PRESIDENT'S
ANNUAL MESSAGE
I'rgt-s Same Justice in Black and
White Races—Educate All Class
es —Against Corporation Cam
paign Funds —Preachers of Dis
content Scored.
' Washingtan, I). C . l>ec. 4
President Roosevelt in his annual
message again urges the enactment of
n law prohibiting corporations from
contributing to campaign funds. He
: Iso urges ihe passage of the measure
i >nferring upon the government the
right of appeal in criminal cases on
• |iiestion< of law. Continuing, the
president says:
I cannot too strongly urge the pas
age of the bill in question. A failure
to pass it will result in seriously ham
pering tlie government in its effort to
• htain justice, especially against
wealthy individuals or corporations
who do wrong, aud may also prevent
'he government from obtaining justice
for eworkers who are not thetn
elves able effectively to contest a case
where the judgment of au inferior
•out has been against them. I have
spe< ilic: lly in view a recent declelon
by a district Judge leaving railway
employees without remedy for viola
tion of a certain so called labor statute.
The i ;nportauce of enacting into law
the particular bill iu question Is fur
ther increased by the fact that the gov
eriMi'ent has now definitely begun a
pol •> of resorting to the criminal law
iu tl ose trust and Interstate commerce
case where such a course offers a rea
sonal le chance of success.
Proper Ise of injunctions.
In my lust message I suggested the
enactment of a law in connection with
the issuance of injunctions, attention
having beeu sharply drawn to the mat
ter by the demand that the right of ap
plying injunctions lu labor cases
should be wholly abolished. It la at
least doubtful whether a law abolish
ing altogether the use of Injunctions
in such cases would stand the test of
the courts, in which case, of course, the
legislation would be Ineffective. More
over, I believe It would be wrong alto
gether to prohibit the use of Injunc
tions. It is criminal to permit sym
pathy for criminals to weaken our
hacdi iu upholdiug the law, and If
men seek to destroy life or property
by ir.ob violence there should be no Im
pairment of the power of the courts to
deal with them lti the most summary
and effective way possible. But so
far as possible the abuse of the power
should be provided against by some
such law as I advocated lust year
Affalnst Lynching.
1 call your attention and the atten
tion of the nation to the prevalence of
crime among us and, above all, to the
epidemic of lynching aud mob violence |
that springs up now in one part of our j
country, now in another. Each sec
tion, north, south, eust or west, has |
""Its ovn faults. No'section can with ;
wisdom spend its time jeering at the
faults of another section. It should be
busy trying to amend its own short
comings. To deal with the crime of
corruption it is necessary to have an
awakened public conscience and to
supplement this by whatever legisla
tion will add speed aud certainty In
the execution of the law. When we
deal with lynching even more is neces
sary. A great many white men are
lynched, but the crime is peculiarly
frequent In respect to black men. The
greatest existiug cause of lynching is
the perpetration, especially by black 1
men, of the hideous crime of rape, the
most abominable in all the category '
of crimes, even worse than murder.
Lawlessness grows by what it feeds
upon. und when mobs begin to lynch
for rape they speedily extend the
sphere of their operations and lynch
for many other kinds of crimes, so that
two-thirds of the lynchings are not
for rape at all, while a considerable
proportion of the individuals lynched
are innocent of all crime.
There is but one safe rule In dealing
with black men as with white men.
It is the same rule that must be ap
plied lu deuliug with rich meu aud
poor men—that is, to treat each man,
whatever his color, his creed or his so
cial position, with even handed Justice
on his real worth as a man. White
people owe ii quite us much to them
selves us to the colored race to treat
well the colored man who shows by
his life that he deserves such treatment.
There Is no question of social equality
or negro domination involved.
In my judgment, the crime of rape
should always be punished with death,
as is the case with murder. Assault
with intent to commit rape should be |
made a capital crime, ut least in the
discretion of the court, and provision
should be made by which the punish
ment may follow immediately upon
the heels of the offense.
No more shortsighted policy can be
Imagined than In the fancied Interest
of one class to prevent the education
of another class. The white man, if
he is wise, will decline to allow the
negroes in a mass to grow to man
hood and womanhood without educa
tion.
"Preachers of Mere Discontent."
In dealing with both labor aud cap
ital, with the questions affecting both
corporations and trades unions, there
Is one matter more Important to re
member than aught else, and that Is
the Infinite harm done by preachers of
mere discontent. These are the men
who seek to excite a violent class ha
tred against all men of wealth. They
seek to turn wise and proper move
ment® for the better control of corpora
tions and for doing away with the
abuses connected with wealth Into a
campaign or nysiericai excuemeui auu
falsehood iu which the aim Is to in
flame to madness the brutal passions
of mankind. The sinister demagogues
and foolish visionaries who are always
eager to undertake such a campaign
of destruction sometimes seek to as
sociate themselves with those worklDg
for a genuine reform in governmental
end social methods and sometimes mas
ouerade as such reformers. Iu reality
they nr» the worst enemies of the
cause they profess to advocate, just as
the purveyors of sensational slander In
newspaper or magazine are the worst
enemies of all meu who are engaged in
au honest effort to better what Is W
In our social and governmental condi
tions.
