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About Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1901)
WELT'S ME What tiie President Has To Say To the Fifty- Seventh Congress. Regarding the Big Combinations of Capital , He Declares That i : : : ! ! Isat the Present Time the Only Sure Remedy. FAVORS FEDERAL CONTROL OF THE TRUSTS. Opposes Any General Change In the Present Tariff Laws , But Upholds and Recom- \ mends the Principles of Reciprocity , Advocates Reduction of Duty on Cuban Imports Into This Country. The portance of the Isthmian Canal and Pacific Cable. Washington- . C. ( Special. ) The president in his"annual message to congress says : The congress assembles this year un der the shadow of a great calamity. On , the 6th of September President Mc Kinley was shot by an anarchist while attending the Pan-American exposi tion 'at Buffalo and died in that city on the 14th of that month. Of the last seven elected presidents Se is the third who has been murdered , and the bare recital of this fact is sufficient to Justify grave alarm among all. loyal American citizens. Moreover , the circumstances of this , the third as sassination of an American president , Lave a peculiarly sinister significance. Both President Lincoln and President Garfield were killed by assassins of type unfortunately not uncommon in history , President Lincoln falling a victim to the terrible passions aroused "by four years of civil war and Presi dent Garfield to the revengeful vanity of a disappointed office seeker. Presi dent McKinley was Idlled by an utter ly depraved criminal belonging to that body of criminals who object to all governments , good and bad alike , why are against any form of popular lib erty if it is guaranteed by even the most just and liberal laws and who are as hostile to the upright exponent of a free people's sober will as to the tyrannical and irresponsible despot. ANARCHY AND ANARCHISTS. , The president continues with an eulogy of Mr. McKinley , then turns to the subject of anarchy , denouncing its dOQtrines and preachers. He says : I earnestly recommend to congress that * in the exercise of its wise discre tion it should take into consideration the coming to this country of anarch ists or persons professing principles hostile to all government andjustify ing the murder of those placed in au thority. Such individuals as those Avho not long ago gathered in open meeting to glorify the murder of King Hum bert of Italy perpetrate a crime , and the law should insure their rigorous punishment. They and those like them should be kept out of this country.and if found here they should be promptly deported to the country whence they came.and farreaching provision should "be made for the punishment of those .who stify. No matter calls more 'urgently for the wisest thought of the congress. SUBJECT FOR FEDERAL COURTS. The federal courts should be given jurisdiction over any man who kills or'attempts to kill the president or any man who by the * * constitution or by law is in line * of succession for the presidency , while the punishment for an unsuccessful attempt should be pro portioned to the , enormity of trie of- lense against our institutions. Anarchy is a crime against the whole Human race , and all mankind should band against the anarchist. His crime should be made an offense against the law of nations , like piracy and that form of man stealing known as the slave trade. ' The president next considers busi ness conditions , which he finds highly 'satisfactory. He continues : , The' tremendous and highly complex industrial development which went on with ever accelerated rapidity during the latter half of the nineteenth cen tury brings us face to face at the be ginning 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 ac cumulation and distribution of wealth. Since the industrial changes which have so enormously increased the pro ductive power of mankind they are no longer sufficient. TRADE COMBINATIONS. The growth of cities has gone on be yond comparison faster than the growth of the country , and the up building of the great industrial centers Has meant a startling increase not merely in the aggregate of wealth , but in the number of very large individual and especially of very large corporate fortunes. The creation of these great sorporate fortunes has not been due to the tariff nor to any other govern mental action , but tb natural causes in the business world , operating in other countries as they operate in our ' own. . The process has aroused much an tagonism , a'great part of which is wholly without warrant. It is not tiue that as the richhave grown richer the poor have grown : poorer. On , the con- ifTary , never .b&fqre has the average man , the , wageworker , the farmer , the small 'trader , bee"h so well off as in this country and at the present time. There fiasre been abuses connected with the accumulation of wealth , yet it remains { rue that d fortune accumulated in legitimate business can be aocuniulat- edby the person specially benefited only on condition of conferring im mense incidental benefits upon oth ers. Successful enterprise of the type which benefits all mankind can only exist if the conditions are such as to offer great prizes as the rewards of success. REASONS FOR CAUTION The president adds that there are many reasons for caution in dealing with corporations. He says : The same business conditions which Bave produced the great aggregations of corporate and individual wealth have made them very potent factors in international commercial competition. Moreover , it cannot too often be pointed out that to strike with Ignorant violence at the interests of one set of men almost inevitably endangers the interests of all. The fundamental rule in ournational life the rule which un derlies all others Is that , on the whole and in the long run we shall go up or down together. The mechanism of modern business is so delicate that extreme care must be taken not to interfere with it in a spirit of rashness or ignorance. In dealing with business interests , for the government to undertake by crude and ill considered legislation to do what may turn out to be bad , would be to incur the risk of such farreach ing national disaster that it would be preferable to undertake nothing at all. The men who demand the impossible or the undesirable serve as the allies of the forces with which they are nom inally at { War , for they hamper those who would endeavor to find out in ra tional fashion what the wrongs really are and to what extent and in what manner it is practicable to apply reme dies. HOW TO CORRECT THE EVILS. All this is true , and yet it is also true that there are real and grave evils one of the chief being overcapitaliza tion because of its many baleful con sequences , and a resolute and practical effort must be made to correct these evils. It is rio limitation upon property rights or freedom of contract to re quire'that when men receive from gov ernment the privilege of doing busi ness under corporate form , which frees them from individual responsibility and enables them to call into their en terprises the capital of the public , they shall do so upon absolutely truthful representations as to the value of the property in which the capital is to be invested. Corporations engaged in in terstate commerce should be regulated if they are found to exercise a. license working to the public injury. It should be as much the aim of those who seek for social betterment to rid the busi ness world of crimes so cunning as to rid the entire body politic of crimes of violence. Great corporations exist only because they are created and safe guarded by our institutions , and it is therefore our right and our duty to see that they work in harmony with these institutions. PUBLICITY FIRST ESSENTIAL. The first essential in determining how to deal with the great industrial combinations is knowledge of the facts publicity. In the interest of the pub lic the government should have the right to inspect and examine the work ings of great corporations engaged in interstate business. Publicity is the only sure remedy which wecan mnv invoke. What further remedies are needed in the way of governmental regulation or taxation can only be de termined after publicity has been ob tained by process of law and in the course of administration. The first requisite is knowledge , full and com plete knowledge which may be made public to the world. Artificial bodies , such as corporations and joint stock or other associations , depending upon any statutory law for their existence or privileges should be subject to proper governmental super vision , and full and accurate informa tion as to their operations should be made public regularly at reasonable intervals. The large corporations , commonly called trusts , though organized in one state , always do business in many states , often doing very little business in the state where they are incorpo rated. There is utter lack of uniform ity in the state laws about them , and , as no state has any exclusive interest in or power over their acts , it has in practice proved impossible to get ade quate regulation through state action. Therefore , in the interest of the whole plople , the nation should , without in terfering with the power of the states in the matter itself , also assume power of supervision and regulation over all corporations doing an interstate busi ness' AMEND CONSTITUTION. When the constitution was adopted , at the endof the eighteenth century , 10' hurnart' wisdom could foretell tha sweepingchanges , alike in industrial ind political conditions , whichwere to : ake place by the beginning of the ; wentieth century. At that time it , vas accepted as a matter of course : hat the several states were the proper luthorities to regulate , so far as was : hen necessary , the comparatively In- si : lificant and strictly localized cor- jorate bodies of the day. The condi- : ions are now wholly different , and vholly different action Is called for. I believe that a law can be framed vhich will enable the national govern- nent to exercise control along the lines ibove indicated , profiting by the expe- ience ga'ned through the passage and Ldministration of the interstate com- nerce act. If , however , the judgment > fthe congress is that its lacks the institutional power to p"ass such an ict , then a constitutional amendment , should be submitted to confer th < power. There should be created a cabinet of fleer , to be known as secretary oi commerce and industries , as provided in the bill introduced at the last ses sion of the congress. It should be his province to deal with commerce In Its broadest sense , including among man > other things whatever concerns laboi and