Nebraska Newspapers

    Governmental Problems
Dwelt On at Length in
the Document.
URGES EXCLUSION OF THE fiNflRGHISIS
Czolgosz and His Ilk Enemies of
the Human Race.
THE MERITS OF RECIPROCITY.
President Defends the Workings of the
Protective Tariff Construction of the
Nicaraguan Canal Urged, and the Lay
ing of a Cable to Hawaii and the
Philippines—Changes In the Present
Militia l aws Recommended Tho Navy.
A comprehensive synopsis of President
Roosevelt's message to Congress is given bo
low:
To tho Senate and House of Representatives:
"The Congress assembles this year under
the shadow of a great ralamlty. On the sixth
of September. President McKinley was shot
by an anarchist while attending the Pan
American Exposition at Buffalo, and died in
that city on the fourteenth of that month.
"Of the last seven elected Presidents, he is
the third who has been murdered, and the
bare recital of this fact is sufficient to Jus
tify grave alarm among all loyal American
citizens Moreover, the circumstances of this,
tho third assassination of an American Presi
dent, have a peeuliariy sinister significance.
Both President Lincoln and President Car
field were killed by assassins of types unfor
tunately not uncommon In hlBtory, President
Lincoln falling a victim to the terrible pas
sions aroused by four years of civil war,
and President Garfield to the revengeful van
ity of a disappointed office-seeker. President
McKinley was killed by an utterly depraved
criminal belonging to that body of criminals
who object to all governments, good and had
alike, who aru against any form of popular
liberty If it is guaranteed by even the most
Just and liberal laws, and who aro as hostile
to the upright exponent of a free people's
sober will as to the tyrannical and Irresponsi
ble despot
"It Is not too much to say that at the time
of President McKinley a death he was the
most widely loved man in all the United
States; while we have never had any public
man of his position who has been so wholly
free from the bitter animosities Incident to
public life. There could be no personal
hatred of him. for hs never acted with aught
but consideration for the welfare of others.
No oue could fail to respect him who knew
him in public or private life. The defenders
of those murdererous criminals who seek to
excuse their criminality by asserting that It
Is exercised for political ends, inveigh against
wealth and irresponsible power. But for tills
assassination even this base apology can
not be urged."
The President speaks in the highest terms
of the personal and public virtues of Mr. Mc
Kinley. Describing the nature of the assas
sination and the motive that Inspired it, the
message continues:
.'■olive or the Assassin,
“The blow was aimed not at this Presi
dent, but at ail Presidents at every symbol of
government The anarchist, and especially
the anarchist In the United States, is merely
one type of criminal, more dangerous than
any other because he represents the same
depravity in a greater degree. The man who
advocates anarchy directly or indirectly, in
any shape or fashion, or the man who apolo
gizes for anarchists and their deeds, makes
bimsejf morally accessory to murder before
the fart. Tb« anarchist is a criminal whose
perverted instincts lead him to prefer confu
sion and chaos to the most beneficent form
of scciul order. His protest of concern for
workingmen is outrageous in its Impudent
falsity; for if the political institutions of this
country do not afford opportunity to every
honest and Intelligent sou of toil, then the
door of hope is forever dosed against him,
The anarchist Is everywhere not merely tho
enemy of system and progress, but the dead
ly foe of liberty. If ever anarchy is triumph
ant its triumph will last for but one red
moment, to be succeeded for ages by the
gloomy night of despotism.
Would Kxelude Anarchists.
“T earnestly recommend to the Congress
that In the exercise of its wise discretion it
should take into consideration the coming
to this country of anarchists or persons pro
fessing principles hostile to all government
and justifying the murder of those placed
In authority No matter calls more urgently
for the Wisest thought of the Congress
•'The Federal courts should be given juris
diction over any man who kills or attempts
to kill the President or any man who bv the
Constitution or by law is In line of succes
sion for the Presidency, while the punish
ment for an unsuccessful attempt should he
proportioned to the enormity of the offense
against our institutions.
"Anarchy is a crime against the whole
human rate; and all mankind should hand
against the anarchist. His crime should be
made an offense against the law of nations
like piracy and that form of manBteallng
known as the slave trade for it is of far
blacker infamy than either. It should be so
declared by treaties among all civilized pow
ers.
The Trust Problem.
“The tremendous and highly complex
Industrial development which went on with
ever accelerated rapidity during the latter
half of the nineteenth century brings us face
to face, at the beginning of the twentieth,
with very serious social problems. The old
laws, and the old customs which had almost
the binding force of law, were once quite
sufficient to regulate the accumulation and
distribution of wealth. Since the industrial
changes which have so enormously Increased
the productive power of mankind, they are no
longer sufficient.
“The creation of great corporate fortunes
has not been due to the tariff nor to anv
other governmental action, but to natural
causes in the business world, operating in
other countries as they operate in our own.
"It is not true that as the rich have grown
richer the poor have grown poorer On the
contrary, never before has the average man,
the wage-worker, the farmer, the small tral
er, been so well off as in this country ami
at the present time. There have been abuses
(ionneetc.d with the accumulation of wealth;
yet It remains true that a fortune accumu
lated only on condition of conferring Im
mense Incidental benefits upon others. Suc
cessful enterprise, of the type which benefits
all mankind, can only exist If the conditions
are such as to offer great prizes as the re
wards of success.
“The captains of industry who have driven
the railway systems across this continent,
who have built up our commerce, who have
developed our manufactures, have on the
Whole done great good to our people With
out them the material development of which
we are so justly proud could never have
taken place. Moreover, we should recognize
the immense importance to this material
development of leaving as unhampered as
Js compatible with the public good the strong
and forceful men upon whom the success
of business operations inevitably rests.
Caution Is Urged,
“An additional reason for caution in deal
ing with corporations is to be found in the
International commercial conditions of to
day. The same business conditions which
have produced the great aggregations of cor
porate and individual wealth have made them
very potent factors in international commer
cial competition. America has only just
begun to assume that commanding position
in the international business world which we
believe will more and more be hers. It is
of the utmost Importance that this position
be not Jeoparded, especially at a time when
the overflowing abundance of our own natu
ral resources and the skill, business energy,
and mechanical aptitude of our people make
foreign markets essential. Under such con
ditions It would be most unwise to cramp
or to fetter the youthful strength of our
Nation, , .
•THsaster to great business enterprises can
never have its effects limited to the men at
the top. It spreads throughout, and while it
Is bad for everybody, it Is worst for those
farthest down. The capitalist may be shorn
of his luxuries; but the wage-worker may
ba deprived of even bate necessities.
••In facing new industrial conditions, the
whole history of tha world shows that legis
latino will generally be both unwli* and In
eflect v« unless undertaken after atm tuqatry
and with sober self restraint Much of the
legislation direrted at the trusts would have
been rx erdingly m erhlevou* had It not also
keen entirely ineffective In dealing with
business interests. for the government to tin -
dor-a Id by crude and ill-considered Icgisln
tion to do what may turn out to h« had,
would be to Incur th» ns!- such f»r reach
ing national disaster that It would l>« prefer
able to undertake nothing at all.
"All this Is true, and yet it is also true
that there are real and grave evils, one of
the Chief being over-capltallxatiou because
of Its many baleful consequences; and a reso
lute and practical effort must be made to
correct these evils.
(ioTcrnmeut Supervision.
"It Is no limitation upon property rights
or freedom of contract to require that when
men receive from government the privilege of
doing business under corporate form, which
frees them from Individual responsibility,
and enables them to call Into thdr enterprises
the capital of the public, they shall do so
upon absolutely truthful representations as to
the value of the property In which the capi
ta! Is to be Invested Corporations engaged
In Interstate commerce should be regulated
If they are found to exerelse a license work
in* to the public injury It should he as
much th» aim of those who seek for social
betterment to rid the business world of
crimes of cunning as 10 rid the entire body
politic of crimes of violence. Great corpora
tions exist only because they are created
and safeguarded by our Institutions and it
Is therefore our right and our duty to see
that they work in harmony with these Insti
tutions.
Publicity Keniedy for Trust*.
"The first essential In determining how to
deal with the great industrial combinations
is knowledge of the facts—publicity. In the
Interest of the public, the government should
have the right to Inspect and examine the
workings of the great corporations engaged
in interstate business. Publicity is the only
sure remedy whlrh we can now invoke. What
further remedies are needed in the way of
governmental regulation, or taxation, can
only be determined after publicity has been
obtained, by process of law, and in the course
of administration. The first requisite Is
knowledge, full and complete—knowledge
which may be made public to the world.
Artificial bodies, such as corporations and
Joint stock or other associations, depending
upon anv statutory law for their existence or
privileges, should be subject to proper gov
ernmental supervision, and full and accurate
Information as to their operations should be
made public regularly at riasonahle Intervals.
"The large corporations, commonly called
trusts, though organiied In one state, always
do business in many states, often doing very
little business in the state where they are
incorporated There Is utter lack of uniform
ity in the stale laws about them; and as no
state has any exclusive Interest In or power
over their acts, it has in practice proved Im
possible to get adequate regulation through
state action. Therefore, In the interest of the
whole people, the Nation should, without In
terfering with the powt r of the states In the
matter itself, also assume power of super
vision and regulation over all corporations
doing an interstate business Tills Is espe
cially true where the corporation derives a
portion of its wealth from the existence of
some monopolistic clement or tendency in its
business. There would be no hardship In
such supervision banks are subject to It, and
in their < aso it Is now accepted as a simple
matter of course. Indeed, It is probable that
supervision of corporations by the National
government need not go so far as is now the
case with the supervision exercised over them
by so conservative a state as Massachusetts,
In order to produce excellent results.
I believe that a law can bo framed which
will enable the National government to exer
cise control along the lines above indicated;
profiting by the experience gained througu
the pastagf and administration of the Inter
state-Commerce Act. If, however, the judg
ment of the Congress Is that it lacks the
constitutional power to pass such an act.
then a constitutional amendment should be
submitted to confer the power.
"There should be rreated a Cabinet officer,
to be known as Secretary of Commerce nnd
Industries, as provided in the Mil Introduced
at the last session of the Congress. It should
he his province to deal with commerce in its
broadest sense including among many other
things whatever concerns labor and all mat
ters affecting the great business corporations
and our merchant marine.
Restriction on Immigration.
“With the sole exception of the farming
interest, no one matter is of such vital mo
ment to our whole people as the welfare of
the wage-workers. If the farmer and the
wage-worker are well off. it is absolutely
certain that all others will be well off, too.
It is therefore a matter for hearty congratu
lation that on the whole wages are higher
to-day in the United States than ever before
in our history, and far higher than in any
otimr country The standard of living is also
higher than ever before. Every effort of leg
islator and administrator should be bent to
secure the permanency of this condition of
things and its improvement wherever possi
ble. Not only must our labor be protected
by the tariff, but it should also be protected
so far as it is possible from the presence in
this country of uqy laborers brought over by
contract, or of those who. coming freely,
>et represent a standard of living ao de
pressed that they can undersell our men in
the labor market and drag them to a lower
level. I regard it as necessary, with this
end in view, to re-enact immediately the law
excluding Chinese laborers and to strength
en it wherever necessary in order to make
Its enforcement entirely effective.
“So far as practicable under the conditions
of government work, provision should be
made to render the enforcement of the eight
hour law easy and certain. In all indus
tries carried on directly or indirectly for the
United States government women and chil
dren should be protected from excessive
hours of labor, from night work, and from
work under unsanitary conditions.
“The most vital problem with which this
country, and for that matter the whole civ
ilized world, has to d‘»al. is the problem
which has for one side the betterment of so
cial conditions, moral and physical, in large
cities, and for another side the effort to deal
with the tangle of fat-reaching questions
which we group together when we speak of
“labor.’ Very great good has been and will
be accomplished by associations or unions of
wage-workers, when managed with fore
thought, and when they combine insistence
upon their own rights with law-abiding re
spect for the rights of others. The display of
these qualities in such bodies is a duty to the
Nation no less than to the associations them
selves. Finally, there must also in many
cases be action by the government in order
to safeguard the rights and interests of ail.
Under our Constitution there is much more
scope for such action by the state and the
municipality than by the Nation. Hut on
points such as those touched on above tho
National government con act.
“Our present immigration laws are unsat
isfactory. We need every honest and effi
cient immigrant fitted to become an Ameri
can citizen, every immigrant who comes here
to stay, who brings here a strong body, a
stout heart, a good head, and a resolute pur
pose to do his duty well in every way and to
bring up bis children as law abiding and
God-fearing members of the community. Hut
there should be a comprehensive law enact
ed with the object of working a threefold im
provement over our present system. First,
we should aim to exclude absolutely not only
all persons who are known to be believers in
anarchistic principles or members of an
archistic societies, but also all persons who
are of a low moral tendency or of unsavory
reputation. This means that we should re
quire a irioro thorough system of Inspection
abroad and a more rigid system of examina
tion at our immigration ports, the former be
ing especially necessary.
“The second object of a proper immigra
tion law ought to be to secure by a careful
and not merely perfunctory educational test
some intelligent capacity to appreciate Amer
ican institutions and act sanely as Ameri
can citizens This would not keep out all
anarchists, for many of them belong to tho
Intelligent criminal class, liut it would do
wnat is also In point, that is, tend to de
crease the sum of ignorance, so potent In
producing the envy, suspicion, malignant
passion, and hatred of order, out of which
anarchistic sentiment inevitably springs.
Finally, all persons should be excluded who
are below a certain standard of economic fit
ness to enter our industrial field as com
petitora with American labor. There should
bo proper proof of personal rapacity to earn
an American living and enough money to in
sure a decent start under American condi
tions. This would stop the influx of cheap
labor, nnd the resulting competition which
gives rise to so much of bitterness in Ameri
can industrial life. and it would dry up the
sorings of the pestilential social conditions
in our great lities, where anarchistic organ
izations have their greatest possibility of
growth.
Question of Reciprocity.
“There is general acquiesence in our pres
ent tariff system us a national policy. The
first requisite to our prosperity is the con
tinuity and stability of this economic policy.
.\othing could be more unwise than to dis
turb the business interests of the country by
any general tariff change at this tinu* Iambi,
apprehension, uncertainty are exactly what
we wish to avoid in the interest of our com
mercial and material well-being. Our expert
I enr« in the past has shown that sweeping
revisions of the tariff are apt to prodo
conditions closely approaching panic In the
business world Yet it is not only possible,
but eminently desirable, to combine with the
stability of our economic system a supple
mentary system of reciprocal benefit and obli
gation with other nations. Such reciprocity
is an Incident and result of the firm estab
lishment and preservation of our present
economic polity It was specially provided
for in the present tariff law
“Our first duty is to see that the protection
granted by the tariff in every case where it
is needed so maintained, and tha reciprocity
be sought for so far as It can safely be done
without injury to our home Industries. Just
bow far this is must be determined accord
ing to the individual case, remembering al
ways that every application of our tariff pol
icy to inset our shifting national needs must
be conditioned upon the cardinal fact that the
duties must never be reduced below the point
that will cover the difference between the
labor cost here and abroad The well-being
of the wage-worker is a prime consideration
of our entire policy of economic legislation.
“Subject to this proviso of the proper pro
tection necessary to our industrial well-being
at home, the principle o? reciprocity must
command our hearty support. The pheno
menal growth of our export trade emphasizes
the urgency of the need for wider markets
and for a liberal policy in dealing with for
eign nations. Whatever Is merely petty and
vexatious in the way of trade restrictions
should be avoided The customers to whom
we dispose of our surplus products in the
long run. directly or indirectly, purchase
those surplus products by giving us some
thing in return. Their ability to purchase
our products should as far as possible be
secured by so arranging our tariff as to en
able us to take from them those products
which we can use without harm to our own
industries nnd labor, or the use of which will
be of marked benefit to us.
“We have now reached the point in the
development of our interests where we are
not only able to supply our own markets
but to produce a constantly growing surplus
for which we must find markets abroad. To
secure these markets we can utilize existing
duties in any case where they are no longer
needed for the purpose of protection, or In any
rasa where the article is not produced hero
and the duty Is no longer necessary for
revenue, as giving us something to offer in
exchange for what we ask. The cordial re
lations with other nations which are so de
sirable will naturally be promoted by the
course thus required by our own Interests.
The natural line of development for a
policy of reciprocity will be In connection
with those of our productions which no long
er require all of the support once needed
to establish them upon a sound basis, and
with those others where either because of
natural or of economic causes we are beyond
the teach of successful competition.
“I ask the attention of the Senate to the
reciprocity treaties laid before it by my pre
decessor.
Our Merchant Marine.
