Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1902 — Page 2

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS

To the Senate and House of Representatives: We still continue in a period of unbounded prosperity. This prosperity Is not the creature of law, but undoubtedly the laws under which we work have been instrumental in creating the conditions which made it possible, and by unwise legislation it would be easy enough to destroy it. There will undoubtedly be periods of depression. The wave will recede; but the tide will advance. As a people we have played a large part in the world, and we are bent upon making our future even larger than the past. In particular, the events ot the last four years have definitely decided that, for woe or for weal, our place must ba great among the nations. ” e < ono shrink from the struggle U'fore us. 1 here are many- problems for us to face nt tne outset of the twentieth century—grave problems fibroad and still graver at home; but we know that we can solve them nnd solve them well, provided only that we bring to the solution the qualities of head and heart which were shown by the men who, in tip: days of Washington, founded this government, and. in the days of Lincoln, preserved it. , No country has ever occupied a higher plane of material well-being than ours at the present moment. This well being Is due to no sudden or accidental causes, but to the play of the economic forces in this country for over n century; to our laws, our sustained and continuous policies; above all, to the high individual average of our citizenship. Of course, when the conditions have favored the growth of so much that was good, they have also favored somewhat the growth of what was evil. It is eminently necessary that we should endeavor to cut out this evil, but let us keep a due sense of proportion; let us not in fixing our gaze upon the leaser evil forget the greater good. Ihe evils are real and some of them are menacing. but they are the outgrowth, not of misery or decadence, but of prosperity--of the progress of our gigantic industrial development. This industrial development must not be checked, but side by side with it should go such progressive regulation as will diminish the evils. We should fail in our duty if we did not try to remedy the evils, but we shall succeed only if we proceed patiently, with practical common sense ns well ns resolution, separating the good from the bad nnd holding on the former while endeavoring to get rid of the latter.

DEALING WITH TRUSTS. Corporations Should Be Managed Under Public Regulation. In my message to the present Gongress at its first session 1 discussed at length the question of the regulation of those big corporations commonly doing an interstate business, often with some tendency to monopoly, which nre popularly known •a trusts. The experienee of the past year has emphasized, in my opinion, the desirability of the steps 1 then proposed. A fundamental requisite of social efficiency is a high standard of individual energy and excellence; but this is in no wise inconsistent with power to act in combination for aims which cannot so well be achievedby the individual acting alone. A fundamental base of civilization Is the inviolability of property; but this is in no wise inconsistent with the right of society to regulate the exercise of the artificial powers which it confers open the owners-of property, under the name of corporate franchises, in such a way as to prevent the misuse of these powers. Corporations, and especially combinations of corporations, should be managed under public regulation. Experience has shown that under our system of government the necessary supervision cannot be obtained by State action. It must therefore be achieved by national action. Our aim is not to do away with corporations; on the contrary, these big aggregations nre an inevitable development of modern industrialism, and the effort to destroy them would be futile unless accomplished in ways that would work the utmost mischief to the entire body politic. We are not hostile to them; we are merely determined that they shall be so handled as to subserve the public good. Publicity can do no harm to the honest corporation; find we need not be overtender about sparing the dishonest corporation. In curbing nnd regulating the combinations of capital which nre or may become Injurious to the public we must be careful not to stop the great enterprises which have legitimately reduced the cost of production, not to abandon the place which our country has won in the leadership of the international industrial world, not to strike down wealth with the result of closing factories mid mines, of turning tbo wage worker idle in the streets nnd leaving the farmer without a market for what be grows. Insistence upon tile impossible means delay in achieving the possible, exactly as, on the other band, the stubborn defense alike of what is good and what is bad in the existing system, the resolute effort to obstruct any attempt at betterment, betrays blindness to the historic truth that wise evolution is the sure Safeguard against revolution. Interstate Commerce. No more important subject can come before the Congress than this of the regulation of interstate business. This country cannot afford to sit supine on the plea that under our peculiar system of governaaent we are helpless In the presence of the new conditions, nnd unable to grapple with them or to cut out whatever of evil has arisen in connection with ttiem. The power of the Congress to regulate interstate commerce is an absoluto and ■nqualtfied grant, and without limitations other than those prescribed by the eonatitution. I believe that monopolies, unjust discrlmiuatioiis, which prevent or cripple competition, fraudulent overcapitalizatjon, and other evils in trust organizations and practices which injuriously affect Interstate trade can lie prevented tinker the power of the Congress to “regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several States” through regulations and requirements operating dlrsctly upon such commerce, the instrumentalities thereof, and those engaged therein. 1 earnestly recommend this subject to the consideration of the Congress with a stew to the passage of a law reasonable to its provisions and effective in its operations, upon which the questions can be Anally adjudicated that now raise doubts as to the necessity of constitutional amendment. If It prove Impossible to ac-

