Ligonier Banner., Volume 37, Number 36, Ligonier, Noble County, 4 December 1902 — Page 6
ROOSEVELT TO CONGRESS
His Annual Communication Upon Questions of Importance to the Nation.
VIEWS ON TEE TRUSTS AND TARIFF
A Lowering of Import Duties Woulx%‘l Not Remedy the - Evils of Monopoly—Believes in a Tariff Com- . mission—Much That Is Good in Labor . Unions and Corporations—Many | ' ‘ Needs of the Nation. :
To the Senate and House of Representatives: We still contihue in a period of urbounded 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 he easy enough to destroy it. There will undoubtedly be periods of depression. The wave will recede; but the tide will advance. This nation is seated on a continent flanked by two great oceans. It is compgsed of men the descendants of ploneers, or in a sense, . pioneers themselves; of men winnowed out from among the rations of the ol@ world by the energy, boldness, '‘and love of adventure found in their own eager hearts. Such a ration so placed, will surely wrest success from fortune. 2
As a people we have played a large part in the world, an@ we are bent upon making our future even larger than thé past. In particular, the events of fhe last four years have definitely ‘decided that, for woe or for weal, our place must be great among the nations. We may either fail greatly or succeed greatly; but we cannot avoid the enceavor from which either great failure or great success must come. Even if we would, we canpot play a small part. 1f we shoul@ try, all that woul@ follow would be that we should play a large part ignobly and shamefully. g :
Causes of Prosperity
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 econdmic forces in this country for over a century; to our laws, our sustained and continuoys policies; above all, to the high indivi(sudl average of our citizenship. Great fortunes have been won by those who have taken the lead in-this phenomenal industrial development, and most of these fortunes have been won not by doing evil, but as an incident to action which has benefited the community as a whole. Never before has material well-being been so widely diffused among our people. Great fortunes have been accumulated, and yet in the aggregate these fortunes are small indeed when compared to the wealth of the people as a whole. The plain people are better off than they have ever been before. The insurance .companies, which are practically mutual benefit societies—especial1y helpful to men of moderate means—represent accumulations of capital which are among the largest in this country. There are more deposits in the savings banks, more owners of farms, more wellpaid wage workers in this country now than ever before in ourhistory. 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 ve: Should endeavor to cut out this evil, but et us keep a due sense of aroportion; let us not in fixing our gaze upon .the lesser evil forget the greater good. .The 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 ga such progressive regulation as will diminish the evils. We should fail in our duty if we did not try to remedyv the evils, but we shall succeed only if we proceed patiently, with practical common sense as well as resolution, separating the good from the bad and holding on to the former while endeavoring to get rid of the latter.
THE TRUSTS.
They Can Be Controlled Only by Nag tional Action. ; In my message to the present congress at its first session I discussed at length the question -of the regulation of those. big corporations commonly doing an interstate busindss, oftenn with some tendency to monopoly, which are popularly known as trusts. The experience of the past year has emphasized, in my opinion, the desirability of the steps I 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 achieved by 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 upon the owners of property, under the name of corporate franchisesg, in such a way as to prevent the misuse of theese powers. Corporations, and especially combinations of corporations, should -be managed umder public reguiation. Experience has shown that underour ‘system of government the necessary supervisicn cannot be obtained by state action. It must therefore be achieved by national actiom Our aim is not to do away with corporations; .on the contrary, these hig aggregations are an inevitable development of modern industrialism, and the effort to destroy them would be futile unless '*.ficomplished in ways that would work the utmost mischief to the entire body politic. We can do nothing of good in the way of regulating and supervising these corporations until we tix clearly in our minds that we are not attacking the corporations; but endeavoring to do away with any evil in them. We are not hostile to them; Wwe are merely determined that they shall be so handled as to subserve the . public goqd. We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth. The capitalist who, alone or in conjunction with his fellows, performs some great industrial feat by which ‘he wins money is a welldoer, not a wrongdoer. provided- only he works in proper and legitimate lines. We wish to favor such a man when he does well. We wish to supervise and control his actions only to prevent him from doing ill. Publicity c2n édo no harm to the honest corporation; and we need not be overtender about sparing the dishonest corporation. Must Exercise Care.
In curbing and regulating the combinations of capitak=whicl are or may become injurious to the public we must be careful not to stop the great enterprises which have legitimately reduced the cost ofg;o--duction, not to abandon. the place which our couniry has won in the leadership of the interrational industrial world, not to - strike down wealth with the result of closing factories and mines, of.turning the wage-worker idle in the streets and leaving tHe farmer without a market for whathe grow%fllnsis-tence upon the impossible means d&lay in achieving the possible, ex- * acily as, on the other hangd, the stubborn “defense alike of what is good and what is bad in the existing system, tHe resolute ef-. fort to olstruct any attempt at betterment, betrays blindnesg to the historic truth that wise evolution is the sure safeguard@against revolution. : No more important subject can come before the congress than this of the regulation of interstate business. This country cannot affor@ to sit supine on the plea that under our peculiar system of government we are helpless in the presence of the new conditions, and unable to grapple with them or to cut out Whatever of evil has arisen in connection with them. The power of the congress to regulate interstate commerce is: an absolute and unqualified grant, and . without limitations other than those prescribe@ by the constitution. The congress has constitutional authority to make all laws necessary and proper for executing this power, and I am satisfied!that this }:ower has not been exhausted by any legslation now on the statute books. It is : evident; therefore, that evils restrictive of commercial freedom entailing restraint upon national commerce fall within the regulative power of the congress, an@ that a wise andreasonable law would be a necessary and proper exercise of congressional authority to the end that such evils should . be eradicated. - . I believe that monopolies, unjust @iscriminations, which prevent or ecripple competition, fraudulent overcapitalization, 3 and other evils in trust orFanizatSons and practices which injuriously affect interstate trade can be prevented under the pow- * er of the congress to ‘‘regulate commerce with forelgn nations and among the seyeral states” throufih regulations and re- - quirements operatfng directly upon such commerce, the instrumentalities thereof, and those engaged therein. , g 1 earnestly recommerd this subject to the consideration of the congress with a view to the passage of a law reasonable in its provigions an% effective in its ogeraticms, upon which the questions can be finally ‘adjudicated that now raise doubts as to the necesity of constitutional amendment,
If it prove impossible to accomplish the purposes above set forth by such.a law, then, assuredly, we should not shrink from amending the constitution so as to secure beyond peradventure the power sought.