all matters affecting the greal business corporations and our mer chant marine. LABOR. The president declares that he re gards it necessary to re-enact the Chi nese exclusion law. In regard to labor he says that the government should provide in its contracts that all work should be done under "fair" conditions and that all night work should be for bidden for women and children as-well as excessive overtime' . He continues : Very great good has been and will be accomplished by associations or unions of wageworkers when managed with forethought and when they combine in sistence upon their own rights with law abiding respect 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 govern ment in order to safeguard the rights and interests of all. Under our consti tution there is much more scope for such action by the state and the mu nicipality than by the nation. But on points such as those touched on above the national government can act. He asserts that the immigration laws are unsatisfactory and that a law should be enacted to keep out not only anarchists , but persons of a low moral tendency or of unsavory reputation and those who are below a certain standard of economic fitness to enter our industrial field as competitors with American labor. TARIF AND RECIPROCITY. The prosident declares that nothing could be more unwise than to disturb the business interests of the country by any general tariff change at this time. He adds : Yet it is not only possible , but emi nently desirable , to combine with the stability of our economic system a sup plementary system of reciprocal bene fit and obligation with other nations. Such reciprocity is an incident and re sult of the firm establishment and pre servation of our present economic pol icy. It was specially provided for in the present tariff law. Reciprocity must be treated as the handmaiden of protection. Our first duty is to see that the protection gran ted by the tariff in every case where it is needed is maintained , and that reci procity be sought for so far as it can safely be done without injury to our home industries. Just how far this is must be determined according to the individual case , remembering always that every application of our tariff pol icy to meet 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 broad. The well being of the Avageworker is a prime considera tion of our entire policy of economic legislation. NEED FOR WIDER MARKETS. Subject to this proviso of the proper protection necessary to our industrial well being at home , the principle of reciprocity must command our hearty support. The phenomenal growth of our export trade emphasizes the ur gency of the need fpr wider markets and for a liberal policy in dealing with foreign nations. Whatever is m'erely petty and vexatious in the way of ; rade 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 pur chase our products should as far as possible be secured by so arranging our tariff as to enable us to take from them those products which we can use without harm to our own industries and labor or the use of which will be or marked benefit to us. It is most important that we should maintain the high level of our present prosperity. We have now reached the point in the development of our in terests where we are not only able to supply our own markets , but to pro duce a constantly growing surplus for which we must find markets abroad. To secure these markets we can util ize existing duties in any case where they are no longer needed for the pur pose of protection , or in any case where the article is not produced here and the duty is no longer necessary for revenue , as giving us something to offer in exchange for what we ask. The cordial relations with other na tions which are so desirable will nat urally be promoted by the course thus required by our own interests. Thenatural line of development for a policy of reciprocity will be in con nection with those of our productions' which no longer require all of the sup port once needed to establish them upon a sound basis and with those oth ers where either because of natural or af economic causes we are beyond the reach of successful competition. I ask the attention of the senate to Lhe reciprocity treaties laid before it by my predecessor. THE MERCHANT MARINE. The condition of the American mer- 2hant marine is such as to call for im mediate remedia laction by the con- jress. It is discreditable to us as ja. nation that our merchant marine should be utterly insignificant in com- mrison to that of other nations which ve overtop in other forms of business. j We should not longer submit to condi- ; ions under which only a trifling por- ion of our great commerce is , carried n , our own ships. To remedy this state f things would not merely serve to mild up our shipping interests , but it vould also result in benefit to all who ire interested in the permanent 'estab- ishment of a wider market for Amer- can products and would provide an Luxiliary force for the navy. Ships vork for their own countries just as ailroads work for their terminal loints. Shipping lines.if established to he principal countries with which we lave dealings , would be of political as veil as commercial benefit. From ev- ry standpoint it is unwise for the Jnlted States to continue to rely upon he ships of competing nations for the listrlbutlon of our goods. It should be