sioners 1st and 3d Tuesdays of month. Church ana' Mabbala Ncaaal. Presbyterian Sabbath School at 9:46 a. m. t M. E. Sabbath School at 10:00 a. in. Preaching in M. E. Church every Sab bath evenuitc by Rev. W. O. Calhoun. Preaching in the F. M. Church every Sabbath 'evening at the usual hour. Rev. E. L. Monroe, Pastor. Preaching In the Presbyterian church everv Sabbath at 11:00 a. m. and 7:30 p. in. Rev. H. A. Bailey, Pastor. Tbe regular meetings of the W. C. T. V. are held at the headquarters on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each m nth. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. TT NENTA LOIN4E, No. 369, 1. 0. 0. F. 1 M(wt every Tuesday evening, in Odd Fellows' Hall, Partridge building. CAPT. UEORU B STOW POST. No. 274 Q. A, R. Meets 1st and 8d Monday evening in each month. CAPT. UEOKUE STOW CORPS, No. 137, W. R. C, meeU tirst and third Wednesday evening of each month. R ITCHKY CARRIOER. ATTORN KYS-AT-LAW, Tionesta, Pa. CURTIS M. 8IIAWKEY. ATTORN EY-AT- LA W, Warren, Pa. Practice in Forest Co. AO BROWN, ATTORN EY-AT-LAW Ollloeln Arner Building, Cor. Elm and Bridge St., Tionesta. Pa. FRANK S. HUNTER, D. D. 8 Rooms over Citizen Nat. Bank. I ION EST A, PA. D R. F.J. BOVARD, rnyslcian nurgeon, TIONESTA, PA DR. J. C. DUNN, tu vui'i a m i vnsinpni'flV and DRUGGIST. Office In Dunn A Fulton drim store. I'lonesla, fa. rroiess- 1 1 I i.. .1 In vonnntlflal tl at. fill Itmai uniit pnuii.ij iwjfn.uu hours of day or night. Residence Elm Hi., luree doors aoove iun . D R. J. B. BIGGINS. Physician and Surgeon, OIL CITY, PA HOTEL WEAVER, v a Wli'.A VKR. Prourietor This hotel, formerly the Lawrence House, uas undergone, a eoiupieujoimimo, aud is now furnished with al'. the mod ern improvements. Heated and lighted .. .,. ..Iw.iu wiili natural irnM. bathrooms. hot and cold water, etc. The com forts ol guests never negieoteu. CENTRAL HOUSE, G EROW A G EROW Proprietor. Ti...,.o I Tlila la Mia iiiostceiitrallv V llUllBQMlt . ' , . i. . , located hotel in the place, and lias all the n..Uri. ImtirnvnninntH. No DHIIIS Will be spared to make It a pleasant stopping place lor uie traveuuu; huu"u' class Lilvery in connection. DHIL. EMERT watjpv ROOT AHHOEMAKER. Shop over R. L. Haslet's grocery store on Elm street. Is prepared to do all .. nimiitn work from the fluent to the ooarsest and guarantees his work to give perfect sausiaeuon. rrouipi. tiou given to mending, and prices rea sonable. Fred. Grettenborger GENERAL BLACKSMITH & MACHINIST. All work pertaining to Machinery, En dues. Oil Well Tools, Gas or Water Fit- V. ... 1 ! l.,....illii.m IM..l.lTll . tings anuuenerai Diw-uiuituMig H. ly done at Low Rates. Repairing Mill ii...i.;nin .ri van h uncial attention, and IMCT1..1I1.".'. J p. ..r. , satisfaction guaranteed. Shop in rear of and lust west of the Shaw House, Tidioute, Pa. Your patronage solicited. KRED. GRETTENBERGER JAMES HASLET, GENERAL MERCHANTS. Furniture Dealers, AND UNDERTAKERS. TIONESTA. PENN Pa, August Mmc& OPTICIAN. Offict 4 7K National Bank Building, OIL CITY, PA. Eyes examlaed free. Exclusively optical. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE, Makes Annual Recommen1 dations to Congress. ATTACKS ANTI-TRUST LAW Sharrnan Act Should Be Amended ti Permit Combinations Which Arc U ths Interest of the Public, Says th President Urges Legislation t Safeguard the Wageworkers Dwelli on Need of Protection For Forests Views on the Army and ths Navy. Washington, Dec. 8. In his niessuge to cougress, rend to the two houses, the president mild: Tbe financial standing of the liutlou at the present ttme is excellent, nud tbo financial management of the na tion's interests by the government dur ing the Inst seven years has shown the Aiost satisfactory results. But oui currency system Is Imperfect, and It Is earnestly to lie hoped that the cur rency commission will be able to pro pose a thoroughly good system which wlil do away with the existing defects. During the period from July 1, l'.Kil, to Sept. 30, If" IS, there has been a net surplus of nearly one hundred millions of receipts over expenditures, a reduc tion of the Interest bearing debt by ninety millions, in spile, of the extraor dinary expense of the Panama cauul and a saving of nearly nine millions on the annual Interest charge. This la an exceedingly satisfactory showing. There lins been a reduction of taxa tion. Corporations. As regards the great corporations en gaged in Interstate business, and espe cially the railroads, I can only repeat what I have already again und again said lu my messages to the congress. I believe that under the Interstate clause of the constitution the L'nlted Slates lias complete and paramount right to control all agencies of inter state commerce, and I believe that the national government alone cun exer cise tills right with wisdom nnd ef fectiveness so as both to secure Justice from and to do Justice to the great corporations which are the most im portant factors in modern business. I believe that It Is worse than folly to attempt