Corruption is never so rife as In com
munities where the demagogue aud the
; 'itator bear full sway, because in
Mich communities all moral bands be
come I >osened, and hysteria and seusa
l m.il : i replace the spirit of sound
judgment and fair dealing as between j
man an I man. lu sheer revolt against j
flie squalid anarchy thus produced men
are su;v in the end to turn toward any
n der v ho can restore order, and then
'r relief at being free from the In
-'c burdens of class hatred, Ylo
ience ami deuiagogv is such that tuey
cannot for some time 1 >«» aroused to in
dignation against misdeeds by men of
wealth, so that they permit a new
growth of the very which wore
lu p-irt responsible for the original out
lne.iU The one hope for success for
our people lies in a resolute aud fear
less but sane and cool headed advance
alonn the path marked out last year
by this very congress. There must be
a stern refusal to be misled Into fol
lowing either that ba«e creature who
appeals ami panders to the lowest lu
stiucis end passions in order to arouse
one set of Americans against their fel
lows or that other creature, equally
base, hut no baser, who in a spirit of
greed or to accumulate or add to an
already huge fortune seeks to exploit
his fellow Americans with callous dis
regard to their welfare of aoul and
body. The man who debauches others
In order to obtain a high office stands
011 an evil equality of corruption with
the man who debauches others for
financial profit, and when hatred is
sown the crop which springs up can
only be evil.
The plain people who think—the me
chanics, farmers, merchants, workers
with head or hand, the men to whom
American traditions are dear, who love
their country and try to act decently
by their neighbors—owe it to them
selves to remember that the most dam
aging blow that can be given popular
government is to elect au unworthy
and sinister agitator on a platform of
violence and hypocrisy.
Kullroail Employees' Honrs.
I call your attention to the need of
passing the bill limiting the number of
hours of employment of railroad em
ployees. The measure is a very moder
ate one, and I can conceive of no seri
ous objection to it. Indeed, so far as
it is in our power, it should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number of hours
of labor, with as a goal the general In
troduction of an eight hour day. There
are industries in which it Is not pos
sible that the hours of labor should
be reduced. Just as there are communi
ties not far enough advanced for such
a movement to be for their good, or, if
in the tropics, so situated that there is
no analogy between their needs and
ours In this matter. On the isthmus
of Panama, for instance, the condi
tions are in every way so different
from what they are here that an eight
hour day would be absurd, just as it
is absurd, so far as the isthmus is con
cerned. where white labor canuot be
employed, to bother as to whether the
necessary work is done by alien black
men or by alien yellow men. Rut the
wageworkers of the United States are
of so high a grade that alike from the
merely industrial .standpoint and front
the civic standpoint it should be our
object to do what we can in the direc
tion of securing the general observance
of an eight hour day.
Let me again urge that the congress
provide for a thorough investigation
of the conditions of child labor and of
the labor of women In the United
States. The horrors incident to the
employment of young children In fac
tories or at work anywhere are a blot
on our civilization.
In spite of all precautions exercised
by employer* there are unavoidable ac
cidents and even deaths involved in
nearly every line of business connect- |
ed with the mechanic arts. It is a
great social injustice to compel the em- j
ployee, or. rather, the family of the
killed or disabled victim, to bear the
entire burden of such an inevitable
sacrifice. In other words, society shirks
its duty by laying the whole cost on
the victim, whereas the injury comes
from what may l>e called the legitl- j
mate risks of the trade. Compensation
for accidents or deaths due in auy line
of Industry to the actual conditions un
der which that industry is carried on
should be paid by that portion of the
community for the benefit of which
the industry is carried on—that is. by
those who profit by the Industry. If
the entire trade risk is placed upon the
employer, he will promptly and prop
erly add it to the legitimate cost of pro
duction and assess it proportionately
upon the consumers of his commodity
It is therefore clear to my mina tnat
the law should place this entire "risk
of a trade" upon the employer.
Capital and labor Disputes.
Records show that during the twen
ty years from Jan. 1, 18*1, to Dee. 31,
1900, there were strikes affecting 117,-
509 establishments, and (i,100,»i94 em- |
ployees were thrown out of employ
ment. During the same period there
were 1.005 lockouts, involving nearly
10,000 establishments, throwing over
1,000,00u people out of employment.
