The Randall County news., December 11, 1908, Image 6

About The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926

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THE RANDALL COUNTY NEWS. DECEMBER It. 1908.
PRESIDENT
TO CONGRESS
Message Read to Both
Houses of National
Assembly
LEGISLATION CALLED FOR
Financial Standing of the Nation De
dared Excellent Ccntrcl of Cor
poration, the President Thinks,
Should Be Left to the National
Government Lfbor LescJers Come
In for Criticism respect for Law
Vital to the Weil-Being cf Country.
Washington. The message cf Presi
dent Roosevelt was read in !o:h
houses of congress Tuesday. In ?ub
stance the document was as follows:
To the Senate and House of lb prcsen-
tatives: The financial Man hug -if the !
nation at the prisc rit time is fn llent, j
and the financial manage mint of tlie na-
tion's Interests by tin- government dur- j
Inn the last seven years has shown the j
most sa.lsfacb ry results. Hut our our- .
rency system Is imp. -rfoct, aril it is ear-
nestly to lie lupo) that the eiirrency j
commission will be- able to propose a
thoroughly Rood system which will do
away with the existing defects.
Purine the period from July 1, iScl. to
September .V". there was an in. rease
In the amount of money in (-in illation of
ti-oI.Kd.rsiS. The im rease in the per capita
during thin p. r ,o.l was 7.0S. Within this
time there wore several occasions when
it was necessary for the treasury de
partment to ecme to the relief of the
money market hy purchases or redemp
tion of Pniteel State bonis: ly increas
ing deposits tn national bunks: by stim
ulating additional Issues of national hank
notes, and by facilitating importations
from abroad of gold. Our In p. rfe-ot cur
rency system has made those proceedings
necessary, imd they were effective until
the monetary d'sturhan e in the fall of
lieuT iir.niens' !y increased the difficulty of
ordinary methods e.f relief. Py the mid- j
die of Novi tii'.'i r the avoidable working
balance in the ir.;is;irv had been reduced j
to approx mat. ly J...0 n.nxi. Cleanne
house associations througlueut the coun
try had been oblige".! to resort to the
expedient of issu'tig clearing house cer
tificates, to be used as money. In thiR
emergency It was determined tn invite I
subscriptions for $V..' .fciti Panama canal I
bond, and $:ur...V(fi..v three- p. r cent, j
certificates of Indebtedness authorize,) by j
the act of June 13. l-i-'. It was proposed
to redeposit in the national hanks the j
proceeds of these issues, anil to permit I
their use as a basis for additional circu- j
latlr.g notes of national banks. The
moral effect of th's procedure was so
great that it was necessary I e issue only
f 4.C!l.:iso of the Panama bonds and !!..
CG.e'to of the cert if. at.s of indebtedness.
Murine the porh.d fi
September X". tt
the net ordinary re'
ordinary expenses o!
ni J-ly 1. ir.-1. to
balance- b"tWeef.
I'j and the net
tlie cuv'-rntTifn'
e four e.-rs IS
showed a turpi'::
!i''3. POo. am' V
years la 4. )' '.. !'
of tlie f.sr.al y.
was a siirp'ns of
rial operations ' '
this period, has..,
petwe-e'tl rece J.'s
sul e ) in n net r
bearing debt of
o;.i4'. t" to ; :
that th.rc laid hi
carcil 1m uds e.tno
; T. 1 I d. '1 it in the
i a fractional part
i The net result
!'.' ? 4'3.:.4. Ti e finnn
' the gov eminent dcr'n:;
! uj.on these d-n"eroreof
and e-xp- t li'ercc. re-
Ve-tV-n of t' e y-l
t!e Vrtile-d Ft a. from
.."3 '''' i. notwithstandint
'en tuo sales cf lY.nama
unting in the aggregam
to f".4.'-!l.i '. and an issue of three p'T
cent. ert h a'ts of in I -btedness uml'f
the act of June in. K'v amounting to
$!.'. trl.Ti aa. IbfuTidirff operation of the
treasury d'partmen: und-r the act of
Mar Ji 14. 1 ' '. resulted in the conver
sion Into two I r tout, consols of V.O') of
i iM'.a'iC' 4 oo bonds hearing higher rate of
lntens'. A de rease of n the
annual In- rest charge resulted from
these ope rat ens.
In short, during the seven years and
three monti there lias been a net sur
plus of nearly one huteir. 1 millions of
receipts ow-r expenditure, a reduction
rf the Interest-bearir.a bt by ninety
millions, ie tic.- of 'he extraordinary ex
pense of . ... J'anama canal, and a saving
of tienr'y tiiae miihons on the annual
Interi t eha rL'o.
Control of Corporations.
As regards the pi eat eorp- dons en-
pageil in interstate
t-lally the r.i'An ads
what I have ah ,.)
iia ta-fs, and .-spe-1
can only r ji -at
again anil again said
In my me!r-..g-s to t
lieve that tai i r the
the . cl-st.tUtion ti e
rotiiioete and pararo
trol all a---- tears of i
and I 1 how that t
metd ah no can en r
wisdom Mid i-ieio,,.
( lire justice f-oiii i
the great c tp rati,
most in p rtai.t fa !
