PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE President Roosevelt lu tils annual message again urges the enactment of a law prohibiting corporations from contributing to campaign funds. lie also urges the passage of the measure conferring upon the government the right of appeal In criminal cases on questions of law. Continuing, the president Buys; I cannot too strongly urge the pas sage of the bill In question. A failure to pass It will result In seriously bum pering the government In Its effort to obtain Justice, especially against wealthy Individuals or corporations who do wrong, and may also prevent the government from obtaining Justice for wageworkers who are not them selves able effectively to contest n case where the Judgment of ail Inferior court has been against them. I have specifically In view a recent decision, by a district Judge leaving railway employees without remedy for viola tlon of a certain so called labor statute The Importance of enacting Into law' the particular bill In question Is fur ther Increased by the fact that the gov ernment has now definitely begun a policy of resorting to the criminal law In those trust and Interstate commerce cases where such a course offers a rea sonable chance of success. Proper Use of Injunctions. In my last messoge I suggested the enactment of a law In connection with the Issuance of Injunctions, attention having been sharply drawn to the mat ter by the demand that the right of ap plying Injunctions In labor cases should be wholly abolished. It Is 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 hands In upholding the law, and If men seek to destroy life or property by mob violence there should be no Im pairment of the power of the courts to deal with them In 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 nd vacated last year. . ' ' i Against' lirnctilnsv ' I 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 and mob violence that springs up now In one part of our country, now In another. ' Each sec tion, north, south, cast or west, has Its own 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 and 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 existing cause of lynching Is the perpetration, especially by black 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, and 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 lynchlngs 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 In dealing with rich men and 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 It quite as much to them selves as to the colored race to treat well the colored man who shows by his lil'e that he deserves such treatment. There is no question of social equality or negro domination Involved. In my Judgment, the crime of rape shculd always be punished with death, as is the case with murder. Assault with intent to commit rape should be made a capital crime,' at 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 pe is wise, will decline to allow the negroes la a mass to grow to man hood and womanhood without educa tion. " I PKekm of Mora Discontent." . ' In dealing with both labor and 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 ments for the better control of corpora tions and for doing away with the abuses connected with wealth Into a campaign of hysterical excitement and falsehood in 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 working for a genuine reform in governmental " and social methods aud sometimes niits-.-ptorade as such reformers. In reality they are the worst enemies of the cause they profess to advocate. Just as the puiveyors of sensational slander In newspaper or magazine are the worst enemies of all men vrfiosre engaged in an honest effort to better what Is bad In our social and governmental condi tions. Corruption Is never so rife as In com munities where the demagogue and the agitator bear full sway, because In ruch communities all moral bands be come looseuul, and hysteria and sensa tionalism replace the spirit of sound Judgment and fair dealing as between man and mnn. In sheer revolt against the squalid anarchy thus produced men are sure In the end to turn toward any leader who can restore order, and then their relief at being free from the In tolerable burdens of class hatred, vio lence and demagogy Is such that they cannot for some time be aroused to In dignation against misdeeds by men of wealth, so that they permit a new growth of the very abuses which were In part responsible for the original out break. The one hope for success for our people lies In a resolute and fear less but sane and cool headed advance along the path marked out last year by this very congress. There must be a stern refusal to be misled Into fol lowing either that base creature who appeals and panders to the lowest In stincts and passions in order to arouse one set of Americans against their fel lows or that other creature, equally base, but 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 soul and body. The man who debauches others In order to obtain a high office stands on an evil equality of corruption with the man who debauches others for financial profit, aud when hatred Is sown the crop which springs up can only bo 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 owo It to them selves to remember that the most dam aging blow that can be given popular government Is to elect an unworthy and Sinister agitator on a platform of violence and hypocrisy. Railroad 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 cannot be employed, to bother as to whether the necessary work Is done by alien black men or by alien yellow men. But the wageworkers of the United States are of so high a grade that alike from the merely Industrial standpoint and from 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 employers 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 InJusth-c to compel the em ployee, or, rather, t'ie 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 lujv.ry comes from what may be called the legiti mate risks of the trade. Compensation for accidents or deaths due In any line of Industry to the actual conditions un der which that industry is carried on hou.J 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 mployer, he will promptly and prop erly add It to ibe legitimate cost of pro duction and assess It proportionately upon the consumers of his commodity. It Is therefore clear to my mind that the law should place this entire "risk of a trade" upon the employer. Capital ana Labor Dlspntes. Records show that during the twen ty years from Jan. 1, 18S1, to Dec. 31, 1900; there were strikes affecting 117, 609 e-jtabllshnients, and 6,105,694 em ployees were thrown out of employ ment During the same period there were 1,005 lockouts, involving nearly 10,000 establishments, throwing over 1,000,000 people out of employment. These strikes and lockouts Involved an estimated loss to employees of $307, 000,000 and to employers of $143,000. 