These strikes and lockouts involved au
estimated loss to employees of $307,-
000.000 and to employers of $143,000,-
000, a total of $150,000,000. The public
suffered directly and indirectly prob
ably as great additional loss.
Many of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required t<i
appear before an unprejudiced bod}
representing the nation and, face t«
face, state the reasons for their con
tentlon. The exercise of a Judicial
spirit by a disinterested body repre
senting the fecjral government, such
as would be provided by a commission
on conciliation and arbitration, would
tend to crei'te an atmosphere of friend
liness and conciliation between con
tending parties.
Control ol lurpuratloii*.
It caunot too often be repeated that
experience has conclusively shown the j
Impossibility of securing by the actions j
of nearly half a hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way of dealing with the
great corporations which do not oper
ate exclusively within the limits of
uny one state. In some method, wheth
er by a national license law or in other
fashion, we must exercise, and that at
an early date, n far more complete
control than at present over these great
corporations—a coutrol that will, among
other things, prevent the evils of ex
cessive overcapitalization and that will
compel the disclosure by each big cor
poration of its stockholders and of its !
pr ipertlea mid business, whether own
ed directly or through subsidiary or
a filiated corporations. This will tend
to put n stop to the securing of Inor
dinate profits by favored individuals at
the expense whether of the general
public, the stockholders or the wage
workers. Our effort should be not so
much to prevent consolidation as such,
but so to supervise and control it as
to see that It results in no harm to the
people.
Combination of capital, like combina
tion of labor. Is a necessary element of
our present industrial system. It Is
not possible completely to prevent It,
aud if it were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body politic. What we need Is not
vainly to try to prevent all combina
tion. but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision of
the combinations as to prevent their
injuring the public or existing In such
form as Inevitably to threaten Injury,
for the mere fact that a combination
has secured practically complete con
trol of a necessary of life would undvt
Ouj circumstances snow such
combination was to be presumed to be
adverse to the public interest. It Is
unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
of sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil. Re
bates, for instance, are as often due to
the pressure of big shippers (as was
shown In the investigation of the
Standard Oil company and as has been
shown since by the investigation of
the tobacco and sugar trusts) as to the
initiative of big railroads. Often rail
roads would like to combine for the
purpose of preventing a big shipper
from maintaining improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and
of the general public. Such a combina
tion, Instead of being forbidden by law,
should be favored. In other words, it
should be permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these agree
ments were sanctioned by the Inter
state commerce commission and were
published With these two conditions
complied with it is impossible to see
what harm such a combination could
do to the public at large.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government has long
derived its < hief revenue from a tariff
ou imports and from au internal.or ex
cise ta\. In addition to these, there is
every reason why, when next our sys
tem of taxation is revised, the national
gorernmc if sh ntld impose a graduated
inhc it i! c tax and. if possible, a grad
uated income tax.
I mii v..-II aware that such a subject
i i iii needs 1 >ng and careful study in
orde;* that the people may become fa
miliar with what is proposed to be
done, iii y clcar'y see the necessity of
l-rocec lug with wisdom and self re
.-ira'nt aud may make up their minds
ju. t how fur they are willing togo in
tite matter, while only trained legisla
tors can work out the project lu neces
sary detail Rut I feel that lu the near
future our national legislators should
enact a law providing for a graduated
inheritance 112 :x by which a steadily in
creasing rale of duty should be put
upon ad iii j.seys or other valuables
coming by gift, bequest or devise to
any indivi lual or corporation. There
cau be no question of the ethical pro
priety of the government thus deter
mining the conditions itpou which nu.v
gift or inheritance should be received.
As the law now stands it Is undoubt
edly difficult to devise a national in
come tax which shall be constitutional.
Rut whether it is absolutely impossible
is another question, and if possible it
is most certainly desirable. The first
purely income tax law was passed by
the congress In 1801, but the most im
portant law dealing with the subject
was that of 1594. This the court held
to be unconstitutional.
The question is undoubtedly very in
tricate. delicate and troublesome. The
decision of the court was only reached
oy one majority, it is me urw oi mc
land and of course 's accepted as such
and loyally obeyed by all good citizens.
Nevertheless the hesitation evidently
felt by the court as a whole in coming
to a conclusion, when considered to
gether with previous decisions on the
subject, may perhaps indicate the pos
sibility of devising a constitutional in
come tax law which shall substantially
accomplish the results aimed at. The
difficulty of amending the constitution
is so great that only real necessity can
justify a resort thereto. Every effort
should be made in dealing with this
subject, as with the subject of the
proper control by the national govern
ment over the use of corporate wealth
in interstate business, to devise legis
lation which without such action shall
attain the desired end. but if this fails
there will ultimately be no alternative
to a constitutional amendment.
