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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1912)
I' ll ; PRESIDENT TAFT SUBMITS SECOND OF HIS MESSAGES It Deals With Fiscal, Military, Insular and Judicial Affairs of Nation. MONEY CONDITIONS ARE GOOD Plans for Reorganization of the Army Explained. FILIPINO BILL CONDEMNED Chief Executive Declares the Island ors Are Far From Ready for Self Government Regulation of Water Power 8lte Projects Urged Pro moting of Colonel Qocthals Recom mended. "Washington, Dec. C. Congress to day received from President Taft tho second of hlfl mosBngea to the short session. It deals with lineal, military, Insular and Judicial affaire and In part is ns follows: Tho condition of tho country with reference to business could hardly bo bolter. Whllo tho four years of tho administration now drawing to a closo liavo not developed great speculative expansion or n wldo field of new in vestment, tho recovery and progress mado from' tho depressing conditions following tho panic of 1907 havo been steady and tho Improvement has been cloar and easily trncod In tho statis tics. Tho buslnoBB of tho country Is now on a solid basis. Credits are not umluly extended, and even phaso of tho situation seems In a stnto of pre paredness for a porlod of unoxnmplod .prosperity. Manufacturing concornn arc running at their full capacity ami tho demand for labor was never so constant and growing. Tho foreign trado of the country for tills year will exceed $'1,000,000,000, whllo tho bal ance In our favor that of tho excess of exports ovor Imports will exceed $500,000,000. Moro than half our ex ports aro manufactures or partly manufactured materia whllo our ex ports of farm products do not show the saino incroaso of domestic con sumption. It Is a year of bumper crops; tho total money value of farm products will exceed $9,500,000,000. It Is a yoar whon tho bushol or unit Price of agricultural products has gradually fallen, and yot tho total value of tho ontlro crop 1b greater by over $1,000,000,000 than wo havo known In our history. Condition of the Treasury. Tho condition of tho treasury Is very satisfactory. Tho total Interest tearing debt Is $903,777,770, of which $134,031,980 constltuto tho Panama cana! loan. Tho non-IntoroBt-benrlng Jobt Is $378,301,284.90, Including $340,071,010 of greenbacks. Wo havo In tho treasury $150,000,000 in gold coin as a resorvo against tho out standing greenbacks; and in addition we havo a cash balance In the treas ury as a gonoro.1 fund of $1G7. 152,478. 09, or an Incroaso of $20,975,552 ovor tho gonoral fund last year. Receipts and Expenditures. For throo years tho expenditures of tho govornmont havo decreased Under tho Inftuonco of an effort to economize This yoar prcBentn an ap parent oxcoptlon. Tho estimate by the seorotary.of tho treasury of tii.o ordinary receipts, oxcluslvo of postal revonuos, for tho yoar ending June 30, 1014, Indicates that they will amount to $710,000,000. Tho oum of tho estimates of tho oxpondlturoB for that Bamo yoar, oxcluslvo of Punama canal disbursements ami postal din bursomonts payablo from postal revonuos, Is $732,000,000, Indtcatlug a deficit of $22,000,000. For tho year ending Juno 30, 1913. similarly esti mated receipts woro $G07,000,000, whllo tho total corresponding esti mate of oxpondtturea for that year, Submitted through tho secretary of he treasury to congress, amounted to $050,000,000. This show's an In oroaao of $70,000,000 In tho estimates for 1914 over tho total estimates of 1913. This Is duo to an Increase ol $25,000,000 In tho osttmatofor rivers and harbors for tho next year on projects and aurvoys authorized by congress; to an Incroaso under tho now ponBlon bill of $32,600,000; and to an Incroaso in tho estimates for expenses of tho navy dopartmont of $24,000,000. Tho ostlmato for tho nnvy dopartmont for tho yoar 1913 Included two battleships. Congress mado provision for only ono battle ship, and thornforo tho navy depart ment has doomed It necessary and proper to make an ostlmnto which In cludes tho first year's oxpondlturo for three battleships In addition to tho Amount roqulred for work on tho un completed ships now under construc tion. In addition to tho natural In crease In tho expenditures for tho un completed ships, and tho additional battleship estimated for, tho othor in creased aro duo to tho pay required kor -1,000 or moro additional enlisted Itnon In the navy; and to this must bo added tho additional cost of construc tion imposed by tho cliaugo In the 'eight-hour law which makos It ap plicable to ships built In private ship yards. With tho cxcoptlbnn of thoso throo titonw, tho estimates show a reduction this year below tho total estimates for Q913 of moro than $5,000,000. Tho estimates for Panama canal co; otrucMon for 1914 aro $17,000,000 Ion-, than for 1913. Tho prcsldont then explained at somo longth tho national resorvo as sociation system rocommondod by tho mrnctnry commission nnd urged con gr 3s to examlno tho plan Impartially fn n all standpoints and then to adopt so. .10 plan which will socuro tho bono-' fits desired. Concerning tho tariff ho had Httlo to say In vlow of tho fact that a now congress has been elected on a plat form of tariff for rovenuo only. Army Reorganization. Our nranll army now consists of 83,809 mon, exvludlng tho 5,000 Philip pino scouts. Leaving out of consid eration tho coaBt artillery force, whoso position Is fixed In our various scaco.iBt defenses, and tho present garlsons of our various Insular pos sessions, wo havo today within the continental United States a mobile army of only about 35,000 mon. This little forco must bo still further drawn ftpon to supply tho new garri sons for tho great naval base which Is being established at Pearl Harbor, In tho Hawaiian Islands, and to pro tect the locks now rapidly approach ing completion at -Panama. Tho forces remaining In tho United States aro now scattered In nearly fifty posts, Bltuated for a variety of his torical reasons In twenty-four states. Thoso posts contain only fractions of regiments, averaging loss than 700 men each. In tlmo of peace It has been our historical policy to adminis ter these unltB separately by a geo graphical organization. In other words, our army In tlmo of peace has never been a united organization but merely scattered groupB of compa nies, battallonB nnd regiments', and tho first task In tlmo of war has boon to create out of thoso Bcattored units an army fit for effective teamwork and co-oporntlnu. To the task of mooting theso pat ent defects, tho war department has boon nddroHsIng ItBelf during tho past year. A comprohenBlvo plan of re organization was prepared by tho war collo.,0 division of tho gonoral Htaff. This plan was thoroughly dis cussed 'last summor at a series of open conferences hold by tho secre tary of war and attendod by ropro Bontatlvos from nil branches 6t tho army and from congress. In printed form It hns been distributed to mem bers of congress and throughout tho army and tho national guard, 'and widely through Institutions of learn ing nnd elsewhere In the United States. In It, for tho first time, wo havo a tontntlvo chart for futuro progress. Under tho Influence of this study doflnlto and offectlvo stops havo been takon towurd army reorganiza tion so far aB such reorganization lies within tho executlvo power. Hitherto there has boon no difference of policy In tho treatment of tho or ganization of our foreign garrlBons from thoso of troops within tho Unit ed States. Tho dlfferonco of situa tion 1b vital, and tho forolgn garrison should be propnrod to defend Itself at an instant's notlco ngalnBt a foo who may command tho sea. Unllko tho troops In tho United States, it can not count upon reinforcements or recruitment. It is nn outpost, upon which will fall tho brunt of tho first attack In caso of war. Tho his torical policy fof tho Unltod States of carrying Us reglmonts during tlmo of pence at half strength hns no appli cation to qur foreign garrisons. Dur ing tiio past year this defect hnB beim remedied as to tho Philippines garrison. Tho former garrison of 12 reduced rcglmontn has been roplaced by n garrison of six regiments at full strength, giving fully tho Bamo num ber of rlflomou at nn estimated economy In cost of mnlntenanco of over $1,000,000 por year. This garri son Is to bo pormnnent. Its regimen tal units, Instead of bolng transferred periodically back and forth from tho Unltod States, will remain In tho Islands. Tho. officers and men com posing thoso units will, howovor, sorvo a regular tropical detail as usual, thus Involving no greater hard ship upon tho personnel nnd greatly Increasing the effectiveness of tho garrison. A similar policy is pro posed for tho Hawaiian and Panama garrlBons ns fast ns the barracks for them aro completed. I strongly urgo upon congress that tho nocessnry ap propriations for this purpose should bo promptly mndo. It Is, In my opin ion, of first Importanco that thoso national outposts, upon which n suc cessful homo dofonso will, primarily, depend, should bo flulshod and placed In offectlvo condition at tho earliest possible day. Tho Homo Army. Simultaneously with tho foregoing stepB tho wnr department has boen proceeding with tho reorganization of tho army at homo. Tho formerly disassociated units aro being united into a tactical organization of threo divisions, each consisting of two or three brigades of Infantry and, so far aB practicable, a proper proportion of divisional ' cavalry and artillery. Of courso tho extant to which this re form can bo carrlod by tho executlvo Is practically limited to a paper or ganization. Tho scattered units can bo brought undor a propor organiza tion, but thoy will romaln physically scnttercd until congress supplies the nocossnry funds for grouping thorn In moro concentrated posts. Until that is dona tho prosont difficulty of drilling our scattered groups togeth er, nnd thus training thorn for tho propor team play, can not bo re moved. Regular Army Reserve. Ono of tho most Important reforms accomplished during tho past year has boon tho legislation enacted in tho army appropriation bill of last sum mer, providing for a regular army re sorvo. Hitherto our natlonnl polloy nas assumed that at tho outbreak of war our regiments would bo imme diately raised to full strength. Hut our laws havo provided no means by which this could bo accomplished, or by which the losses of tho regiments whon onco sent to tho front could bo repaired. In this respect wo havo neglected tho lessons learned by other nations. Tho now law provides that tho soldier, after serving four years with colors, shnll pass into a rcservo for threo years. At his option ho may go Into tho resorvo at tho end of three years, remaining there for four years. Whllo In tho reservo he can bo called to actlvo duty only In case of war or othor national emergency, and when so called and only In such caso will rccclvo a stated amount of pay for all of tho period In which he has been n member of the reserve. Tho legisla tion 1b Imperfect, In my opinion, In certain particulars, but It is a most Important step In tho right direction, and I earnestly hopo that It will bo cnrefully studied and perfected by congress, The National Guard. Under existing law tho national guard constitutes, nftcr tho regular ar my, tho first line of national dofonso. Its organization, discipline, training, nnd equipment, under recent legisla tion, havo been assimilated, as far as possible, to those of tho regular army, nnd Its practical efficiency, un der tho effect of this training, hnB very greatly Increased. Our cltlzon soldiers under prosent conditions havo reached a stage of development be yond which they cannot reasonably bo asked to go without further direct assistance In tho form of pay from tho federal government. On the othor hand, such pay from tho national treasury would not be justified unless It produced a proper equivalent -In additional efficiency on tho part of tho natlonnl guard. Tho organized mllltla today cannot bo ordered out Bido of tho limits of tho United States, and thus ennnot lawfully bo used for general military purposes. The offi cers and men aro ambitious and eager to mako themselvos thus avallnblo and to becomo an efficient national rc servo of citizen soldiery. They are tho only force of trained men, other than tho rogular army, upon which wo can rely. Tho so-called mllltla pay bill, In the form agreed on be tween the authorities of tho war do partmont nnd the representatives of tho national guard, In my opinion ade quately meets these conditions and offers a proper return for the pay which it Is proposed to give to tho national guard. I believe that Its en actment Into law would bo a very long step townrd providing this na tion with n first lino of cltlzon eoI dlery, upon which Its main reliance must depend In cbbo of any national emergency. Plans for tho organiza tion of tho national guard Into tac tical divisions, on tho same Hnes as thoso adopted for tho rogular army, aro being formulated by tho war col lego division of tho general staff. 'National Volunteers. Tho natloanl guard consists of only about 110,000 men. In any serious war In tho past It has always boon necessary, and In such a war In the futuro It doubtless will bo nocossary, for tho nation t,o depend, In addition to tho regular army and tho national guard, upon n largo forco of volun; teors. Thoro Is at present no ade quate provision of Inw for the raising of Buch a forco. Thero Is now pend ing In congress, however, a bill which makes such provision, and which I bellove Is admirably adapted to meet tho exigencies which would bo pre sented In caso of war. Tho pasBago of tho bill would not entail a dollar's oxpnnBO upon tho government at this tlmo or In tho futuro until war comes. Hut If war comos tho methods therein directed aro In accordance with tho best military judgment as to what they ought to be, and tho act would prevent tho necessity for a dlscusslno of any legislation and the delays In cident to Its consideration and adop tion. I earnestly urgo Its passage. Porto Rico, Mr. Taft says, contin ues to Bhow notable progress and ho urges tho Benato to pnss tho bill grant ing tho Porto ItlcnnB Amorlcan citizen ship. Philippines. A bill 1b ponding In congress, con tinues tho message, which revolution Izcb the carefully worked out schema of govornmont under which tho Philip pine Islands aro now governed and which proposes to reudor thorn vir tually autonomous at onco and abso lutely lndopondeut In eight years. Such a proposal can only bo founded on tho assumption that wo have now discharged out trusteeship to tho Fil ipino peoplo nnd our responsibility for them to tho world, and that thoy aro now prepared for solf-govornment as woll as national sovereignty. A thor ough and unbiased knowledge of tho facts clearly shows that theso assump tions aro absolutely with justlllcatlon, Ab to this, I bellovo that thero is no substantial difference of opinion among any of those who havo had tho responsibility of facing Philippine problems In tho administration of tho Islands, nnd I believe that no one to whom tho futuro of this peoplo is a responsible concern can countonnnco u policy fraught with tho direst conso quoncos to thoso on whoso behalf It is ostensibly urged. In tho Phlllpplnn Islands wo havo ombarked upon an experiment un precedented In donltng with dependent pooplos. Wo nro developing thero conditions exclusively for their own welfare. Wo found an archipelago containing 24 tribes and races, speak ing a groat variety of languages, and with n population over 80 per cont. of which could neither read nor wrlto. Through tho unifying forces of a common education, of commercial and economto development, and of gradual participation In local self government wo aro endeavoring to ovolvo a homogeneous peoplo fit to determlno, when tho tlmo arrives, their own destiny. Wo nro seeking to arouso a national spirit and not, as under tho older colonlnl theory, to suppress such a spirit. Tho character of tho work wo havo been doing is keenly recognized fii tho Orient, and our success thus far followed with not n little envy by thoso who, Initiating tho eamo policy, find thomselvco hamp ered by conditions grown up. In ear lier days and under different theories of administration. Dut our work is far from done Our duty to tho Fill pinoB is far from discharged. Over half a million Filipino students nro now In tho Philippine schools helping to mold tho mon of the futuro Into a homogeneous people, but there still remain moro than a million Filipino children of school ago yet to bo reach ed. Freed from American control tho Integrating forces of a common edu cntlon nnd a common language will cease and tho educational system now well started will slip back Into Ineffi ciency and dlsordor. An enormous Increase In the com mercial development of tho Islands has boon mado since they wero vir tually granted full access to our mar kets three years ago, with every pros poet of Increasing development and diversified Industries. Freed from Amerlcnn control such development Is bound to decline. Every observer speaks of tho great progress In public works for the boneflt of tho Filipinos, of harbor Improvements, of road and railways, of Irrigation nnd artesian wells, public buildings, and bettor means of communication. But largo parts of tho Islands aro still unreach ed, still even unexplored, roads and railways are needed In many parts, Irrigation systems aro still to be in stalled and wells to bo driven. Whole vlllnges and towns aro still without means of communication othor than almost Impassible roads and trails. Even tho great progress In sanitation, which has successfully suppressed smallpox, the bubonic plague, and Asiatic cholera, has found tho cause of and a cure for beriberi, has segre gated the lepers, hns helped to make Manila tho most healthful city In tho Orient, and to free life throughout tho whole nrchlpolago from Its former dread diseases, Is nevertheless Incom plete In many essentials of perma nenco In sanitary policy. Even moro remains to be accomplished. If freed from American control sanitary prog ress Is bound to bo arrested and all that has been achieved likely to bo lost. If the task wo have undertaken Is higher than that assumed by other nntlonB, Its accomplishment must de mand oven moro patience. Wo must not forget that we found the Filipinos wholly untrained In government. Up to our advont all other experience sought to repress rather than encour ago political power. It takes long tlmo and much experlenco to ingrain political habits of steadiness and effi ciency. Popular self-government ulti mately must rest upon common habits of thought and upon a reasonably de veloped public opinion. No such foun dations for self-government, let nlono Independence, aro now present In tho Philippine Islands. Disregarding even their racial heterogeneity and tho lack of ability to think as a nation, It 1b sufficient to point out that under lib eral franchise privileges only about 3 per cent, of tho Filipinos voto and only 5 por cent, of tho peoplo uro said to read tho public press. To confer Independence upon tho FlllplnoB now is, therefore, to subject tho great mass of their peoplo to tho dominance of an oligarchical and, probably, exploiting minority. Such a courso will bo as cruel to thoso peoplo as it would bo shameful to us. Our true courso is to pursue stead ily and courageously tho path wo havo thus far followed; to guldo tho Fili pinos into self-sustaining pursuits; to continue tho cultivation of sound poli tical habits through education and po litical practlco; to encourage tho di versification of Industries, nnd to real ize tho advantages of their industrial education by conservatively approved co-operativo mothods, at onco chock ing tho dangers of concentrated woalth and building up n sturdy, In dependent citizenship. Regulation of Water Power. Thero nro pending boforo jSongress a largo number of bills proposing to grant prlvllogca of erecting dams for tho purposo of creating water power In our navlgablo rivers. Tho pendoncy of theso bills has brought out an im portant defect in tho existing gonoral dam ncj. That act does not, In my opinion, grant sufficient powor to tho federal government in dealing with tho construction of such dams to exact protectlvo conditions in tho Interest of navigation. It doos not permit tho federal government, ns a condition of Us pormlt, to require that a part of tho valuo thus created shall bo ap plied to tho further general Improve ment and protection of tho Btrenm. 1 bellovo this to bo ono of tho most Important matters of Internal Improvement now confront ing the government. Most of the nav igable rivers of this country aro com paratively long nnd shallow. In or der that they may bo mado fully use ful for navigation thero has como Into voguo a method of Improvement known as canalization, or tho slack water method, which consists In build ing a series of dams and locks, each of which will crcato a long pool of deep navigable water. At each of thoso dams thoro Ib usually created a long pool of doop navlgablo water, At euch of thoso dams thero Is usually creatod also wator powor of commer cial value. If tho wator powor thus created can bo mado avallabla for tho further improvement of naviga tion In tho stream, it 1b manifest that the Improvement will bo much moro quickly effected on tho ono hand, and, on tho other, that tho burden on tho general taxpayers of tho country will bo very much reduced. Prlvnto In terests seeking permits to build water power dams In navlgablo streams usually urge that thoy thus Improve navigation, and that If they do not Impair navigation thoy should bo al lowed to tako for thomselves tho en tiro profits of tho water-power de velopment Whatever they may do by way of rcllovlng tho government of tho oxpenso of Improving naviga tion should bo given duo considera tion, but it must bo apparent that thero may bo a profit beyond a rea sonably liberal return upon tho prl vnto Investment which Is a potential asset of tho government In carrying out a comprehensive policy of water way development. It Is no objection to tho retention and uso of such nn asset by tho government that a 'com prehensive wnterway policy will in cludo tho protection and development of tho other public uses of water, which cannot and' should not bo Ig nored In making and executing plans for tho protection and development of navigation. It Is also equally clear that Inasmuch as tho water power thus created Is or may bo an Incident of a general schomo of waterway im provement within tho constitution jurisdiction of tho federal govern ment, the regulation of such water power lies also within that Jurisdic tion. In my opinion constructive statesmanship requires that legisla tion should bo onacted which will per mit tho development of naylgatlon In theso great rivers to go hand In hand with tho utilization of this by-product of water power, created In tho courso of tho same Improvement, and that tho general dam act should be so amended as to mako this possible, I deem It highly important that tho na tion should adopt a consistent and harmonious treatment of theso water power projects, which will preserve for this purposo their valuo to tho government, whoso right It is to grant tho permit. Any other policy Is equiv alent to throwing away a most val uable national asset. Tho Panama Canal. During the past year the work of construction upon tho canal has pro gressed most satisfactorily. About 87 per cent of tho excavation work has boen completed, and moro than 93 per cent of tho concrete for all tho locks Is In place. In view of the great In terest which has been manifested as to some slides in the Culebra Cut, I am glad to say that tho roport of Col. Goethals should allay any apprehon slon on this point. It is gratifying to noto that none of the slides which oc curred during this year would havo In terfered with tho passage of tho ships had tho canal, in fact, been in opera tion, nnd when the slope pressures will havo been finally adjusted and the growth of vegetation will minimize erosion in tho banks of tho cut, tho sltdo problem will bo practically solved and an ample stability assured for tho Culebra Cut. Although tho official date of tho oponlng has been set for January 1. 1915, the canal will, In fact, from present indications, bo opened for shipping during, the latter half of 1913. No fixed date can ns yet be set, but shipping Interests will be ndvlsed ns soon ns assurances can bo given that vessels can pass through without un necessary delay. Recognizing tho administrative prob lem in the management of the canal, congress In the act of August 24, 1912, has mado admirable provisions for executlvo responsibility in the control of tho canal and tho government of the Canal Zono. Tho problem of most efficient organization Is receiving care ful consideration, so that a scheme of organization and control best adapted to tho condltons of tho canal may be formulated and, put In operation as ex peditiously as possible. Acting under tho nuthorlty conferred on mo by con gress, I havo, by executlvo proclama tion, promulgated tho following sched ule of tolls for ships passing through tho canal, based upon tho thorough report of Emory R. Johnson, special commissioner on traffic and tolls: 1. On merchant vessels carrying passengers or cargo, $1.20 per net ves sel ton each 100 cubic foot of actual capacity. 2. On vessels in ballast without passengers or cargo, 40 per cent loss than tho rate of tolls for vessels with passengers or cargo. 3. Upon naval vessels, othor than transports, colliers, hospital ships, and supply ships, 50 cents per displace ment ton. 4. Upon army and navy transports, colliers, hospital ships, and supply Bhlps, $1.20 per net ton, tho vessels to be measured by tho samo rules aB aro employed In determining tho not tonnago of merchant vessels. Rules for tho determination of tho tonnago upon which toll charges aro based aro now In courso of prepara tion and will bo promulgated In duo seaBon. Panama Canal Treaty. Tho proclamation which I have Is sued in reBpect to tho Panama Canal tolls Is In accord with the Panama Canal act passed by this congress Au gust 24, 1912. Wo havo been advised that tho British government has pro pared a protest against tho act and Us enforcement In so far as it re lieves from tho payment of tolls American ships engaged in tho Amer ican coa8twlBO trado on tho ground that It vlolatos British rights under tho Hay-Pauncofoto treaty concerning tho Pnnama Canal. Whon tho protest Is presented, It will bo promptly con sidered and an effort mado to reach a satisfactory adjustment of any dif ferences thoro may bo between tho two governments. Promotion for Col. Goethals. As tho completion of tho canal grows nearer, and as tho wonderful executlvo work of Col. Qoothals be comes moro conspicuous Jn tho eyes of tho country and of tho world, It scorns to mo wlso and propor to mako pro vision by law for such roward to him as may bo commensurato with tho servlco that ho has rendered to hla country. I suggest that this roward tako tho form of an appointment of Col. Goethals as a major general In the army of tho United States, 'and that, tho law authorizing such appoint ment bo nccompanled with a provision permitting his designation as chlof of engineers upon tho retirement of tho prosont Incumbent of that office. Navy Department. Tho 'navy of tho Unltod States 1b In ' n greater stato of efficiency nnd Is moro poworful than it has been bo fore, but in tho emulation which ex ists betweon dlfteront countries in re spect to tho incroaso of naval and military armaments this condition Is not of a permanent ono. In vlow of tho many Improvements and Increases by forolgn governments tho slightest halt .on our, part in respect to new construction .throws us back and re duces us from a naval power of tho first rank and places us among tho na tions of tho second rank. A year ago congress refused to ap propriate for moro than ono battle ship. In this I think a great mlntako of policy was mado, and I urgontly recommend that this congress mako up for tho mistake of tho last session by appropriations authorizing tho con struction of threo battleships, In ad dition to destroyers, fuel ships, and tho other auxiliary vesesls as shown In tho building program of tho gen eral board. Wo aro confronted by a condition in respect to tho nnvlcs of tho world which requires us, If wo would .maintain our navy as an lnsur anco of peaco, to augment our naval forco by at least two battleships n year and by battle cruisers, gunboats, torpedo destroyers, and submarino boats in a propor proportion. Wo have no deslro for war. Wo go as far as any nation In the world to avoid war, but wo aro a world power. Our population, our wealth, our deflnlto policies, our responsibilities In tho Pa cific and tho Atlantic, our defenso of tho Panama canal, together with our onormous world trado and our mis sionary outposts on tho frontiers of civilization, require us to recognize our position as ono of tho foromdst In tho family ofi nations, and toclotho ourselves with sufficient naval powor to give forco to our reasonable de mands, and to give weight to our Influence In thoso directions of prog ress that a powerful Christian nation should advocate. Department of Justice. This department has been very active in tho enforcement of tho law. It has been better organized and with a larger forco than ever beforo In tho history of tho government. Tho prosecutions which havo been success fully concluded and which aro now pending testify to tho effectiveness of the department work. Tho prosecution of trusts undor the Sherman anti-trust law has gone on without .restraint or diminution, and docrees similar to thoso entered in tho Standard Oil and tho Tobacco cases have been entdred In othor suits, like the suits against tho powder trust and tho bath tub trust. I am very strqngly convinced that a steady, consistent courso in his regard, with a continuing of Supremo court de cisions upon now phaBos of tho trust question not already llnally decided, Is going to offer a solution of this much discussed and troublesome lssuo in a quiet, calm and judicial way, without any radical legislation changing tho governmental policy in regard to com binations now denounced by tho Sher man anti-trust law. I have already recommended as an aid in this matter legislation which would declaro unlaw ful certain well-known phases of un fair competition in Interstato trado, and I havo also advocated voluntary national incorporation for tho larger Industrial enterprises, with provision for a closer supervision by tho bu reau of corporations, or a board ap pointed for the purposo, so as to mako certain compliance with tho anti trust law on the ono hand and to givo greater security to tho stock holders against possible prosecutions on tho othor. I bellovo, however, that the ordorly courso of litigation in the courts and tho rogular prosecution of trusts charged with tho violation of tho anti-trust law is producing among business men a clearer and clearer perception of the lino of distinction be tween business that 1b to bo encour aged and business that is to bo con demned, nnd that In thU qulot way the question of trusts can be settled and competition retained as an eco nomic forco to securo reasonableness In prices nnd freedom and Independ ence In trado. Workman's Compensation Act. The workman's compensation net reported by the special commission ap pointed "by congress and vho execu tlvo, which passed the senate and is now pending in tho house, tho passage of which I havo in previous mes sages urgod upon congress, I venture again to call to its attention. Tho opposition to it which developed in tho sonato, but which was ovorcome by a majority in that body, seemed to mo to grow out rather of a misappre hension of its effect than of opposi tion to its principle. I say again that I think no act can have a better af fect directly upon tho relations be tween tho employer and employo than this act applying to railroads and common carriers and an Interstato character, and I am suro that tho pass ago of tho act would greatly rollovo tho courts of tho heaviest burden of litigation that they havo, and would enable them to dispatch othor bunl ness with a speed never beforo attain ed In courts of justice in this country. WILLIAM II. TAFT. Tho Whlto Houso, December 6, 1912. V j-V f