THE TARIFF.
It Is a Subject That Stands Apart from
the Trusts.
One proposition advocated has been the recduction 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 inetfective, 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 of those which shoul@ certainly be include@'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 only relation of the tariff to big corporations as a whole is that the tariff makes manufactures profitable, ard the tariff remedy proposed would be in effect simply to make manufactures unprofitable. To remove the tariff as a punitive measure directed against trusts would inevitably resuit in ruin to the weaker competitors who are struggling against them. Our 'aim shoul@ be not by unwise tariff changes to -give foreign products the advantage over domestic products, but by proper regulation to give domestic competition a fair chance; and this end ecannot be reached by any tariff changes which would affect unfavorably. all domestic ‘competitors, good and bad alike. The question of regulation of the trusts stands apart from the question of tariff revision. ;
Stability of economic policy must always be the prime economic reec of this country. This stability should rot 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 violert 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 irtervals. Moreover, if the tariff laws as a whole work,well, an@ if business has prospered under them angd is prospering, it is better to endure for a time slight inconveniences ana inegualities 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 the stardpoint solely of our business reeds. 1t is, perhaps, too much to hope that partisanghip may be entirely excluded from consigeration of the subject, but at least it can be made secondary to the business interests of the country—that is, to the interests of our people as a whole. Unquestionably these business interests will best be served if toðer 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 shiffing national meeds. -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 ot the ‘performance) wguld produce paralysis in the business energies of the community. Thea 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, ard of always allowing a sufficient rate of duty to more than cover the difference between The labor cost here an@ abroad. The well-be-ing of the wage-worker, like the well-be-ing of the tilléer of the soil, should be treated@ as an essential in shaping our whole economic policy. There must rever be any change which will jeopardize the standéard 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 td=be desired that such treaties may.be adopted. They can be used to widen our markets and to glve a greater field for the activities of our producers on the one hand, and on the other to secure in practical shape the lowering. of - duties when they are .no longer needed for protection among our own people, or when the minimum of damage done may be disregarded for the sake of the maximum of good accomplished. If it prove impossible 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. °
Need of a Tariff (,‘onnnisfion.
‘Wherever the tariff conditions are such that a needed change cannot with advantage be made by the application of the reciprocity idea, then it can be made outright by a lowering of duties on a given product. If possible, such change should be- made eonly after the tullest consideration by practical experts, who should approach the subject from a business standpoint, having in wview both the particular interests affected and the commercial well-being of the people as a whole. The machinery for providing such careful investigation can readily be supplied. The executive department has already at its disposal methods of collecting facts ‘and 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 can be appointed whose duty it should be to recommend action by the congress after a deliberate and scientific examination of the various schedules as they are affected by the changed and changing conditions. The unhurried and unbiased report of this commission would show what changes should ke made in the various schedules, and how far these changes could go without also changing the great prosperity which this country is now enjoying, or upsetting its fixed geconomic poley~
The cases in which the tariff can produce a ‘monopoly are so.few as to constitute an inconsiderable factor in the question; but of 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. In my judgment, the tariff on anthracite coal should be removed, and anthracite put actually, where it now is nominally, on the free list. This would have no effect at all save in crises: but in cxl'ises it might be of service to the people. : Needed Financial Legislation, -Interest rates are a potent factor in business activity, and in order that these rates may be equalized to meet the varying needs of the seasons and of widely separated communities, and to prevent the recurrence of financial stringencies which injuriously affect legitimate business, it is necessary that there should be an element of elasticity in our monetary system. 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 be so regulated that a sufficient supply should be always available for the business interests of the country. . : It would be both unwise and unnecessary at this time to attempt to reconstruct our financial system, which has been the growth of a century; but some additional legislation is, I:think, desirable. The .mere outline of any plan sufficiently comprehensive to meet these requirements would transgress the appropriate limits of this ecommunication. Tt is suggested, however, that all future legislation on the subject should be with the view of encouraging the use of such instrumentalities as will automatically supply 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 cof the holder, convertible into the estab‘lished gold standard. : THE LABOR PROBLEM. Unlonism Contains Much That Is Good and Some Bad. . 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 importan&e 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 as it is a constant tendency of these corporations to grow larger, so it is often necessary for laboring men to work in iederations, and these have become important factors of modern industrial life. Both kinds of federation, capitalistic and labor, can do much good, and as a necessary corrollary they can both do evil. Opposition to each 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 beneficent work for our people has been accomplished through both corporations and unions. Each:must refrain from arbitrary or tyrannous interference wilth 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 justice and fair dealing toward all. Each should remember that in addition to power it must strive after the realization of healthy, lofty and generous ideals. Every employer, every wage worker, must be guaranteed his liberty and his, right to do as he likes with his property or his labor so long as he does not infringe upon the rights of others. It is of the highest importance that