complish the purposes above set forth by such a law, then, assuredly, wo should not shrink from amending the constitution so as to secure beyond peradventure the power sought. To Enforce Anti-Trust Law. The Congress has not heretofore made any appropriation for the better enforcement of the anti-trust law as it now stands. Very much has been done by the department of justice in securing the enforcement of this law, but much more could be done if Congress would make a special appropriation for this purpose, to be expended under the direction of the Attorney General. One proposition advocated has been the reduction of the tariff as a means of reaching the evils of the trusts which fall within the category I have described. Not merely would this be wholly ineffective, but the diversion of our efforts in such a direction would mean the abandonment of all intelligent attempt to do away with these evils. Many of the largest corporations, many oi those which should certainly be included in any proper scheme of regulation, would not be affected in the slightest degree by a change in the tariff, save as such change interfered with the general prosperity of the country. The question of regulation of the trusts stands apart from the question of tariff revision.

CONCERNING THE TARIFF. a Fitful and Radical Changes Decfared Undesirable. Stability of economic policy, must always be the prime economic need of this country. This stability should not be fossilization. The country has acquiesced in the wisdom of the protective tariff principle. It is exceedingly undesirable that this system should be destroyed or that there should be violent and radical changes therein. Our past experience shows that great prosperity in this country has always come under a protective tariff; and that the country cannot prosper under fitful tariff changes, at short intervals. Moreover, if the tariff laws as a whole work well, and if busin?ss has prospered under them and is prospering, it is better to endure for a time slight inconveniences and inequalities in some schedules than to upset business by too quick and too radical changes. It is most earnestly to be wished that we could treat the tariff from tbo standpoint solely of our business needs. Unquestionably these business interests will best be served if together with fixity of principle as regards the tariff we combine a system which will permit us from time to time to make the necessary reapplication of the principle to the shifting national needs. We must take scrupulous care that the reapplication shall be made in such a way that it will not amount to a dislocation of our system, the mere threat of which (not to speak of the performance) would produce paralysis the business energies of the community. The first consideration in making these changes would, of course, be to preserve the principle which underlies our whole tariff system—that is, the principle of putting American business interests at least on a full equality with interests abroad, and of always allowing a sufficient rate of duty to more than cover the difference between the labor cost here nnd abroad. The well-being of the wage worker, like the well-being of the tiller of the soil, should be treated as an essential in shaping our whole economic policy. There must never be any change which will jeopardize the standard of comfort, the standard of wages of the American wage worker. One way in which the readjustment sought can be reached is by reciprocity treaties. It is greatly to be desired that such treaties may be adopted. If it prove impossibls to ratify the pending treaties, and if there seem to be no warrant for the endeavor to execute others, or to amend the pending treaties so that they can be ratified, then the same end —to secure reciprocity—should be met by direct legislation.