Industrial Training.
Our Industrial development depends
largely npou technical education. In
cluding in this term all industrial edu
cation, from that which fits a man to
be a good mechanic, a good carpenter
or blacksmith to rhat which fits a man
to do the greatest engineering feat
The skilled mechanic, the skilled work
man, can best become such by tech
nical industrial education. The far
teaching usefulness of Institutes of
technology aud schools of mines or of
engineering Is now universally ac
knowledged, and no less far reaching
Is the effect of a good building or me
chanical trades school, a textile or
watchmaking or engraving school.
In every possible way we should help
the wage worker who tolls with his
hands and who must (we hope In a
constantly increasing measure) also
toil with bis brain. Under the ooustitu
tlon the national legislature can do but
little of direct importance for his wel
fare save where he is engaged in work
which permits it to act under the In
terstate commerce clause of the consti
tution, and this is one reasou why I
so earnestly hope that both the legis
lative and judicial branches of the gov
ernment will construe this clause of
the constitution in the broadest possi
ble manner.
The Farmer.
The only other persons whose wel
fare is as vital to the welfare of the
whole country as Is the welfare of the
wageworkers nre the tillers of the soil,
the farmers.
Several factors must co-operate in
the improvement of the farmer's con
dition. He must have the chance to
be educated In the widest possible
sense, in the sense which keeps ever in
view the Intimate relationship between
the theory of education and the facts
of life.
Organize t m has become necessary
in the business world, aud It has ac
complished much for good in the world
of labor. It Is no less necessary for
farmers. Such a movement as the
grange movement Is good in itself and
is capable of a well nigh Infinite fur
ther extension for good so long as It Is
kept to Its own legitimate business.
The benefits to be derived by the as
sociation of farmers for mutual ad
vantage are partly economic and part
ly sociological.
IrrlKHtlou HII* Korent I'renervation.
Much is now beinjt done for the
states of the Rocky mountains and
great plains through the development
of the national policy of irrigation and
forest preservation No government
policy for the betterment of our inter
nal conditions has been more fruitful
of good than this.
Divorce Legislation.
I am well aware of how difficult it Is
to pass a constitutional amendment.
Nevertheless, in my judgment, the
whole i|uestion of inarriaire and di
vorce should be relegated to the au
thority of the national congress. The
change would be »od from every
standpoint. In particular it would be
good because it vould confer ou the
congress the pow« r at once to deal
radically and efficiently with polygamy,
aud I his should be done whether or
not marriage anil divorce are dealt
with. It is neither safe nor proper to
leave the question of polygamy to be
dealt with by the several stale*.
Merchant Uni-tiie.
Let me once aga i<i cull the attention
of the cougress tj two subiacts con-
I cerulng which 1 have frequently We
' fore communicated with them. One Is
the question of developing American
shipping. I trust that a law embody
ing In substance the views or a major
part of the views expressed In ttie re
port on this subject laid before the
house at its last session will be passed.
It seems to me that the proposed meas
ure is as nearly unobjectionable as any
can be.
The Currency.
I especially call your attention to the
second subject, the condition of our
currency laws. The national bank act
has ably served a great purpose in aid
lng the enormous business develop
ment of the country, and witiiin ten
years there has been an Increase in
circulation per capita from $21.41 to
$33.08. For several years evidence has
i been accumulating that additional leg
islation is needed. The recurrence of
each crop season emphasizes the de
fects of the present laws. There must
soon be a revision of them, because
to leave them as they are means to in
cur liability of business disaster. Since
your body adjourned there has been a
fluctuation in the interest on call
money from 2 per cent to 30 per cent,
and the fluctuation was even greater
during the preceding six months. The
secretary of the treasury had to step
! In and by wise action put a stop to the
j most violent period of oscillation.
I do not press any especial plan. Va
rious plans have recently been pro
posed by expert committees of bank
ers. Among Die plans which are possi
j bly feasible and which certainly should
' receive your consideration is that re
' peaieuij orougnT IO your attention ov
the present secretary of the treasury,
l the essential features of which have
been approved by many prominent
bankers and business men. According
, to this plan, national banks should be
permitted to issue a specified propor
tion of their capital in notes of a given
kind, the issue to be taxed at so high
a rate as to drive the notes b:ick when
not want' 1 in legitimate trade. This
plan would not permit the issue of
currency to give banks additional prof
its. but to meet the emergency present
ed by times of stringency.
I do not say that this is the right sys-
I teni. I only advance it to emphasize
I my belief that there is need for the
adoption of some system which shail
■ be automatic and open to all sound
' bank; «o as to avoid all possibility of
| discrimination and favoritism.