employer and employe alike’ should endeavor to appreciate each the viewpoint of the other and the sure disaster that will come upon both in the long run if either grows to take as habitual an attitudel of sour hostility and distrust toward the other. Few people deserve better of the country ‘than those representatives both of capital and labor —and there are many such—who work continually to bring about a good understanding of this kind. based upon wisdom and upon broad and kindly sympathy between employers and employved. Above all, we need to remember that any kind of class animosity in the political world is, if possible. even more wicked, even more destructive to national welfare, than sectional, race or religious animosity. We can get good government only upon condition that we keep true to ‘the principles upon which this nation was founded, and judge each man not as a part of a class, but upon his individual merits. All that we have a right to ask of any man, rich or poor, whatever his creed, his occupation, his birthplace, or his residence. is that he shall act well and honorably by his neighbor and by his country. We are neither for the rich man as such nor for the poor man as such: we are for the upright man. rich or poor. So far as the constitutional powers of the national government touch these matters of general and vital moment to the nation, they should be exercised in conformity with the principles above set forth. . Recommends Departmert of Commeree. : It is earnestly hoped that a secretary of commerce may be created, with a seat in the cabinet. The rapid mlxltiplicratilc;)yof questions affecting labor and capital, the growth and complexity of the organizations through which both labor and caé)ital now find expression, the steady tendency towar@® the employment of capital in huge corporations, an@ the wonderful strides of this country toward leadership in the in-
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PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.
ternatioral business world justify an urgent demard for the creation lof stich a positiorn. Substantially all the leacing commercial bodies in this country have united in. requesting its creation. It is cdesirable that some such measure as that which has already passed the senate be ernacted into law. The creation of such a department would in itsélf be an advance towarg dzaling with an@ exercising supervision over the whole subject of the great corporations doing an interstate business; and with this end In view, the congress should e¢ncow the department with large powers, which could be increase@ as experience . might show the need.
CUBAN RECIPROCITY
President Insists the Island Should Have Consideration.
1 hope’ soon to submit to the senate a reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On May 20 last the United States 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 the new republic: ; ? Cuba lies at our doors, and whatever affects her for good .or for ill affects us also. So much have our people felt this that in the Platt amendment we definitely took the ground that Cuba must hereafter have closer fiolitlcal 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 recessary’ that in return she should be given some of the benefits of becoming part of our economic system. It is, from our ozvn stangpoint, a short-sighted and mischi&vous policy to fail to recognize this need. Moreover, it is unworthy of a mighty and generous nation, itself the greatest arnd most successful republic in history, to refuse to stretch out a helping hand to a young and weak sister republic just entering upon its career of -independence. We should always fearlessly jnsist upon our rights in the face of the strong, and we should with ungrudging hard do oux;?enerous duty by the weak. lurge 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 sister natlons of the American continent feel that whenever they will permit it we desire to show ourselves disinterestedly and effectively their friend.
International ‘Arbitration.
As civilization grows warfare becomes less and less the normal condition of foreign relations. The last century has seen a marked diminution of wars between civilized powers; wars with uncivilized powers are largely mere matters of international police duty, essential for the welfare of the world. Wherever possible, arbitration or some similar method should be employed ;n lieu of war to settln difficulties between 'civilized nations, although as yet the world has not progressed sufficiently to render it gosslble. or necessarily desirable, to invoke arbitration in every case. The formation of the international tribunal which & sits at The Hague is an event of godd omen from which great consequences for the welfare of all mankind may flow. It is far better, where possible, to invoke such a permanent tribunal than to create special arbitrators for a given purpose. It is a matter of singere congratulation to our country that the United States and Mexico should have been the first to use the good offices of The Hague court. This was done ldst summer with most satisfactory results in the case of a claim at issue between us and our sister republic. It is earnestly to be hoped that this first case will serve as a precedent for others, in which not only the United States, but forelgn nations may
take advantage of the machinery already in existence at The Hague. I commend to the favorable consideration of the congress the Hawaiian fire claims, which were' the subject of careful investigation during the last session. THE PANAMA CANAL. French Company Offers a Good Title to Its Property. The congress has wisely provided that we shall build at once an isthmian canal, if possible at Panama. The attorney general reports that we can undoubtedly ac--quire good titlé 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 teats of the twentieth century, a/greater engineering feat than Mas yet bheen accomplished during the history of markind. The work shoul@® be carried out as a continuirng policy without regard to change of administration; and it should be begun under circumstances. which will make it a matter of pride ‘for all administratiams to continue the policy. i 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 earnestiy to be hoped that all of these countries will do as some of them have already GOE}? with signal success, and will invite to their shores commerce and improve their material conditions by recognizing that stability ang order are the g:erequisites’ of successful development. No independent nation in America need have the' slightekt fear of -aggression irom the United States. It behooves each one to maintain order within its own borders and to discharge its:just obligations to foreigners. When this is dore, they can rest assured that, be they strong or weak, they have nothing to dread tgom outside interference. More and more the increasing interdependence and _complexity of international political and economic relations render it incumbent on all civilized and orderly powers to insist on the proper policing of the world.