nade advantageous to carry American ; oods in American built ships. At present American shipping Is un- ler certain great disadvantages when i * * put in competition with the shipping of foreign countries. Many of the fast foreign steamshlps.at a speed of 'four teen knots or above , are subsidized , and all our ships , sailing vessels and steamers alike , cargo carriers of slow speed and mail carriers of high speed , have to meet the fact that the original cost of building American ships is greater than Is the case abroad that wages paid American officers and sea men 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 ac tion as will remedy these inequalities. The American merchant marine should be restored to the ocean. FINANCIAL. * ! ! passage of the act establishing gold as the standard money has , it is declared , been shown to be timely and judicious. The president adds : In many respect the national bank- Sftg law furnishes sufficient liberty for ! the proper exercise of the banking function , but there seems to be neea pf better safeguards against the de ranging influence of commercial crises and financial panics. Moreover , the' currency of the country should be made responsive to the demands of our lomestic trade and commerce. Economy in expenditures is urged. Amendment of the interstate commerce act is advised to Insure the cardinal provisions of that act. The work car ried on by the department of agricul ture is next considered and praised highly. The president then turns to forest preservation and Irrigation of arid lands , saying that both are highly necessary. He would put all the work In connection with the forest reserves In charge of the bureau of forestry. IRRIGATION. The president continues by tracing the connection-between the forest re serves and the water supply. He says : The forests are natural reservoirs. By restraining the streams in flood and replenishing them in drought they make possible the use of waters oth erwise wasted. They prevent the soil from washing and so protect the stoi-- age reservoirs from filling up with silt. Forest conservation is , therefore , an essential condition of water conser vation. The forests alone cannot , however , fully regulate and conserve the waters of the arid region. Greatstorage works are necessary to equalize the flow of streams and to save the flood waters. Their construction has been conclu sively shown to be an undertaking too vast for private effort. Nor can it be best accomplished by the individual states actingalone. . The government dom , Indeed to the vital need , of pro viding for a substantial reduction In the tariff duties on Cuban Imports Into the United States. In dealing with the Philippine peo ple we must show both patience and strength , forbearance and steadfast resolution. Our aim is high. We do not desire to do for the islanders merely what has elsewhere been done for tropic people by even the best foreign governments. "We hope to do for them what has never before been done for any people of the tropics to make them fit for self government after the fashion of the really free nations. The only fear is lest in our overanx- iety we give them a degree of inde pendence for which they are unfit , thereby inviting reaction and disaster. As fast as there is any reasonable hope that in a given district the people can govern themselves , self government has been given in that district. There is not a locality fitted for self govern ment which has not received it. But it may be well that In certain cases it will have.to be withdrawn because the inhabitants show themselves unfit to exercise itsuch ; instances have already occurred. In other words , there is not the slightest chance of our falling to show a sufficiently humanitarian spirit. The danger comes In the opposite di rection. ' TROUBLES AHEAD YET. There are still troubles ahead In the slands. The Insurrection has become an affair of local banditti and maraud ers , who deserve no higher regard than the brigands of portions of the old world. Encouragement , direct or Indirect , to these insurrectos stands on the same footing as encouragement to hostile Indians in the days when we still had Indian wars. The president declares that the time has come for additional legislation for Lhe Philippines. He says : It is necessary that the congress should pass laws by which the re sources of the islands can be developed , ; o that franchises ( for limited terms of fears ) can be granted to companies do- : ng business in them and every en couragement given to the incoming of ausiness men of every kind. It is ur- jently necessary to enact suitable laws lealing with general transportation , nining , banking , currency.homesteads ind the use and ownership of the lands md timber. These laws will give free ) lay to industrial enterprise , and the ! ommercial development which will surely follow will afford to the people f the islands thebest , proofs of the incerity of our desire to aid them. THE CABLE AND THE CANAL. I call your attention most earnestly o the crying need of a cable to Hawaii Lnd the Philippines , to be continued rom the Philippines to points in Asia. PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT. t 1 should construct and maintain these reservoirs as it does other public work. Where their purpose is to regulate the flow of streams , the water should be turned freely into the channels in the dry season to take the same course under the same laws as the natural flow. The reclamation of the unsettled arid public lands presents a different prob lem. Here it is not enough to regulate the flow of streams. The object of the government is to dispose of the land to settlers who will build homes upon it. To accomplish this object water must be brought within their reach. The pioneer settlers on the arid pub lic domain chose their homes along streams from which they could them selves divert the water to reclaim their holdings. Such opportunities are prac tically gone. There remain , however , vast areas of public land which can be made'available for homestead settle ment , but only by reservoirs and main ine canals impracticable for private jnterprise. These irrigation works should be built by the national govern ment. The lands reclaimed by them should be reserved by the government : or actual settlers , and the cost of con struction should , so far as possible , be epaid by the land reclaimed. The dis- ; ribution of the water , the division of : he streams among irrigators , should je left to the settlers themselves in jonformity with state laws and with- > ut interference with those laws or rested rights. The declaration is made that in the irid states the only right to water vhich should be recognized is that of ise. The president says that the doc- rine of' private ownership of water ipart from land cannot prevail with- > ut causing wrong. INSULAR PROBLEMS. " Insular questions are next treated. n Hawaii our aim must be to develop he territory on the traditional Amer- can lines. Porto Rico is declared to be hriving as never before. The atten- ion of congress is called to the need f legislation concerning the island's iublic lands. In Cuba it is stated that mch progress has been made toward utting the independent government of he island upon a firm footing , and it is eclelred that independence will be an ccomplished fact. The president dds : Elsewhere I have discussed the ques- [ on of reciprocity. In the case of Cu- a , however , there are weighty reasons f morality and of national interest rhy the policy should be heldMo have peculiar application , and I most ear- estly ask your attention to the wls- We should not defer a day longer than necessary the construction of such a cable. It is demanded not merely for commercial but for political and mili tary considerations. Either the con gress should immediately provide for the construction of a government ca ble or else an arrangement should be made by which like advantages to ] those accruing from a government ca ble may be secured to the government ( by contract with a private cable com- . pany. { No single great material work which remains to be undertaken on this con- c tinent is of such consequence to the r American people as the building of a cana lacross the isthmus connecting North and South America. Its impor tance to the nation is by no means lim ited merely to its material effects upon our business prosperity.and yet with a view to these effects alone it would be to the last degree important for us im mediately to begin it. While its bene ficial effects would perhaps be most marked upon the Pacific coast and the julf and south Atlantic states.it would also greatly benefit other sections. It t , is emphatically a work which it is for the interest of the entire country to tl begin and complete as scon as possi ble. ble.I I am glad to be able to announce to you that our negotiations on this sub ject Avith Great Britain , conducted on both sides in a spirit of friendliness and mutual good will , have resulted in my being able to lay before the sen ate a treaty which , if ratified , will en ableus"to begin preparations for an isthmian banal at any time and which guarantees.to "this nation every right tla that it has ever asked in connection a with the canal. It specifically pro vides .that the United States alone shall do the work of building and assume the responsibility of safeguarding the canal and shall regulate its neutral use al by all nations on terms of equality tld without the guarantee or interference d ( of any outside nation from any quar iz ter. ' THE MONROE DOCTRINE. The Monroe doctrine should be the ot cardinal feature of the foreign policy th of all the nations of the two Americas , ly as it is of the United States. The Mon as roe doctrine is a declaration that there must be no territorial aggrandizement by any non-American power at the ex pense of any American power on Amer ican soil. It is in noAvise intended as hostile to , any nation in the old world. in Still less is it intended to give cover to ar any aggression by one new world pow ed er at the expense * of any other It Is pa simply a step , and a long step , toward paHi 1 assuring the universal peace of th world by securing the possibility or permanent peace on this hemisphere. During the past century other Influ ences have established the permanence and Independence of the smaller states of Europe. Through the Monroe doc trine we hope to be able to safeguard , like Independence and secure like per manence for the lesser among the new world nations. , This doctrine has nothing to do with the commercial relations of any Amer ican poAver save that it In'truth allows each of them to form such as It desires. In other words , It Is really a guarantee