I
be
of H-. - vrate la
I II ! 1 State has
el r't'ht to con
itetsta'e i t. mineree.
t i e r i -i ional govern
re!e Has right with
.-suss so ;,i both to
a-al to do justice to.
a : a. which are the
!'Ti in mod in busi
it it is worse than
a prohibit all eotn
e by the H a rman
ness. I i-lo-.e 11
folly to utt mpt
blnt.'ioiiH us is do
ontl-itust law. i-e. ause sucii a law can
la
Im- enfor'id only nap-1 fectly seel un
eqeslly, and Its en' ! einent worKs al
most as mil' h hardship as good. I
strut. L-!- nd"cate tint Inst ad of an un
wise effort to pro!, h t all roinbitiatlmis,
thiie shall he substituted a law which
shall evpiossly permit combinations
which are In the interest of the public,
but si all hi ti e same time gie to some
agency In the national government full
power of rontr I and supervision over
thirl, (fir if the i hief features of this
control should tie se: ur.ng entire pub
I clty In nil matters w hii h the public
l as n r'';'. H to Ita ne, and furthermore,
the pow.r. n't by Judicial but by execu
tive action, to prevent or put a stop to
e'ty form of nifir-per favoritism or
other w rongiio'ng.
Ti e ra'l vins of the country should be
pit cor. p'oti ly under the Interstate coin
iiieree t i ium s-n n and p moved from
the domain of the anti-trust law. The
power i f the c nun Vsloii liiiould be made
tlii.r.'tcl'S 'Int. so that it could exercise
comp'.rte supervision and control over
the ts.ur of sect-rilli-s as well as over
the r-i'slnn and lowering of rates. As
regai ls r.i e. at least, this power should
be m rt.inci y. . . . Hates must be made
tow as is (ou pailbie with giving piop
er ret rnn to all the n ployeu of the rail
road, from tlie r.lgluHt to tlie lowest,
sml i p'-r ii-'i r,'' to the shareholders,
but t'. ry luitKl i.ot, for Instance, be re
duced in such fashion as to necessitate
a ret In the wa res of the employes or
c 'ili l iloti i f the proper and legitimate
proh s of honest shareholders.
Teb rritpli Hint telephone companies en
i?e.l In interstate bus-net. should be
put under the Jur s diction of the Inter
inle comiiirr't oiiuiasRion.
It l vi-ry ai ii s ,y io be wished that
mr e--j le. I lin-iiu 'I thcr representatives,
.l nit In ills is otter. It is to
tl interest f ail of us that
i i .hoc',.1 he ii premium put upon In
4.' bwi ."limiiv and Individual cs-
parity, and an ample reward for the
(rreat directing Intelligences alone com
petent to manage the great business op
erations of to-day. It is well to keep In
mind that exactly as the anarchist is the
worst enemy of liberty and the reaction
ary the worst enemy .if older, so the
men who defend the rights of property
have most to fear from the wrong dorrs
of great wealth. a-i the men who are
champlon'ng popular rights have most
to fear from the di -pin segue who in the
name of popular r;t-iits would do wrong
to and oppress 1. tiest business men,
honest men of weal; h: for the success of
either type of wrongdoer necessarily In
vites a violent react-on against the cause
the wrongdoer nmnally upholds. . . .
Need of Centralization.
The proposal to make the na
tional government supreme over, and
therefore to Rive it complete control over,
the railroads and other Instruments of
Interstate commerce is merely a propos
al to carry out to the letter one of the
prime purposes. If not tlie prime purpose,
for which the -constitution was founded.
It does not ivpres.-nl centralization. It
represents merely the acknowledgment
of the patent fact that centralization has
already come in business. If this irre
sponsible outside business power Is to be
controlled In the interest of tlie general
public it can on'y be controlled In one
way; by pivlns adeo a;c p.iwr of con
trol to the one soverelcnty capable of ex
ercisine such power the national govern
ment. To abandon the effort for national
control means to abandon the effort for
all adequate control and yet to render like
ly cnntlnti.il bursts of action hy state leg
islatures, which cannot acl 'eve the pur
pose seuyj.t for. but which can do a
preat deal of damage to the corporation
without conferring any real benefit on
the public.
There should be t emulation by the na
tional Rnvcrnn-ier.t cf t' e treat Interstate
corporations, inrlud'ng a simple method
cf account keej'!):;. p!; licit y. supervision
of the issue of so urities. aKdition of
rebates and of special privileees. There
should be short-time franchises for ail
corporat'ons ena z d in public business:
lnfludins the corp 'rations which pet
power from water rights. There should
be national as well as state guardianship
of mines and forests. The labor legisla
tion hereinafter ref rr d to should con
currently !w enacted irttn law.
To accomplish th's. means a certain In
crease In tie- use i f-not the creation of
power, by the c- n'ril c . rntnent. The
power already ex'sts: it does not have
to be created: the only question Is
whether It s'a-il! be used or left idle
and meanwhile the corporations over
which the pow.r oupht to be exercised
will not remain Idle. Tl e daa-er to Amer
ican democracy lies not in the least in tlie
concentration cf administrative power In
responsible and :u a ountabb- lauds. It
lies in l-. i i titi the- p mo r Insulflciently
concent ratt d. so that no one can be held
responsible to the people for its use.