The Pacifiec Cable
~ During the fall o,f]lQOl a communication was addressed to the secretary of state, asking whether permission would be granted by the president to a corporation to lay a cable from a point on the California coast to the Philippine isiands by way of Hawaii. A statement of conditions or.terms upon. which such corporation would undertake to lay and operate a cable was volunteered. £
Inasmuch as the congress was shortly to convene, and Pacific cable legislation had been the subject of consideration by the congress for several years, it seemed to me wise to defer action upon the application until the congress had first an opportunity to act. The congress adjourned without taking any action, . .leaving the matter in exactly the same condition in which it stood when the congress convened. Meanwhile it appears that the Commercial Pacific Cable company had promptly proceeded with preparations for laying its. cable. It also made application to the president for access to and use of soundings taken by the U. S. 8. Nero, for the purpose of discovering a practicable route for a trans-Pacific cable, the company urging that with access to these soundings it could complete its cable much sooner than if it were required to take soundings upon its own account. - 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. In consequence of this solicitation of the cable company, certain conditions were formulated, upon which the nregi-
dent was willing to allow access to these soundings and to consent to the landing and laying of the cable, subject to any alterations or additions thereto imposed by the congress. This was deemed proper, especially as it was clear that a eable connection of some kind with China, a foreign countrv, was a part of the company's plan. This course was, moreover, in accordance with a line of precedents, including President Grant’s action in the case of the first French cable, explained to the congress in his annual message of December, 1875, and the instance occurring in 1879 of the.second French cable from Brest to St. Pierre, with a branch to Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed, among other things, a maximum rate for commercial messages and that the company should construct a line from the Philippine islands to China, there being at present, as is well known, a British line trom Manila to Hong-Kong. The representatives of the cable company kept these conditions long under consideration, continuing, in the mean-. time, to pre%am for laying the cable. They have, however. at length acceded to them, and an all-America~ 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. . PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. The Policy of Holding Them Has - Been Vindieated. On July 4 last, on the one hundred and twenty-sixth anniversary of the declaration of our 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 does 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 orientals 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 ever 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 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-govern-ment in the ground thus made ready for them. The courage, the unflinching endurance, the hlfh 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 100,600 have been sent there, Of course, there hawe been individual instances A of wrongdolng among them. They warred under fearful difficulties of cllmate and surroundings; and under the
strain of the terrible provocations which they continually receive from their foes, occasional instances of cruel retaliation woocurred. Every effort has been made to prevent such cruelties, and finally these efforts k ve been completely successful. Every effort has also been made to detect and punish the wrongdoers. After making all allowance for-these misdeeds, it remains true that few indeed have been the instances in which war has been waged by a clivilized power against semi-civilized and barbarous forces where there has been so little wrongdoing by the victors as in the Philippine islands. On the other hand, the amount of difficult, important, and beneficent work which has been done is well-nigh incalculable. | 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 we.tare of the islands. I urgently call your attention to the need of passing a bill providing for a general staff and for the reorganization of the supply Qepartments on the lines of the bill proposed by the secretary of war last year. When the young officers enter the army from West Poirt they probably stard above their compeers in any other military service. Every effort should be made, by gramdng, by reward of merit, by scrutiny into their careers and capacity, to keep them of the same high relative excellence throughout their careers.
The National Guard.
The measure providing for the reorganization of the militia system ana for securing the highest efficiency in the national guard, which has already passed the house, should receive prompt attentiom ard action. It is of great importance that the relation of the national guard to the militia anad volunteer forces of the Urited States should be.defined, and that in place of our present obsolete laws a practical and efficient system should be acopted.
ANEEDS OF THE NAYY.
More Ships and Men Needed to Keep . Pace with the Times.