000, a total of $450,000,000. The public suffered directly and Indirectly prob ably as great additional loss. Many of these strikes and lockouts ivould not have occurred had the par ses to the dispute been required to appear before an unprejudiced body representing the nation and. face to face, state Jhe reasons for their con- tentloa The exercise of a Judicial spirit by a disinterested body repre senting the federal government, such as would be provided by a commission on conciliation and arbitration, would tend to create on atmosphere of friend liness aud conciliation between con tending parties. Control of Corporations. It cannot too often be repeated that experience has conclusively shown tho Impossibility of securing by the actions 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 any one state. In some method, wheth er by a national license law or lu other fashion, we must exercise, and that at an early date, a far more complete control than at present over these great corporations a control 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 properties and busluoss, whether own ed directly or through subsidiary or affiliated corporations. This will tend to put a 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, and If It were possible such completo 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 under any circumstances show that such combination was to be presumed to be adverse to the public interest. It is unfortunate that our preseut laws should forbid all combinations Instead of sharply discriminating between ilij'se combinations which do good and thpse combinations which do evil. Re bates, for instauce, are as often due to ije pressure of big shippers, (us was shown in the Investigation, of ..the ;: iindard Oil company and as has been shown since by the ' investigation of the tobacco and sugar trusts) us 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 agreed mcuts were sanctioned by the Inter state commerce commission and were published. . With these two conditions compiled with It Is Impossible to see what harm such a combination could i'd to the public at large. Inheritance and Income Tax. The national government has long "'..'rived Its chief revenue from a tariff r.i Imports and from an Internal or ex ' I s? tax. In addition to these, there Is every reason why, when next our .sys tem of taxation Is revised, the national jivernmeni should Impose a graduated Inheritance tax and, if possible, a grad uated Income ts. ," I am well aware that such a subject a i this needs long and careful study In (.r that tlie people may become fa Mlt'ar with what Is proposed to be .lone, may clearly see the necessity of proceeding with wisdom and self re .U'jlnt aud may make up their minds Just how far they are willing to go in lhe matter, while only trained legisla tors enn work out the project In neces sary detail. But I feel that lit tho near future our national legislators should e-inct n law providing tor a graduated .'r.hcritanee tax by which ft steadily In creasing ite of duty should be put r.pm all moneys or other valuables coining by gift, bequest or devise to :'.m,v Individual or corporation. There can be no questlou of the ethical pro priety of the government thus deter mining the conditions upon which any gift or Inheritance should be received. A the law now stands It Is undoubt e !!y difficult 1 1 devise a national In come tax which shall be constitutional. !'."t 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 I'.ie congress In 1SG1, but the most Im portant law dealing with the subject was that of 1894. 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 by one majority. It Is the law of the land and of course Is 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 iu dealing with this subject as with the subject of the proper control by the -national govern ment over the use of corporate wealth lu Interstate business, to devise legis lation which without such action shall attain the desired end, but If this falls there will ultimately bo no alternative (o a constitutional amendment. Industrial Training. Our industrial development depends largely upon 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 that 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 reaching usefulness of Institutes of technology nnd schools of mines or of engineering Is now universally ac knowledgcd, and no less far reaching Is tho effect of n good liclldlng or me chanical trades .school, a textile or watchmaking or engraving school. In every possible way we should help the wageworker who tolls with his bands and who must (we hope lu a constantly Increasing measure) also toil with his brain. Under the constitu tion the national legislature can do but little of direct importance for his wel fare save where ho is engaged In work which penults It to act raider, the In terstate commerce clause of tho consti tution, and this Is one reason why I so earnestly hope that both the legis lative and Judicial branches of the gov eminent 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 are the tillers of the soil, the farmers. Several factors must co-operate In tho Improvement of the farmer's con dition, lie must have the chance