of the commercial Independence of tne Americas. We do not ask under this doctrine for any exclusive commercial dealings with any other American not guarantee any stato state. Wej3o against punishment if It misconducts that punishment does itself , provided of the acquisition or not take the form non-American P ° wer. territory by any Our attitude In Cuba is a sufficient , vv e good faith guarantee of our own have not the slightest desire to secure the of any or any territory at expense our neighbors. THE NAVY. The president devotes considerable , the upbuilding of space to the navy which , he says , should be steadily con tinued. The navy offers us , It Is declar ed , the only means of Insisting on the Monroe doctrine , and a strong navy Is the best guarantee against war. He recommends that provision be made not only for more ships , but for more additional sea men. Four thousand men and 1,000 additional marines should be provided , as well as an In crease In officers. After Indorsing the naval militia forces the president says : But in addition we should at once provide for a national naval reserve , organized and trained under the direc tion of the navy department and sub ject to the call of the chief executive whenever nvar becomes imminent. It should be a real auxiliary to the naval seagoing force establishment and offer materia Ito be drawn on at once for manning our ships in time of war. THE ARMY. It is not necessary to increase our army beyond Its present size at this time , but it is necessary to keep It at the highest point of. efficiency. The in dividual units who as officers and en listed men compose this army are , we tiave good reason to believe , at least as efficient as those of any other army In the entire world. It is our duty to see that their training is of a kind to in sure the highest possible expression of lOAver in these units when acting In combination. A general staff should be created. Promotions should be made solely . ivith regard to the good of the service. Congress ought to provide , the presi- lent adds , for field exercises. He con- : lnues : Action should be taken in reference ; o the militia and to the raising of vol- mteer forces. Our militia law is ob solete and worthless The organization ind armament of the national guard of * , he several states , Avhich are treated is militia in the appropriations by the : ongressshould be made identical with hose provided for the regular troops , [ "he obligation and duty of the guard n time of war should be carefully de- ined and a system established by law mder which the method of procedure > f raising volunteer forces should be Described in advance. ' ' THE MERIT SYSTEM. The president indorses the merit sys- em of making appointments and says : I recommend the passage of a law - vhich Avill extend the classified serv- - ce to the District of Columbia or Avill .t least enable the president thus to ixtend it. In my judgment all laws > roviding for the temporary employ- nent of clerks should hereafter con- ain a provision that they be selected ' inder the civil service law. * It is important to have this system btain at home , but it is even more im- iortant to have it applied rigidly in our nsular possessions. The importance f improving the consular service by he passage of neAv laAA's is emphasized. ' The president then turns to the In- < ian question. He says : We should noAv break up the tribal unds , doing for them Avhat allot ment does for the tribal lands that 3 , they should be divided into individ- al holdings. There will be a transi- ion period during which the funds - ill in many cases have to be held m rust. This is the case also with the inds. A stop should be put upon the discriminate permission to Indians 0 lease their allotments. The effort hould be steadily to make the Indian ork like any other man on his own round. The marriage laws of the Z = - lans should be made the same aa lose of the whites. In the schools the aucation should be elementary and irgely industrial. Cordial support from congress and eople is asked for the St. Louis expo- tion. The Charleston exposition is > mmended to thesgood will of the eople. The work of the Pan-American cposition is praised. It is recommended that the census fice as noAv"constituted should ba ade a parmanent government bureau. THE POSTAL SERVICE , A tribute is paid to the postal service id the extension of free rural delivery commended. The postoffice depart- ent should be sustained.the president ys , in its efforts to remove the abus- in connection with second class mail atter. Much attention is paid to the situa- m in China , and the progress toward e establishment of peace there i ? T-P , pitulated. Stress i ? laid on the iSl rtance of pur continuing to advocate Deration in the dealings with ChS ? le president concludes his follows : message The death of Queen Victoria people , of the United States d heartfelt sorroAv , to which the nment gave full expression. Vr esident McKinley died , our nation ra received from every quarter oc e Bntish empire expressions of CTief * j v * 4 ICA. ft tVi cvrnnu r * % T * * i-ijjdLiijf no less sincGrpTVI ah ° J * he Empress Dowager Fred ck of Germany aiso aroused th- nume sympathy of the ople , and this sympathy y reciprocated by when 1 president 3d , from d world we reepivw ? at , assurances - nf to continue unbroken ' suoh natations of