For the first time in our history naval mareuvers on a large scale are being held uncer the immediate command of the admiral of the ravy. Constantly increasing aftention is being paid to the gunnery of the navy, but it .is yet far from what it should be, I a?rnéstly urge that the increase asked r by the secretary of the navy in the appropriation for improving the marksmanship be granted. In battie the only shots that count are the shots'that hit. It is necessary to provide ample funds for practice with the great guns in time of peace. These funds must provide not only for the purchase of projectiles, but for allowances tor prizes to encourage the gun crews, and especially the gun pointers, and for pertecting an intelligent system under which alone it is possible to get good practice. i B -
_ There should be ro 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 in population; a country, moreover, which has an army dimdnutive indeed when compared with that of any other first-class power. We have deliberately made our own certain foreign policies which demand the possession rof a flrst-class ravy. 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 bullding of the caral would be merely giving a hostage to any power of superior strength. The Monroe doctrine should be treated as the cardiralfeature of American foreign policy; but it would be worse than idle to assert it unless we intended to back it up, and it can be backed up orly by a thoroughl;{ =ood navy. A good navy. is not a provocative of war. Itis the surest guaranty of peace. Each individual unit of our navy should be the most efficient of its kind as regards both material an@ perscrrel that is to be fournd in the world. I call your special'attention to the need of providing for the manning of the ships. Serious trouble threatens us if we cannot do better than we are now doing as regards securing the services of a sufficient number ot the highest type of saflormen, of séa mechanics. The ‘veteran -seamen of our warships are of as high a type as can be found in any ravy which rides the waters of the world; they are unsurpassed in daring, in resolution, in readiness, in thorough krowledge of their profession. They decerve every consideration that can-be shown them. But there are not enough of them. It is no more possible to improvise a crew than it is possible to improvise o warship. To build the finest ship, with the deadliest battery, and to send it afloat with a raw crew, ro matter how-brave they were individually, would be to ingure disaster if a foe of average capacity were encountered. Neither ships nor men can be improvised when war has begun. We need a-thousang additional officers in order to properly man the ships now provided for and under construction. The classes at the naval school at ‘Annapolis shoul@ be greatly eniarged. At the same time that we thus add the officers where we need'them, we should facilitate the retirement of those at the head of the list whose usefulness has become impaired. Promotion must be fostered-if the service is to be kept efficient. There is not a cloud on the horizon .at present. There seems mnot the slightest chance of trouble with a foreign power. We most earnestly hope that this state of things may continue; and the way to insure its continuance is to provide for a thoroughly efficient navy. The refusal to- maintain such a navy would invite trouble, and if trouble came would insure disaster. Fatuous - self-complatency or vanity, or short-sightedness in refusing to prepare for danger, is both foolish and wicked in such a nation as ours; and past -experience has shown that such fatuity in refusing to. recognize or prepare for any crisis in advance is usually succeeded by a mad panic of hysterical fear once the crisis has actually arrived. Rural Free Delivery.
The striking increase in the revenues of the post office department shows clearly the prosperity of our people and the increasing activity of the business of the country:. .. i
The: receipts of the post office department for the nscal year ending June 30 last amounted to $121,848,047.26, an increase of $10.216,833.87 over the preceding year, the largest increase known in the history of the postal service. The magnitude of this increase will best appear from the fact that the entire postal receipts for the year 1860 amounted to but $3,518.087. Rural free delivery service is no longer in the experimental stage; it has become a fixed policy. The results following its introduction have fully justified the congress in the large appropriations made for its establishment and extension. The average yearly increase in post office receipts in the rural districts of the country is about two per cent. We are now able, by actual results, to show .that where rural free ,delivery service has been established to such an extent as to, enable us to make comparisons the yearly increase has been upward of ten per cent.
On November 1, 1902, 11,650 rural free delivery routes had been established and were in operation, covering about onethird of the territory of the United States available for rural free delivery service. There are now awalting the action of the department getiuons and applications for the establishment of 10,748 additional routes. This shows conclusively: the want which the establishment of the service has met and the need of further extending it as rapldly as possible, It is justifled both by the financial results and by the practical benefits to our rural population; it brings the men who live on the soil 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, makes farm life far pleasanter and less isolated. and will do much to fheck 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 alreadv established and for its further extension. Progress of 'lrrigation. :
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 and scientific forest protection will grow more rapidly than ever throughout the public-land states. SEY e >
So far as thev are available for agriculture, and to whatever extent they may be reclaimed under the national irrigation liw, the remaining public lands should be held rigidly for the home builder, the settler who lives on his land, and for no one else. In their actual use the desert-land law, the timber and stone Jlaw, and the commutation clause of the homestead law have been so perverted from the intention with which they were enacted a4s 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 has of late led to much discussion as to the best manner of using these public lands in the west which are suitable chiefly or only for grazing. The sound and steady development of the west dege-nds upon the building up of homes therein. Much of our ?‘rosperlty as a nation has been 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 be unable to settle permanently if only allowed to use the same amount of pasture land
that his brother, ‘the homesteader, is allowed to use of arable land. One hundred and sixty acres of fairly rich and well watered soil, or a much smaller amount of firrigated land, may Kkeep a family in plenty, whereas no one could get.a living from 160 acrés of dry pasture land capable of supporting at the outside only one head of cattle to every ten acres. In the past great tracts of the public domain have been fenced in by persons having no title thereto, in /direct defiance of the law forbidding the maintenance or construction of any such une lawful inclosure of public land. For various reasons there has been little interference with such inclosures in the past, but ample notice, has now been given the trespassers, and all the resources at the command of the government will hereafter be used to put a stop to such trespassing. Alaska Legisintion Asked For.
I especially urge upon the congress the need of wise legislation tor Alaska. It is not to our credit as a nation that Alaska, which has been ours for 35 years, should still have as poor a system of laws as is the case. No country has a more valuable possession—in 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_preemptions as will encourage permanent settlement. We should shape legislation with a view not to the exploiting and abandoning of the territory, but to the building up of homes therein. The land laws should be liberal in type, so as to hold eut inducements to the actual settler whom we most desire to see take possession of the country. The forests of Alaska should be protected, and, as a secondary but still important matter, the game also, and at the same time it is imperative that the settlers should be allowed to cut timbe, under proper regulations, for their own use. Laws should be enacted to protect the Alaskan saimon fisheries against the greed which would destroy them. They should be preserved as a permanent industry and food supply. Their management and control should be turned over to the commission of fish and fisheries. Alaska should have a delegate in the congress. It would be well if a congressional committee could visit Alaska and investigate its needs on the ground. . AR
The Indians
In dealing with the Indians our aim should be their ultimate absorption into the body of our people. But.in many cases this absorntion must and should be very slow. In portions of the Indian territory the mixture of blood has gone on at the same itlme with progress in wealth and education, so that there are plenty of men with varyinggdegrees of purity of Indiah blood who are absolutely indistinguishable in point of social, political and economical - ability from their white associates. There are other tribes which have as vet made no perceptible advance toward such equality. To try to force such tribes too fast is to prevent their going torward at all. Moreover, the tribes live under widely different conditions. Where a tribe has made considerable advance and lives on fertile farming soil it is possible to allot the members lands in severalty much as is the case®with the white settlers. There are other tribes where such course is not desirable. On the arid prairie lands the effort should be to induce the Indians to lead pastoral rather than agricultural lives, and to permit them to settle in villages rather than to force them into isolation. o R 3
The large Incdian schcols situated remote from apy Irndian reservation do a special and pecullar work of great importance. But, excellent thougn these are, an immense amount of additioral work must be done on the reservations themselves among the ol@, and above ail among the young, Incians. :
The first and most important step toward the' absorption of the Indian is to teach him to earn his living; yet it.is not neceslsarily to be assumeq tnat in each community all In@ians must become either tillers of the soil or stockraisers. Their industries may. properly be diversitied, and those who show ¢pecial desire or adaptability for industrial or even commercial pursuits shoul@ be encouraged so far as practicable to follow out each his own bent. -
Every efiort should be made to develop the Incian along the lirnes of natural aptitude, and to encourage the existing native industries peculiar to certain tribes, such as the various kinds of basket weaving, caroe buildirg, smith work, and blanket work. Above all, the Indian boys and giris should be given confident command of cols loquial English, an@ should ordinarily. be prepared far a vigorous struggle with the congditions under which their people live, rather than for immediate absorption into some more highly devolped community. The officials who represent the government in dealing with the Indians work under hard conditions, and also under conditions which rerder it easy to @y wrong and very Qifficult to detect wrong. Consequently they should be amply paid on the one hand, and on the other hand a particularly high standard of conduct should be Qemanded from them, an@ where misconduct can be proved the punishment should be exemplary. Scientific Aid to Farmers.
In no department of governmental work in recent years has there been greater success than in that of giving scientific aid to the fdrming popuiation, thereby showing them how most-efficiently to help themselves, There is no need of insisting upon its importarice, 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 pldgues, and. warring agairst them when here introduced, much efticient help has beenrendered to the farmer by the introcduction of new plants specially fitted for cultivation urder the peculiar concitions existing in different portions of the country. New cereals have been established in. the semi-arid- west. For instarce, the practicability of producing the best types of macaroni “Qeats in regions of an annrual rainfall of Only ten inches or thereabouts has beer conclusively demonstrated. Through the introduction of new rites in Louisiana ard Texas the production of rice in this country has been made to about equal the home emand. In the southwest the possibility of regrassing overstocked range lands has been demonstrated; in the north many new. forage crops have been introduced, while in the east it has been shown that some of our. choicest fruits can be stored and shipped in such a way as to find a profitable market abroad. i ¢ .
The District of Columbia is the only part of our territory in which the national government exercises local or municipal funetiors, an@ where in consequence the government has 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 the shape of crowced and congested tenementhouse districts or of the back-alley type, shouj¢ never be permitted to grow up in W’as)&ngton. The city should be a model in every respect for all the cities of the country. Thhe charitable and correctional systems 6f the cdistrict should receive consideration at the hands of the congress to the end that they may embody the results of the most advanced thought in these fields. Moreover, while Washingzton is not a great industrial cify, there is some industrialism here, and our labor legislation, while it would rnot be important in. itself, might be made a model for the rest of the nation. We should pass, for instance, a wise employer’'s-liability act for the District of Columbia, and we need such an act in our navy-yards. Railroad companries in the district cught to be required by law to block their frogs. : Protection for Railway Employes. The safety-appliance law, for the better protection of the lives and limbs of railway empioyes, which was passed in 1893, went into full effect on August 1, 1901. . It has resulted in averting thousands of casualties, Experience shows, however, the necesslty of additional legislation to perfect this law. A bill to provide for this passed the senate at the last session. It'is to be hoped that some such measure may now be enacted into law. ™ ; 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 is much to be desired that our consular system be established by law on a basis providing for appointment and promotion only in consequence of proved fitness. g The New White House. :
Through a wise provision of the congress at its last session the white house, which has become disfigured by incons gruous additions and changes, has now been restored to what it was planned to be by Washington. In making the restorations the utmost care has been exer-! cised to come as near as possible to the: early plans and to supplement these plans by a careful study of such buildings as that of the University of Virginia, which was built by Jefferson. The white house is the property of the nation, and so far as is compatible with liv!n%' therein it should be kept as it originally was, for the same ‘reasons that we keep Mount Vernon as it originally was. The stately simplicity of its architecture is an expression of the character of the periodi in which it was built,#and is in accord with the purposes' it was designed to serve, It is a good thing to preserve; such buildings as historie . monuments which keep alive our sense of continuity with the nation's past. 5 The ‘reports of the several executive: departments are'suhmitted_ to the congress with this communication. " THEODORE ROOSEVELT. White House, December 1, 1802, -
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson in the International Series for December 7, 1902—Ruth and Naomi,
THE LESSON TEXT oo AREth 1 1602.)