Concentrated power is palpable, visible,
responsible, easily reached, quickly held
to account. lienioetacy is in peril
wherever the administration of po
litical power is scattered amnne
a variety of men who work in
secret, whose very names are un
known to the common p-ople. It is not
in peril from any man who derives au
thority from the people, who exercises
it In sight of the people, and who is
from t.n.e to time compelled, to Rive an
account of Its exercise tn the people.
Legislation for Wageworker.
There are many matters afectitig labor
and the sta'us of the wagc-work.-r to
which I should like to draw your atten
tion, but an exhaustive discussion of the
problem in all its asj erts is not now nec
essary. I bi-lievi- in a steady ef
fort, or perhaps it would be more
accurate to say in s'-a.ly efforts
in many dif. rent direction, to bring
about a condition of nfairs under which
the men who work with band or with
brain, the laborers, the superintendent,
the men who prof'i:- e the market and tint
men who find a n.ar: -t for the articles
produced, shall own a far creator share
than at pr- sent of the wealth ti.ey pro
duce, and be enah! 1 to invest it In the
toois and Instruments by which all work
is carried on.
to see a frar.k
tag.s conf' ft-.
t'ion and dlvis
by an effort to
in the owner.-h
way, mill ard
Postal .avi
As far as possible I hope
te :i of the advan-
I by n. i' l.in. ry. organiza
ion of l.ib'.r. a'-coniponied
bring aV'Ut a larger share
ip 1 y v, age-w orkt r of rail
factory. i.- banks w:ii make It
easy for the poorest to kp their sav
ings in absolute saf.-ty. The regulation
of the national highways must be such
that they shall s-re nil people with
equal justice. Corporat- finances must
be supi rvisi d so as to make It far safer
t .an at pnsent for the man of small
mi r-.ns to invest his money in stocks.
There must lie prohibition of child la
bor, niinution of women labor, short
ening of bo-irs of all mechanical labor:
stock watMiiiT should be prohibited,
and stock t.-ar.blitig so far as is possi
ble d:s'-.,;r . .. d. '."lore should be a
proiri too -. e inhrratane. tax on large
fortun. .- I'o'-i.-t rial education should
be cncci-,-.". d As far as possible we
(l.ould I jtft.n the tairdi n of taxation
dn the small man. We should put a
pn tnlui.i tip. r. thrill, hard work end
b'ifir.i-s "o'r-.'v: but Hi' qualities
c. to be tic- main factors in ac-c-j-n.-iiat
rig a f..-t utie lonir before that
fortune ria- his a p"i"t where it would
be si rioU'.'v a'
t lfl'-i tax s-'-l.
n-ntly rigid th
, -t-;
I
t tl
by any Inheri
opose. It Is (-tui
tn
tion should fix
t he ti r:rs upon w!
t titles a r- i tt!;i rit'
good nr. I tie y eift.
h the great for-Tlii-v
r.ir'ly do
do harm to those
who inlurit them I :i tle-lr entirety.
Tin re should no longer be any palter
ing with the 'ni'o ti'in of taking cre of
11
( j.t
( rr
r i -rc-vovk' r van. ur.di r our prrs
in dustrml sy-t-ni, become killed,
'.' d. or worn out as part of the
lar incidents of a given busi-
i,i As far as concerns those
who have been worn out. I call your
;:"o1t.(n to the fact that definite
ftip. toward providing old-age pen
s'. 'as have b.oii takn in many of our
p-i.at" industries. These may be In-
ib to
Ii
!y ra t, nded through voluntary
: ssoc: t ion and e-ontributeiry sche mes,
or ti.riu.-h the agency of savinirs
banks, as under the- Massachusetts
plan.
L'rcent Need of Reform.
Our pr.
tern, wi
tit
ter:i. or rather no rys-
riadful wrong, and Is of
! ;.- Ol.e class of peeirde the
o n a workman is Injured
Is is not nn e xfie nslve and
Mlit. but the- e-iltaillty if
h i '.n idiaie admlnlstra-
ll, n. f.t
t-
lawyers. V.
v. h -t he to e
u' tf-il I iv
n l;ef ti.ron
1 1 e
: '.out
e'i' -i N"'i '1 aej iee theory
f re. i i.-! of '-"tiir l'-t" e.r "constl-
tuti l- ! Itbii ty t i i.atitr icf should be
p. re U-d to interfere with this and
K ie l .r li.e-x '-nn --
laiid.n; a t Ii or el .hgilng investiga
lion n ml net'iiit tier- is c, rtiln b-gis-l;
t on wiiieh shutii I I"- am-tcil at nnti.
'l iie law passed .-1 the- last cson ef
the -eiii -run gt- nt it ! e on pe nsatlon to
e, tt'li II e'.iss.s eif rti.ployes ( the govern-.
cut .Mould be exte-nded to ineiude
.-. . loy- f 'he rv rnnrrt and
t- h'lll o'
t "T t .
tl-.e ('!
f.ee t II
CUpl'i
tie :. t'de r.toie I mm ral in Its
TI.ere is no irood greoitid for
t'.n-t i n.ede in the liw be--ihosc
cti'-K'id in hiiardous ec
r and loose not so en-
ga :i d.
vidlup
more
act. A
Tie t.-.ji i r;f tlie act pro
e i n I ns.-i'ioii should b- made
hlniil i.an iti tlie present
p ,,r k coi.ipi n i.iiion is net ade-
i4Utc fur n -iv f rue I s family III the
event of lis d'. at? ' ai-iibnt iti h
courfe e.f hts e i; p'o v a i n t . And In the
event eif deaf i m-'ir' tt -. siv. t'-n or
e Ii v. ti months "ft r the :i("Mdent. the
futnlly would otllv ree-e-in- as ruilipen
katioii the 'i'j . ai. .nt of one or lw
tnontha earning;. In thla respect tha
generosity of the United States towards
Its employes compares most unfavora
bly with that of every country In Eu
rope even the poorest j
I renew my recommendation made In 1
a previous message that half-holidays
be granted during summer to all wage
workers in government employ .