I The law should be amended so as
I specifically to prov'de that the funds
I derived from <-r, t ni's duties may be
j treated by the s<» r< t iry >f the treas
j ury as he treats '"iimls obtained under
i the internal revenue laws. There
j should be a cousV.-rnide increase in
j bills of small deno: lijutions. Permis-
I sion should ' • given banks, if necessa
ry under settled restrictions, to retire
their circulation to a larger amount
than three millions a mouth.
Our OutlyinK ro**«***ion*.
I mosr earnestly h ipe that the bill to
provide a lower tari V for or else abso
lute free trade in Philippine products
will become a law. No harm will come
to any American industry, and, while
there will be s ene small but real mate
rial benefit to the Filipinos, the main
benelit will come by the showing made
as to O;T; - purpose to do all in our power
for their welfare.
I'urlo Iticnu Minim.
American citizenship should be con
ferred on tiie citizens of Porto Rico.
The harbor of San Juan, in Porto Rico,
should be dredged and improved. The
expenses of the federal court of Porto
Rico should be met from the federal
treasury.
HIWHII.
The needs of Hawaii are peculiar.
Every aid should be given the islands,
and our efforts should be unceasing to
develop them along the lines of a com
munity of small freeholders, not of
great planters with cooly tilled es
tates.
AlaNkn.
Alaska's needs have been partially
met. but there must be a complete re
organization of the governmental sys
tem, as I have before indicated to you.
I ask your especial attention to tills.
Our fellow citizens who dwell on the
shores of Puget sound with character
istic energy are arranging to hold in
Seattle the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific ex
position. This exposition in its pur
poses and scope should appeal not only
to the people of the Pacitic slope, but
to the people of the I'nited States nt
large.
MiKlila of
Not only must we treat all nations
fairly, but we must treat with justice
and good will all immigrants who come
here under the law. Whether they are
Catholic or Protestant, Jew or gentile,
whether they come from England or
Germany, Russia, Japan or Italy, mat
ters nothing. All we hare a right to
question is the man's conduct. If he
Is honest and upright in his dealings
with his neighbor and with the state,
then he Is entitled to respect and good
treatment. Especially do we need to
remember our duty to the stranger
within our gates. It is the sure mark
of a low civilization, a low morality, to
abuse or discriminate against or in any
way humiliate such stranger who has
come here lawfully and who is con
ducting himself properly. To remem
ber this is incumbent on every Amer
ican citizen, and it is of course pecul
iarly incumbent on every government
official, whether of the nation or of
the several states
I aui prompted to say this by the
attitude of hostility here and there as
sumed toward the Japanese in this
country. This hostility is sporadic and
Is limited to a ver.\ few places. Never
theless it is most discreditable to us
as a people, and it may be fraught
with the gravest cot, sentiences to the
nation
I ask fair treatment for the Japanese
as I would ask fair treatment for Ger
mans or Englishmen. Frenchmen, Rus
sians or Italians. I ask it as due to
humanity and civilization. I ask it as
due to ourselves, because we must act
uprightly toward all men. 1 recom
mend to the congress that an act be
passed specifically providing for the
naturalization of Japanese who come
here Intending to become American cit
izens. One of the great embarrass
ments attending the performance of
our International obligations is the
fact that the statutes of the United
| States are entirely inadequate. They
j fail to give to the national government
I sufficiently ample power, through Unit
; ed States courts and by the use of the
j army and navy, to protect aliens in the
rights secured to them under solemn
treaties which are the law of the land.
1 I therefore earnestly recommend that
the criminal and civil statutes of the
I'nited States bp so amended and add
ed to as to enable the president, acting
*t >r the United States government.
which Is responsible in our interna
! tional relations, to enforce the rights
1 of aliens under treaties.
Tlie CUIMIII Mailer.
Last August an insurrection broke
out in Cuba which it speedily grew evi
dent that the existing Cuban govern
ment was powerless to quell. Thanks
to the oreunrtMiness of our nnvi I
was able immediately to send enough
skips to Cuba to prevent the situation
from becoming hopeless, and I fur
thermore dispatched to Cuba the sec-'
retat \ of war and the assistant secre
tary of state in order that they might ,
grapple with the situation on the 1
ground.
11l accordance with the so called I
I'latt amendment, which was embod
ied in the const it ution of Cuba. I there
upon proclaimed a provisional govern
ment for ti.e island, the secretary of
war nctirg a< p: (visional governor tin- j
til he could lie replaced by Mr. Ma goon, j
the late deist. , 112 Panama and gov- •
ernor of the ••anal zone on the isthmus, j
Troops were sent to support them and I
to re! eve the navy, the expedition be ■
ing handled with most satisfactory
speed and efficiency Peace has come ■
in the island, and the harvesting of the )
sugar cane crop, the great crop of the |
island, is about to proceed. When the !
election lins been held and the new
government inaugurated in peaceful
and orderly fashi >n the provisional
government will come to an end.
The tinted Si ntes wishes nothing of
Cuba except that it shall prosper mor
ally and on terially ?nd wishes nothing
of the I'ltban- :ive that they shall be
able to pi 'i-ve older among them
selves and ' refore to preserve their
independence. If the elections become
a farce and it' the insurrectionary habit
becomes confirmed on the island it la
absolutely out of the question that the
island should continue independent,
and the I nited States, which bus as
sumed the sponsorship before the civ
ilized world for Cuba's career as a na
tion, would again have to intervene
and to <ee that the government was
managed in such orderly fashion as to
secure the safety of life and property.
Tlic llio Conference.
The second international conference
of American republics, held in Mexi
co in tlie years l!>nl-02, provided for
the holding of the third conference
within five years and committed the
fixing of the time and place and the
arrangements for the conference to the
governing board of the bureau of
American republics, composed of the
representatives of all the American
nations in Washington. That board
discharged the duty imposed upon
it with marked fidelity and pains
taking care, and upon the courteous
invitation of the I'nited States of Bra
zil tin' conference was held at Rio da
Janeiro, continuing from the 23d of
July to the 2!tfh of August last. Many
subjects of .-0111111011 interest to all the
American nations were discussed by
the conference, and the conclusions
reached, embodied in a series of reso
lutions and pro.i >sed conventions, will
be laid before you upon tlie coming of
the final report of the American dele
gates.
I'll un ma Trip.
I have just returned from a trip to
Panama and shall report to you at
length later on the whole subject of the
Panama canal.
Tlie AlgeciriiN ( (invention.
The Algeciras convention, which was
signed by the I'nited States as well as
by most of the powers of Europe, su
persedes the previous convention of
lsso, which was also signed both by
the United States and a majority of
the European powers. This treaty
confers upon us equal commercial
rights with all European countries and
does not entail a single obligation of
any kind upon us, and I earnestly hope
it may be speedily ratified.
Senliti if.
1 lie destruction of the Pribilof Is
land fur seals by pelagic sealing still
continues. The herd, which, according
to the stirve y made in 1574 by direc
tion of the congress, numbered 4,700,-
000, and which, according to the sur
vey of both American and Canadian
1 ,tMiii.ii'iti. has now been reduced to
about 180,000. This result has been
brought about by Canadian and some
other sealing vessels killing the female
seals while in the water during their
annual pilgrimage to and from the
south or in search of food.
The proc ss of destruction has been
accelerated during recent years by the
appearance of a number of Japanese
ves-els engaged ill pelagic sealing.
Suitai.i- representations regarding
tlie incident have been made to the
gov •ruivent of Japan, and we are as
sured that all practicable measures will
be taken by that country to prevent
any recurrence of the outrage.
We have not relaxed our efforts to
secure an agreement with (ireat Brit
ai:i for a >■ a ate protection of the seal
herd a ill ii ■ .rations with Japan fori
the same pm'p are iu progress.
Tlie laws t'.r the protection of the
seals within the jurisdiction of the
United Slates need revision and
amendment.
Second liiiKue Conference.
In my last message I advised you
that ih • emperor of Russia had taken ,
tlu> initiative in bringing about a sec- i
ond peace conference at The Hague.
Pnder the guidance of Russia the ar
rangement of the preliminaries for !
such a conference lias been progressing
during i!i ■ past year. Progress has j
necessari y been slow, owing to the
great n uli -1- of countries to be eon
suited ii; o every question that has
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arisen, n is a laairer or sansiacuo..
that all of the American republics have
now. for the tirst time, been invited to
join iu the pr >po ed conference.
Vrm > *i ml Nat >.
ft must ever lie kept in mind that
war i- not merely justifiable, but iin
perative upon lion >rable men, upon an
honorable nation where peace can
only IK- obtained by the sacrifice of
conscientious conviction or of national
we'fare.
Tlie I'nited St; tes navy is the surest
guarantor of pe. ee which this country
possesses. I tl • not ask that we con
tinue to incraa ■ our navy. I ask
merely that it le maintained at its
present strong:h. and this can be done
only if we reflate tlie obsolete and out
worn 'lias by n ■ and good ones, the
equals of any all ' in any navy. To
si iji buil'li"g she- j - , r one year means
that for that ye r tiie navy goes hack
Instead off > war .
In b i*h l!: an y and the navy there
Is urge,:t i:eed i ; everything possible
should be don.* ! > maintain the highest
stand.::il i ir the personnel alike as re
gards ilie oiticei :. 11 the enlisted men.
I do not believe that in any service
there is a liner body of enlisted men
and of i:i::i ir otliivi 4 than we have in
both the ar:i y :• i: i the navy, including
tlie ma i' lie c i o
West Point an.l Anaapolis already
turn o es. .•I'.-at i.Mcers. We do not
need • • haw tl • iho ils made more
schiila. 'e. i a the i::!rary. we should
never lose • V tot the fact that the
aim of en ' -ho ii ,s to turn out a
man wh > shall be above everything
else ali li:in :ma a.
Ther ■ !i . id soon be an increase In
the nun.' e: if me i fur our coast de
fenses. The ;e men should be of the
right type and property trained, and
there sh ml:' il e;v;' v> be an Increase
nf pry t" a- e Tt iin skilled grades, espe
cially in thee ei artillery. Money
should l e appro;»i in ted I i permit troops
to be mas !in l..i!y and exercised in
Dinneevers. par; ularly in marching.
A r.'AGIC MIRROR
«*. V» i F Ii (LIE >IOOJI and
> it Mil ml
A | rettj . i rii i ? can be uiuilft
with !i I i: iv..• .my night when
the; o i.-- a i ■;! 1 i on Hold the mirror
tit l!. t the urn age will be seen
In it and ymi v i.i lie surprised to see
four moiiis instead of one. One moon
\<;!! he very brivhf. but the other three
will I • in a stiaig'ii line and quite dull,
one i.uli image on ti • si 'e of the bright
i. . ,:i r.iiil tie (i her two on the other
i. .e. Turn th • mirror round slowly,
stiii I. ildi; g it< face to the inoon, and
lite ic le • ;i> will seem to revolve
f.'uU.l a c ~.,;11111■ center.
Von can i al; ' the same experiment
ivi.h one of the very bright stars,
s's-h : r rius Venus or Jupiter, but
whb te -e there will be three Images
e d of fi.tii'. as the number seen de-
P .us on t e breadth of the object
she e\, I:" ; ii ui is quite simple. There
u'e two s ttr'aces in a mirror, one In
f;',mf anil fie other whore the quick
silver i The brightest reflection
corn s ~a the object itself, the other#
.rev. h t re k:i e.vn as secondary im
■ie r : 'e! ' I fr un the front to th«
uack oi' tV nllrr ir and thence to the
•ye 'j he t. agic mirror never falls to
ex ite a o I deal of wonder, and is an
ini-re T'u.g e\p<>nn • nt as well.—Lou
ton < hrnnicle
Hs-il Uliltr Wine.
"A mi-apjii 'hensionabout the strength
of red an t white wines exists," said a
vine grower. "Because red wine has
a darker, richer look people think it Is
more intoxicating. The opposite, real
ly, is the case. Red wines are made
by fermenting grape juice, skins and
seeds together. White wines are
made by fermenting juice alone. In
the skins and seeds there is a lot of
tannin, and red wine contains much
tannin, while white wine contains
none. This tannin, an astringent,
closes the pa -, of the stomach and
prevents the alcohol in the red wine
from entering the blood freely and
goiim. as the saving is, to the head.
White wine, champagne for instance,
tn t an n. and hence its intoxicat
ing pr p i' ies are much more keenly
t-> lie l eared than those of the tannin
'i |.*it roil -a inc." Philadelphia Buile
The Home Paper
of Danville.
|
:
Of course you read
If. ■ Ml..
i: I'
1 1 !
«i ! I
THE HEOPLE'S I
POPULAR
I APER.
i
Everybody ds Jt.
i
Publisher !:verv iWoi : Kxcept
Surula\
!
J I
I
No. II L. M.'. 1 :. ng-St.
Subscription ■ r \S ,-x.
J
THE LIBERTY CAP.
Its Sicniilrniicr Away Buck *o
Mh rl> Urerk Times.
l'ro;ii \ i«'<wl\ times one of the dis
tinguishing murks of a slave, both ID
(irt'f 112 and oriental countries general
ly. was tin* lack of any covering for
tlr.' head. Accordingly the cap came to
Ire considered t!te insignia of liberty,
a,id when slaves were given their free
rtom they were presented with a cap as
311 emblem of it. In Sparta the helot 9
wore a cap of dogskin, and this waa
reckoned a badge of servitude, but
upon gaining their freedom this waa
replaced by a cap of a different ma
terial. of another shape and ornament
ed with [lowers. A similar custom
was observed in Home, where the pres
entation of the pileus, or cap, was al
ways :i part of the ceremony of manu
mitting a slave; hence arose the prov
ei >. Servos ad pileum vocare." Also
<m ir.edals tlie cap is the symbol of lib
erty and is usually represented as be
iJi*r l.ield in the right hand by the point
Y» hen a cap was exposed to the peo
ple's view on the top of a spear, as in
the of the conspiracy against Cae
s.ir, it was intended as a public invi
tation to them to embrace the liberty
that was offered them. The Goddess
of Liberty on Mount Aventime was
represented as holding a cap la her
hand :;s a symbol of freedom. The
Jacobin* - ore a red cap during the
French revolution, and In England a
blue cap with a white border Is used
as a symbol of liberty. The custom
which prevails among university stu
dents of wearing a cap is said to have
had its origin iu a wish to signify that
the wearers had acquired full liberty
and were no longer subject to the rod
of their superiors.
Old French Bonfire.
Probably the strangest detail re
corded of the old midsummer eve bon
fires is one in connection with those
that used to be lighted In the Palace
de fiiwi- in Par's. The main constitu
ent of the bontire was a tree, which the
king was accustomed to lire with his
own hands, the ashes being afterward
carried home by the people for good
luck Louis XIV. was the last king
who did his part. A mysterious item
of earlier Lines was the burning in the
bontire of a barrel, bag or basket full
ot cats. Tie re isters of Paris show
that a imn -.ins were paid to an
official f»r having provided during
t.iree year <l-".TI 7.'!> "all the cats re
quired, as n nal, for the lire," and also
in oie year, when tlie king was pres
cut. "a 112 >x. to give pleasure to his
majesiy in I i.»r having provided a
great liW'.i in which the said
■ •■•its we ••• " I. >;i .on Chronicle
T ACKAWANNA RAILROAD
" - BLOOMSBDRtt DIVISION
Delaware Lackawanna and Westert
Railroad.
In Effect Jan. 1, 1905.
TRAINS LEAVE DANVILLE
EASTWARD.
7.07 a. in.daily tor Bloomsburg, Kingston
Wtlkes-Barre aud Scranton. Arriving Stuu
ton at 9.1U a. m., and connecting at Scrantoi
with trains arriving at Philadelphia at 8.48 a
m.and New York uity at 3.30 p. in.
10.1H a. in. weekly for Bloomsburg. Kingston
\Vllkes-Barre.Scranton and intermediate sta
tions, arriving at Scranton at 12.85 p. in. anf
connecting th„-re with trains for New York
City, Philadelphia aud Buffalo.
2.11 weekly forßloomaburg,Kingston, Wiikei
Barre, scranton and Intermediate stations
arriving at Scranton at 4.. R io p. m.
5.43 p. m. dally for Bloomsburg, Espy, Piy
mouth. Kingston, Wilkes-Barre, rittston
Scranton and Intermediate stations, arriving
at Scranton at 5.25 p. m.and connecting ther«
with trains arriving at New York City at 0.5
a- m., Philadelphia 10 a. m.and Buffalo 7a na
TRAINS ARRIVE AT DANVILLE
9.15 a.m. weekly from Scranton, Bittston,
Kingston, Rloirnsbnrgnr.d Intermediate sta
t.n.r,, 'envlp.i' '•Vnint'iii ;»i 1.15 n. m., where II
.'•■iiaictK with irains eaviug Mew York City
at 9..t0 p u» , I'nltadelplii lit 7 tig p.m. and
Huffaloat 111.30 a n».
12.11 p. m.daily iroin scranton Plttston,
Kingston, Berwlcli, Bloomsburg and interme
itatestations 'ea\ing Scranton at 10.10 a.m.
and connecting there witii irain 'eaving Bufl
aitatlUa m.
!.:« )>. in. weeklv oni Scranton. Kingston.
Berwick. Bloomsburg and intermediate sta
lions, leaving Scranton at 1.55 p. iu„ where It
•••nine ts with train leaving New York Cltj
■ l to 00 h. m„ ami Philadelphia at 9.00 a. m.
ii.fl." p m daily from Scranton. Kingston
Plttston. Berwick. Bloomsburg and interme
dial) stations, leaving Sera ton at 6.35 p. m.,
where II connects with trainH leaving New
YorkCliyatl.OOp.m., Philadelphia at lii.Ot
ii. na. and Buflolo at 9.31 a. rn.
1 K. CI.AKKK, Ocn'l Snp't.
T. W. I.EK. (ion Pass. Agl.
li|l I
liWU
Ife want to flo ali
Ms of Priming
If
, 11
ii
ITS M.
II «il HMt
ll'S MM)
A. well pri?;N .
tasty, Bill or J.e
\t / ter Head, Posi ■
A/A Ticket, CircM'];:»
>V< Program, Sta'e
L>l ment or Card
(V ) an advertisemen
for your business, v
satisfaction to you
leu Type,
M Presses, x ,,
Best Paper,
Skilled fort, " '
Promptness-
Wl y>u can ask
A trial will mate
you our customer.
We respectfully usl
that trial.
No. it H. Mahoning