16. Anctßuth said, Entreat me rot toleave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I wilt lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; : 17. Where thou diest, will' I die, and' there will I be buried; the Lord do so to mte; and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. e .
18. Whenshe sawthat she was steadfastly: minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. . | .
19. So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came'to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the<ity was moved about them, and they saig, Is this Naomi? i B
2% Ang she said unto them, Call mie not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath cdeait very bitterly withme. ~ . Zl. I went out full, and the” Lord hath brought me-home again empty; ‘whky theén call ye me Naomi, se¢ing the Lord hath testified against me, andthe Almighty hath afflicted me? . ) :
2. 8o Naomi feturned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returmed out of the country of Meab; and they came to-Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest, : e GOLDEN TEXT.—Be kindly nffectioned one to another.—Rom. 12:18. OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION. Ruth’s ch0ice..........................Ruth 1. Ruth’s 5ervice.5.......................Ruth 2. Ruth’s redempti0n.................Ruth 3, 4 TIME—B. C. 1322 and 1312, - ’ PLACE—Moab and Bethichem, ~ i NOTES AND COMMENTS. -
The story of Ruth is-a story of the heart. It shows the beauty and the rewards of a life of umselfish devotion. But Ruth is not the only noble character in this little’drama. In Naomi and Boaz, as wtll, we have illustrations of what the heart can do towards making one werthy of homage. and imitation. In reading of the three one feels moved to live 'so-as to bless others; ‘and that kind of livihg, as Jesus showed, is the kind that is-ap-proved of God. In giving upall for the sake of Naomi. Ruth gained all; in losing her life she found it. So sweet a story is well worth study,
It is not known who wrote the book, or when he lived. Such explanations of the story as “Now this was the custom in former time in Israel” .(4:7) show that the author wrote many Years, and perhaps many centuries, after'it all happened,-and after many of the old-time customs had beén forgotten. - o e
The story should be readand reread, that it may teach its own simple lesson of fidelity and-love in its cwn waxv.
“Following the Book of Judges, which has been filled with bloodshed and violence and the heroism of the sterner virtues, it comes upon us like d benediction of peace. It contains no trace of war or high politics; the disasters -of its story are the troubles of family life—exile, bereavement, ‘poverty; while its grand incidents are no more than the yearly festivities of country life, and the formal transfersqgf property that must go on though kingdom rise and fall.”—Richard G. Mdoulton: | “Entreat me not to leave thee, ete.: ™ Both Ruth and Orpah loved, but loved in different ways. Orpah dreaded the parting, but she saw that Naomi was right; it would hei better for -her to stay. She did not forget herself in her love. Tuth’s love was of that higher lzmd rarer kind that knows mno obstacles. To follow her. mother«in-law. meant poverty in a strange land. but personal considerations were nathing to her. She forgot herself in her love, and went.- Ruth’s words have “descended to us as the formula of “personal devotion for all time.” “Thy ' people shall 'be my people, and thy God my God:” ~The- character of Naomi is revealed here. too. It iz no small thing to inspire such a noble devotion. She had gone into ‘an”idolatrous land, but had remained true to Jehovah.and won her daughter to Him also. “&11 the eity was moved ahout them:” Naomi must have been well known and, though the years of sorrow had changed her, was remsmbered. “Jehovah hath testified aga'nst me:” Naomi’s idea here is the common Hebrew one, expressed by Job's friends. that suffering was a sure-sign of God's disapproval. - Christ taught that this was not tha case, =~ On reaching Bethlehem, Ruth fonnd herself in a hard fight with poverty.. She went out like others who were very poor, to pick up the scattering heads of grain that the reapers had missed. But the story of her unselfish fidelity was kmown, and every one was kind to her. The owner of-the field in which she gleaned turned out tobea kinsman of her husband’s and took a great interest in her, finally marrying her, so ending the struggle with poverty. and showing us that real nobility of character does not go unrewarded, even in the sight of men. = - | ' PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. = Each one at some time chooses between the road that leads to Israel and the road that leads to Moab. Orpah saved her life, but: lost it; Ruth lost her life, but found-it. 3 It is not enough to go part way on the road te the Kingdom of Heaven. One must continue to the end. - It is better to go with one only on the road that leads to Heaven thanto remain with the multitude. \ ' If one chooses to serve God the decision shoulgl be' irrevecable. There should be no half-mind about it.
Spear Points,
Singing saints are seldom sad ones. A good man will always find some good in men. . _ The light of love is not created by the friction of religious controversy. Small vices may be fordable one at a time, but they soon unite into an impassable river. - : ; You may try to do many a day's worry, but you can only do one day’s work at a time. : 3 )
Some men lay the loadstone of lust alongside the compass of conscience, and then talk about its being a good guide~—Ram’s Horm. ~ -’ -
THE CAMERA FIEND.
