PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TO FIFTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS Chief Executive Recommends Passage of Important Legislation- Causes Leading to the Formation of the New Republic of Panama- No Obstruction Now to the Building of the Isthmian Canal -Venezuelan Dispute a Triumph for International Arbitration— Extension of Purposes of Appropriation for Enforc ing Trust and Interstate Commerce Laws Favored —Public Land and Postal Frauds -Need for Treaties Making Bribery Extraditable Relations of tho Government to Capital and Labor. The I resident Charges the Colombian Government with Acting in Bad Faith in Repudiating the Treaty Between That Country and the United Slates Precedents Brought Forward to Explain the Attitude of the State Department in the Recent Crisis — Country Has Deen in an Almost Constant State of Turmoil for Many Years The Importance of Preserving Peace in tho I3thmu3 Declared of Paramount Importance. Freriilcat Roscvc’.i ■ mesragt* to tho j second aerssion of tho Fifty-eighth Con- j •’root is substantially as follows: To the Senate and House of liepresen- > tatixes; With a nation a.< with a man the most i Important tilings arc those of the house hold. aid therefore the country Is espe cially to lie congratulated on what has been accomplished in the direction of pro viding for the exercise of supervision ovei the great corporations and combina tions of corporations engaged in inter state commerce. The Congress has cre ated ttie Department of Commerce and l.ntior. including the Bureau of Corpora tions, with for the first time authority to secure proper publicity of su<-h proceed ings of these great corporations as the public has the right to know. It has pro vided for (he expediting of suits for the enforcement- of the Federal anti-trust law; and l»y another law It has secured <•ts and expenditures, and though the first year thereafter still showed a surplus. It now seems likely that a substantial equality of revenue and expenditure will be attained. Such being the case It is of great moment botli to exercise care and economy In appro priations, and to scan sharply any change In our fiscal revenue system which may reduce our Income. The need of strict economy in our expenditures is empha sized by the fact that we can not afford to be parsimonious in providing for what is essential to our national well-being. Careful economy wherever possible will alone prevent our inciwnc from falling below the point requli r.n order to meet our genuine needs. Needs of Financial Situation. The integrity of our currency is beyond question, a ml under present conditions it would be unwise and unnecessary to at tempt a reconstruction of our entire mon etary system. The same liberty should be granted the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit customs receipts as is granted him in the deposit of receipts from other sources, in my message of Dee. 2. 1902. 1 called attention to certain needs of the financial situation, and I again ask the consideration of the Congress for these questions. Geld and Silver Standard. During the last session of the Congrogs, at the suggestion of a joint note from the Republic of Mexico and the Imperial Government of China, and in harmony with an act of the Congress appropriat ing $.’"»,000 10 pay the expenses thereof, a commission was appointed to confer with the principal European countries in the hope that some plan might be devised whereby a fixed rate of exchange could be assured between the gold-standard countries and the silver-standard coun tries. This commission has filed its pre liminary report, which has been made public. I dee m it important that the commission be continued, and that a sum of money be appropriated sufficient to pay the expenses of its further labors. With regards to the improvement of the American merchant marine the President recommends that the Con gress direct the Secretary of the Navy, the Postmaster-General, and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, as sociated with such a representation from the Senate and House of Repre sentatives as flip Congress in its wis dom may designate, to serve as a com mission for the purpose of investigat ing and reporting to the Congress at its next session what legislation is de sirable or necessary for the develop ment of the American merchant ma rine and American commerce, and in cidentally of a national ocean mail j service of adequate auxiliary naval cruisers and navel reserves. On the subject of immigration the message calls attention to the report of a committee of New York citizens ot high standing, Messrs. Arthur ▼. Vriesen. Lee K. Frankel, Eugene A. Philliin. Thomas W. Hynes, and Ralph Trautman, which deals with the whole situation at length, and concludes with certain recommendations for adminis trative and legislative aethm. It is now receiving the attention of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. The message continues: Anti-Trust Laws. j On the subject of the antitrust measures which have been dealt with by the Congress the President says: i In my last annual message. In connee ’ tU n with the subject of the due regula tion of combinations of capital which are or may become Injurious to the pub lic. I recommended a special appmpria | tion for the better enforcement of the anti-trust law as It now stands, to be expended under the direction of the At torney-General. Accordingly (by the leg islative. executive, and judicial appro priation act, of February 25, 1903. 32 Stat., S5t. 904>. the Congress appropriated, for the purpose i f enforcing the various Federal trust and Interstate-commerce laws, the sum of tlve hundred thousand dollars, to be expended under the direc tion of the Attorney-Genpral In the em ployment of special counsel and agents in the Department of Justice to conduct proceedings and prosecutions under said laws in the courts of the United States. I now recommend, as a matter of the ut most Importance and urgency, the exten sion of the purposes of this appropria tion. so that it may be available, under the direction of the Attorney-General, and until used, for the due enforcement of the laws of the United States in general and especially of the civil and criminal laws relating to public lands ami the laws relating to postal crimes and offenses and the subject of naturalization. Recent in vestigations have shown a deplorable state of affairs in these three matters of vital concern. By various frauds and by forgeries and perjuries, thousands of acres of the public domain, embracing lands of different character and extend ing through various sections of the coun try. have been dishonestly acquired. It Is hardly necessary to urge the Import ance of recovering these dishonest acqui sitions. stolen from the people, and of promptly ah'd duly punishing the of fenders. Postal Frauos. I speak in another part of this message of the widespread crimes by which the sacred right of citizenship is falsely as serted and that "inestimable heritage” perverted to base ends. By similar means —that is. through frauds, forgeries, and perjuries, and by shameless briberies— the laws relating to tlie proper conduct of the public service In general and to the due administration of the PostofFico department have been notoriously vio lated, and many indictments have been found, and the consequent prosecutions are In course of bearing or on the eve thereot. For the teasone thus indicated, and mo that the Government may he pre pared to enforce promptly and with the greatest effect the due penalties for such violations of law. and to this end may lx? furnished with sufficient instrumentali ties and competent legal assistance tor the Investigations and trials which will be necessary at many different points of the country, I urge upon the Congress the necessity of making the said appro priation available for Immediate use for all such purposes, to be expended under the direction of the Attorney-General. Needs for Treaties Making Bribery Extraditable. Steps have been taken by the State Department looking to the making of bribery an extraditable offense with for eign powers. The need of more effective treaties covering this crime is manifest. The exposures and prosecutions of of ficial corruption in St. Louis. Mo., and other cities and states have resulted in a number of givers and takers of bribes bee iming fugitives in foreign lands. Brib ery has not been included in extradition treaties heretofore, as the necessity for it has not arisen While there may have been as much official corruption In former years, there has been more developed and brought to light in the immediate past than In the preceding century of our country's history, it bhouiu le tile policy of the United States to leave no place on earth where a corrupt man fleeing from this country can lest in peace. Tlit-re is no reason why bribery should not be included in all treaties as extraditable. Tile recent amended treaty with Mexico, whereby this crime was put In the fist of extraditable offenses, has established a salutary precedent in this regard. Under this treaty the State Department has asked, and Mexico has granted, the xtrtidition of one of the St. Louis bribe givers. There can be no crime more serious than bribery. Other offenses violate one law. while corruption strikes at the foun dation of all law Under our form of gov ernment oil authority is vested in the people and by them delegated to those who represent them in otfi ial capacity. The exposure and punishment of public corruption is an honor to a nation, nut a disgrace. The shame lies In toleration, not in correction. No city or state, still less the nation, can ho injured by the enforcement of law. As long as public plunderers when detected can find a haven of refuge in any foreign land and avoid punishment, just so long encour agement is given them to continue their practices. If we fail to do all that In us lies to stamp out corruption we can not escape our share of responsibility for the guilt. The first requisite of successful self-government is unflinching enforce ment of the la .v and the cutting out of corruption. Alaskan Boundary. The message gives in detail the pauses which led to the appointment of the Alaskan boundary commission, and congratulates both countries on the satisfactory termination of the sessions of the tribunal. It continues: The result is satisfactory In every way. It Is of great material advantage to our people in the far Northwest. It has re moved from the field of discussion and possible danger a question liable to be come more acutely accentuated with each passing year. Finally, it has furnished a signal proof of the fairness and good will with which two friendly nations can ap|>roach and determine issues involving national sovereignty and by their nature Incapable of submission