I also renew my recommendation that
the principle of the eight-hour day
should as rapidly and as far as practi
cable be extended to the entire work
being carried on by the government;
the prisent law should be amended to
embrace contracts on those public
works which the present wording of
the act seems to exclude.
Would Double Salaries of Judges.
I most earnestly urge upon the con
gress the duty of increasing the totally
inadequate salaries now given to our
Judges. On the whole there Is no body
of publit se rvants who do as valuable
work, nor whose moneyed reward is so
Inadequate compared to their work. Be
ginning with the supreme court the
judges should have their salaries dou
bled. It is not befitting the dignity of
the nation that its most honored public
servants should be paid sums so small
compared to what they would earn In
private life that the performance of
public service by them implies an ex
ceedingly heavy pecuniary sacrifice.
It Is earnestly to be desired that some
method should be devised for doing
away with the long delays which now
obtain in the administration of Justice,
nnd which operate with peculiar sever
ity against persons of small means, and
faver only the very criminals whom It
Is most desirable t punish. These
long delays in the final decisions of
cases make in the aggregate a crying
evil: and a remedy shouii be devised.
Much of this intolerable delay Is due
to improper regard paid to technicali
ties which are a mere hlnderance to
justice. In some noted recent cases this
over-regard for technicalities has re
sulted in a striking denial of Justice,
and flagrant wrong to the body politic.
Labor Leaders Criticised.
At the last election certain leaders of
organized labor made a violent nnd
sweeping attack upon the entire judi
ciary of the' country, an attack couched
In such terms as to Include the most
upright, honest and broad-minded
Judges, no less than those of narrower
mind and more restricted outlook.
Last year, before the house com
mittee on Judiciary, these same
labor leaders formulated their de
mands, specifying the bill that
contained them, refusing all compro
m'se. stating they wished the principle
of that bill or nothing. They insisted
on a provision that in a labor dispute
no Injunction should Issue except to
protect a property right, and specifical
ly provided that the right to carry on
business should not be construed as a
property right; and In a second provis
ion their bill made legal in a labor dis
pute any act or agreement by or be
tween two or more persons that would
not have been unlawful if done by a
single person. In other words, this bill
legalized blacklisting and boycotting
In every form, legalizing, for Instance,
those forms of the secondary boycott
which the anthracite coal strike com
mission so unreservedly condemned;
while the right to carry on a business
was explicitly taken out from under
that protection which the law throws
over property. The demand was made
that there should be trial by Jury in
contempt cases, thereby most seriously
Impairing the authority of the courts.
All this represented a course of policy
which. If carried out. would mean the
enthronement of class privilege in Its
crudest nnd most brutal form, and the
destruction of one of the most essen
tial functions of the Judiicary In all civ
ilized lands.
The violence of the crusafle for this
legislation, and its complete failure,
illustrate two truths which It Is essen
tial our people should learn. In the
first place, they ought to teach the
workingman, the laborer, the wage
worker, that by demanding what Is Im
proper and Impossible he plays into the
hands- of his foes. Such a crude and
vicious attack upon the courts, even if
it were temporarily successful, would
Inevitably In the end cause a violent
reaction and would band the great
mass of citizens together, forcing them
to stand by all the Judges, competent
and Incompetent alike, rather than to
see tlie wheels of Justice stopped.
The waeeworkers. the worklngmrn,
the laboring men of th" country by the
way in which they repudiated the ef
fort to g-t them to cast their votes In
response to on appeal to class hatred,
have emphasized their sound patriotism
and Americanism. Such an atfitude
is an e liject lesson in good citizenship to
the entire nattem.
Judicial System Sound.
Our judii ial system Is sound and
eff'itive at (ore-, and It remains,
and must ever l-e maintained, as
ii e safeguard eif those principles of lib
erty nnd justice whieh stand at the
foundation e,f American Institutions; for.
as Iturke finely said, when liberty and
justice- are separated, neither Is safe.
Then- are. however, some members of
the- Judicial body who have lagged be
hind in their un icrstatuling of these
gre at and vital e hanttes in tlie body
politic, whose minds have neviT been
(.pencil te tlie new applications of tlie old
prim iples made necessary by the new
e-emdi tions. Judges of this stamp do last
ing harm by their de-risl ins, because they
convince poor men in need -of protection
that tlie ceiurts eif the land are pro
foundly IgiU'rant of and nut of sympathy
with their needs, aad profoundly ignorant
or hos'ile to any proposed remedy. To
such men it se-ems a cruel moe ke-ry to
have any eourt eb ide against the m on
the ground that H desires to preserve
liberty" In a purely techni'-al form, by
withholding liberty in any real and con
structive Ke-r'e
There are.- certain dee-isleins by various
renins which have bee n exceeding! y det
rimental to the rights of wage-w 'rkers.