Advocates a Tariff Commission. Wherever the tariff conditions are i.uch that a needed change cannot with advantage be made by the application of the reciprocity Idea, then ft can be made cutright by a lowering of duties on a given product. If possible, such change should be made only after the fullest consideration by practical experts, who should approach the subject from a business standpoint, having in view both the particular interests affected and the commercial well-being of the people as n whole. The machinery for providing snch careful investigation can readily be supplied. The executive department has already at its disposal methods of collecting facts nnd figures; and if the Congress desires additional consideration to that which will be given the subject by its own committees, then a commission of business experts cun be appointed whose duty it should be to recommend setion by the Congress after a deliberate and scientific examination of ths various schedules as they nre affected by the changed and changing conditions. The cases In which the tariff can produce a monopoly nre so few as to constitute an inconsiderable factor in the question; but ot course If in any case it be found that a given rate of duty does promote a monopoly which works ill, no protectionist would object to such reduction of the duty as would equalize competition. Would Remove Tariff on Coal. In my judgment, the tariff on anthracite coal should be removed, and anthracite put actually, wlifre It now is nominally, on the free list. This would have no effect at all save in crises; but in crises it might be of service to the people. Banking and Currency. Banks are the natural servants of commerce, and upon them should be placed, as far as practicable, the burden of furnishing and maintaining a circulation adequate to supply the needs of our diversified industries and of our domestic and foreign commerce; and the issue of this should bo so regulated that a sufficient supply should be always available for the business Interests of the country. It would be both unwise nnd unnecessary at this time to attempt to reconstruct our financial system, which baa been the growth of a century; but some additional legislation ia, I think, desirable. It la suggested tbit all future legislation on ths aubjeet ahould be with the view of encouraging the uae of auch instrumentalities aa will automatically sup-

PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

THE PRESIDENT’S PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT’S message to Congress Is less voluminous than those of many of bls predecessors, containing in full only about 12,000 words. It may be called a concise and on the whole an optimistic document. The President congratulates the country on the prevailing prosperity, and he assures us that while the prosperous wave will recede and at times there will again come periods of depression, the tide will continue to advance. No country, he says, has ever occupied a higher plane of material well-being than ours at the present moment, and he predicts that the American people will permit of no national retrogression. The President in dealing with the trust question holds that corporations, and especially combinations of corporations, should be managed under public regulation. Capital,,he says, has the right to combine for Its own protection and for development along industrial lines, and that labor has equal rights. But that when capital has combined to such an extent as to-stifle competition the law-making power should remedy such a condition, apd if labor in combining interferes with the rights of others or with the welfare of the general public stub combination must likewise be regulated by law. He urges that any defects in the existing law should be eradicated and the power given the Department of Justice to accomplish the real reforms the lawmakers intended when legislation regulating the trusts was enacted. The President lays some stress on the need of conservative tariff legislation, which, while not attacking the foundation upon which the Republican policy of tariff for protection is built, will remodel it to meet new conditions and remove any evils that the prolonged imposition of present tariffs may have caused. The foreign relations of this country are reviewed in a very brief and formal manner. No International question is pending in which this country Is vitally Interested. There is not a cloud on the horizon, the President says, but he advocates provision for a thoroughly efficient navy to insure a continuance of this state of affairs. On Cuban reciprocity the President stands precisely where his predecessor stood on this question. He favors and urges the largest possible measurement of trade reciprocity and pays particular attention to the Implied pledges of this government to see to it that Cuba was put upon her feet in a business as well as a political way, and not until that has been done through a measure of reciprocity will the duty of this government toward Cuba have been done. The unusually large Immigration to this country during the last fiscal year and the great proportion of undesirable immigrants that have sought and. In some cases, secured entrance to this country impels the President to recommend corrective legislation along the lines laid down by the present administration of the immigration office. The strengthening of the civil service receives the approval of the President, nnd the recent signing of the contract with the Pacific Cable Company is referred to ns another step toward the advancement of the interests of this country In the Pacific Ocenn nnd the far East. The President refers to Congress having already wisely provided that we shall nt once build an Isthmian canal, if possible at Panama. He reports that a good title can be acquired from the French Panama Canal Company, and tells that the negotiations with Colombia are still pending.