to a third power for adjudication. Claims Against Venezuela. Referring to the success which crowned the efforts of the I’nited States to have the Venezuelan dis pute submitted to impartial arbitra tors the President says: There seems good ground for the be. lief that there has been a real growth among the civilized nations of a senti ment which wt'l permit a gradual sub stitution of other methods than the method of war In th*- settlement of dis putes. It is not pretended that as yet w■* are near a position in which it will be possible wholly to prevent war. or that a Just regal’d for national Interest and honor will in all cases permit of the settlement of International disputes by arbitration: but by a mixture of pru dence and firmness with wisdom we think il is possible to do away with milch of the provocation and excuse for war, and at least In many cares to substitute some other and more iatlona 1 method for the settlement of disputes. The Hague court offers so good an example of what can be done in the direction of such settle ment that It should be encouraged In every way. President McKinley, in his mes sage of Dee. 5, 1898, urged that the Executive be authorized to correspond with the governments of the principal maritime powers with a view of in eorporating into the permanent law of civilized nations the principle of the exemption of all private property at sea. not contraband of war. from cap ture or destruction by belligerent powers. President Roosevelt says he cor dially renews this recommendation, as a matter of humanity and morals. Consular Service. 1 cal! your attention to the reduced cn t In maintaining the consular suvi.c for the fiscal year ending June 3D. 1303. as shown in the annual report of the Aud itor for the State uml other d partmanti*, as compared with ‘.lie year previous. I’or I the year under consideration the excess of expcndltures over receipt* on account of the consular service amounted to CKt 12'>.12. as against $#fi.371.50 for the year ending June 3to government, republican in form and without substantial opposition from its own people, lias been established in tlie State of Panama, you will enter into relations witli it ns the responsible government of the territory and look to it for all due action to protect the per sons nml property of citizens of the Pnited Slates and lo keep open the lathnilHti transit, in accordance with the obligations of existing treaties govern ing tile relations of the United States to that tenltory." Disturbances on Isthmus Since 1846. When these events happened, fifty-seven years had elapsed situ e the United States had entered Into its treaty with New Gra nuda. During that time the Governments of New Granada and of Its successor. Colombia, have lain in a constant state of flux. A long list of the disturbances and revolutions which have convulsed the isthmus is given, and the report con cludes: The above Is only a partial list of the revolutions. rebellions. Insurrections, riots, and other outbreaks that have oc curred during the period In question; yet I (bey number til for (la in jwa It aiTi I tie noted that one of Ihiui lusted for near I ly three years before it Wa» fpwiled; an other for nearly a year. In s.Vwi. tin* I < xperienee of over half * century hue shown Colombia to be utterly incapable ••f keeping order on the Isthmus. Only the active Interference ot the United States has enabled her to preserve so lunch a» a semblance of sovereignty. Had it not been for the exercise by the United States of the jiollcc power in tier interest, tier connection with the Isthmus would have been sundered long ago. Ill ISM. Uv isuo. hi I8TC. In 1KS5, In 1901. and again in. 1WC. sailors and marines from United States war ships wore forced tO' land In order to patrol the isthmus, to protect life and property, and to sec that the transit across the isthmus was kept open. In 1861, in 1962, in lsss, and In 1900. the Colombian Government asked that the United States Government would land troops to protect its interests and main tain order on the isthmus. Uerhaps the most extraordinary request Is that which has just been received and which runs as follows: ■'Knowing that revolution liar already commenced in Panama [an eminent Co lombian} says th U it" the Government of tho I'nite I Slates will land troop* to pre serve Colombian sovereignty, and the transit. If requested by Colombian charge d’affaires, this Government will declare martial law; and. by virtue of vested con stitutional authority, when public order is restored, will approve by decree the ratification of the canal treaty as signed; or. If the Government of the United States prefers, will call extra session of the Congress—with new and friendly members—next May to approve tin; treaty. (An eminent Colombian} has the perfect confidence of vice-president, he says, and if it became necessary will go to the Isthmus or send representative there to adjust matters along above lines to the satisfaction of the people there.” This dispatch is noteworthy from two standpoints. Its offer of immediately guaranteeing the treaty to us is In sharp contrast with the positive and contemp tuous refusal of the Congress which has Just closed Us sessions to consider fa vorably such a treaty: it shows that the Government which made the treaty really had absolute control over the situation, but did not choose to exercise this con trol. The dispatch further calls on us to restore order and secure Colombian supremacy In the Isthmus from which the Colombian Government lias just by its action decided to bar us by preventing the construction of the canal. Importanc: ot Peace in Isthmus. The control. In the Interest of the com merce and traffic of the whole civilized world, of the means of undisturbed tran sit across the Isthmus of Panama has become of transcendent Importance to the United States. We have repeatedly exercised ’.his control by intervening in the coure - of domestic dissension. and by protecting the territory from foreign Invasion. In 1853 Mr. Everett assured the Peruvian minister that we should not hesitate to maintain the neutrality of the Isthmus tn the case of war be tween Peru and Colombia. In 1864 Co lombia. wnich has always been vigilant to avail itself of Its privileges conferred by the treaty, expressed Us expectation that in the event of war between Peru and Spain the United States would carry into effect the guaranty of neutrality. There have been few administrations of the State Department In which this treaty has not, either by the one side or the other, been used as a basis of more or less important demands. It was said by Mr. Fish in 1871 that the Depart ment of State had reason to believe that an attack upon Colombian sovereignty on the isthmus had. on several occa sions. been averted by warning from this Government. In 1886, when Colombia was under the menace of hostilities from Italy ir. the Cerruti case. Mr. Bayard ex pressed the serious concern that tho i’nited States could not but feel, that a European power should resort to force against a sister republic of this hemis phere. as to the sovereign and uninter rupted use of a part of whose territory we are guarantors under the solemn faith of a treaty. «• Treaty With Republic of Panama. Every effort has been made by the Gov ernment of tile United States to persuade Colombln to follow a course which was essentially not only to our Interests and to the Interests of the world, but to tho Interests of Colombia itself. These ef forts have failed; and Colombia, by her persistence in repulsing the advances that have been made, has forced us. for tho sake of our own honor, and of the Inter est and well-being, not merely of our own people, hut of the people of tno Isthmus nt Panama and the people of the civilized countries of the world, to take decisive steps to bring to an end a condition of affairs which had become intolerable. The new Republic of Panama immediate ly ottered to negotiate a treaty with us. This treaty I herewith suhmit. By it our interests are better safeguarded than in the treaty with Colombia which was rati fied by the Senate at its last session, it Is better In Its t< rms than the treaties of fered to us by the Republics of Nlcara-' gun and Costa Rica. At last the right to b«gln this great undertaking is made available. Panama has done her part. All that remains is for the American Con gress to do its part and forthwith this Republic will enter upon the execution of a project colossal in its size and of wcll-nlg.. incalculable possibilities for the good of this Country and tho nations of mn nkfrwl. Provisions of Treaty. Tty tlic* provisions of the treaty tho United States guarantees and will main tain the independence of the Republic of Panama. There Is granted to the United States ,'n perpetuity the use. occupation, anil control of a strip ten miles wide and extending three nautical miles into the sea at either terminal, with all lands ly ing outside of the zone necessary for the construction of the canal or for its aux iliary works, and with the Islands in tho Bay of Panamn. The cities of Panama anil Colon are not embraced In the canal zone, but the United Slates assumes their sanitation and. In case of need, tho maintenance of order therein; the United States enjoys within the granted limits all the rights, power, and authority which it would possess were it the sovereign of the territory to the exclusion of the ex ercise of sovereign rights by the Republic. All railway and canal property rights be longing to Panama and needed for tho canal pass to the United States, includ ing any property of the respective com panies In the cities of Panama and Co lon; the wor.;s, property, and personnel of the canal and railways are exempted from taxation as well in the cities of Panama and Colon as in the canal zono and its dependencies. Free immigration of the personnel and importation of sup plies for the construction and operation of the canal are granted. Provision is made for the use of military force and the building of fortifications by the Unit ed States for the protection of the tran sit. In other details, particularly as to the acquisition of the Interests of tho New’ Panama Canal company and tho Panama railway by the United States and the condemnation of private property for thi* uses of the canal, the stipulations of the Hay-Herran treaty are closely fol lowed. while the compensation to bo given for these enlarged grants remains the same, being ten millions of dollars payable on exchange of ratifications; and, beginning nine years from thut date, an annual payment of $250,000 during tho life* of the convention. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. White House, Dec. 7, 1003. The venerable William Jackson, one of the oldest of Wesleyan ministers and for twenty-four years governor of » Didsbury college, is dead.