This is true of nil decisions that decide
that nun are. bv the constitution, "guar-ant-e-d
their liberty" tei" conti act to enter
a dangerous oe-ei:patein. or to work an
1 undesirable or Improiwr number of hours,
; or to work In unhealthy surroundings;
i and therefore cannot roe-over damages
; wl en maim' d In that occupation, and
I '-annul le forbidden to work what the
: leg shit tire i!es Ides Is nn ex'-essive num
; her e,f hours, or to carry on the work
' under remditlors which tho legislature
; dcidi-s to be unhealthy. Ieclsieins
such as tho" nullify the legislative
effort to protect tlie wage-workers who
most need protect inn from those employ
er who take advantage of their grind
ing need. Tliey hall or hamper the move
m nt for se uring better and more equi
table conditions eif l.itieir.
There Is also. I think, ground for the
belief that substantial Injustice. often
suffered by employes In ronsequence of
the custom of courts Issuing temporary
Injunctions without notice to them, and
punishing them feir contempt of court In
instances where, ns a matter of fact,
they have no knowledge of any proceed
ings Organ'tte-d labor is rhaflng
under the unjust re-stralnt whirh
ceitu- fr- m te n ''ed reseirt to this
f'.un of plea e-dure. Its discontent
ha been unwise ly expressed, and
often Improperly rpre-sse-d. but there
I a sound basis for It. and the or
di rly and I iw-ab-idin ; people of a com
munity would lee- In a far stronger posi
tion fer upholding the court if the un
doubtedly existing abuse could be pro
viced a pal nst.
Injunction Must Remain.
The powe r of iiioiiie lion is a great
equitable remedy, whb h should on no
account te destroyed, liut safeguards
should be erected against Its abuse. 1
In substance, provision should be made
that no injunction or temporary re
straining order Issue otherwise than on
notice, except where irreparable Injury
would otherwise result: nnd In such case
a hearing on the merits of the order
should be had within a short fixed pe
riod, and. If not then continued after
hearing, it should forthwith lapse. De
cisions should be rendered Immediately,
and tho chance of delay minimized In
every way. Moreover, I believe that the
procedure should be sharply defined, and
the Judge required minutely to state the
particulars both of his nctlon and of his
reasons therefor, so that the congress
can If It desires examine and Investigate
the same.
For many of the shortcomings of
Justice in our country our people ns a
whole are themselves to blame, and the
Judges and Juries merely bear their
share together with the public as a
whole. It Is discreditable to us as a
people that there should be dilllculty in
convicting murderers, or In bringing to
Justice men who ns public servants
have been guilty of corruption, or who
have protlted by the corruption of
public servants. The result Is equally
unfortunate, whether due to hairsplit
ting technicalities In the Interpretation
of law by Judges, to sentimentality and
class consciousness on the part of
Juries, or to hysteria nnd sensational
Ism In the dally press. For much of
this failure of justice no responsibility
whatever lies on rich men as such. YV
who make up the mass of the people
cannot shift the responsibility from our
own shoulders. Put there Is an impor
tant part of the failure w.ach has spe
cially to do with inability to hold
to proper account men of wealth who
behave badly.
The Modern Corporation.
The huge wealth that has been accu
mulated by a few individuals of recent
years, In what has amounted to a so
cial and industrial revolution, has been
ns regards some of these individuals
made possible only by the improper use
of the modern corporation. A certain
type of modern corporation, with its
officers nnd ngents. Its many Issues of
securities, and Its constant consolida
tion with allied undertakings, finally
becomea nn instrument so complex as
to contain a greater number of ele
ments that, under various Judicial de
cisions, lend themselves to fraud and
oppression than any device yet evolved
in the human brain. Corporations nre
necessary instruments of modern busi
ness. They have been permitted to
become a menace largely because the
governmental representatives of the
people have worked slowly In provid
ing for adequate control over them.
Our great clusters of corpora
tions, huge trusts and fabulously
wealthy multimillionaires, employ the
verv best lawyers they can obtain to
pick flaws In statutes after their
passage: hut they also employ a class
of secret agents who seek, under the
advice of experts, to render hostile
legisla.ion Innocuous by making It un
constitutional, often through the inser
tion of what appear on their face to be
drastic and sweeping provisions against
the interests of the parties Inspiring
them: while the demagogues, the cor
rupt creature3 who introduce black
mailing schemes to -strike" corpora
tions, and all who demand extreme,
and undesirably radical. measures,
show themselves to be the worst ene
mies of the very public whose loud
mouthed champions they proftsu to be
Real elatnavre has been done by the
manifold and conflicting Interpretations
oi the int'-rstatc commerce law. Con
trol over the great corporations doing
interstate business can be effective only
If it is vested with fu.l po-.ver In nn
administrative ib-partnunt. a branch of
the federal executive, carrying out a
federal law; it can never be effective if
a divided responsibility is b ft i t both
the stnt.s nnd the nation; it can never
be effective if left in tic hands of the
courts to he decided by lawsuits.
Respect for Law Must Be Upheld.
The courts hold n phu e of peculiar and
deserved sanctity unde r our form of gov
ernment. Kespert for the law is essen
tial to the permanence nf our institu
tions: and respect for the law Is largely
conditioned up.ui r'-spect for the courts.