“The condition of the American merchant
marine is such as to call for Immediate
remedial action by the Congress. It is dis
creditable to us as a Nation that our mer
chant marine should be utterly insignificant
in comparison to that of other nations which
we overtop *n other forms of business.
“American shipping is under certain great
disadvantages when put in competition with
the shipping of foreign countries. Many of
the fast foreign steamships, at a speed of
fourteen knots or above, an* subsidized; and
all our ships, sailing vessels and steamers
alike, cargo earners of slow speed and mail
carriers of high speed, have to meet the
fact that the original cost of building Ameri
can ships is greater than is the case abroad
that the wages paid American officers and
seamen are very much higher than those paid
the officers and seamen of foreign competing
countries, and that the standard of living
on our ships Is far superior to the standard of
living on the ships of our commercial rivals
“Our government should take such action
as will remedy these inequalities. The Amet -
b an merchant marine should be restored to
the ocean.
“Tho Act of March 14, 1900, intended un
equivocally to establish gold ns the standard
money and to maintain at a parity therewith
all forms of money medium in use with us.
has been shown to be timely and judicious.
The price of our government bonds in the
world's market, when compared with the
price of similar obligations issued by other
nauons, is a flattering tribute to our public
credit. This condition it is eminently desir
able to maintain.
“In many respects the National Hanking
Law furnishes sufficient liberty for the proper
exercise of the banking function but there
seems to be need of better safeguards against
the deranging Influence of commercial crises
and financial panics Moreover, the currency
of the country should be made responsive
to the demands of our domestic trade and
commerce.
Reduction of Revenues.
“The collections from duties on imports and
internal taxes continue to exceed the ordi
nary expenditures The utmost care should
be taken not to reduce the revenues so that
thre will be any possibility of a deficit, but,
after providing against any such contingency,
meaus should be adopted which will bring the
revenues more nearly within the limit of our
actual needs.
“I call special attention to the need of strict
economy in expenditures. The fact that our
national needs forbid us to be niggardly In
providing whatever is actually necessary to
our well-being, should make us doubly care
ful to husband our national resources, as
each of us husbands his private resources, by
scrupulous avoidance of anything like waste
ful or reckless expenditure.
Regulation of Railroads.
In 1887 a measure was enacted for the reg
ulation of interstate railways, commonly
known as the Interstate Commerce Act. Th»*
cardinal provisions of that act were that
railway rates should be just and reasonable
and that ail shippers, localities, and commo
dities should be acc orded equal treatment. A
commission was created and endowed with
what were supposed to be* the necessary pow -
ers to execute the provisions of this ac t
"That law was largely an experiment. Ex
perience has shown the wisdom of its pur
poses, but has also shown, possibly that son)'*
of its requirements are wrong, certainly that
the means devised for the enforcement of its
provisions are defective.
• The ac t should be amended. The railway
is a public servant. Its rates should be just
to and open to all shippers alike* The gov
ernment should see to It that within its juris
diction this Is so and should provide a speedy,
inexpensive, and t ffectlve remedy to that end.
At the same time it must not be forgotten that
our railways ar»* the arteries through which
the commercial lifeblood of this nation flows.
Nothing could be more foolish than the en
actment of legislation w-hich would unneces
sarily interfere with the development and
operation of these commercial agencies. The
subject is one of great importance and ealls
for tho earnest attention of the Congress.
The message points out the value of the
American forests and the necessity for their
conservation, and urges the construction and
maintenance of reservoirs and irrigating
systems for the reclamation of the arid lands
of the West. Of the water rights it says:
Tn the arid states the only right to water
which should be recognized is that of use. In
irrigation this right should attach to the
land reclaimed and be inseparable therefrom.
Granting perpetual water rights to others
than users, without compensation to the
public*, is open to all the objections which
apply to giving away perpetual franchises to
the* public utilities of cities. A few of the
Western states have already recognized this
and have incorporated in their constitutions
the do< trine of perpetual state ownership of
water.
Development of Hawaii.
“Our aim should be not simply to reclaim
ihe largest area of land and provide homes
for the largest number of people, but to
create for this new industry the best possible
social and Industrial conditions and this re
quires that we not only understand the ex
isting situation, but avail ourselves of the
best experience of the time In the solution
oi its problems. A careful study should be*
made, both by the nation and the states, of
tho irigation laws and conditions here and
abroad lltimately It will probably be neces
sary for the nation to co-operate with the
several arid states in proportion as these
states by their legislation and administration
show themselves fit to receive It.
‘Tn Hawaii our aim must be to develop the
territory on the traditional American lines.
Wo do not wish a region of large cities tilled
by cheap labor, we wish a healthy American
community of men who themselves till the
farms they own. All our legislation for the
islands should h» shaped with this end In
view; the well-being of the; average home
maker must afford the true test of tin
healthy development of tho islands. Tilt
land policy should as nearly ns possible be
modeled on our homestead system.
“It Is a pleasure to say that it is hardlj
more necessary to r*?port as to Porto Rich
than as to any state or territory within oui
continental limits The Island is thriving a;
never before, and it is being administer*^
efficiently and honestly. Its people are nov
enjoying liberty and order under the pro
feetinn of the I'nitcd Si.it- nod upon th
I fact wc c ongratulate them and ourselves
Their material welfare must be as carefull:
and Jealously considered as the welfare o
any other portion of our country. We have
given them the great gift of free acceaa for
their products to the markets of the United
States 1 ask the attention of the Congress
to the need of legislation concerning the pub
lic lands of Porto Rico.
Progress In Cuba.