Until a few days ago Hamilton McK. Twombly’s beautiful esfate near Morristown, N. J., was open to_the public. On a recent morning Mrs. Twvombly was stepping into her carriage when two strangers drove up. One of them spoke to her by nameand as she turned to face him - his companion pressed the button of a camera pointed in hér direction.” Then they drove away rapidly. Mr. Twombly on hearing of this insolent behavior was so incensed that he gave orders to exclude all strangers in future.
r WRECK ON BIG FOUR. Train Strikes a Broken Rail Near . “Avon, Ind. Plunges Down an Embankment and Lands in a Corn Field — It Is Feared the Lossiof Life Is ~ Yery Heavy. _ Indianapolis;. Ind., Nev. 24.—The St. Louis flyer on the Big Four railroad, which left here at five minutes after midnight, is in the ditch half a mile west of Avon, 30 miles west of Indianapolis, and it is feared a large number of lives have been lost. ‘The train consisted of eight sleepers, and, according to reports received Dby the railroad officials, four of them are piled in a heap in a cornfield.
Strikes Broken Rail.
. The train struck a broken rail while running at the rate of 50 miles an hour. The place where the wreck occurred is at the center of a “high fill,” the embankment being 30 feet high. - A message was received here from Danville .at 2:20 o’clock this morning asking for all possible medical aid, and eight or ten physicians were summoned.. They, with Superintendent Van Winkle, of the Big Four;left for the scene on a special train at three o'clock. - : :
A telep}ione message from Danville at 2:40 o’clock stated that all availa-, ble physicians from there had been called to the wreck. No word has been received further than that_four sleepers were at the bottom of the em:bankment.
Heavy Loss of Life Likely.
In “railroad circles at Danville.the ‘belief was general that the loss of life. must necessarily be heavy. The train consisted of a sleeper from Cleveland, which came in over the Big Four at midnight, another sleeper from Cleveland, which arrived earlier in the night, four cars from Cincinnati, two eof which were express cars, a combination and baggage car, and a day- coach. The train was almost filled with passengers when it left here, thie travel on the train from this city being unusually-heavy.
Switeh Left Open
l ~ Indianapolis, Nov. 28.—Passenger | trahi No. 32 on the Pennsylvania road. "which left here for Louisville at 6:13 | Thursday evening, ran into an open lsi\'itclx at Safford station, six miles i south of here, where the Greenwooc fimerurban line crosses-the railroad | Engineer George H. Frazier, -of this | city, was killed instantly and Firemar Z’Lou Grant, of this city, was fatally { injured. Baggagemaster John F. : Clayton, also of this city, was seriously 'injured. Three of the passengerswere i slightly injured. The engine crashed 1 into a stone car on the siding and was iwre_cked; A relief train brought the dead and injured to this.city. [’ Engineer Meets Death.
Prescott, Ark, Nov. 28. — Northbound passenger train No. 4, en route from Texarkana to St. Louis, on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern railroad, was wrecked near here at 10:15 Thursday morning. Engineer Asbury B. Archibald was killed. Fireman George Hays saved his life by jumping. The recent heavy ~ rains caused the rails to spread and the engine rolled down a six-foot embankment and was turned completely over. Engineer Archibald was pinioned under the wreckage of the engine, and met instant death. . ) ‘ Two Killed. -Oakland, Cal.,, Nov. 28" — Early Thursday morning there was a terrific head-on collision near Benecia, when two freight trains crashed into each other. — Engineer Henry Foster and Fireman H. W. Davis, residents of -Oakland, were instantly killed. The engines were demolished and several cars were wrecked.
Victims of Street Car Accident.
Des Moines, lowa, Nov. 28.—Two persons were fatally injured and six se+tously hurt in a street'car collision at the foot of Sixth street hill on Thurs‘day morning. Thestreet car gotaway at the top of the hill and crashed into .another car at the bottom, six blocks away. The runaway car telescoped the second car and darted into the entrance of Lawrence’s drug store, where it was checked by aniron post.
A MOUNTAIN TRAGEDY.
Man in Eastern Tennessee Shoots His Wife and_Dnnghter and Then Kills Himself.
" Knoxville; Tenn., Nov. 28.—A special to the Sentinel from Sneedville, Tenn.. says: In Hancock county, in the mountains of upper East 'Tennessee, Richard Green probably fatally shot his wife and daughter in an attempt to kill them. He then shot and killed himself, using a shotgun. The discharge of the gun ignited his clothing, and ‘when found his apparel was burned from his body. It is supposed jealousy or insanity was the cause of the deed. Green did the first killing in ‘the Jones-Green feud, ten or 12 years ago. Green's wife and daughter are not dead. It is thought they may recover, but the widow will lose one of her hands from the effects of the shot.
Sentenee Commuted.
Washington, Nov. 27.—The president has exercised executive clemency in the case of Michelo Ciervo, who was sentenced in New York city to -paprisonment for ten years for counterfeiting. By the president’s action the sentence is commuted to expire July 1, 1905, which reduces his term of confinement about 21, years. This action is taken in consideration of valuable information voluntarily given by Ciervo to the secret service officials which resulted in breaking up a bad gang of counterfeiters and capturing a number of sets of molds:
Death of a Consul.
New York, Nov. 28. — A private cablegram announces the death at Madras, India,. of Theodore Parker Cabot, United States consul at Madras, formerly of Boston, says a Times dispatch from the- latter city. He was about 34, and wag appointed consul about six months ago. Millions for Improvements. .- Philadelphia, Nov. 27.—The directors of the Pennsylvania railroad, the Pennsylvania company and the Panhandle road have authorized improve: ments which will cost more than $lO, 000,000. TR ok el
— North-