It Is an offense against the republic to
say anything which can weaken this re
spect, save for the gravest reason and in
the most carefully guarded manner. In nu
other nation In tlie world do the courts
wl.-id such vast and far-reaching power
as In the I'nited States. All that Is nec
essary Is that the courts as a whole
should ejrcise tills power with the far
sighted wisdom already shown by those
Judges who scan tlie future while they
act in the present. Pet them exercise
tills great power not only honestly anJ
bravely, hut with wise insight into tlie
needs and fixed purposes of the people,
so that they may do Justice, and work
equity, so that tin y may protect all per
sons In their rights, nnd ye-t break down
the barriers of privilege, which Is the foe
of right.
Forest Preservation.
If there Is nny one duty which more
than another we owe P 'o our children
fo perr.,im at once. It Is to save the fur
eft, eif this country, for they constitute
the first and most important element In
tin- conservation of the natural ret-soure-e-B
of the country. . . . Just as
a farmer, after all his life making his
living from his farm, will, if In- Is an ex
pert farmer, leave It ns an asse t of in
e n ased value to his son. so we should
have our naUonnl domain to our chil
dren, Increased in value and not worn
out. There nre small sections of our own
country, in th" east and In the wast, In
the Adirondack, the White mountains
and the Appalachians, and In the Hooky
mountains, w Ik re we can already see .'or
ourselves the elamage In the shape ,,f
permanent Injury to the se.il and the
river systems which comes freim reckless
deforestation. It matters not whether
this deforestation Is due to the artual
reckless rutting of timber, to the fires
that inevitably follow such reckless cut
ting of timber, or to re-ekless and uncon
trolled grazing, especially by the great
migratory bands of sheep, the un
checked wandering eif which over the
country means destruction to forests and
disaster to the small home-make-rs, the
settlers of limited means
Thanks to euir own recklessness
In the use of emr splendid forests,
we have nlrenly crossed the verge of a
timber famine In this country, and no
measures that we now take ran, al least
for mnny years, unrb) the mischief that
has already be-e-n done. Put we can pre
vent further mise hief be ing done; and H
would tn- in the highest degree reprehen
sible to let any consideration of tem
porary ronvenlenee or temporary cost
Interfere with such action, especially as
regards the national forests wMoh the
nation can now, at this very moment,
control.
The lesson of deforestation in China
Is a lesson which mankind should have
learned many times already from what
has occurree; n other places. Iienuda
tlon leaves naked soil; then gullying
cuts down to the bare roe k; nnd mean
while the rock-waste buries the bottom
land. When tlie eil is gone, men
must go; and the process dors not take
long.
Plea for Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith, dur
ing the present session of the congress,
for the Improvement of our Inland water
waysaction which will re-sult In giving
us not only navigable but navigated
rivers.
I'ntil the work of river Improvement Is
undertaken In a modern nay It ran not
Pave results that will meet the ni.-eds of
tills niodern nation. The plan
iliich promises the bes and uuick-
per-
est results Is thnt of
mancnt commission
ii inr zrn n cu-ur"
dlnate the work of nil the government
departments relating to waterways, und
to frame and supi rvlse the execution of
a comprehensive plan. I'nder such a
commission the actual work of construc
tion might be entrusted to the re Luna
tion service; or to the military engineers
acting with a sufllcicnt number of civili
ans to continue the work In time of war;
or It might be divided between the rec
lamation service and the corps of en
gineers. Funds should be provided from
mrrent revenues if It Is deemed wise
therwlse from the sale of bonds. The
jssentinl thing Is that the work should
go forward under the best possible plan,
and with the least possible delay. The
time for playing with our waterways Is
past. Tho country demands results.
The president urges that national
parks adjacent to national forests be
placed under the control of tho forest
service of the agricultural depart
ment; he also points out the benefits
derived from pure food legislation.
The message continues:
Needs of the Secret Service.
Last year nn amendment was Incor
porated In the measure providing for tho
secret service, which provided that there
should be no detail from the secret serv
ice and no transfer therefrom. The
amendment In question was of benefit to
no one excepting to criminals, and
It seriously hampers the government In
the detection of crime nnd the se-curlng
of Justice. The chief argument In
favor of the provision was that
the congressmen dhl not them
selves wish to be Investigated by the
secret servle-c men. Very little of such
Investigation has been done In the past;
but It Is true that the work of the secret
service ngents wns partly responsible for
the Indictment nnd conviction of a sen
ator and a congrersman for land frauds
In Oregon. I do not believe that It is
In the public Interest to protect criminals
In nny branch of the public scrvh-e, and
exactiy as we have again and again dur
ing the past seven years prosecuted and
convicted such criminals who were In
the executive branch of the government,
so In my belief we should be given ample
means to prosecute them if found in the
legislative branch. Put If this Is not
considered desirable a special exception
could be made in the law prohibiting the
use of the secret service force In Inves
tigating members of the congress.
Postal Savings Banks.
I again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit
ing savings with the security of the
government behind them. The object
is to encourage thrift nnd economy in
the wage-earner and person of mod
erate means. It Is believed that in the
nggre g.-ite vast sums of money would be
brought into llrcuhition through the in
strumentality of the postal savings
banks.
Parcel Post.