“In Cuba such progress has been made to
ward putting the Independent government of
the Island upon a firm footing that before the
present sesslen of the Congress closes this
will be an accomplished fact. Cuba will then
start as her own mistress; and to tha beauti
ful Queen of the Antilles, as she unfolds this
new page of her destiny, we extend our
heartiest greetings and good wishes. Else
where I have discussed the question of reci
procity. In the case of Cuba, however, there
are weighty reasons of morality and of na
tional Interest why the policy should be held
to have a peculiar application, and I most
earnestly ask your attention to the wisdom,
Indeed to the vital need, of providing for a
substantial reduction in the tariff duties on
Cuban Imports Into the United States Cuba
has in her constitution affirmed what we de
sired, that sho should staud. In International
matters, in closer and more friendly relations
with us than with any other power; and we
are bound by every consideration of honor
and expediency to pass commercial measures
In the Interest of her material well-being.
The Philippine Problem.
“In the Philippines our problem Is larger.
They are very rich tropical Islands. Inhabi
ted by many varying tribes, representing
widely different stages of progress toward
civilization. Our earnest effort is to help
these people upward along the stony and dif
ficult path that leads to self-government. We
hope to make our administration of the Is
lands honorable to our nation by making It
of the highest benefit to the Filipinos them
selves; and as an earnest of what we Intend
to do, wo point to what we have done. Al
ready a greater measure of material prosper
ity and of governmental honesty and effici
ency has been attained in the Philippines
than ever before in their history.
“Ill dealing with tbo Philippine people we
must show both patience and strength, for
bearance and steadfast resolution. Our aim
Is high. We do not desire to do for the Is
landers merely what has elsewhere been done
for tropic peoples by even the best foreign
governments. W hope to do for them what
lias never before been done for any people
of the tropics—to make them fit for self
government after the fashion of the really
free uattons.
“To leave the islands at this time would
mean that they would fall Into a welter of
murderous anarchy. Such desertion of duty
on our part would be a crime against hu
manity. The character of Governor Taft and
of his associates and subordinates is a proof.
If sueh bo needed, of the sincerity of our ef
fort to give the islanders a constantly in
creasing measure of self-government, exactly
as fast as they show themselves fit to exer
cise it. Since the civil government was es
tablished not an appointment has been made
In the islands with any reference to consider
ations of political Influence, or to aught else
save the fitness of the man and the needs
of the service.
"There are still troubles ahead In the Is
lands The Insurrection has become an affair
of local banditti and marauders, who deserve
no higher regard than the brigands of por
tions of the old world. Encouragement, di
rect or indirect, to these iusurreetos stands
on the same footing as encouragement to hos
tile Indians in the days when we still had In
dian wars. As we will do everything in our
power for the Filipino who is peaceful, we
will take the sternest measures with the
Filipinos who follow the path of the Insur
recto and the ladrooe.
“The time has come when there should be
additional legislation for the Philippine*.
Nothing better can be done for the islands
than to introduce industrial enterprises.
Nothing would benefit them so much as
throwing them open to industrial develop
ment. It Is therefore necessary that the
Congress should pass laws by which the re
sources of the islands can be developed; so
that franchises (for limited terms of years)
can be granted to companies doing business
( fn them, and every encouragement be given
to the Incoming of business men of every
i kind.
“I call your attention most earnestly to the
crying need of a cable to Hawaii and the
Philippines, to be continued from the Phil
ippines to points in Asia. We should not
defer a day longer than necessary the con
struction of such a cable. It Is demanded
not merely for commercial but for political
and military considerations.
“Either the Congress should Immediately
provide for the construction of a govern
ment i able, or else an arrangement sboutd
be made by which like advantages to those
accruing from a government cable may be
Secured to the government by contract with
a private cable company.
Recommends Nicaraguan «. anai.
“No single great material work which re
mains to be undertaken on this continent is
of such consequence to the American people
as the building of a < anai across the Isthmus
connecting North and South America While
its beneficial effects would perhaps be most
marked upon the Pacific coast and the gulf
and South Atlantic slates, it would also
greatly benefit other sections. It is em
phatically a work which it is for the interest
of the entire country to begin and complete
as soon as possible; it is one of those great
works which only a great nation ran under
take with prospects of success, and which
when done are rot only permanent assets
in the nation s material interests, but stand
ing monuments to Its constructive ability
“I am glad to be able to announce to you
that our negotiations on this subject witli
Great Britain, conducted on both sides In a
spirit of friendliness and mutual good will
and respect, have resulted in my being able
to lay before tbe Senate a treaty which if
ratified will enable us to begin preparations
for an Isthmian canal at any time, and which
guarantees to this nation every right that
It has ever asked in connection with the
canal In this treaty, the old Clayton Bul
wer treaty, so long recognized ns inadequate
to supply the base for the construction and
maintenance of a necessarily American ship
■ anal, is abrogated It specifically provides
that the United States alone shall do the
work of building and assume the responsi
bility of safeguarding the canal and shall
regulate its neutral use by all nations on
terms of equality without the guaranty or
interference of any outside nation from any
quarter The signed treaty will at once be
laid before the Senate, and If approved the
Congress can then proceed to give effect to
the advantages it secures us by providing for
the building of tbe canal.
“The true end of every great and free peo
ple should be self-respecting peace; and this
nation most earnestly desires sincere and
cordial friendship with all others. Over the
entire world, of recent years, wars between
the great civilized powers have become less
and less frequent. Wars with barbarous or
smi-barbarous peoples come in an entirely
different category, being merely a most re
grettable but necessary interiiHtionsl police
duty which must be performed for the sake
of the welfare of mankind I'eace can only
be kept with certainty where both sides wish
to keep it; but more and more the civilized
peoples are realizing the wicked folly of war
and are attaining that condition of Just and
intelligent regard for the rights of others
which will in the end, as we hope and be
lieve, make world-wide peace possible. The
peace conference at The Hague gave definite
expression to this hope and belief and mark
ed a stride toward their attainment.