ply every legitimate demand of productive industries and of commerce, not only in the amount, but in the character of circulation; and of making all kinds of money Interchangeable, and, at the will of the holder, convertible into the established gold standard. CAPITAL AND LABOR. Interest of Each Must Harmonize with Interest of the Public. How to secure fair treatment alike for labor and for capital, how to hold In check the unscrupulous man, whether employer or employe, without weakening individual Initiative, without hampering and cramping the Industrial development of the country, Is a problem fraught with great difficulties and one which it Is of the highest Importance to Solve on lines of sanity and far-sighted common sense as well as of devotion to the right. This Is an era of federation and combination. Exactly as business men find they must often work through corporations, and ns It Is a constant tendency of these corporations to grow larger, so ft is often necessary for laboring men to work in federations, and these have become Important factors of modern Industrial life. Both kinds of federation, capitalistic nnd labor, can do much good, and as n necessary corollary they can both do evil. Opposition tn <>aeh kind of organization should take the form of opposition to whatever Is bad In the conduct of any given corporation or union not of attacks upon corporations as such nor upon unions as such, for some of the most far-reaching beneheent work for our people has been accomplished through both corporations and unions. Each must refrain from arbitrary or tyrannous Interference with the rights of others. Organized capital and organized labor alike should remember that In the long run the Interest of each must be brought Into harmony with the Interest of the general public; and the conduct of each must conform to the fundamental rules of obedience to the law, of individual freedom, and of Jsatlce nnd fair dealing toward all. Each should remember that In addition to power It must strive after the realization of healthy, lofty, and generous Ideals. CUBAN RECIPROCITY, Treaty with the Island Republic Roon to Be Rnbmitted. I hope soon to submit to the Senate a reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On May 20 last the United Htates kept its promise to the Island by formally vacating Cuban soil and turning Cuba over to those whom her own people had chosen as the first officials of ths new republic. Cuba Iles at our woors, and whatever effects her for good or for 111 affects us also. Bo much have our people felt this that In the Platt amendment we definitely took

the ground that Cuba must hereafter have closer political relations with us than with any other power. Thus In a sense Cuba has become a part of our International political system. This makes It necessary that in return she should be given some of the benefits of becoming part of our economic system. It is, from our own standpoint, a short-sighted and mischievous poller to fall to recognize this need. We should always fearlessly Insist upon our rights In the face of the strong, and we should with ungrudging band do our generous duty by the weak. I urge the adoption of reciprocity with Cuba not only because it Is eminently for our own Interests to control the Cuban market and by every means to foster our supremacy In the tropical lands and waters south of us, but also because we, of the giant republic of the north, should make all our slater nations of the American continent feel that whenever they will permit it we desire to show ourselves disinterestedly and effectively their friend. A convention with Great Britain haa been concluded, which will be at once laid before the Senate for* ratification, providing for reciprocal trade arrangements between the United States and Newfoundland on Substantially the lines of the convention formerly negotiated by the Secretary of State. Mr. Blaine. I believe reciprocal trade relations will be greatly to the advantage of both countries. The Hague Tribunal. Wherever possible, arbitration or some similar method should be employed In lieu of war to sefTle difficulties between civilised nations, although as yet the world has not progressed sufficiently to render It possible, or necessarily desirable, to Invoke arbitration In every case. The formation of the International tribunal which sits at The Hague Is an event of good omen from which great consequences for the welfare of all mankind may flow. It la a matter of sincere congratulation to our country that the United States and Mexico should have been the first to use ths good offices of The Hague court. This was done last summer with most satisfactory results In the cnse of a claim at Issue betwrvn ua and our slater republic. THE ISTHMIAN CANAL. Will Be the Greatest Engineering Feat Yet Accomplished. The Congress baa wisely provided that we shall build at ones an Isthmian canal, If possible at Panama. The Attorney General reports that we can undoubtedly acquire good title from the French Panama Canal Company. Negotiations are now pending with Colombia to secure her assent to our building the canal. This canal will be one of the greatest engineering feats of the twentieth century; a greater engineering feat than has yet been accomplished during the history of mankind. The work should be carried out as a continuing policy without regard to change of administration; and It ahould be begun under circumstances which will make It a matter of pride for all administrations to continue the policy.

The canal will be of great benefit to America, and of importance to all the world. It will be of advantage to us industrially and also as Improving our military position. It will be of advantage to the countries of tropical America. It Is ! earnestly to be hoped that all of these countries will do as some of them have already done with signal success, nnd will invite to their shores commerce by recognizing that stability and order nre the prerequisites of successful development. A Pacific Cable. During the fall of 1901 a communication was addressed to the Secertary ot State, asking whether permission would be granted by the President to a corporation to lay a cable from a point on the California const to the Philippine Islnds by wny of Hawaii. A statement of conditions or terms upon which such corporation would undertake to lay and operate a cable was volunteered. The Congress adjourned without taking any action, leaving the matter In exactly the same condition In which It stood when the Congress convened. Meanwhile the Commercial Pacific Cable Company had proceeded with preparations for laying its cable. It also made application to the President for access to and use of soundings taken by the United States steamer Nero, for the purpose of discovering a practicable route for a trans pacific cable. Pending consideration of this subject, It appeared Important and desirable to attach certain conditions to the permission to examine and use the soundings, ‘if it should be granted. These conditions prescribed, among other things, a maximum rate for commercial messages nnd that the company should construct a line from the Philippine Islands to China, there being at present, as Is well known, a British line from Maulla to Hong Kong. The representatives of the cable company have, however, at length acceded to these conditions, and an all American line between our Pacific coast and the Chinese empire by way of Honolulu and the Philippine Islands is thus provided for and Is expected within a few months to be ready for business. Porto Rico Is Prosperous. Of Porto Rico It Is only necessary to say that the prosperity of the Island and the wisdom with which It has been governed have been such as to make it serve ns an example of all that Is best In Insular administration. PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES. Rights of Liberty and Government Reach Limit of Advisability. On July 4 last, on the 126th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, peace and amnesty were promulgated In the Philippine Islands. Some trouble has since from time to time threatened with the Mohammedan Moros, but with the late Insurrectionary Filipinos the war has entirely ceased. Civil government has now been Introduced. Not only dies each Filipino enjoy such rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as he has never before known during the recorded history of the Islands, but the people taken as a whole now enjoy a measure of self government greater than that granted to any other Oriental by any foreign power and greater than that enjoyed by any other Orientals under their own governments, save the Japanese alone. We have not gone too far In granting these rights of liberty and selfgovernment; but we have certainly gone to the limit that In the Interests of the Philippine people themselves it was wise or just to go. To hurry matters, to go faster than we are now going, would entail calamity on the people of the Islands. No policy evefc entered Into by the American people has vindicated itself In more signal manner than the policy of holding the Philippines. The triumph of our arms, above all the triumph of our laws and the principles, has come sooner than we had any right to expect. Too much praise cannot be given to the army for what It has done in the Philippines both In warfare and from an administrative standpoint In preparing the way for civil government; and similar credit belongs to the civil authorities for the way In which they have planted the seeds of self-government In the ground thus made ready for them. The courage, the unflinching endurance, the high soldierly efficiency, and the general kind-heartedness and humanity of our troops have been strikingly manifested. There now remain only some 15,000 troops In the Islands. All told, over 100,000 have been sent there. ' Constructive Statesmanship.

Taking the work of the army and the civil authorities together. It may be questioned whether anywhere else in modern times the world has seen a better example of real constructive statesmanship than our people have given In the Philippine Islands. High praise should also be given those Filipinos, in the aggregate very numerous, who have accepted the new conditions and joined with our representatives to work with hearty good will for the welfare ot the Islands, The army has been reduced to the minimum allowed by law. It Is very small for the size of the nation, and most certainly should be kept at the highest point of efficiency. The senior officers nre given scant chance under ordinary conditions to exercise commands commensurate with their rank, finder circumstances which would fit them to do their duty In time of actual war. A system of maneuvering our army In bodies of some little size has been begun and should be steadily continued. The measures providing for the reorganization of the militia system and for securing the highest efficiency In the national guard, which has already passed the House, should receive prompt attention aud action. Naval Maneuversand Tbe'r Object. For the first time In our history naval maneuvers on a large scale are being held under the Immediate command of the admiral of the navy. Constantly Increasing attention is being paid to the gunnery of the navy, but It Is yet far from what It should be. I earnestly urge that the Increase asked for by the Secretary of the Navy In the appropriation for improving the marksmanship be granted. There should be no halt In the work of building up the navy, providing every year additional fighting craft. We are a very rich country, vast In extent of territory and great lu population; n country, moreover, which has an army diminutive Indeed when compared with that of any other flratclass power. We have deliberately made our own certaJn foreign policies which demand the possession of a first-class navy. The Isthmian Canal will greatly Increase the efficiency of our navy If the navy Is of sufficient size; but if we have an Inadequate navy, then the building of the canal would be merely giving a hostage to any power of superior strength. The Monroe Doctrine should be treated as the cardinal feature of American foreign policy; but It would be worse thao Idle to assert It unless we Intended to back It up, nnd It can be backed up only by a thoroughly good navy. POSTAL REVENUES I NCR E A RE. Business Activity the Cause—Progress I of Free Rural Mail Delivery. The striking Increase In the revenues Of the postofflee department shows clearly the prosperity of our people and the Increasing activity of the business of the country. The receipts of the postoffice department for the fiscal year ending June 30 last amounted to $121,848,047.20, an Increase of $10.210,863.87 over the preceding year, the largeat Increase known In the history of the postal service. The magnitude of this Increase will best appear from the fact that the entire poatal receipts for the year 1860 amounted to but $8,518,067. Hural free delivery service Is no longer In the experimental stage; It has become a fixed policy. |The results following Its Introduction hnve fully justified the Congress In the large appropriations made for Its establishment and extension. The average yearly increase In postoffiee receipts lu the rural districts of the country la about 2 per cent. We nre now able, by actual re suite, to show that where rural free deliver suits, to show that whore rum! free delivery service has been established to such an extent aa to enable us to make comparisons the yearly Increase bns been apward of 10 per cent. On Nov. 1. 1802, 11,650 rural free delivery routes had been established and were

In operation, covering about one-third of the territory of the United States available for rural free dedvery service. There are now awaiting the action of the department petitions and applications for the.establishment of 10.748 additional routes. Thia shows conclusively the want which the establishment of the service has met and the need of further extending It as rapidly as possible. It is Justified both by the financial results and by the practical benefits to our rural population: it brings the men who live on the soli Into close relations with the active business world; It keeps the farmer In daily touch with the markets: It is a potential educational force; It enhances the value of farm property, ninkes farm life far plcasaater and less isolated, and will do much to check the undesirable current from country to city. It Is to be hoped that the Congress will make liberal appropriations for the continuance of the service already established and for its further extension. Irrigation of Arid AV estern Lands. Few subjects of more Importance have been taken up by the Congress In recent years than the inauguration of the system of nationally-aided Irrigation for the arid regions of the far West. A good beginning therein has been made. Now that this policy of national Irrigation has been adopted, the need of thorough nnd scientific forest protection will grow more rapidly than ever throughout the public-land States. So far as they arc available for agriculture, and to whatever extent they may ba reclaimed under the national Irrigation law the remaining public lauds should be held rigidly for the home builder, the settler who Ilves on his land, and for -no one else. In their actual use the desert land law, tha timber nnd stone law, and the commutation clause of the homestead law have been so perverted from the Intention with which they were enacted ns to permit the acquisition of large areas of the public domain for other than actual settlers and the consequent prevention of settlement. Moreover, the approaching exhaustion of the public ranges hns of late led to much discussion as to the best manner of using these public lands In the West which are suitable chiefly or onlv for grazing. Tho sound nnd steady development of the West depends upon the building up of hornet therein. Much of our prosperity as a nation has due to the operation of the homestead law. On the other hand, we should recognize the fact that In the grazing region the man who corresponds to the homesteader may l>e unable to settle permanently If only allowed to use the same amount of pasture land that bls brother, the homesteader, Is allowed to use of arable laud. Alaska’s Need of Better Lows. I especially urge upon the Congress the need of wise legislation for Alaska. It is not lo our credit as a nation that Alaska, which has been ours for thirty-five years, should still have as poor a system of laws ns Is the case. No cotfutry has a more valuable possession—ln mineral wealth. In fisheries, furs, forests, and also In land available for certain kinds of farming and stock growing. It is a territory of great size and varied resources, well fitted to support a large permanent population. Alaska needs a good land law and such provisions for homesteads and pre-emptions as will encourage permanent settlement. How to Deal with the Indian.

In dealing with the Indians our alm should be their ultimate absorption Into the body of our people. But In tuuny cases this absorption must and should be veryslow. In portions of the Indian Territory the mixture of blood has gone on at the same time with progress In wealth and education, so that there are plenty of men with varying degrees of purity of Indian blood who are absolutely Indistinguishable In point of social, political, and economic ability from their white associates. Thera are other tribes which have ns yet made no perceptible advance toward such equality. To try to force such tribes too fast Is to prevent their going forward nt all. The first and most Important step toward the absorption of the Indian Is to teach him to earn bls living: yet It Is not necessarily to be assumed that In each community all Indians must become either tillers of the soil or stock raisers. Their Industries may properly be diversified, and those who show special desire or adaptability for industrial or even commercial pursuits should be encouraged so far as practicable to follow out eiwh bls own bent. Every effort should be made to develop the Indian along the lines of natural aptL tude, and to encourage the existing native industries peculiar to certain tribes, snch as the various kinds of basket weaving, canoe building, smith work, and blanket work. Above all, the Indian boys and girls should be given confident command of colloquial English, and should ordinarily be prepared for n vigorous struggle with the conditions under which their people live, rather than for Immediate absorption tnte some more highly developed community. Science Brought to Farmer’s Aid. In no department of government work la recent years has there been greater success than In that of giving scientific aid to the farming population, thereby showing them how most efficiently to help themselves. There Is no need of Insisting upon Its Importance, for the welfare of the farmer Is fundamentally necessary to the welfare of the republic as a whole. In addition to such work as quarantine against animal and vegetable plagues, and warring against them when here introduced, much efficient help has been rendered to the farmer by the Introduction of new plants specially fitted for cultivation under the peculiar conditions existing in different portions ot the country. The District of Columbia Is the only part of our territory In which the national government exercises local or municipal functions, and where In consequence the government lias a free hand In reference to certain types of social and economic legislation which must be essentially local or municipal In their character. The government should see to it, for Instance, that the hygienic and sanitary legislation affecting Washington Is of a high character. The evils of slum dwellings, whether In a shape of crowded and congealed tenement house districts or of the back alley type, should never be permitted to grow up la Washington. The city should be a model la every respect for all the cities of the country. The safety appliance law, for the better protection of the Uvea and limbs of railway employee, which was passed In 1893, went Into full effect on Aug. 1, 1901. It has resulted In averting thousands of casualties. Experience shows, however, the necessity of additional legislation to perfect this law. Useless Public Documents. There Is a growing tendency to provide for the publication of masses of documents for which there Is no public demand and for the printing of which there la no real necessity. Nothing should be printed by any of the departments unless It contains something of permanent value, and the Congt’t'ss could with advantage cut down very materially on oil the printing which It haa now become customary to provide. Gratifying progress has been made during the year In the extension of the merit system of making appointments In the government service. It should be extended by law to the District of >Columbia. It lo much to be desired that our consular system be established by law on a heals providing for appointment and promotion only la consequence of proved fitness. Additions to President's Residence. Through n wise provision of the Congress nt Its last session the White House, which had become disfigured by Incongruous additions nnd changes, hns now been restored to what It was planned to l>e by Washington. In making the restorations the utmost care hns been exercised to come as near ns possible to the early plans and to supplement these plans by n careful study of such buildings ns that of the University of V irginia, which was built .by Jefferson. The White House Is the property of the nation. The stately simplicity of Its architecture Is nn expression of the character ot the period In which It was bnllt, and Is io accord with the purposes It was designed to serve. It Is a good thing to preserve such buildings as historic monuments which keep allxe our sense of continuity with tlie nation's past. THKODORB BOOSEVKLT.