to be educated In the widest posslblo sense. In the sense which keeps ever hi view the Intimate relationship botween tho theory of education and the facts of life. Organisation has beeomo necessary In the business world, and 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 nnd 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. Irrigation and Forest Preservation. Much Is now being done for the stntes 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 bur Inter nal conditions has been more fruitful of good than this. ' ' ". . . . Divorce Lea-lsfcatlom 1 am well aware of how dlflicult It Is to pass a constitutional amendment. Nevertheless, In my Judgment, the whole question of marriage and di vorce should be relegated to the au thority of the national congress. The change would be good from every standpoint. In particular It would be good because It would confer on the congress the power at once to deal radically and efficiently with polygamy, and this should be done whether or not marriage and divorce are dealt with. It Is neither safe nor proper to leave the questlou of polygamy to be dealt with by the several states. Merchant Marine. Let me once again call the attention of the congress to two subjects con cerning which I have frequently be 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 the 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 Cnrrency. I especially call your atlentlon to th3 second subject, the condition of our currency laws. The national bank act has ably served a great purpose In aid ing the enormous business develop ment of the country, and within ten years there has been an Increase In circulation per capita from $21.41' to $."3.08. For several years evidence has been accumulating th-.t 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 fuetuatlon 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 bad to step In and by wise action put a stop to the 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 the plans which are possi bly feasible and which certainly should receive your consideration Is that re peatedly brought to your attention by the present secretary of the treasury, the essential features of which have lwen 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 back when not wanted In legitimate trade. This plan would not permit tho Issue of currency to give banks additional prof Its, but to meet the emergency present ed by times of stringency. I do not Bay that tills Is the right sys tem. I only advance It to emphasize my belief that there is need for the adoption of some system which shall be automatic and open to all sound banks so as to avoid all possibility of discrimination and favoritism. Tha law should be amended so as specifically to provide that the funds derived from customs duties may be treated by the secretary of the treas ury as he treats funds obtained under the Internal revenue laws. There Bhonld be a considerable Increase in bills of small denominations. Permis sion should bo given banks, If uccessa ry under settled restrictions, to retire their circulation to a larger amoiin than three millions a month. Oar Outlylna- Possessions. I most earnestly hope that the bill to provide a lower tariff for or else abso lute free trade In Philippine products will become a law. No harm will come to nny American Industry, and, while there will bo somo sir.a'l but real mate rial benefit to the Filipinos, the main benefit will come by the showing made as to our purpose to do all In our power for their welfnre. Porto Rlcan Affairs. American citizenship should be con ferred on tho citizens of Porto Itlco. The harbor ot- San Juan, In Porto Rico, should be dredged and Improved. Tho expenses of the federal court of Porto Rico should be met from the federal treasury. Hawaii, The needs of Hawaii are pcculiur. 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. Alaska. 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 this. 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 Pacific slope, but to the people of the United States at large. Rights of Aliens. 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 nothings All we have 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 be Is entitled to respect and good treatment ' Especially do we need to remember . ;our- duty to the ' stranger within our pares. 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 am 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 very few places.' Never theless It Is most discreditable to us as a people, and It may be fraught with the gravest consequences to the nation. I ask fair treatment for the Japanese as I would nsk fair treatment for Ger mans or Fluff ilimeti. Frenchmen, Rus sians or Italians. 1 ask It as due to humanity nnd civilization. I osk It as due to ourselVos, because' we must act uprightly toward all men. I 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 thu statutes of the United Stntes are entirely Inadequate. They fall to give' to the national government sufficiently ample power, through Unit ed States courts and by the use of the army and navy, to protect aliens In the rights secured to them under solemn treaties which ore the law of the land. I therefore earnestly recommend that the criminal and civil statutes of the United States be so amended and add ed to as to enable the president, acting for the United States government which Is responsible In our Interna tional relations, to enforce the rights of aliens under treaties. The Cuban Matter. I.nst 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 preparedness of our navy, I was able Immediately to send enough rWps to Cuba to prevent the situation from becoming hopeless, and I fur thermore dispatched to' Cuba the sec retary of war and the assistant secre tary of state In order that they might grapple with the situation on the ground. . In accordance with the so' called1 Piatt amendment, which was embod ied in the constitution of Cuba, I there upon proclaimed a provisional govern ment for the Island, the secretary of war acting as provisional governor un til he could be replaced by Mr. Magoon, the late minister to Panama and gov ernor of the canal cone on the Isthmus. Troops were sent to support them and to relieve 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 has been held and the new government Inaugurated in peaceful and orderly fashion the provisional government will come to an end. The United States wishes nothing of Cuba except that It shnll prosper mor ally and materially and wishes nothing of the Cubans snve that tbey shall be able to preserve order among them selves and therefore to preserve their j Independence. If the elections become a farce and If the insurrectionary namt becomes confirmed on the Island It Is absolutely out of the question that the Island should continue Independent, and the United States, which has as sumed the sponsorship before tho civ ilized world for Cuba's career as a na tion, would again have to Intervene and to see that the government was managed In such orderly fashion as to, secure the safety of life and property, j The Rio Conference. j The second International conference! of American republics, held In Mexl-j M In tlia vrtti 1'U11.M ,ti-m'l,1nl fat the holding of the third conference) within five years and committed the: fixing of the time nnd place and thej arrangements for the conference to thej governing board of the bureau of; American republics, composed of the! representatives of all the American j nations In Washington.' That 'board j discharged the duty Imposed upon j It with marked fidelity and pains-; taking care, and upon the .courteous j Invitation of the United States of Bra-i ztl the conference was 'held at Rio de Janeiro, continuing from the 23d of; July to the 29th of August. last. Many! subjects of common Interest to nil the I American nations were discussed by! the conference, and the conclusions'; reached, embodied In a series of reso-' lutlons and proposed conventions, will be laid before you upon the coming of the final report of the American dele gates. - Panama Trip. I have Just returned from a trip to Panama and shall report to yon at length later on the whole subject of the Pnnama cannl. The Ala-eclras Convention. The Algeclras convention, which was signed by the United States as well as by most of the powers of Europe, su persedes the previous convention of 1880, 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 Kuropean countries and does not entail a single obligation of any kind upon us, and I earnestly hope It may be speedily ratified. Sealing. The destruction of the Prlbllof Is land fur seals by pelagic sealing still continues. The herd, which, according to the surve y made In 1874 by direc tion of the congress, numbered 4,700, 000, and which, according to the sur vey of both American and Canadian ; commissioners' Id ' 1891, amounted to j 1,000,000, has now been .reduced to! about ; 180,000. ' This result has been j brought about 'by Canadian and some' ; other sealing vessels killing the female ; seals while In the Water during their j Annual "pilgrimage to and from thej south or in search of food. i The process of destruction has been: accelerated during recent years by the ! appearance of a number of Japanese ; vessels engaged In pelagic sealing. ' ' ' j Suitable representations regarding j the Incident have been made to thej government of Japan, and we are as- ! gured that an practicable measures will j be taken by that country to prevent! any recurrence of the outrage. ' i We have not relaxed our efforts to: secure an agreement with Great Brit-! In atnnnat,. n.nt.intlnn ..l herd, and negotiations with Japan for the same purpose are in progress. The laws for the' protection of the seals within 'the Jurisdiction of the United : States need - revision . and amendment' ' ' Second Ilarne Conference. ' In my last message I advised you that the emperor of Russia had taken the initiative in bringing about a sec ond peace conference at The Hague. Under the guidance of Russia the ar rangement of the preliminaries for such a conference has been progressing during the past year. Progress has necessarily been slow, owing to the great number of countries to be con sulted upon every question that has arisen. It Is a matter of satisfaction that all of the American republics havo now, for the first time, been Invited to Join In the proposed conference. Army and Navy It must ever be kept In mind that war Is not merely Justifiable, but im perative upon honorable men, upon, an honorable nation, where peace can only be obtained by the sacrifice of conscientious conviction or of national welfare. The United States uavy Is the surest guarantor of peace which this country ' possesses. I do not ask that we con tinue to Increase our navy." I ask merely that It be maintained at its present strength, and this can be done only if we replace the obsolete and out-; worn ships by new and good ones, the equals of any afloat in any navy. To stop building ships for.ou year means that for that year the navy goes back; Instead of forward. In both the army and the navy there Is urgent need that everything possible should be done to maintain the highest standard for the personnel alike as re gards the officers and the enlisted men. I do not believe that in any service there is Oner body of enlisted men and of Junior officers than we have In both the army and the navy. Including the marine corps. West Point and Annapolis already turn out excellent officers. We do not need to have these schools made more tcbolastlc. On the contrary, we should never lose sight of the fact that the r.lra of each school Is to turn out a man who shall be above everything else a fighting man. There should soon be an Increase In the number of men for our coast de fenses. These men should be of the right type and properly trained, and there should therefore be an increase of pay for certain skilled grades, espe cially in tho cost artillery. Money should be appropriated to permit troops t3 be massed In body and exercised in maneuvers, particularly In marching. i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers