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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1906)
president's To the iscnaic anil Uuuso uf Representa tives: As n nation wo still continue to enjoy n literally unprecedented prosperity ; and Ir in probable that only reckless spccula 4 ion and dlsrogurd of legitimate business methods on the part of the business world Tin materially mar this prosperity. No Congress in our time has done uiorc good work of importance than the present Congress. There were .several mutters left unfinished at your last session, how ever, which I most earnestly hope you will complete before your adjournment. ('niuiittc Contribution. 1 again recommend a law prohibiting all corporations from contributing to the campaign expenses of any party. Let Individuals contribute as they desire ; but let us prohibit in effective fash on all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or indi rect j. The Uorruiiicut'ft Hliilit to Aiipenl. A bill which has passed one House of (ho -Congress and which it is urgently necessary should be enacted into law Is 'that conferring upon the government the right of appeal in criminal euses on ques tions of law. This right exists in many of thu States ; it exists in the District of Columbia by act of the Congress. 1 can hot too strongly urge the passage of the nil. in question. A failure to pnss it wall result in seriously haompering the govern ment in its effort to obtain justice, es pecially against wealthy individuals or corporations who do wrong ; and may also prevent the government from obtaining justice for wage workers who arc not themselves able effectively to contestt a tfiso where the judgemnt of an inferior court has been against them. The impor tance of enacting into law the particular bill in question is further increased by thu fact that the government has now definitely begun a policy of resorting to the criminal law in those trust and in terstate commerce cases where such a ccurso offers u reasonable chance of suc cess. At first, as, was proper, every effort was made to enforce these laws by civil proceedings; but it, has become increas ingly evident that the action of the gov ernment' in finally deciding, in certain cases, vo undertake criminal proceedings was justifiable; and tnougli there have been some conspicuous failures in these enMs. we have had many" successes, which have undoubtedly had a deterrent effect upon evil-doers, whether the, penalty in 11 it ted was in the shape "f 0I' impris onment andpenalties of both kinds have ' aireadv been intlicted by the courts. Of ffiiirsi'. where the itidce can see his way to inflict the penalty of imprisonment the Jf torrent effect of the punishment on oth-n- offenders is increased; but sufficiently soavy fines accomplish much. Imhuiiiici: of liiJnitclloiiH. In my last message 1 suggested the runetment of a law in connection with the issuance of injunctions, attention hav 'dmr been sharnlv drawn to the matter by the demand that the right of applying in junctions in labor cases should be wholly iit.ollHhecL It is at least doubtful wheth er a law abolishing altogether the use of injunctions m such cases would stand tlie test of the "ourts; in which case of course the legislation would be ineffective. Moreover, 1 believe jt would be wrong al together to proiuou tae use or. injuucuoiiK. It is criminal to 'permit sympathy for criminals to weaken our hands in uphold ing the law: and if .men seek to destroy life or property by mob violence there fchould be no impairment of the power of the courts to deal with them in the .most nummary and effective way possible. Hut no far" as possible the abuse of. the power should bo provided against Ity some sucn law as I advocated last year. In this matter of injunctions there is lodged in the hands of the judiciary n nee. tKKirv nowcr which is nevertheless sub Itct to the Possibility of grave abuse. It, Is it power that should he exercised with extreme care and should be subject to the jealous scrutiny of all men, and condem nation should be meted out us much to the indue, who fails to use it boldly when necessary as to the judge who uses it wantonly or oppressively. There must be no hesitation in dealing,, with disorder. Hut there must likewise be no such.almtte .of the injunctive power as" is implied in forbidding laboring meji to strive for their ' own betterm-nt in peaceful n.nd lawful ways;' nor must the Injunction be used merely .to aid some big corporation in car rying out schemes for Us own uggrntTdize nient. it must be remembered that u pre liminary injunction in a lnlor case, if granted without adequate proof (even when authority can be found to support i ho conclusions of liov on which it is founded), may often settle the dispute between the partie.-,; and therefore if im nrqperly' granted may do irreparable wrong. "... ,1. : indues who imsuine a matter-of-course granting ot a preliminary injunction to be the ordi nary and proper judicial disposition of such onses; and there have undoubtedly been flagrant wrongs committed by judges In connection with labor disputes even -withiu the lmt J" -w year, although 1 think much less often than in former years. Such judges by their unwise ac tion immensely strengthen the hnnds of those who are striving entirely to do ,nway with the jhiwer of injunction.; and therefore such careless use of the injunc tive process tends to threaten its very friifctence, for' if the American people over become, convinced that this process is lmbitunlly abused, whether lit matters nf ficting labor or hi matters affecting oor- . yoratlons, St will be well-nigh impossible i.o prevent its abolition. The Crime at I,y iichlntr. In connection with the delays of the law, 1 call your attention mid the atten tion of the nation to thu prevalence of crime among us, and above all to the epi demic of lynching and mob violence that fiprings up, now in one part of our coun try, now in auother. Kach Meet ion, north, outb, east or west, has itH own faults; no section can with wisdom spend iU time jeering at the faultH of another sec tion ; it uhould be busy trying to amend tH own shortcomings. To deal with the crime of corruption it Is necessary to r have nn awakened public conscience, and to supplement this by whatever legisla tion, will add speed and certainty in the execution of the law. When Ave deal with lynching 'even more la necessary. A great many white men are lynched, but the Sline is peculiarly frequent iu respect to ick men. Ta yreateait exciting: auut JMessacje of lynchiug is ilie perpetration, especially by black men, of the hideous crime of tape -the most abominable in all the category of crimes, even woiBe than mur der. .Mobs fremicntlv avenue the com mission of this crime by themselves tor turing to death the man committing it; thus avenging in bestial fashion a bestial deed, and reducing themselves to a level with the criminal. I.ttbor mid CnpKnl. In dealing with both labor and capital, with the questions affecting both corpora tions and trades unions, there is one mat ter more important to remember 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 hatred against all men of wealth. They seek to turn wise nnd proper movements for the better control of corporations and for doing away with the abuses connected with wealth, into a campaign of hysterical excitement and falsehood in which the aim is to lnllnme to madness the brutal passions of man k'nd. The sinister demagogues and fool ish visionaries who are always eager to undertake such a campaign of destruc tion sometimes seek to associate them selves with those working for a genuine reform in governmental and social meth ods, nnd sometimes masquerade as such reformers. In reality they are the worst enemies ot the cause they profess to ad vocate, just as the purveyors of sensa tional slander in newspaper or niagazinft are the worst enemies of all men who are engaged in an honest effort to better what is bad in our socinl and govern mental conditions. To preach hatred of the rich man as such, to carry on a cam paign of slander nnd invective against him, to seek to mislead and inflame to madness honest men whose lives are hard and who have not the kind of mental training which will permit them to appre ciate the danger in the doctrines preach ed all this Is to commit a crime against the body iwlitie and to be false to every worthy principle and tradition of Ameri can national life. Corruption is never so rife as in communities where .the dem agogue and 'ho agitator bear full sway, because In uneh communities all moral bands become loosened, and hysteria and sensationalism replace the spirit of sound judgment and fair dealing as between man and man. In sheer revolt against the squalid anarchy tims produced men are sure in 'he end to turn toward any leader who can restore order, and then their relief at leing free from the intol erable burdens of class .hatred, violence, anil, demagogy Is such that they cannot for sonic time be aroused to indignation ' against misdeeds by men of wealth ; so that they permit a new growth of the very abuses which were in part respon sible for the original outbreak. The one. hope for success for our jwople lies in a resolute and fearless, but sane and cool headed, advance along the path marked out Inst year by this very Congress. There must be a stern refusal to be misled into following either that bate creature .who appeals and panders 'to the lowest in stincts and passions in order to nronse ono set of Americans against their fel lows, or that other crentnre. equally base but no bawer, who in a spirit of greed, or to' accumulate or add to'nn already huge fortune, seeks to exploit his fellow-Airier-icaus with callous "disregard to their wel fare of soul and bod. The plain people who think the me chanics, farmers, merchants, workers with heud or hand, tne men to -whom American traditions are dear, who love their country .iud try to act decently by their neighbors, owe it to themselves to remember that tie "most damaging blow that can be given popular government is to elect ar unworthy and sinister agita tor on a plutforru -of violence and hypoc risy. Thf Ktelit-lionr Uw. So far as it Is In our power, it uhould b- our aim steadily to reduce the nunf ber of hours of labor, with as a goul the general" introduction of an eight-hour day. Then are industries in -which it is not possible that tile hours of labor hould he reduced ; just ns there are com munities 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 dieir needs and ours in this, .natter. On the isthmus of l'anama, for instance, the conditions are iu every way so different from what they are hero that an eight-hour day would lt absurd; just as it is absurd, m far as the isthmus is concerned, where white labor cannot ' employed, to bother as to whether the necessary work is done by alien black men or by alien yellow mcrj. UiiufON Hi-(v'mi Cnpltnl uml I.uhor. The commission appointed by tlic Presi dent Oct. 1(5, ltlOU, at the request of Mth the anthracite coal operators and miners, to -lii'iairc into, consider nnd pu upon the question ... ..'- ' in connection with the strike In the anthracite irH. r- Pennsylvania and the causes out of which thu controversy arose, In their report, find, lugs uud awurd expressed the belief "that the State uml Federal governments should provide the machinery for what rimy be vailed the eoinpultory Investigation of con troversies between employers and employes when they urine." This expression of lie. Ilef Is deserving of the favorublo conslder ation of the Congress and I he enactment of its provisions Into law. A hill has al ready been Introduced to this end. Control of Corporation). The present Congress has taken long strides In thu direction of securing proper supervision and control by the national government over corporations engaged la lntei-stitu business and tho enormous ma jority of corporations of auy size are en gaged in Interstate business. The passage of tlie railway rate bill, and only to a less degree the passage of the pure food bill, and the provision for Increasing and ren dering more effective national control over the bc-ef.j)iicl.-iiiK industry, mark an Import ant advance Iu the proper direction. All these laws have already Justified their en actment, ft must not he supposed, how ever, that with the passngo of these laws It will bo possible to stop progress along the line of Increasing tho power of the national government over the use of capital In interstate commerce. For example, there will ultimately be need of enlarging the pow ers of the Interstate commerce commission along several different lines, bo as to give It u larger and more efficient control over the railroads. It caonot often le repeated that ex perience has conclusively shown the Impos sibility of securing by the actions of nearly half & hundred different Bute Legislatures anything but Ineffective chaos In the way of dealing with the great corporations which do not operate exclusively within the limits of any ona State, In some methods, whether by a national license law I or In other fashlou, we must exercise, and that at nn early date, a far more complete control than at present over these gnat corporations n control that will among other things prevent tho evils of excessive over-capltallzatlou, and that will compel tho disclosure by each big corporation of Its stockholders and of Us properties and business, whether owned directly or through subsidiary or affiliated corporations. This will tend to put a stop to the securing of Inordinate proilts hv favored Individuals at the expense whether of the general public, the stockholders, or the wngeworkers. Our effort should be not so much to prevent con solidation itH such, but so to supervise nnd control It ns to mo that It results In no harm to tho people. So the proper antidote to the dangerous nnd wicked agitation against the men of wealth ns such Is to secure by proper legls latlon nnd executive nctlon the abolition of the grave nbuses which actually do obtain In connection with the business use of wealth under our present system -or rath er no system of failure to exercise any ad equate control at all. Some persons speak as If the exercise of such governmental control would do away with the freedom of Individual Initiative and dwarf Individ unl effort. This Is not a fact. It would be a veritable calamity to fall to put a premium upon Individual Initiative, Individ ula capacty nnd effort J upon the energy, character and foresight which It Is so Im portant to eiiconrare In the Individual. Hut ns a matter of fact the deadening and de grading effect of pure socialism, nnd the de struction of individual character which they would bring about, are In part achieved by tho wholly unregulated competition which results In a single Individual or corporation rising nt the expense of all others until his or Its rise effectually checks all com petition nnd reduces former competitors to a position of utter Inferiority and subor dination. Tho nctunl working of our laws has shown that the effort to prohibit all com bination, good or bad, Is obnoxious where It Is not effective. Combination of capital, like combination 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 complete pre vention would do damage to the hotly poll tic. What we need Is not vainly to try to prevent nil combination, but to secure inch rigorous and adequate control and supervis ion of the combinations as to prevent tholr Injuring the public, or existing In such form as Inevitably to threaten Injury- for the mere fact that, a combination lies secured practically complete control 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 un fortunate that our present laws should for bid all .combinations. Instead of sharply dls- erlmlnntltu: between those combinations which do gtfod and those combinations which do ell. Itebates, for Instance, are in often due to the pressure of big shippers (aswas shown In the Investigation of the Standard Oil Company and as has been shown since bv the lnvestlcntlon of' the tobacco and sugar trust) as to the Initiative of big railroads. Often railroads would like to combine for the purpose of preventing a big shipper from maintaining improper advant ages at the expense of small shippers and of the general public. Such a combina tion, Instead of llelng forbidden by Jaw. Bhould he favored. In other words. It should be permitted to railroads to make agree ments, provided these agreements were suae tloned by the Interstate commerce conunls slou nnd wre published. With those two conditions complied with It Is Impossible to see what, harm such a combination could do to the public at large. Inherl timet- mill Inroim- Tax. The nntlonnl government hns long derived Its chief revenue from a tariff on imports and from an Internal or excise tax. In ad dltlon to these thero Is every reason why, when next our system of tnxntlo'j Is revised, the national government should Impose a gradunted Inheritance tax. anil. If iosst- ble, a graduated Income tax. The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to 'the State, because he derives special advan tages from tho mere existence of govern ment. Not only should he recognize this obligation In the way he leads his dally I If o and In the way ho 'earns and spends his money, but It ihould also Ik; recognized ny 1 no way in which lie nays for the protec tlon the State gives him. On the one hand. It Is desirable Hint he should assume his full nnd proper share of the burden of tax ation i; on the other hand. It Is quite as necessary mat In this kind of taxation, where the men who vote the tax pay but nine or ir, mere should he clear recogni tion of the danger of Inaugurating any such system sine In a spirit of entire Jus- lice and moderation. Whenever we,, as a" peopie, undertake to remodel our taxation system along the lines' suggested, we must make It clear beyond peradventure that, our aim Is to distribute the burden f support lug the government more equitably than at present ; thut we Intend to treat rich man and poor man on n basis af absolute -equality, nnd 'that we regad It as equally fatal to true democracy to do or permit Mnjostlre to tho one as to do or permit Injustice to tho other. I nm well aware that such a subject as this needs long and careful study In order that the people- may become familiar with what Is proposed to be done, may" clearly see the necessity of proceeding with wisdom and self-restraint, and "may make up their minds Just how far they nre willing n, go In the matter; while only trained legisla tors can work out tho project In nocessurv, detail. Hut I feel that la the near future our national legislators should enact a law providing for a graduated inheritance tax by which a steadily Increasing Bate of duly bhould )c put upon all inoacva or other valuables coming by gift, bequest, or devise to any Individual or corporation J Kit lieu Hon t,t (It,- runner, 0 'The only other persons whoso welfare Is nt vital to the welfare of the whole coun try as is the welfare of the. w.igeworkers are the tillers of the soli, the fanners. It Is a mere truism to say that no growth of cities, no growth of wealth, no liidiHt.ial development can atone Jor nay falling off in th character and standing of the farm in ,.-i"intlon. Uuilng the I. st few de endes this rn . Men recognized with ever-Increasing clenrnei.. There is no ong er any failure to realize tluu 'inning, at least In certain branches, must become .. technical and sclentltle profession. This means that there iniiHt be open to farmers the chance for technical and scientific train last, not theoretical merelv but of the most severely practUrul type TIiIh education of the farmer Is peculiarly necenry here In tho United States, where the frontier con ditions even In tit newest States hnve now nearly vanished, where there must l a substitution of u more IntetisiNJ system of cultivation for the old wasteful farm man agement, and where there must bo a bettor business organization among the farmers themselves. Several factors must co-operate In tho Im provement of tho farmer's condition. He must have the chance to be educated In the widest possible sense In the sense which keijps ever In view the Intimate relationship between the theory of eduction and tho facts of life. This Is especially true of the farm er. All students now realize that educa tion must seek to train the exicutlvc pow ers of young people and to confer more real significance upon the phrase "dignity of labor," and to prepare the pupils so that In addition to each developing In the highest degree his Individual capacity for work, they may together help create a right public opinion, arid show In many ways social and co-operative spirit. Or ganization has become uccessary In the bus iness world, nnd It has accomplished much for good in the world of labor. It Is no less necessary for farmers. Irrigation amd Forest Preserrmtlon, Much Is now being done for (he States of the Rocky Mountains and Great rialns through' the development of the national policy ot Irrigation and forest preserra-, tlon; no government pulley for the bettej nient of our Internal conditions htm been more fruitful of good than (hit). The for csts of the White .Mountains and Southern Appalachian regions should nlso be pre served; and they can not he unless fhe peo ple of the States, In which they lie, through their representatives In Congress, sceurc vigorous action by tho national govern ment. MnrrliiKC uml Divorce l,uwn. I am well aware of how difficult It Is to pass n constitutional amendment. Nccr theless Iu my Judgment thu whole question of marriage and divorce should bo relegated to the authority or the .Nat loan I Congress. At present the wide differences In the laws of the different States on this subject result In scandals and abuses; and surely there Is nothing so vitally essential to tho welfare of the nation, nothing around which the nation should so bend itself to throw every safeguard, as the home life of the nverage citizen. The change would be good from every standpoint. In particular It would bo good bocaiixo It would confer on the Con gress tho power nt once to deal radically and efficiently with polygamy; nnd this should be done whether or not marriage and divorce are dealt with. It Is neither safe nor proper to leave tho question of polygamy to be dealt with by the several States. Power to deal with It should be conferred on thu national government. Development of American Hlililii. Let mo once again call the attention of the Congress to thu niestlon of developing American shipping. 1 trust that a law cm bodying lu substance thu views, or a mnjoi part of the views, expressed In the report on this subject laid before the House at Its last session, wilt no passed, it win ot course benollt primarily our seaboard States, such as .Maine, IoulsInua and Wash Ington ; but what bencllts part of our pro pie lu the end benefits nil ; Jut ns govern ment aid to Irrigation and forestry In the West Ib renlly of benefit, not only to the Uocky Mountain States, but to all our cou t- try. Xeeil of Currency IN-forin. I especially call your attention to the condition of our currency laws. The ua I tonal bank net has ably served a great pur pose In aiding tho enormous business devel opment of tho country; and within ten years there has been an Increase In circu lation per capita from sui.u in $;i;uw. For scevral years evidence has been ncciimu biting that additional legislation Is need cd. The recurrence of each crop season emphasizes the defects of tho present laws. There must noon be a revision of them, be cause to leave them as they are mean to Incur Mobility of business disaster. Since your body adjourned there has been a Hue tnnt Ion In tho Interest on call money from 12 per cent to .'10 nor cent: and the fluctu ation was even greater during the preceding six months. '1 lie Secretary of the Treasury had to step lu and by wise nctlon p". a stop t; the. most violent period of oscilla tion. Kven worse than such Hurt nation Is the advance In commercial rates nnd the uncertainty felt lu the sufficiency of credit even at high rates. All commercial Inter ests suffer during oath crop period. Ex cessive rates for call money lu New York aftract money from the Interior banks Into the speculative Held; this depletes the fund thai would otherwise be available for com mercial uses, and commercial borrowers are forced to pay abnormal rates; so that each fnll a tax. lu the shape of Increased Inter est charges, Is placed on the whole com merce of tho country. Tho morn statement of these facts shows that our present system Is seriously defec tive. There Is need of a change. 1 do not press any especial plan. Tin- Philippine Turin". 1 most earnestly hope that the bill to provide a lower tariff for or else absolute free jrnde In riillippliio products win be come it law. N'o harm will come to nny American Industry; and while there will be some smnll but real matcrlnl benollt to the I'lllplnos, tho main benefit will come by the showing made as lo our purpose to do nil In our inmer for their welfare. So far our action in tho I'lillippus lias Keen ammo antl.v Justified, not mainly nnd Indeed not primarily becume of the added dlglntty It Iikk riven uti h n nntlon by proving that we are capable honorably and ttUt-lenllv lo lfnr ihe International burdens which a mighty people should lienr, but even rnoie becnuso of the Inimoriso benefit that has comw lo the people of J be Philippine Islands in these isinnus we are sicauny uiirouuLoi both liberty and order, to u greater degree than their people have ever boffin known, and next spring. If conditions warrant, we shall take n great stride forward In test Ing their (Opacity for self-government by summoning the first Filipino legislative, as sornblv ; and tho-away In which they stii-nd thlsoicst will largely determine whether the self government thus1 granted will be In creased or decreased ; for If wo have erred at all In I he Philippines It has been lu pro ceedlng too rapidly In tho direction of grsullng a large measure of self government. American cltlzejishlp shoiihl0be conferred on the citizens of Porto Itlco. The harbor of San .loan In Porto Uh-o should be dredged and Improved. The expenses of the Federal court of Porto Itlco should be met from the Federal treasury. The admin Intratlnn of the affairs of Porto Itlco, to gethor with those of tho Philippines. Ha waii, and our other Insular possessions. Should all be directed under ono executive department ; by preference the department of, state or the department of war. I n 1 1 r u it 1 1 o 1 1 (i I M o rn 1 1 y . Not only must we treat all nations fald-ly, but we must treat with Justice and good will all Immigrants who coinu here under the law. Whether they are Catholic or Protestant, .low or Oentlle; whether they i-oino f i our Fnglanil or Oennnny, ltussla. .Inpan, or Italy, matters nothing. All we 1 1 live a right to question Is the man's con duct. If he is honest nnnd upright In his dealings with his uolghfmr and with tho state, then be Is entitled to respect and good treatment. Especially do wo need to remember our duty to the stranger within our gates. It In the sure mark of a low j-lvlllatlou, a low morality, to abuse or discriminate against or lu auy wa." humlll ate hiicIi stranger who has come here law fully and who Is conducting himself prop erly. To icmcmla-r i his Is Incumbent on every American citizen, nnd It Is of course peculiarly "Incumbent on every government official, whether of tho nation r of the sev eral stntcH. I am prompted to nay this by the attitude 'of ostlllly here and thero "assumed towarvl the .i, laneKc in this country. This hostiil ly Is sp- -utile and Is limited to a erv few places. N. rthelesri, It Is most discredit, able to us as a .. ole,uiul ll may l fraught with the gravest con 'iioiioiw to the nation. The .Inpar.ose people i.c'-u won lu a sin gle generation tho right to .nud abreast of the foremost and most enllgn, -ied peo ples of Kuropo and America ; they Inn, won on their own merits and by their own exci tlons tho right to treatment on a basis of full and f i link equality. Tho overwhelming mass of our people cherish a lively regard nnd respect for the people of .Inpan, and lu almost every quarter of the union tho stranger from Japan Is treated as he de serves; that Is, he Is treated as the stranger from any purt of civilized Kuropo Is and deserves to bo treated'. Hut hero- and there a most unworthy feeling has manifested It self toward the Japanese - the feeling that has been shown lu shutting them out from the common schools lu San Francisco, and In mutterlngs against them lu ono or two other places, because of their efficiency as workers. To shut thorn out from the 'pub lic schools Is a wicked absurdity, wheu there are no first class colleges In the land, Including the unlversltlej and colleges of California, which do not gladly welcome Japanese students and on which Japanero students do not reflect credit. We have as much to learn from Japan ns Japan has to learn from us ; and no nation Is fit to teach unless It Is also willing to learn. Through out Japan Americans are well treated, and any failure on the part of Americans at home to treat the Japanese with a like courtesy and consideration It by Just so much a cuufosslon ot lulertortty Hi our civ ilization, I lecomniend to tho Congress that an act be passed specifically providing for the nstr urallzatlon of Japanese who come here In tending to become American citizens. On of the great embarrassments attending the performance of our International obligations is the fact that, tho statutes of the United States are entlruly Inadequate. They fall t give to the national government sufficiently ample power, through l'lilted States coiirtr and bv the use of tho army nnd uavv. it protect aliens In the rights secured to ihf.m uml"r solemn treaties which are the law of the land. 1 therefore earnestly rccomraejiJ that the criminal and civil statutes of t-f, 1 nltcd Mates be so amended and added fc as to enable (ho President, acting for t I tilted status government, which Is respon sible lu our International relatione, to force mo rights or aliens under rtreaiien. Uvea as the law now Is something can I donu by the federal government toward this end, and In tho matter now tefora me af fecting tho Japanese, everything that It It In my power to do will he done. un .ill Of, the forces, military mid civil, of the ffJuUe'd Stales which I may lawfully employ will b so employed. The Insurrection in Culm. Last August an Insurrection broke out. In. Cuba which It speedily grow evident that the existing Cuban government was power less to iniell. This government was re peatedly asked bv the then Cuban govern nient to Intervene, and finally was notified by the President of Cuba that he Intended t i valgus that his decision was Irrevocable; that none or the other constitutional ornr.ci-e would consent to carry on the governmrul, and that lie was Powerless to maintain or der, It was evident that chaos was Im pending, and there was every probability that If steps were not Immediately lakcn by this government to try to, restore order, the representatives or various lairopean nation In tho Island would apply to their respective governments' for armed Intervention In or der to protect the lives nnd property nfi their citizens. Thanks to tho prepiiredaosi of our navy. 1 was able Immediately lo send enough ships to Cuba to prevent the situation from becoming hopeless; and t iiirmermoro dispatched to cuim me mhto tare of War nnd the AshIsIiuiI Secretary iff State, In order that they might grapple with me situation on tho ground. When tho election has been held and (hn new government Inaugurated. In peaceful and orderly fashion the provisional govern ment win come to an cud. i tew inn op port unity of expressing upon behalf of tb American people, with all possible solem nity, our most earnest hope that the people of Cuba will realize the Imperative need ot preserving Justice and keeping order In th Island, q'he Fulled Slates wishes nothing or Cuba except thai. It shall prosper morally and materially, and wishes nothing of th Cnhilns save that they shall be able to pre serve order mining themselves and therefin to preserve their Independence. The Conference- ill Itlo. In many parts of South America theM has been much misunderstanding or the nt lltud" and purposes of the Fulled States toward the other American 'republics. Ae Idea had become prevalent that our asser tion of the Monroe doctrine Implied, or oar-' rled with It, an assumption or superiority, and of a right to exercise some kind of protectorate over the countries t whose territory that doctrine applies. N'othlnf could bo farther from (he truth. Yet tluf Impression continued to be u serloiu bar rier to good understanding, to friendly tereourse.to tho Introduction of Aiuerlejic capita! and the extension or American trade. The Impression was so widespread ithat ap parently It could not be reached by a'C, ordinary, means. It was part or Secretary Hoot's nilssloc to dispel this unrounded Impression, nut there Is Just cause to hellavn that he hai succeeded. Tin; AlKTcclntN Convention. The Algeclras convention, which wat signed by the Fulled Stales as well ns Is iiiiisL of tho powers of Kuropo, supcrsetler the piovlous convention or ISHO, which wiuc also signed both by the United States anC a majority of tho F.uroponn powers. Thin treaty confers upon us equal cnnunerclajl rights with all European countries, and doe not entail a' single obligation of any kind' upon us, uud I earnestly hope It may !, speedily ratified. To ,iefisu to ratify lii would merely mean that wo forfeited otirl commercial rights In Morocco and would uor achlee another object of nny kind, in thew event of such refusal we would ho left for' (he first time lu u hundred and twenty: years without any commercial treaty with Morocco; nnd this at a time when we ars; HU-rywhoro seeking new markets and out lets for trade. Protection of I "or Senln. The laws for the protection of the soak wit bin the Jurisdiction of tho I jilted Slam need revision and amendment. In case w are compelled to abandon the hope or mat-; Ing arrangements with other government to put an end to the hideous cruelty now' Incident to pelngfc sealjng, It will be a question for your suctoiis consideration uuw far wo should continue to protect and main tain the seal herd on laud with tho remit, of continuing such n practice, nnd whether It Is not belter to end tho prnctlco by ex terminating the herd ourselves lu the moit liumano way possible. AVor for llnr Illuhl. It must ever be kept .In niliid0 that Mar ls not merely Justifiable, but Imperative, upon honorable men, upon an honorable na tion, where pence can only be obtained b., the sacrifice of conscientious conviction or' of national welfare. Peace Is normally great: good, and -mally It eolneldci with' righteousness: but It Is righteousness anil not peace which should bind the eonscloiw' of a nation as It should bind the conscience or an individual; and neither a nation nor an Individual can surrender conscience to another's keeping. Neither can a nation, which Is an entity, and which does not dlt us individuals die, refrain from taking thought for the Interest of tho generations that are to come, no less than for the. In terest of the generation of to-day ; and no public men have a right, whether front, shortsightedness, Vom selfish ludlffcreuci, or from sentlineiitullty. to sacrifice national) Interests which are vital In character. A Jst war Is lu the long run far better Tor x nation's soul than the moat prosperous par obtained bv acquiescence lu wrong or In justice. Moreover, though It Is crimlnjS Tor a nntlon not lo prepare for war, si that It muv escape tint dreadful con.; quonces of being defeated in war, yet J must always be remembered that even l- he defeated In war may bo far better than not to have fought at all. As hns been wy and finely said, a beaten nation Is not n-f.: essarlly a disgraced nation ; but the n.il(nv or man Is disgraced If the obllgaUc-u, to d lend right Is shirked. The Army nnil Xiivy. I do not ask that wo continue to Incrrawr uir navy. I ask merely that It be mala tniiii-.' ot Its present strength; and this cm be done out, " we replace the obsolete and outworn ships by nu.-. "d good ones, th equals of any afloat In any in,?;: To stop building Nhlps for one year moans that. ia: that year the navy goes back Instead of. forward. In lth the army and the nacj there Is urgent need that everything pos sible should be done to imilii tutu thu high est standard for the personnel, nltku ns re gards the officers and tho enlisted men. For years prior to the Spanish war the scenv' tarles of war were praised chletly If .they." piaotfced economy; which economy, etpe u dully connection with tho quartermaster, commissary, and medical departments, wc directly reHM)nslblo for most of the mU management that occurred lu the war ltelr . uud parenthetically bo It observed thf the very people, who clamored for the ml-l directed economy lu the- first place werl foremost to deuounce the mismanagement;) loss, and suffering which were prlruazUyi ilue to this name misdirected economy arvi! to the lack of preparation It Involved. The q'he readiness and efficiency of loth Uks1 army and nary In dealing with ihe recent sudden crista lu Cuba Illustrate afresh tuttr value to the putlon.