The Monroe Doctrine.
“This same peace conference acquiesced In
our statement of the Monroe doctrine as
compatible with the purposes and aims of
the conference.
“The Monroe doctrine should be the car
dinal feature of the foreign policy of all the
nations of the two Americas, us It is of the
United States. The doctrine is a declara
tion that there must be no territorial ag
grandizement by any non-American power at
the expense of any American power on Amer
ican soil. It Is In no wise intended as hostile
to any nation in the old world. Still less is
it intended to give cover to any aggression
by one new world power at the expense of
any other. It Is simply a step, and a long
step, toward assuring the universal peace of
the 'world by securing the possibility of per
manent peace on this hemisphere.
“This doctrine has nothing to do with the
commercial relations of any American power,
save that It in truth allows each of them to
form such as it desires. In other words, it
Is really a guaranty of the commercial in
dependence of the Americas. We do not ask
under this doctrine for any exclusive com
mercial dealings with any other American
state We do not guarantee any state against
punishment If it misconducts Itself, pro
vided that punishment does not take the
form of the acquisition of territory by any
non-American power.
“Our attitude iu Cuba Is a sufficient guar
■ anty of our own good faith. We have not
i the slightest desire to secure any territory
at the expense of anv of our neighbors. We
• wish to work with them hand In hand, so
that all Of US may be uplifted together, and
we rejoice over the good fortune of any of
Uicm wo gladly bail their material prosper
; ity and political stability, and are concerned
t and alarmed If any of them fall into Indus
trial or political chaos Wo do not wish t®
see any old world military power grow up ou
this continent, or to be compelled to become
a military power ourselves The peoples of
tbe Americas can prosper best If left to work
our their owu salvation In their owu way.
Powerful Nary Trge«l.
“The work of upbuilding the navy tnnat be
steadily continued. Whether we desire it or
not. we must henceforth recognize that we
have International duties no less than Inter
national rights. Even tf our Hag were haul
ed down In the Philippines and Porto Rico,
even If we decided not to build the Isthmian
canal, we should need e thoroughly trained
navy of adequate else, or else he prepared
definitely and for all time to abandon the
Idea that our nation Is among those whose
sons go down to the sea In ships. Unless
our commerce Is always to be carried In for
eign bottoms, we must have war craft to
protect It.
"So far from being In any way a provoca
tion to war, an adequato and highly trained
navy Is the best guaranty agolnst war. the
cheapest and most ellectlvo peace Insurance.
The cost of building and maintaining such a
navy represents the very lightest premium
for Insuring paece which this nation can
possibly pay.
"Probably no other great nation In the
world Is so anxious for peace as we nre.
There Is not a single civilized power which
has anything whatever to fear from ag
gressiveness on our part. All wo wunt Is
peace: and toward this end we wish to be
able to secure the same respect for our
lights In return, to Insure fair treatment to
us commercially, and to guarantee thu safety
of the American people,
"Our people intend to abide by the Mon
roe doctrine and to Insist upon It as the one
sure mean a of securing the ponce of the
Western hemisphere The navy offers us the
only means of making our Insistence upon
the Monroe doctrine anything but a sub
ject of derision to whatever nation chooses
to disregard It We desire the peace which
comes as of right to the just, man armed,
not the peace granted on terms of Ignominy
to the craven and the weakling.
"It is not posslblo to Improvise a navy
after war breaks out. The ships must bo
built and the men trained long In advance.
In thn late war with Spain the ships that
dealt the decisive blows at Manila and San
tiago had been launched from two to four
teen years, and they were able to do as they
did because the men In the conning towers,
the gun turrets and the engine-rooms had
through long years of practice at Bea learned
how- to do their duty
"It was forethought and preparation which
secured us the overwhelming triumph of 1898.
If wo fall to show forethought and prepara
tion now, there may come a time when dis
aster will befall us instead of triumph: and
should this time come, the fault will rest
primarily, not upon those whom the acci
dent of events puts In supreme command at
the moment, but upon those who have failed
to prepare In advance.
"There should be no cessation In the work
of completing our navy. It Is unsufe and
unwise not to provide this year for severnl
additional battleships and heavy armored
crutserg, with auxiliary and lighter craft In
proportion: for the exact numbers and char
acter I refer you to the report of the Secre
tary of the Navy. Hut there is something we
need even more than additional ships, and
this Is additional officers and men. To pro
vide battleships and cruisers and then lay
them up. with the expectation of leaving
them uumauned until they aro needed In 1
actual war, would be worse than folly; It
would be a crime against the uatlon.
"To send any warship against a competent
enemy unless those uboard It have been
trained by years of actual sea service. In
cluding Incessant gunnery praettre, would be
to Invito not merely disaster, but the bitter
est shame and humiliation. Four thousand
additional seamen and one thousand addi
tional marines should bo provided; and an
increase in the officers should be provided
by making a large addition to the classes at
Annapolis.
Our I’resent Naval Force.
"We now have seventeen battleships ap
propriated for. of which nine are completed
and have been commissioned for actual serv
ice. The remaining eight will be ready in
from two to four years, but It will take at
least that time to recruit and train the men
to fight them. It Is of vast concern that we
have traiued crews ready for the vessels by
the time they aro commissioned, (iood ships
and good guns are simply good weapons, and
the best weapons are useless save In the
hands of men who know how to fight with
them. The men must be trained and drilled
under a thorough and well-planned system
of progressive Instruction, while the recruit
ing must be carried ou with still greater
vigor.
"The naval militia forces are state organl
atlons, and are trained for coast service, and
In event of war they will constitute the inner
line of defense. They should receive hearty
encouragement from the general government.