to prohibit all combinations, as Is done by the Sherman anti-trust law, because such a law can be en forced only Imperfectly nud unequal ly, and lis enforcement works almost as uiiich hardship as good. I strongly advocate that instead of an unwise effort to prohibit nil combinations there shall be substituted u law which shall expressly permit combinations which are In the Interest of the public, but shall at the same time give to some agency of the national government full power of control and supervision over them. One of the chief features of this control should be securing entire publicity In all matters which the pub lic has a right to know and, further more, the power, not by Judicial, but by executive, action to prevent or put a stop to every form of Improper fa voritism or other wrongdoing. The railways of the country should be put completely under the Interstate commerce commission and removed from the domain of the anti trust law. The power of the commission should be made thoroughgoing, so that it could exercise complete supervision and control over the issue of securities as veil as over the raising and lower ing of rales. As regards rates, nt least this power should be summary. Tow er to make combinations nnd traffic agreements should be explicitly con ferred upon the railroads, the permis sion of the commission being first gained nnd the combination or agree ment being published In all its de tails. The Interests of the sharehold ers, of the employees and of the ship pers should all be guarded as ngalust one another. To give any one or them undue and improper consideration Is to do Injustice to the others. Rates must be made as low as Is compatible with giving proper returns to all the employees of the railroad, from the highest to the lowest, and proper re turns to the shareholders, but they must not. for Instance, be reduced in such fashion as to necessitate a cut In the wages of the employees or the abolition of the proper and legitimate proilts of honest shareholders. Telegraph and telephone companies engaged iu interstate business should be put under the jurisdiction of the in terstutc commerce commission. Ample Rewards For Intelligence. It is to the interest of all of us that '.Lore should be a premium put upon individual initiative and individual cn purity and an ample reward for the reut directing intelligences alone com potent to manage the great business operations of today. It Is well to keep lu mlr.d that exactly as the anarchist is the worst enemy of liberty nnd the reactionary the worst enemy of order no the men who defend the rights of property have mrtt to fear from the wrongdoer:! of great wealth, and tho men who are championing popular rights have most to fear from the 'demagogues who lu the name of popu lar rights would do wrong to aud op press honest business men, honest men of wealth, for the success or euner type of wrongdoer necessarily Invites a violent reaction against the cause the wrongdoer nominally upholds. The opposition to government con U'vl of these great corporations makes Its most effective effort in the shape of an appeal to the old doctrine of states' rights. The proposal to make the nation i) government supremo over, and there fore to give it complete control over, the railroads und other Instruments of interstate commerce is merely a pro posal to carry out to the letter one of the prime purposes, If not the prime purpose, for which the constitution was founded. It does not represent centralization. I believe that the jnore farsighted corporations are themselves coming to recognize the unwisdom of the violent hostility they have displayed during the last few yeurs to regulation and control by the uationat government of combinations engaged In Interstate busi ness. Labor. There ure many matters affecting la bor and the status of the wageworker to which I should like to draw your attention. As far as possible I hope V see a frank recognition of the ad vantages conferred by machinery, or ganization und division of labor, ac companied by an effort to bring about a larger share In the ownership by wugeworker of railway, mill and fac tory. In farming this simply means that we wish to see the farmer own his own land. We do not wish to see the farms so large that they become the property of absentee landlords who form them by tenants nor yet so smalt that the farmer becomes like u Euro pean peasant. The depositors In our savings banks now number over one-tenth of our en tire population. These are all capital ists who through the savings banks loan their money to the workers that Is, iu many cases to themselves to carry on their various industries, rostal savings banks will muke it easy for the poorest to keep their savings in absolute safety. The regulation of the national highways must be such that they shall serve all ieople with equal Justice. Corporate flnnuces must be supervised so as to make It far safer than at present for the man of small means to invest his money in stocks. There