In my last annual message I com
mended' the postmaster-general's
recommendation for an extension of th"
parcel post on the rural routes. The
establishment of a local parcel post on
rural routes would be to tne mutual
benefit of the farmer and the country
store keeper, and it is dcstrablo that the
routes, serving more than l.i.t")ti.(ic
people, should be Utilized to the fullest
practii-able extent.
Education.
With the limited means hitherto pro
viib d. the bureau of education has
renibrid efficient service, but the emi
gre --s has neglected to adequately sun
ply the bureau with means to meet tlie
educational growth of the country.
I carneatly recommend that this U'l
fortunate state of affairs as regards
the national educational otlice be renie -die-d
by adequate appropriations. This
recommendation is urged by the repre
stntotives of emr common schools and
ureal state universities and the ica.lin :
educators, who all unite In requesting
favorable consideration nnd action by
the congress upon this subject.
The ir sid.'tit points ml', the neces
Mty cf l.et-t If r tii-?ai.izatlon of the vari
ous bureaus responsible for the public
health, and urges the plad' t; of all
soldio-s' homes ti lid t the jurisiliclh'U
of thf war !'
part mt nt.
Statehood,
the qiitstion -of statehood the
On
president says:
I ;tdvo'ate the immediate admission of
New Mexl'-o and Arizona as stab s. This
should In- done- at the present sesaion of
the congress. The people of the two ter
ritories have maile it evident by tin ir
votes that they will nut come in as one
state. The only alti rnalive Is to admit
them ns two. and I trust that this will be
done without eb-hiv.
Interstate Fisheries.
I call the attention of the congress to
the importance eif the problem of the
fisheries in the Interstate waters. On the
Cn-at Iikes we are now, under the very
wise- treaty of April II of this year, en
ilenvoring lo come to nn International
agreement for the preservation and sat
isfactorv use of the fisheries of these wa
ters which can riot otherwise be achieved.
Pake Krie, for example has the richest
fresh water fisheries I'. the world: but it
Is now controlle I by the statutes of two
nations, four L-..ites. and one province-,
and this province by two different ordi
nances In different reunifies. All those
political ''Ivislons work nt cross pur
poses and in no case can they achieve
protection to the fiaherie-s, on the one
hand, and Justice lo the localities and in
dividuals on the other.
Foreirn Affairs.
This nation's foreign policy is based
on the theory that ri-thl must be done
between nations precisely as between
Individuals, and In our actions for tho
last ten years we have in this matter
proven our faith by our eb-eds. We
have behaved, and are- hehavln-r. to
wards other nations, ns In private life
an honeiiahle man would behave to
wards his fellows.
Latin-American Republics.
The commercial nnd material prog
ress of the 20 I,atin-Amer!can republics
Is worthy of the careful attention of
the ceingress. The International linreaii
eif the American He publics Is doing a
useful weirk In making these nations
and their resources belter known to
us. and in ncqiia 'ntlng them not only
with us n a peo-e nnd with our pur
poses towards the m, but with what we
have to exchange for their goods.
Panama Canal.
The work on the Pnnnma canal Is be
ing done with a speed, tlie-leney and
entire devotion to duty, which make It
a moded for all work of the kind. The
men en the Isthmus, from Col. Coethals
anil his fellow commissioners through
the entire list of employes who are
faithfully doing their duty, have won
their right to the ungrudging respect
und gratitude of the American people.
Ocean Mail Lines.
I again recommend the extension of
the ocean mail act of 1S91 so that satis,
factory American ocean mall lines to
(South America. Asia, the Philippines,
and Australasia may be established.
Hawaii.
I call particular attention to the Ter
ritory of Hawaii. The Importance of
those islands is apparent, and the need
of Improving their condition and de
veloping their resource Is urgent.
The Philippines.
Heal progre toward self-government
is being made In the Philippine istunds.
I trust that within a generation
the time will arrive when the l'hlllpplne-s
can decide for themselves whether tl U
well for them to become Independent, or
iu t-uiumtixi ... v. . ..
a imMAt no iiniici. i iv.ni v
able to
msnT nrtil 1141111 (TPS ltd lH'ri,
gunrnnlee to the Islands order nt homo
and protection from foreign Invasion.
Porto Rico.
I again recommend thnt American cit
izenship bo conferred upon the people Of
Porto Hieo.
Cuba.
In Cubn our occupancy will censn In
about two months' time; tho Cubans
have In ordeTly manner elected their own
governmental authorities, nnd the Island
will be turned over to them. Our occu
pation on this occasion hns lasted a lit
tle over two years, nnd Cuba has thriv
en and prospered under It. Our earnest
hope and one desire Is that the peopla
of the Island shnll now govern them
selves with Justice, so thnt peace and or
der may bo secure.
Japanese Exposition.
The Japanese government hns post
poned until 1917 the dnte of the great
international exposition, tho action be
ing taken so ns to insure ample time
in which to prepare to ninko the expo
sition nil that it should bo mnde. The
American commissioners have visited
Japan and the postponement will mere
ly give ampler opportunity for Ameri
ca to be represented at tho exposition.
Not since the first International expo
sition hns there been one of greater
Importance than this will be, marking,
ns it docs, the fiftieth nnnlversary of
the ascension to the throne of tho em
peror of Japan. The extraordinary
bap to the foremost place among tho
nations of the world made by Japan
during this half century Is something
unparalleled in all previous history.
I take this opportunity publicly to
state my appreciation of the way in
which In Japan, in Australia, In New
Ken hi ml. and In nil the states of South
America, the battle fleet has been re
ceived on Its practice voyage around
the world. The American government
can not too strongly express its appre
ciation of the abounding and generous
hospitality shown our ships in every
port they visited.
The Army.
As regards the army I call attention
to the fact thnt while our junior olll
cers and enli.-ted men stand very high,
the present system of promotion by
seniority results in bringing Into the
higher graibs many men of rncdiocro
capacity who have but n short time to
serve. No man should regard it ns his
vested right to rise to the highest rank
In tin- army nny more than In any
other profession. It is a curious nnd
by no means creditable fad that there
should be so often a failure on tho
part of the public nnd its representa
tives to understand the great need,
from the standpoint of the service nnd
the nation, of re-fusing to promote re
spectable, elderly inoompe tents. The
higher places should be given to the
most ib serving nu n without regard to
seniority; at bast seniority should ho
treated as only one con-oderation. In
the stress of modern Industrial com
petition no business tirm could succeed
If those responsible for Its management
were chosen simply em the ground that
tin y wo re the obb st people In its em
ployment; yet this Is the course advo
cated as regards the army, and re
quired by law for all grades except
those of ua-neral officer. As a matter
of fact all of the best olli.-i rs In the
highest ranks of tlie army are those
who have attained their present posi
tion wholly or in part by n process of
sole ct Ion.
Tlie scope of retiring hoards slpauld
be rxtemb d so that they could con
sider general unfitness to command for
any cause, in ordi r to secure a far metre
rigid e nforce incut than at present In
the- elimination of oil rs for mental,
physical or tempi raniental disabilities.
Put this plan is r. coinini nded only if
the eongT' ss does not s e tit to provide
what in m Judg iii. nl la far better,
that is. for selection in promotion, and
for elimination for ace. u'ici rs who
fail to attain a certain rank by a cer
tain age. should be retired -for In
ttance. if a man should not attain
held rank by the time he Is 4.'i ho
should of course be placed on the re
tired list. !!! ral oMici-rs should be
selected as at pr.-otit. and one-third
of the other promotions should bo
made by si lection, tin- selection to be
made by tin- provident or sicrctary of
war from a list of at least two catidl-
iti
priiposi
1 for each vacancy by a
rs from the arm of tho
which the promotion is
A bill is now hi fore t ho
board e.f ott.c
service from
to be made
contrri s
cure tin
having for ita object to se
t.roniotioii of oil'ci rs to varl-
one grades at
a pr ss of s
fic.TS. of the
merit with a
ib pending tit"
reasonable ag..s thrnuah
. b ctioti. by boards of of
b nst etlieient for retire-
percentage of their pay
n length of service. Tho
hill, although not
that should He done.
ccomplishing all
is a long stop In
the right direction;
receitiimeiiil ils pissta:
and I earnestly
e. or that of a
more
completely effci live measure.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia, the
Nati'.o.tl ijuard. has been Incorporated
witli tlie army as a part oi the national
forns. it In ho.iv s tin- gove rnment to
do every reasonable tiling In Its power
to perfect its eHicleticy, It should bo
assisted in its instruction and olio r
wise aided more lib. rally than heretofore-.
The e-otit iniious services of many
we-ll-t rained regular fiihcers will be
essential in this eonm -etion. A
bill is now pending before the
congress creating a number of extra
office rs in the army, w hich if passed,
as it ought tei I.e. will enable more
ollicers to be trained (is instructors of
National Cuard and assigned to that
duty. In case of war it will be of tho
utmost importa ma- to have a largo
number of train, d o lieers to use for
turning raw levies into good troops.
The Navy.
I
the
crea
approve tin: recommendations of
general- board for the in-
ise of the I: ivy, calling espee-ial
Ml. ill to the ncid of addi
ntte
tional destroyers and colliers, and above
nil. of the four battleships. It Is eb-slr-nble
to compb te as soon ns possible a
squiidroii of eight battleships of tlie best
e xisting type.
I most i-ariicitly recommend that the
genei-.-il board be by law turned Into a
general staff. There Is literally no ex
cuse whatever for .ontinuitig the pres
ent bureau organization of the navy. Tho
navy should l o trcal"i as a purely mili
tary organization, and everything should
be snbordlnati el to the one object of se
curing military e-lliciency. ' A system
of promotion by merit, either by selec
tion or by exclusion, or by both
proee'Hses. should be- Introduced. It is out
of the qui-stiem. If the pre-se-nt principle
of promotion by mere seniority is kept,
to expei t to get the best results from the
higher olllce rs. Our men come too old,
ami stay for too short a time, In the high
command positions.
Nothing better for the navy from every
standpoint has ever ore-urred than the
rruise of the buttle licet around the
world. The Improvement of tho ships In
every way has liee-n extraordinary, and
they have gained fnr more experience
in battle tae-tle-s than they would have
gained If they had stayed In the Atlantic
waters. The American people have cause
for profound gratification, both In view
of the excellent condition of the fleet as
shown by this cruise, and in view of the
Improvement the cruise has worked In
this alre-ady high condition. I do not
believe that there is any other service in
tlie world In which the average of char
acter and efficiency In the enlisted men
is as high as is now the case In our own.
THKODOHIi POOSKVEl,T..
The White House, Tuesday, December
I, VM.