Hut In addition we should at once pro
vide for a National Naval Reserve, organized
and trained under the direction of the Navy
Department, and subject to the call of the
t’hief Executive whenever war becomes immi
nent. It should be a real auxiliary to the
naval seagoing peace establishment, and of
fer material to be drawn on at once for
manning our ships In time of war It should
be composed of graduates of the Naval At ad
eiuy, graduates of the Naval Militia, officers
and tows ot coast-line steamers, longshore
schooners, fishing vessels and steam yachts,
together with tbe coast population about
such centers as life-saving stations and light
houses.
Need for Powerful Navy.
“The American people must either build
and maintain an adequate navy or else make
up their minds definitely to accept a sec
ondary position in international affairs, not
merely In political, but in commercial, mat
ters. It has been well said that there Is no
surer way of courting national disaster than
to be opulent, aggressive, and unarmed.
It is not necessary to Increase our army
beyond Its present size at this time. Hut tt
Is necessary to keep It at the highest point
of efficiency.
“Kvery effort should be made to bring the
army to a constantly increasing state of ef
ficiency When on actual service no work
save that directly In the line of such service
should be required. The paper work in the
army, as in the navy, should be greatly re
duced. What is needed is proved power of
command and c apacity to work well in the
field. Constant care Is necessary to prevent
dry rot in the transportation and commis
sary departments
■ The Congress should provide means where
by it will he possible to have field exercises
by at least a division of regulars, and If
possible also a division of national guards
men, once a year.
“Only actual handling and providing for
men in masses while they are marching,
ramping, embarking, and disembarking, will
It be possible to train the higher officers to
perform their duties wpII and smoothly.
•■A great debt is owing from the public to
the men of the army and navy. They should
ho so treated us to enable them to reach the
highest point of efficiency, so that they may
be able to respond Instantly to any demand
made upon them to sustain the Interests of
the nation and the honor of the flag. The
individual American enlisted man is prob
ably on the whole a more formidable fighting
man than the regular of any other army.
Kvery consideration should be shown him,
and In return the highest standard of use
fulness should bo exacted from him. It is
well worth while for the Congress to con
sider whether the pay of enlisted men upon
second and subsequent enlistments should
not he Increased to correspond with the in
creased value of the veteran soldier.
Militia Laws Obsolete.
“Action should be taken In reference to the
militia and to the raising of volunteer forces.
Our militia law is obsolete and worthless.
The organization and armament of the Na
tional Guard of the several states, which ure
treated as militia in the appropriations by
the Congress, should be made identical with
those provided for the regular forces. The
obligations and duties of tho Guard in time
of war should be carefully defined, and a
system established by law under which the
method of procedure of raising volunteer
forces should be prescribed in advance. It
is utterly Impossible in the excitement and
haste of Impending war to do this satisfac
torily if the arrangements huve not been
made long beforehand. Provision should be
made for utilizing in the first volunteer or
ganizations called out the training of those
citizens who have already had c xperlence un
der arms, and especially for the selection In
advance of the officers of any force which
may be raised; for careful selection of the
kind necessary is Impossible after tiro out
break of war.
“That the army Is not at all a mere In
strument of destruction lias been shown dur
ing the last three years In the Philippines,
Cuba and Porto Kico tt lias proved itself a
great constructive force, a most, potent im
plement for the upbuilding of a peaceful civ
illzatlon.
Eulogy of Veterans.
“No other citizens deserve so well of the
republic us tho veterans, the survivors of
tlfon> who saved tho union They did th#
one deed which If loft undone would hav#
meant that all aloe in our history .went fo» y
nothin*. Rut for tizelr steadfast prowean la '
the greatest ertsi* of our history, all our
annals would bo mean In glens, ami our great
experiment In popular freedom ami self-gov
ernment a gloooty failure. Moreover, they
not only left uh a united nation, but they left
us also as a heritage the memory of the
mighty deeds by which the nation waa kept
united. Wo are now indeed one nation, one
In fact as well a la name; we ar* united
In our devotion to tho tlag which In tho sym
bol of all national groatnesa and unity; and
the very completeness of our union enable*
ua all. In every part of the country, to glory
In the valor shown alike by the sona of th#
North and the eons of tha South la tho
times that tried men's souls.
Merit System Endorsed.
"The mertt system of making appointment*
is In Its essence as democratic ana American
as the common schools system Itself. It sim
ply means that In clerical and other position*
where the duties are entirely non-polltlcal,
all applicants should have a fair Held and
no favor, each standing on bis merits as he
Is able to show them by practical test. Writ
ten competitive examinations offer the only
available means In many i ears for applying
this system. In other cases, ns where la
borers are employed, a system of registra
tion undoubtedly can be widely extended.
There are, of course, places where the writ
ten competitive examination cannot be ap
plied. and others where 11 offers by no means
an Ideal solution, but where under existing
political conditions It Is. though an imperfect
means, yet the best present means of get
ting satisfactory results.
It Is Important to have this system ob
tain at home, but It Is even more Important
to havo It applied rigidly til our Insular pos
sessions. The administration ot these Islands
should be as wholly free from the suspicion
of partisan polities as the administration of
the army and nary. All that we ask from
the public servant In the Philippines or Porto
Rico Is that he reflect honor on his country
by the way In which he makes that coun
try's rule a benefit to the peoples who have
come under it. This Is all that, we should
ask. and wo cannot afford to be content with
Icaa."
Treatment of Indian*.
Tho mcEsoge points out the defects in our
present consular service, and recommends tho
passage of bills now before Congress that
will Increase ita efficiency. Of the Indian .
problem It says
"In my Judgment the time has arrived
when we should definitely make up our minds
to recognize the Indian as an Individual and
not as a member of a tribe. The General
Allotment Act Is a mighty pulverizing engine
to break up the tribal mass. It acts direct
ly upon the family of the Individual. Under
Its provisions some sixty thousand Indians
have already become citizens of tho United
States. We should now break up the tribal
funds, doing for them what allotment does
for the tribal lands; that Is, they should bo
divided into Individual holdings. A stop
should be put upon tha Indiscriminate per
mission to Indians to lease their allotments.
The effort should be steadily to make tho
Indian work like any other man on his owu
ground. The marriage laws of tho Indians
should be made the same as those of tho
whites.
• In dealing with the aboriginal races few
things are more Important than to preserve
them from the terrible physical and moral
degradation resulting from the liquor traf
fic Wo are doing all wo can to save our own
Indian tribes from this evil. Wherever by
international agreement this same end can bo
attained as regards races where we do not
possess exclusive control, every effort should
be made to bring It about.
I bespeak the most cordial support from
the Congress and the people for the St. Louis
Exposition to Commemorato the One Hun
dredth Anniversary of the Louisiana Pur
chase. This purchase wan the greatest In
stance of expansion in our history. It def
initely decided that wo were to become »
gr. at continental republic, by tar the fore
most power In the Western Hemisphere. The
national government should be represented
at th« exposition by a full and complete set
of exhlbtts. _... , _
•The people of Charleston, with great en
ergy and civic spirit, aro carrying on an ex
position which will continue throughout moat
of the present session of the Congress. I
heartily commend this exposition to the good
will of the people. It deserves all tho en
couragement that can be given It.
For the sake of good administration, sound
economy, and the advancement of acieuoe, tho
Census Olfioo as now constituted should bo
made a permanent government bureau. Thla
would insure better, cheaper and more sat
isfactory work, in the Interest not only of
our business but of statistic, economic and
social science.
Growth of Postal Service.
"The remarkable growth of tho postal ser
vice Is shown In the fact that Its revenue*
have doubled and Its expenditures have near
ly doubled within twelve years Its progree- y
stvr development compels constantly Increas
ing outlay, but iu this period of business en
ergy and prosperity its receipts grow so much
fanler than Its expenses that the annual de
ficit has been steadily reduced from $11,411,
779 ill 1897 to $8,923,727 in 1901. Among recent
postal advances the success of rural free
delivery wherever established has been so
marked, and actual experience has made lie
benefits so plain, that tho deiuund for Its ex
tension is general and urgent.
•It is Just that tho great agricultural popu
lation should share in the Improvement of tha
service. Tho number of rural routes now In
operation Is 6.009, practically all established
within three years, and there are 6,000 appli
cations awaiting action. It is expected that
the number In operation at the close of the
. urrent fiscal year will roach 8,00o. The mail
will then be daily carried to the doors of
f>,70n,0<Ki of our people who have heretofore
been dependent upon distant offices, and one
third of all that portion of tho country which
is adapted to it will he covered by thla kind
of service.
Second-Class Mall Matter.
“The full mengure of postal progress which
might be realized has long been hampered
and obstructed by the heavy burden Imposed
on the government through the Intrenched
and well-understood abuses which have
grown up in connection with second (-lass
mall matter. The extent of this burden ap
pears when It is stated that while the sec
ond-class matter makes nearly three-fifths of
the weight of all the mall, it paid for the
last fiscal year only $4,294,445 of the aggre
gate postal revenue of $111,631,183. If the
pound rate of postage, which produces the
large loss thus entailed, and which was fixed
by the Congress with the purpose of eucour
uging the dissemination of public informa
r lion, were limited to the legitimate news
papers and periodicals actually contemplated
by the law, no just exception could be taken.
That expense would be the recognized and
accepted cost of a liberal public policy de
llberately adopted for a Justifiable end. Rut
much of the matter which enjoys the privi
leged rate Is wholly outside of the Intent of
the law, and hss Beeured admission only x
through an evasion of Its requirements or
through lax construction. Tho proportion of
such wrongly Included matter Is estimated
by postal experts to be one half of the whole
volume of second-class mail. If It be only
one-third or one-quarter, the magnitude of
the burden ie apparent. The Poatofllee De
partment has now undertaken to remove tho
abuses so far as is possible by a stricter ap
plication of the law; and It should be sus
tained In its effort.”
“We view with lively Interest and keen
hopes of beneficial results the proeedlngs of
the Pan-American Congress, convoked at tho
Invitation of Mexico, and now sitting at the
Mexican capital. The delegates of the United
States are under tha most liberal Instructions
to co-operate with their colleagues In all
matters promising advantage to the groat
family of American common wealths, as well
in (heir relations among themselves as In
their dome tie advancement and in their
intercourse with the world at large.
The occurrences arising from the “Boxer”
outbreak in Uhina arc reviewed In detail, and
tho steps taken to secure to the United States
its share of the trade of the Orient are ex
plained. The message concludes:
"The death of Queen Victoria eaused tho
people of the United States deep and heart
felt sorrow, to which the government gave
full expression. When President McKinley
died, our nation in turn received from every
quarter of the British empire expressions of
grief and sympathy no less Rtnrero. The
death of the Empress Dowager Frederick of
Germany also aroused tho genuine sympathy
of the American people; and this sympathy
was cordially reciprocated by Germany when
the President was assassinated. Indeed from
every quarter of the civilized world we re
reived, at the time of the President's death
assurances of such grief and regard as to
touch the hearts of our people. In the midst
of our affllcflon we reverently thank tho Al
mighty that we are at peace with the uations
or mankind: and we firmly Intend that our
policy shall be such as lo continue unbroken
those International relations of mutual re
spect und good will.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ^
White House, December 3, 1901,