must be prohibition of child labor, diminution of woman la bor, shortening of hours of all me chanical labor. Stock watering should be prohibited, and stock gambling, so far as is possible, discouraged. There should be a progressive inheritance tax on large fortunes. Industrial edu cation should be encouraged. Protection For Wageworkers. There Is one matter wlih which tho congress should deal at this session. There should no longer be nuy palter ing with the question of taking care of the wageworkers who, under our present industrial system, become kill ed, crippled or worn out as part of the regular Incidents of a given business. The object sought for could be achiev ed to a measurable degree, as far as those killed or crippled are concerned, by proper employers' liability laws. As far as concerns those who have been worn out, I call your attention to the fact that definite steps toward pro viding old age pensions have been taken In many of our private indus tries. - rending a thoroughgoing investiga tion nnd action there is certain legis lation which should be enacted at once. The law passed at the last ses sion of the congress granting com pensation to certain classes of em ployees of the government should bo extended to Include all employees of tho government nnd should be made more liberal in Its terms. In this re; spect the generosity of the l'nlted States toward lis employees compares most unfavorably with that of every country In Europe even the poorest. The terms of the act are also a hardship In prohibiting payment in cases where the accident Is in any way due to the negligence of the em ployee. It Is inevitable that dally fa miliarity with danger will lead men to take chances that can be construed into negligence. I renew my recommendation made in a previous message thut half holU days be granted during the summer to all wageworkers in government em ploy. I. also renew my recommendation thnt the principle of tho eight hour day should as rapidly aud as far as practicable be extended to the entire work being carried on by the govern ment. The Courts. I most earnestly urge upon the con gress the duty of Increasing the totally inadequate salaries now given to our judges. On the whole, there is no body of public servants who do as valuable work nor whose moneyed reward Is so Inadequate compared to their work. lieglnning with the su preme court, the Judges should have their salaries doubled. It Is earnestly to be desired that some niethi d should be devised for do ing away with the long delays which now obtain in the administration of Justice and which operate with pecul iar severity against persons of small means and favor only the very crimi nals whom It Is most desirable to pun ish. At the last election certnlu leaders of organized labor made n violent and sweeping attack upon the entire Ju diciary of the country, an attack couched In such terms ns to Include the most upright, honest and broad minded Judges no less than those of narrower mind and more .restricted outlook. Last year before the house committee u the judiciary these same labor leaders formulated their de mands, specifying the bill that con tained them, refusing all compromise, stating they wished the principle of that bill or nothing. They Insisted on a provision that In a labor dispute no Injunction should Issue except to pro tect a property right and specifically provided that the right to carry oi business should not be construed as i property right, and in a second pro vision their bill made legal lu a laboi dispute any act or agreement by oi between two or more persons thai would not have been unlawful if dou( by a single person. In other words this bill legalized blacklisting and boy cotting lu every form. The demand was made that there should be trial by jury In contempt cases, thereby most seriously Impairing the authorltj of the. courts. All this represented a course of policy which, If curried out; would mean the enthronement of clasi privilege in its crudest and most brutal form and the destruction ol one of the most essential functions ol the Judiciary In all civilized lauds. The wageworkers, the workingmen, the laboring men of the country, by the way In which they repudiated the ef fort to get them to cast their votes in response to an appeal to class hatred have emphasized their sound patriotism and Americanism. Courts Imperiled by Judge. But the extreme reactionaries, the persons who blind themselves to the wrongs now aud then committed by the courts on laboring men, should also think seriously ns to what such a movement as this portends. The courts ore Jeoparded primarily by the action of these federal and state Judges who show inability or unwill ingness to put n stop to the wrong doing of very rich men under modern Industrial conditions. There are certain decisions by va rious courts which have been exceed ingly detrimental to the rights of wageworkers. This Is true of all the decisions thut decide that men and women arc by the constitution "guar anteed their liberty" to contract to enter a dangerous occupation, or to work nu undesirable or improper num ber of hours, or to work In unhealthy surroundings, aud therefore cannot re cover damages when maimed iu that occupation aud cannot be forbidden to work what the legislature decides Is an excessive number of hours, or to carry ou the work under conditions which tho legislature decides to be unhealthy. There is also, 1 think, ground for tho belief that substantial injustice is often suffered by employees In couse- quencc of the custom of courts Issu ing temporary injunctions without no tice to them nnd punishing them lor contempt of court In Instances where, as a matter of fact, they have no knowledge of any proceedings. Pro vision should be made that no Injunc tion or temporary restraining order Issue otherwise than ou notice, except whore Irreparable Injury would other wise result, and in such case a hear ing on the merits of the order should be had within a short fixed period, and If not then continued after hear ing it shouK forthwith lapse. Deci sions should be rendered Immediately and tbe chance of delay minimized in every way. The courts are to be highly com mended and sinncbly upheld when they set their faces against wrong doing or tyranny by a majority, but they are to bo blamed when they full to recognize under a government like ours the deliberate judgment of the majority ns to n matter of legiti mate policy when duly expressed by the legislature. The people should not be permitted to pardon evil and slipshod legislation on the theory that the court will set It right. They should be taught that the right way to get rid of a bad law Is to have the legislature repeal It nnd not to have the courts by Ingenious hair splitting nullify It. People Themeelvei to Blame. For many of the shortcomings of Justice iu our country our people as a whole are themselves to blame, nnd the Judges nnd Juries merely bear their share together with the public as a whole. It Is discreditable to ns as a people that there should be difficulty In convicting murderers or In bringing to justice men who as public servants have been guilty of corruption or who have profited by the corruption of pub lic servants. The huge wealth that has been ac cumulated by a few individuals of re cent years, in what has amounted to a social nnd Industrial revolution, has been as regards some of these Individ uals made possible only by the Improp er use of the modern corporation. Cor porations are necessary Instruments of modern business. They have been per mitted to become a menace largely be cause the governmental representatives of the people have worked slowly In providing for adequate control over them. Real damage has been done by the manifold and conflicting interpreta tions of the Interstate commerce law. Control over the great corporations do ing Interstate business can be effective only If It Is verted with full power in an administrative department, a branch of the federal executive, carrying out a federal law. .. It can never be ef fective If a divided resxnslbllity is left in- both the states and the nation. It can never be effective If left In the bands of the courts to be decided by lawsuits. The courts hold a place of peculiar nnd deserved sanctity under our form of government. Respect for the law is essential to the permanence of our in stitutions, and respect for the law is largely conditioned upon respect for the courts. Rut we must face the fact that there are wise and unwise Judges, Just as there are wise and unwise ex ecutives nnd legislators. When a president or governcr behaves Improp erly or unwisely the remedy Is easy, for his term is short. The same Is true with the legislator, although not to the same degree. With a Judge who, being hitman, Is also likely to err, but whose tenure Is for life, there Is no lilmllar way of holding him to resiionMblllry. ruder ordinary condi tions the only forms of pressure to which he Is in any way amenable an public opinion nnd the action of bit fellow Judges. It Is the last which li most immediately effective and U which we should look for the reform of abuses. Foreeti. If there is any one duty which more than another we owe It to our children and our children's children to perform at once It Is to save tbe forests ol this country, for they constitute the first and most Important element in the conservation of the natural re sources of the country. Shortsighted persons, or perso'it blinded to the future by desire to make money iu every way out of tbe present, sometimes speak as if no great damage would be done by the reckless destruction of our forests. It Is difficult to have patience with the arguments of these persons. Thanki to our own recklessness In the use ol our splendid forests, we have already crossed the verge of a timber famine In this country, and no measures that we now take can, at least for many years, undo the mischief that has al ready been done. But we can prevent further mischief being done, and It would be In the highest degree repre hensible to let any consideration ol temporary convenience or temporary cost Interfere with such action, espe cially as regards the national forests, which the nation can now at this very moment control. The president here cites in support of his contentions the great destruc tion wrought lu China by the denuda tion of the forest areas. What has thus happened in northern China, what has happened in central Asia, In Palestine, In north Africa, lu parts of the Mediterranean countries of Europe, will surely happen In our country If we do not exercise that wise forethought which should be one of the chief marks of any people call ing Itself civilized. Nothing should be permitted to stand in the way of the preservation of the forests, and it is criminal to permit Individuals to pur chase a little gain for themselves through the destruction of forests when this destruction Is fatal to the well being of the whole country In tho future. Inland Waterways. Action should be begun forthwith, during the present session of congress, for tho improvement of our Inland waterways-action which will result iu giving us not only navigable but navigated rivers. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars upon these waterways, yet the traffic on nearly all of them Is steadily declin ing. This condition Is the direct re sult of the absence of any compr hcnslve and farseelng plan of. water way improvement. Obviously we can not continue thus to expend the rev enues of the government without re turn. It Is poor business to spend money for Inland navigation unless we get it. Such shortsighted, vacillating and fullle methods are ucconipauled by de creasing water borne commerce and Increasing traffic congestion on land, by Increasing Hoods and by the waste of public money. The remedy lies In abandoning tho methods which have so signally failed and adopting new ones in keeping with the needs and demands of our people. In a report on a measure introduced at the first icssioii of the present con gress the secretary of war said, "The chief defect in the methods hitherto pursued lle-i lu the absence of execu tive authority for originating compre hensive pluus covering the country or natural divisions thereof." In this opinion I heartily concur. Until the work of river Improvement Is undertaken In a moderu way it can not have results that will meet the needs of tills modern nation. These needs shou'd be met without further dilly-dallying or delay. The plan which promises the best and quickest results Is that of a permanent commission au thorized to co-ordinate the work of all the government departments relating to waterways and to frame and super vise the execution of a comprehensive plan. The time for playing with our waterways Is past. The couutry de mands results. National Parka. I urge that all our national parks ad jacent to national forests be placed completely under the control of the forest service of the agricultural de partment, Instead of leaving them, as they are now, under the Interior de partment and policed by the army. Pure Food. The pure food legislation has already worked o benefit difficult to overesti mate. " Secret Service. Last year an amendment was Incor porated Iu the measure providing for the secret service which provided that there should be no detail from the se cret service and no transfer therefrom. It Is not too much to say that this amendment has lieen of benefit only, and could lie of benefit only, to the crimlnnl classes. The amendment In question was of benefit to no one ex reptlng to criminals, nnd It seriously hampers the government lu the detec tion of crime and the securing of Jus tice. It prevents the promotion of em ployees lu the secret service, and this further discourages good effort. In its present form the restriction operates only to tlie advantage of the criminal, of the wrongdoer. The chief argument In favor of the provision was that the congressmen did not themselves wish to lie investi gated by secret service men. Very lit tle of such Investigation has been done in the past, but It Is true that the work of the secret service agents was partly responsible for tin; Indictment and con viction of a senator and a congressman for land frauds In Oregon. I do not b'.-Meu- that It Is lu the public Interest to protect criminals lu any branch of the public service, and exactly as we have again nnd again during the past seven years prosecuted and convicted such criminals who were in the executive,- branch of the government so iu mjvbelicf we should lie given ample meuus to prosecute them If found In tbe legislative branch. But If this Is not considered desirable special ex ception could lie made lu the law pro hibiting the use of the secret service force In Investigating members of the congress. It would lie far better to do this than to do what actually was done aud strive to prevent or at least to hamper effective action against crim inals by the executive branch of the government n Postal Savings Banks. I again renew my recommendation (or postal savings bunks, for deposit ing savings with the security of the government behind them. The object Is to encourage thrift and economy In the wage earner and person of mod erate means. It Is believed that In the aggregate vast sums of money would be brought into circulation through the Instrumentality of the postal sav ings banks. Postal savings banks arc now in operation In practically all the grent civilized countries with the ex ception of the l'nlted States. Parcel Post. In my last annual message I com mended the postmaster general's rec ommendation for an extension of the parcel post on the rural routes. The establishment of a local parcel post on rural routes would be to the mu tual benefit of the farmer and the country storekeeper, and It Is desirable that the routes, serving 'more than 13, onn,(KiO people, should be utilized to the fullest practicable extent. Education. The share that the national govern ment should take lu the broad work of education has not received the atten tion and the care It rightly deserves. I earnestly recommend that this un fortunate state of affairs as regards tho national educational office be rem edied by adequate appropriations. Census. I strongly urge that the request of the director of I lie census In connec tion with the decennial work so soon to be begun be compiled with and that the appointments to the census force be placed under the civil service law, waiving the geographical requirements ns requested by the director of the census. The supervisors mid enumer ators should not be appointed under the civil service law for the reasons given by the director. Publio Health. The dangers to public health from food adulteration and from many oth cr sources, such as the menace to the physical, mental and moral develop ment of children from child labor, should be met and overcome. This nn tion cannot afford to lag behind iu the worldwide battle now being waged by all civilized people Willi the micro scopic foes of mankind. The first leg islative step to lie taken Is that for the concentration of the proper bureaus into one of the existing departments. Statehood. I advocate the immediate admission of New Mexico und Arizona as states. This should be done at the present ses sion of the congress. The people of the two territories have made it evi dent by their voles that they will not come In as one state. The only alter native is to admit them as two, and I trust Unit this will be done without delay. Foreign Affairs. This nation's foreign policy Is based on the theory that rigid must be done between nations precisely as between Individuals, and lu our actions for tho last ten years we have lu thhi matter proved our fallli by our deeds. Wo have behaved and are behaving to ward other nations as iu private life an honorable man would behave toward bis fellows. Latin American Republics. The commercial and material prog ress of the twenty Latin American re publics Is worthy of the cu refill atten tion of the congress. No other section of the world has shown n greater pro portionate development of Its foreign trade during the last ten years, and none other has more special claims ou the Interest of the United States. Panama Canal. The work on the Panama canal Is be ing done with a speed, efficiency und entire devotion to duty which make It a model for all work of the kind. No task of such magnitude has ever before I ice n undertaken by any nation, und no task of the kind has ever been better performed. The men on the Isthmus, from Colonel (ioethals and his fellow commissioners through the entire list of employees who are faithfully doing their duty, have won their right to the ungrudging rcspecf and gratitude of tho American people. Ocean Mail Lines. I again recommend the extension of the ocean mall tu t of lN'.M so that sat isfactory American oceau mall lines to South America. Asia, the 1'hlllppincs and Australasia may be established. The creatioM of such steamship lines should be the natural corollary of the voyage of the battle fleet. It should precede the opening of the Panama canal. The Philippines. Ileal progress Inward self govern ment is being made iu the Philippine Islands. The gathering of a Philippine legislative body und Philippine assem bly marks u process absolutely new In Asia, not only as regards Asiatic colo nies of European powers, but as re gards Asiatic possessions of other Asi atic powers, and Indeed, always ex cepting the striking and wonderful ex uuipte afforded by the great empire of Japan, it opens nu entirely new de parture wheu compared with anything which has happened among Asiatic powers which are their own masters. We have given the Filipinos constitu tional government, a government based upon justice, and we have shown that , we have governed theim for their good and not for our aggrandizement. At the present time, ns duriug the past ten years, the Inexorable logic ol facts shows that this government must be supplied by us nnd not by them, We must be wise and gener ous. We must help tbe Filipinos t master the difficult art of self con trol, which Is simply another name fol self government. Hut we cannot give them self government save in th sense of governing them so that grad ually they may, If they are able, lean) to govern themselves. No ono cun prophesy the exact date when it wll be wise to consider independence a a fixed and definite policy. Porto Rico. I again recommend that American citizenship be conferred upon the peo ple of Porto ltico. Cuba. Iu Cuba our occupancy will cease in about two mouths' time. The Cubans have In orderly niuuiier elected their, own governmental authorities, and tb Island will be turned over to them. Our occupation ou this occasion has lasted a little over two years, aud Cuba has thriven and prospered under It. Our earnest hope nud one desire is that the people of the Island shall now govern themselves with Justice, so that peace nnd order tuny be se cure. The Fleet's Reception. I take this opportunity publicly ta state my appreciation of the way In which In Japan, hi Australiu, in New Zealand uud iu all the states of South America the buttle fleet bus been re ceived ou Its practice voyage around the world. The American government cannot too strongly express its appre ciation of the abounding and geuerous hospitality shown our ships In every port they visited. The Army. As regards the army, I call attention to the fact that, while our junior offi cers and enlisted meu stand very blgb, the prcseni system of promotion by seniority results lu bringing into the higher grades many men of mediocre capacity who have but u short time to serve. No man should regard it as his vested right to rise to the highest rank in the army any more than In any other profession. Tlie scope of retiring boards should be extended so that they could con sider general uufituess to command for any cause lu order to secure a fur more rigid enforcement than at pres ent in tho elimination of otllOTs for mental, physical cr tcmperamcntul disabilities. But this plan is recom mended only if the congress dos not see fit to provide what In my Judg ment Is far better that is, for selec tion in promotion and for elimination m i or age. Now thai the organized militia, the national guard, has been Incorporated with the army us a part of tho national forces it behooves tlie government to do every reasonable thing In Its pow er to perfect Its efficiency. A bill Is now pending before the congress creating o number of extra officers hi the army, which. If passed, as It ought to be, will enable more of ficers to be trained as Instructors of national guard and assigned to that duty. There should be legislation to pro vide a complete plan for organiz ing the great body of volunteers be hind the regular army nud national guard when war bus come. Whllo teams representing tlie l'nlted Stutes won the rifle and revolver champion ships of the world against all comers In England this year, it is unfortunate ly true that the great lody of our citi zens shoot less and less as time goes on. To meet this we should eucourage ri llc practice among schoolboys and Indeed among all classes, us well as in the military services, by every means in our power. The Navy. I approve tlie recommendations of the general board for the Increase of the navy, culling especial attention to the need i f additional destroyers and colliers and, above all, of the four bat tleships. It Is desirable to complete os soon as possible a squadron of eight battleships of (lie best existing type. The North Iiakota, licluwure, Florida and I'tah will form the first division of this squadron. I most earnestly recommend that the general board be by law turned Into a general staff. There Is literally no excuse whatever for continuing the present bureau organization of the navy. The navy should be treated as a purely military organization, and everything should be subordinated to the one object of securing military efficiency. A system of promotion by merit, either by selection or by ex clusion or by both processes, should be Introduced. Nothing better for the mivy from every standpoint has ever occurred than the cruise of the battle fleet around the world. The Improvement of the ships In every way has been ex traordinary, and they have gained far more experience In battle tactics than they would have gained If they had stayed In the Atlantic waters. 1 do not believe that there Is any other service In the world III which the average of character and efficiency In the enlisted meu Is ns high as is now the case In our own. I bcllevo that tle same statement run be made as to our officers, taken as a whole, but there must be a reservation made In regard, to those In the highest ranks and lu regard to ftiose who have Just entered' 1 tllt MltPCti'l, ItKlMlllWl. Wll llik ll.tt ll.MV get full benefit from our cxccllcut Mual M hoij at Annapolis,.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers