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IT
RESIDENTS MESSAGE
Document Deals with Questions of Vast
Importance to the Nation
TRUSTS AND THE TARIFF DEALT WITH
Fitful Changes of Import Duties a Menace to the Business
Interests of the Country Reciprocity Treaties
Desirable Monetary Legislation Rela
tions of Labor and Capital
To the Senate and House of Represent
tatlves We still continue in a period ol
unbounded prosperity This prosperity
Is not the creature of law but undoubt
edly the laws under which we work have
been instrumental in creating the condi
tions which made it possible and by un
wise legislation It would be easy enough
to destroy it There will undoubtedly
bo periods of depression The wave will
recede but the tide will advance This
nation Is seated on a continent flanked
by two great oceans It is composed
of men the descendants of pioneers or
In a sense pioneers themselves of men
winnowed out from among the nations
of the old world by the energy boldness
and love of adventure found In their own
eager hearts Such a nation so placed
will surely wrest success from fortune
As a people we have played a large
part in the world and we are bent upon
making our future even larger than the
past In particular the events of the last
four years have definitely decided that
for woe or for weal our place must be
great among the nations We may either
fail greatly or succeed greatly but we
cannot avoid the endeavor from which
either great failure or great success
must come Even If we would we can
not play a small part If we should try
all that would follow would be that we
should play a large part ignobly and
shamefully
No country has ever occupied a higher
plane of material well being than ours
at tho present moment This well being
Is due to no sudden or accidental causes
but to the play of the economic forces
In this country for over a century to
our laws our sustained and continuous
policies above all to the high Individ
ual average of our citizenship Great
fortunes have been won by those who
have taken the lead In this phenomenal
industrial development and most of these
fortunes have been won not by doing
evil but as an Incident to action which
thas benefited the community as a whole
Never before has material well being
been so widely diffused among our peo
ple Great fortunes have been accum
ulated and yet In the aggregate these
fortunes are small indeed when com
pared to the wealth of the people as a
whole The plain people are better off
than they have ever been before The
Insurance companies which are prac
tically mutual benefit societies especially
helpful to men of moderate means rep
resent accumulations of capital which are
among the largest in this country There
are more deposits in the savings banks
more owners of farms more well paid
wage workers in this country now than
ever before in our history Of course
when the conditions have favored tho
growth of so much that was good they
have also favored somewhat the growth
of what was evil It is eminently neces
sary that we should endeavor to cut out
this evil but let us keep a due sense of
proportion let us not in fixing our gaze
upon the lesser evil forget the greater
good The evils are real and some of
them are menacing but they are the
outgrowth not of misery or decadence
but of prosperity of the progress of our
gigantic industrial development This
industrial development must not be
checked but side by side with it should
go such progressive regulation as will
diminish the evils We should fail in
our duty if we did not try to remedy the
evils but we shall succeed only if we
proceed patiently with practical common
sense as well as resolution separating
the good from the bad and holding on to
the former while endeavoring to get rid
of tho latter
National Action to Control Trusts
In my message to the present Congress
at its first session I discussed at length
the question of the regulation of those
big corporations commonly doing an in
terstate business often with some ten
dency to monopoly which are popularly
known as trusts The experience of the
past year has emphasized in my opin
ion the desirability of the steps I then
proposed A fundamental base of civil
ization is the inviolability of property
but this is in no wise inconsistent with
the right of society to regulate the ex
ercise of the artificial powers which it
confers upon the owners of property un
der the name of corporate franchises In
such a way as to prevent the misuse
of these powers Corporations and espe
cially combinations of corporations
should be managed under public regula
tion Experience has shown that under
our system of government the necessary
supervision cannot be obtained by state
action It must therefore be achieved
by national action Our aim is not to do
away with corporations on the contrary
these big aggregations are an inevitable
development of modern Industrialism and
the effort to destroy them would be futile
unless accomplished in ways that would
work the utmost mischief to the entire
body politic We can do nothing of good
5n the way of regulating and supervising
these corporations until we fix clearly in
our minds that we are not attacking the
corporations but endeavoring to do away
with any evil in them We are not hos
tile to them we are merely determined
that they shall be so handled as to sub
serve the public good We draw the line
against misconduct not against wealth
The capitalist who alone or in conjunc
tion with his fellows performs some
great industrial feat by which he wins
money Is a welldoer not a wrongdoer
provided only ho works in proper and
legitimate lines We wish to favor such
a man when he does well We wish to
supervise and control his actions only to
prevent him from doing ill Publicity
can do no barm to the honest corpora
tion and we need not be overtender
about sparing the dishonest corporation
The Necessity for Care
In curbing and regulating the combina
tions of capital which arc or may become
injurious to the public we must be careful
not to stop the great enterprises which
have legitimately reduced the cost of pro
duction not to abandon the place which
our country has won in the leadership of
the International industrial world not to
strike down wc3ih with the result of
closing factories and mines of turning
the wage worker idle in the streets and
leaving the farmer without a market for
what he grows Insistence upon the im
possible means delay in achieving the
possible exactly as on the other hand
the stubborn defense alike of what la
good and what is bad In the existing sys
tem the resolute effort to obstruct any
attempt at betterment betrays blind
ness to the historic truth that wise evolu
tion is the sure safeguard against revo
lution
Importance of the Subject
No more important subject can come
before tho Congress than this of the
regulation of interstate business The
country cannot afford to sit supine on
the pica that under our peculiar system
of government we are helpless in the
presence of the new conditions and un
able to gi apple with them or to cut out
whatever of evil has arisen in connec
tion with them The power of the Con
gress to regulate interstate commerce is
an absolute and unqualified grant and
without limitations other than those pre
scribed by the constitution The Con
gress has constitutional authority to
make all laws necessary and proper for
executing this power and I am satisfied
that this power has not been exhausted
by any legislation now on the statute
books It is evident therefore that evils
restrictive of commercial freedom entail
ing restraint upon national commerce fall
within the regulative power of the Con
gress and that a wise and reasonable
law would be a necessary and proper ex
ercise of congressional authority to the
end that such evils should be eradicated
Evils Can Be Done Away With
I believe that monopolies unjust dis
criminations which prevent or cripple
competition fraudulent overcapitaliza
tion and other evils in trust organiza
tions and practices which injuriously af
fect interstate trade can be prevented
under the power of the Congress to regu
late commerce with foreign nations and
among the several
states through regu
lations and requirements operating di
rectly upon such commerce the instru
mentalities thereof and those engaged
therein
I earnestly recommend this subject to
the consideration of the Congress with a
yiew to the passage of a law reasonable
In Its provisions and
effective in its oper
ations upon which the questions can be
finally adjudicated that now raise doubts
as to the necessity of constitutional
amendment If it prove impossible to ac
complish the purposes above set forth by
such a law then
assuredly we should
not shrink from amending the constitu
tion as to secure beyond peradventure the
power sought
The Tariff Question
One proposition arlvnm trvi hoc k
reduction of the tariff as a means of
reaching the evils of the trusts which
fall within the category I have describ
ed iNot merely would this be wholly
ineffective but the diversion of our ef
forts in such a direction would mean the
abandonment of all intelligent attempt
to do away with these evils Many of
the largest corporations many of those
which should certainlv ho iniiwwi t
any proper scheme of regulation would
not be affected in the slightest degree
by a change in the tariff save as such
change interfered with the general pros
perity of the country The only relation
of the tariff to big corporations as a
whole is that the tariff makes manufac
tures profitable and the tariff remedy
proposed would be in effect simply to
make manufactures unprofitable To re
move the tariff as a punitive measure di
rected against trusts
would inevitably re
sult in ruin to the weaker competitors
who are struggling against them Our
aim should be not by unwise tariff
changes to give foreign products the
advantage over domestic products but by
proppr regulation to give domestic com
petition a fair chance and this enri nan
not be reached by any tariff changes
which would affect unfavorably all do
mestic competitors good and bad alike
The question of regulation of the trusts
stands apart from the question of tariff
revision
Fitful Tariff Changes Decried
Stability of economic policy must al
ways be the prime economic need of this
country This stability should not be
fossilization The country has acquiesced
in the wisdom of the protective tariff
principle It is exceedingly undesirable
that this system should be destroyed or
that there should be violent and radical
changes therein Our past experience
shows that great prosperity in this coun
try has always come under a protective
tariff and that the country cannot pros
per under fitful tariff changes at short
intervals Morever if the tariff laws
as a whole work well and if business
has prospered under them and is pros
pering it is better to endure for a time
slight inconveniences and inequalities in
some schedules than to upset business
by too quick and too radical changes It
is most earnestly to be wished that we
could treat the tariff from the stand
point solely of our business needs It Is
pernaps too mucn to hope that partisan
ship may be entirely excluded from con
sideration of the subject but at least
it can be made secondary to the busi
ness interests of the country that is to
the interests of our people as a whole
Unquestionably these business interests
will best be served if together with
fixity of principle as regards the tariff
we combine a system which will permit
us from time to time to make the neces
sary rcapplication of the principle to the
shifting national needs We must take
scrupulous care that the reapplication
shall be made in such a way that it will
not amount to dislocation of our sys
tem the mere threat of which not to
speak of the performance would pro
duce paralysis in the business energies
of the community The first considera
tion in making these changes would of
course be to preserve the principle which
underlies our whole tariff system that is
the principle of putting American busi
ness interests at least on a full equal
ity with Interests abroad and of always
allowing a sufficient rate of dutj to more
than cover the difference between the la
hnr pnst here and abroad The
ing of the wage worker like the well-
Oeing UL LilU UI1CI UL UiU SUII IIUU1U
be treated as an essential in shaping our
whole economic policy There must never
be any change which will jeopardize the
standard of comfort the standard ofj
wages of the American wage worker
For Reciprocity Treaties
One way in which tho readjustment
sought can be reached is by reciprocity
treaties It is groatly to be desired that
such treaties may bo adopted They can
bo used to widen our markets and to
Blve a greater field for the activities of
our producers on the one hand and on
the other to secure in practical shape
the lowering of duties when they are no
longer needed for protection among our
own people or when the minimum of
damage done may be disregarded for the
sake of the maximum of good accom
plished If It prove Impossible to ratify
the pending treaties and If there seem
to be no warrant for the endeavor to
execute others or to amend the pending
treaties so that they can be ratified then
the same end to secure reciprocity
should be met by direct legislation
For Expert Tariff Commission
Wherever the tariff conditions are such
that a needed change cannot with ad
vantage be made by the application of
the reciprocity idea then it can be made
outright by a lowering of duties on a
given product If possible such change
should be made only after the fullest
consideration by practical experts who
should approach the subject from a
business standpoint having In view both
the particular Interests affected and the
commercial well being of tho people as
a whole The machinery for providing
such careful investigation can readily be
supplied The executive department has
already at Its disposal methods of col
lecting facts and figures and if the con
gress desires additional consideration to
that which will be given the subject by
its own committees then a commission
of business experts can be appointed
whose duty it should be to recommend
action by the Congress after a deliberate
and scientific examination of the various
schedules as they are affected by the
changed and changing conditions The
unhurried and unbiased report of this
commission would show what changes
should be made in the various schedules
and how far these changes could go
without also changing the great pros
perity which this country Is now enjoy
ing or upsetting its fixed economic pol
icy
Tho cases in which the tariff can pro
duce a monopoly are so few as to con
stitute an inconsiderable factor in the
question but of course if in any case
it bo found that a given rate of duty
does promote a monopoly which worktf
ill no protectionist would object to such
reduction of the duty as would equalize
competition
In my judgment the tariff on anthra
cite coal should be removed and anthra
cite put actually where it now is nom
inally on the free list This would have
no effect at all save in crises but in
crises it might be of service to the peo
ple
Monetary Legislation
Interest rates are a potent factor In
business activity and in order that these
rates may be equalized to meet the vary
ing needs of the seasons and of widely
separated communities and to prevent
the recurrence of financial stringencies
which injuriously affect legitimate busi
ness it is necessary that there should
be an element of elasticity in our mone
tary system Banks are the natural ser
vants of commerce and upon them should
be placed as far as practicable the
burden of furnishing and maintaining a
circulation adequate to supply the needs
of our diversified industries and of our
domestic and foreign commerce and
the issue of this should be so regulated
that a sufficient supply should be al
ways available ior the business Interests
of tho country
It would be both unwise and unneces
sary at this time to attempt to recon
struct our financial system which has
been the growth of a century but some
additional legislation is I think desir
able The mere outline of any plan suffi
ciently comprehensive to meet these re
quirements would transgress the appro
priate limits of this communication It
is suggested however that all future
legislation on the subject should be with
the view of encouraging the use of such
instrumentalities as will automatically
supply every legitimate demand of pro
ductive industries and of commerce not
only in the amount but in the character
of circulation and of making all kinds
of money interchangeable and at the
will of the holder convertible into the
established gold standard
Relations of Labor and Capital
How to secure fair treatment alike for
labor and for capital how to hold in
check the unscrupulous man whether
employer or employe without weakening
individual initiative without hampering
and cramping the industrial development
of the country is a problem fraught with
great difficulties and one which it is of
the highest importance to solve on lines
of sanity and far sighted common sense
as well as of devotion to the right This
is an era of federation and combination
Exactly as business men find they must
often work through corporations and as
it is a constant tendency of these cor
porations to grow larger so it is often
necessary lor iacormg men 10 ivum m
federations and these have become im
portant factors of modern industrial life
Both kinds of federation capitalistic and
labor can do much good and as a neces
sary corrollary they can both do evil
Opposition to each kind of organization
should take the form of opposition to
whatever is bad in the conduct of any
given corporation or union not of at
tacks upon corporations as such nor upon
unions as such for some of the most
far reaching beneficent work for our peo
ple has been accomplished through both
corporations and unions Each must re
frain from arbitrary or tyrannous inter
ference with the rights of others Organ
ized capital and organized labor alike
should remember that in the long run the
interest of each must be brought into
harmony with the interest of the general
public and the conduct of each must
conform to the fundamental rules of obe
dience to the law of individual freedom
and of justice and fair dealing toward all
Each should remember that in addition to
power it must strive after the realization
of healthy lofty and generous ideals
Every employed every wage worker must
be guaranteed his liberty and his right to
do as he likes with his property or his la
bor so long as he does not infringe upon
the right of others It is of the highest im
portance that employer and employe alike
should endeavor to appreciate each the
viewpoint of the other and the sure dis
aster that will come upon both in the
long run if either grows to take as habit
ual an attitude of sour hostility and dis
trust toward the other Few people de
serve better of the country than those
representatives both of capital and labor
and there are many such who work
continually to bring about a good under
standing of this kind based upon wisdom
and upon broad and kindly sympathy be
tween employers and employed Above
all we need to remember that any kind
of class animosity in the political world
is if possible even more wicked even
more destructive to national welfare
than sectional race or religious animos
ity We can get good government only
upon condition that we keep true to the
principles upon which this nation was
founded and judge each man not as a
part of a class but upon his individual
merits All that we have a right to sk
of any man rich or poor whatever his
creed his occupation his birthplace or
his residence is that he shall act well
and honorably by his neighbor and by
his country We are neither for the rich
man as such nor for the poor mat as
such we are for the upright man rich
or poor So far as the corstitu IonaI
powers of the national government Amch
these matters of general and vital mo
ment to the nation they should be trer
cbed in conformity with the principles
abovo set forth
Department of Commerce Needed
It Is earnestly hoped that a Secretary
of Commerce may be created with a
seat in the Cabinet Tho rapid multipli
cation of questions affecting labor and
capital tho growth and complexity of the
organizations through which both labor
and capital now find expression tho
steady tendency toward the employment
of capital in huge corporations and the
wonderful strides of this country toward
leadership In tho International business
world Justify an urgent demand for the
creation of such a position Substantial
ly all tho leading commercial bodies In
this country have united in requesting its
creation It is desirable that some such
1 measure as that which has already passed
the Senate be enacted kito law The
creation of such a department would In
itself be an advance toward dealing with
and exercising supervision over the whole
subject of the great corporations doing
an Interstate business and with this
end in view the Congress should endow
the department with large powers which
could be increased as experience might
show the need
Cuba Must Have Consideration
I hope soon to submit to the Senate a
reciprocity treaty witii Cuba On May 20
last the United States kept its promise
to the island by formally vacating Cuban
soli and turning Cuba over to those whom
her own people had chosen as the first
officials of the new republic
Cuba lies at our doors and whatever
affects her for good or for ill affects us
also So much have our people felt this
that in the Piatt amendment we definite
ly took the ground that Cuba must here
after have closer political relations with
us than with any other power Thus in
a sense Cuba has become a part of our
international political system This
makes it necessary that in return she
should be given some of the benefits of
becoming part of our economic system
It is from our own standpoint a short
sighted and mischievous policy to fail to
recognize this need Moreover It Is un
worthy of a mighty and generous nation
itself the greatest and most successful
republic in history to refuse to stretch
out a helping hand to a young and weak
sister republic just entering upon Its
career of independence We should al
ways fearlessly insist upon our rights In
the face of the strong and we should
with ungrudging hand do our generous
duty by the weak I urge the adoption
of reciprocity with Cuba not only because
It Is eminently for our own Interests to
control the Cuban market and by every
means to foster our supremacy In the
tropical lands and waters south of us
but also because we of the giant repub
lic of the North should make all our sis
ter nations of the American continent
feel that whenever they will permit it we
desire to show ourselves disinterestedly
and effectively their friend
International Arbitration
As civilization grows warfar becomes
less and less the normal condition of for
eign relations The last century has seen
a marked diminution of wars between
civilized powers wars with uncivilized
powers are largely mere matters of inter
national police duty essential for the
welfare of the world Wherever possible
arbitration or some similar method should
be employed in lieu of war to settle dif
ficulties between civilized nations al
though as yet the
world has not pro
gressed sufficiently to render it possible
or necessarily desirable to invoke arbi
tration in every case The formation of
the international tribunal which sits at
The Hague is an event of good omen
from which great consequences for the
welfare of all mankind may flow It is
far better where possible to invoke such
a permanent tribunal than to create spe
cial arbitrators for a given purpose
It Is a matter of sincere congratulation
to our country that the United States
and Mexico should have been the first
to use the good offices of The Hague
court This was done last summer with
most satisfactory results in the case of
a tuuim at issue Between us and our
sister republic It is earnestly to bo hop
ed that tms first
case will serve a3 a
precedent for others in which not only
tho United States but foreign nations
may take advantage of the machinery al
ready in existence at The Hague
I commend to the favorable considera
tion of the Congress the Hawaiian tire
claims which were the subject of care
ful Investigation during the last session
Panama Canal Favored
The Congress has wisely provided that
we shall build at
once an isthmian ca
nal if possible at Panama The attorney
general reports that we can undoubted
ly acquire good title from tho French
Panama Canal Company Negotiations
are now pending with Colombia to se
sure her assent to our building the canal
This work should be carried out as a
continuing policy without regard to
change of administration and it should
be begun under circumstances which
will make it a matter of pride for all
administrations to continue the policy
The canal will be of great benefit to
America and of importance to all the
world It will be of advantage to us
industrially and also as improving our
military position It will be of advan
tage to the countries of tropical Amer
ica It Is earnestly to be hoped that
all of these countries will do as some
of them have already done with signal
success and will invito to their shores
commerce and improve their material
conditions by recognizing that stability
and order arp the prerequisites of suc
cessful development Xo independent na
tion in America need have the slightest
fear of aggression from the United
States It behooves each one to main
tain order within its own borders and
to discharge its just obligations to for
eigners When this is done they can
rest assured that be they strong or
weak they have nothing to dread from
outside interference More and more the
increasing interdependence and complex
ity of international political and eco
nomic relations render it incumbent on
all civilized and orderly powers to in
sist on the proper policing of the world
Pacific Cable Assured
During the fall of 1901 a communication
was addressed to the Secretary of State
asking whether permission would be
granted by the President to a corpora
tion to lay a cable from a point on the
California coast to the Philippine islands
by way of Hawaii A statement of con
ditions or terms upon which such cor
poration would undertake to lay and
operate a cable was volunteered
Inasmuch as the Congress was shortly
to convene and Pacific cable legislation
had been the subject of consideration by
the Congress for several years it seem
ed to me wise to defer action upon the
application until the Congress had first
an opportunity to act The Congress ad
journed without taking any action leav
ing the matter in exactly the same con
dition in which it stood when the Con
gress convened
Meanwhile it appears that the Com
mercial Pacific Cable Company had
promptly proceeded with preparations for
laying its cable It also made applica
tion to the President for access to and
ufce of soundings taken by the U S S
Nero for the purpose of discovering a
practicable route for a trans Pacific ca
ble the company urging that with ac
cess to these soundings it could complete
its cable much sooner than if it were
required to take soundings upon its own
accounr
In consequence of this solicitation of
tho cable company certain conditions
were formulated upon which the Presi
dent was willing to allow access to these
foundings and to consent to the landing
and laying of ie cable subject to any
alterations or additions thereto Imposed
by the Congress This was deemed prop
er especially as It was clear that a cable
connection of some kind with China a
foreign country was a part of tho com
panys plan
These conditions prescribed among
other things a maximum rate for com
mercial messages and that the company
should construct a line from the Philip
pine Islands to China there being at
present as Is well known a British line
from Manila to Hong Kong
The representatives of the cable com
pany kept these conditions long under
consideration continuing In the mean
time to prepare for laying the cnble
They have however at length acceded
to them and an all Amerlcan line be
tween our Pacific coast and the Chinese
empire by way of Honolulu and the
Philippine islands Is thus provided for
and is expected within a few months to
be ready for business
Philippine Policy Vindicated
On July 4 last on the one hundred and
twenty sixth anniversary of the declara
tion of our independence peace and am
nesty were promulgated In the Philip
pine islands Some trouble has since
from time to time threatened with tho
Mohammedan Moros but with the late
insurrectionary Filipinos the war has en
tirely ceased Civil government has now
been Introduced Not only does each
Filipino enjoy such rights to life liberty
and tho pursuit of happiness as he has
never before known during the recorded
history of the Islands but tho people
taken as a whole now enjoy a measure
of self government greater than that
granted to any other orientals by any
foreign power and greater than that en
joyed by any other orientals under their
own governments save the Japanese
nlone We have not gone too far in
granting these rights of liberty and self
government but we have certainly gone
to the limit that In tho interests of the
Philippine people themselves it was wise
or just to go To hurry matters to go
faster than we are now going would en
tail calamity on the people of the Islands
No policy ever entered into by the Amer
ican people has vindicated itself In more
signal manner than the policy of holding
the Philippines The triumph of our
arms above all the triumph of our laws
and principles has come sooner than we
had any right to expect Tod much
praise cannot be given to the irmy for
what it has done in the Philippines both
in warfare and from an administrative
standpoint in preparing the way for civil
government and similar credit belongs to
the civil authorities for the way in which
they have planted the seeds of self-government
in the ground thus made ready
for them The courage the unflinching
endurance the high soldierly efficiency
and the general kind heartedness and
humanity of our troops have been strik
ingly manifested There now remain only
some 15000 troops In the islands All
told over 100000 have been sent there
Of course there have been Individual in
stances of wrongdoing among them
They warred under fearful difficulties of
climate and surroundings and under the
strain of the terrible provocations which
they continually receive from their foes
occasional instances of cruel retaliation
occurred Every effort has been made
to prevent such cruelties and finally
these efforts have been completely suc
cessful After making all allowance for
these misdeeds it remains true that few
indeed have been the instances in which
war has been waged by a civilized power
against semi civilized and barbarous
forces where there has been so little
wrongdoing by the victors as in the Phil
ippine Islands On the other hand the
amount of difficult important and bene
ficient work which has been done is
well nigh incalculable
Praise for Friendly Filipinos
Taking the work of the army and the
civil authorities together it may be ques
tioned whether anywhere else In modern
times the world has seen a better exam
ple of real constructive statesmanship
than our people have given in the Philip
pine islands High praise should also be
given those Filipinos in the aggregate
very numerous who have accepted tho
new conditions and joinrd with our rep
resentatives to work with hearty good
will for the wiifaie of tho islands
National Guard Reorganization
The measure providing for the reor
ganization of tho militia system and for
securing the highest efficiency in the na
tional guard which has already passed
the House should ree ive prompt atten
tion and action It is of great impor
tance that the relation of the national
guard to the militia and volunteer forces
of the United Stater should be defined
and that in place of our present obsolete
laws a practical and efficient system
should be adopted
Irrigation in the West
Few subjects of more Importance have been
taken up by the Congress In re cut years than
the inauguration of the svstem of nationally
aided Irrigation for the arid regions of tho far
West A goer beginning therein has been made
Xow that this policy of national irrigation has
been adopted the in ed of thorough and bci
entitie forest protection will grow moro rap
Idly than ever throughout the public land
states
So far as they are available for agriculture
and to whatever extent they nicy be reclaimed
under the national Irrigation law the remain
ing public lands should be held rigidly for the
home builder the settler who live on his
land and for no one ele Iii their actual
use the desert land law the timber and stone
law and the commutation clause of the home
stead law have been o perverted from the in
tention with which they v ere enacted as to
permit the acquisition of large areas of the
puhlic domain for others than actual settles
and the consequent prevention of settlement
Tho sound and steady development of the West
depends upon the building up of homes therein
Much of our prosperity as a nation has been
due to the operation of the homestead law
On the other hand we should recognize the fact
that In the grazing region the man who cor
responds to the homesteader may be unable to
settle permanently If only allowed to use the
same amount of pasture land that his brother
the homesteader Is allowed to use of arable
land One hundred and sixty acres of fairly
rich and well watered soil or a much smaller
amount of Irrigated land may keep a family
In plenty whereas no one could get a livlnir
from 160 acres of dry pasture land capable of
supporting at the outside only one head of
cattle to every ten acres In the past great
tracts of the public domain have been fenced
in by persons- having no title thereto in direct
defiance of the law forbidding the maintenance
or construction of any such unlawful lnclnsre
of public land For various reasons there has
been little interference with such inclosures
in the past hut ample notlee has now- been
given the trespassers and all the resources at
the command of the government will hereafter
be used to put a stop to such trespassing
Pressing Needs of the Navy
For the first time in our history naval ma
neuvers on a large scale are being held under
the immediate command of the admiral of the
navy Constantly Ini teasing attention is being
paid to the guunery of the navy but It Is yet
far from what it f hould be I earnestly urge
that the Increase asked for by the Secretary
of the avy in the appropriation for
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of superior utrength Tho Monroe jtris
feature or
should bo treated as tho cardinal
African foreign poller but It won W
than Idle to aasort It unless we ttoAjA to
back it up and It can b backed us Julr tr
A good nary l not
a thorouxhly food nay
a prorocatlro of war It U th wrest guaranty
of peace
More Sailors Called For
Z call your ipacitl attention to tho Med of
prorldlnr for the manntnf of the ship Be
rloua trouble threatens us If we cannot do let
ter than we are now coin aa rejarfi ecurin
the sarvlcea of a aufflclent number of the wen
eat type of aallormen of sea mechanic It U
no more possible to Improvlit a crew than u
Is possible to ImproTlse a warship To tmlld
the finest ship with tho deadliest battery ana
to send It afloat with a raw crow no matter
bow brave they were individually would do
to insure disaster If a foe of arerage capacity
were encountered Neither ships nor men can
be lmproTlsed when war lias begun
We need a thousand additional officers lr
order to properly man the ship now provided
for and under construction The classes at the
naval school at Annapolis should be greatly
enlarged At the same time thiit wo Urn add
the officer where we need them wo should
facilitate the retirement of those at the bend of
the list whoso usefulness has become Impaired
Promotion must be fostered If the sendee Is to
be kept ctllclent
There Is not a cloud on the horizon nt pres
ent There seems not the slightest chance of
trouble with n foreign power Wo most ear
nestly hope that this state of things may con
tinue and the way to Insure its contlnuanco
is to provide for u thoroughly ellleleiit navy
The refusal to maintain such a uavy wouid
invito trouble and If trouble came would in
sure disaster Fatuous self complacency or
vanity or short sightedness In refusing to pre
pare for danger Is both foolish and wtefca
In such a nation as ours and past experlehe
has shown that such fatnlty In refusing to rec
ognize or prepare for any crisis in advance Is
usually succeeded by n mad panic of hysterical
fear once the crisis has actually arrived
Rural Free Delivery a Success
The striking Increase In the revenues of tho
postotDee department shows dearly the pros
perity of our people and the Increasing activ
ity of the business of the country
The receipts of tho postolflee department for
the flicnl year ending June 30 last amovnted to
fl21SI8M728 an Increase of 1021685387 over
the preceding yenr the largest Iiicrease known
In the history of the postal service The mag
nitude of this Increase will best appear from
the fact that the entire postal receipts for
the year 1860 amounted to but 3518007
Rural free delivery service Is no longer in
the experimental stage It has- become a fixed
policy The results following ls Introduction
have fully justified the Congress In the largo
appropriations made for Its establishment and
extension Tho average yearly Increase lu post
olllce receipts lu the rural districts of thu
country Is about two per cent We are now
able by actual results to show that where
rural free delivery bcrvlee has been established
to such nit extent us to enable us to maka
comparisons the yearly Increase has bcin up
ward of ten per cent
On Nov 1 1302 11650 rural free delivery
routes had been established and were In opera
tion covering about of the territory
of the United Stale available for rural free
delivery service There are now awaiting the
action of the department petitions und appli
cations for the establishment of 10713 addi
tional routes This shows conclusively the want
which the establishment of the service has
met and the need of further extending It aa
rapidly as possible It Is justlticd both by
the financial results and by the practical bene
fits to our rural population it brings the men
who live on the soli Into clone relations with
the active business world It keeps the farmer
lu dally touch with the markets It Is a po
tential educational force It enhances the value
of farm property makes farm life far pleas
ant er and less Isolated and will do much to
check the undesirable current from couutry to
city
It Is to be hoped that the Congress will make
liberal appropriations for the continuance of
the service already established and for its
further extension
Need of Legislation for Alaska
I especially urge upon the Congress the need
of wise legislation lor Alaska It is not to
our credit as a nation that Alaska which
has been ours for thirty five years should still
have as poor a system of laws as Is the case
Alaska needs a good laud law and such pro
visions for homesteads and pre emptions as will
encourage permanent settlement We should
shape legislation with a view not to the ex
ploiting and abandoning of the territory but
to the building up of homes therein The laud
laus should be liberal In type so as to bold
out Inducements to the actual settler whom
we most desire to see take iossesslon of the
country The forests of Alaska should be pro
tected and as a secondary but still Impor
tant matter the game also nnd at the same
time it is Imperative that the settlers should
lie allowed to cut timber under proper regu
lations for their own use Alaska should
have n delegate In the Congress It would
be well If a congressional committee could
visit Alaska and investigate its needs on tho
ground
The Indian Problem
In dealing with the Indians our aim shoull
be their ultimate absorption Into the body of
our piople Hut in many cases this absorption
must and should 1 very slow The first und
most iuipoitant step toward th absorption of
the Indian is to tench him to earn bis living
yet it is not necessarily to be assumed that
in each community all Indians must lecoma
either tillers of the soil or sto L rMsers Their
industries may piopcrly lie diversified and thoso
who show special desire or adaptability for
industrial or even commercial pursuits ihoull
be encouraged so far as practicable lu folluw
out each his own bent
Scientific Aid to Farmers
In no department of governmental norK In
recent years has there bten greater success
than in that of giving scientific aid to the
farming iopulatlon thieby showing them how
mi it elliciently to hUp themselves There la
no need of insisting upon Its Importance for
the welfare of the farmer Is fundamentally
ncessary to the welfare of the republic as a
whole In addition to such work as yuaran
tine against animal and vegetable plagues and
warring against them when here Introduced
much efficient help has been rendered to the
farmer by the introduction of new plants spe
cially fitted for eultlvutlon under the peculiar
conditions existing In different portions of tha
country In the Southwest the possibility of
re grassing overstocked range lands has been
demonstrated In the North many new forage
crops have been introduced while in the Hast
it has been shown that some of our choicest
fruits can be stored and shipped In such a
way a to hud a profitable market abroad
Needs of Washington
The District of Columbia Is the only part
of our territory In which the national govern
ment eereices local or municipal functions
and where in consequence the government has
a free hand in reference to certain types of
social and economic legislation which must b
essentially local or municipal in their charac
ter The government should see to It for In
stance that the hygienle and sanitary legis
lation affecting Washington is of a high char
acter The city should be a model in eTary
respect for all the cities of the country More
over while Washington Is not a great Indus
trial city there is some industrialism bore
and our lator legislation while It would not
be Important in itself might be iade a model
for the rest of the nation Wo should pass
for Instance a employers Iiabllity act for
the District of Columbia and we need such an
act In our navy yards Uallroad companies In
the district onght to be required by law to
block their frogs
Protection for Railway Men
The law for the better pro
tection of the lives and limbs of railvvy em
ployes which was passed In 1SS3 went Into
full effect Aug 1 1331 It has resulted la
averting thousands of casualties Experience
shows however the necessity of additional leg
islation to perfect this law A bill to pro
vide for this passed the Senate at the last
session It is to be hoped that some such
measure may now be enacted into law
Gratifying progress has been made during
the year In the extension of the merit system
Ing the marksmanship be granted In battle of making appointments in the government
the only shots that count are the shots that
hit It Is necessary to provide ample funds- for
practice with the great guns in time of peace
These funds must provide not only for the
purchase of projectiles but for allowances for
prizes to encourage the gun crews and espe
cially the gun pointers and for perfecting an
Intelligent system under which alone It Is
possible to get good practice
There should be no halt In the work of build
ing up the navy providing every year addi
tional fighting craft We are a very rich coun
try vast in extent of territory and great in
population a country moreover which has an
army diminutive indeed when compared with
that of any other first class power We have
deliberately made our own certain foreign poli
cies which demand the possession of a first
class navy The isthmian canal will greatly
Incicase the efficiency of our navy If the navy
Is of sufficient slie but If we have en inade
quate navy then the building of the caual
T suld bs merely glvisy a hostage to any power
ice It Is much to be desired that our
sular system be established by law on a basis
providing for appointment and promotion only
iu consequence of proved fitness
Restoration of the White House
Through a wise provision of the Congress
at its last session the white bouse which has
become disfigured by Incongruous additions and
changes has now heen restored to what It was
planned to be by Washington The white nous
is the property of the nation and so far as is
compatible with living therein it should be kept
as It originally was for the same reasons that
wc keep Mount Vernon as it originally was
It is a good thing to preserve such bulldlnei
as historic nonuments which keep alive our
sense of cont nulty with the nation s past
The reports of the several executive denarN
ments are submitted to the Congress with thla
communication
- THEODORE E003EVBZ
White House Dec 1 mv
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