The Hennessey Clipper. (Hennessey, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 17, 1908 Page: 2 of 8
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PRESIDENT
TO CONGRESS
Message Read to Both
Houses of National
Assembly
LEGISLATION CALLED FOR
Financial Standing of the Nation De-
clared Excellent—Control of Cor-
porations, the President Thinks,
Should Be Left to the National
Government—Labor Leaders Come
In for Criticism—Respect for Law
Vital to the Well-Being of Country.
Washington.—The message of Presi-
dent Roosevelt was read in both
houses of congress Tuesday. In sub-
stance the document wus as follows:
To the Senate ftncl House of Represen-
tatives: Tho financial standing of the
nation at the present time Is excellent,
and the financial management of the na-
tlon'i' Interests by the government dur-
lng tho last seven years has shown the
most satisfactory results. But our cur-
rency System is imperfect, and It Is ear-
nestly to be hoped that the currency
commission will be able to propose a
thoroughly good system which will do
away with the existing defects.
During: the period from July 1, 1901, to
September 30, 1908, there was an Increase
In the amount of money In circulation of
${♦02,991,399. The Increase In the per capita
during tins period v\;is $, «>-; Within this
time there were several occnsions when
It was necessary for the treasury de-
partment to come the relief of the
money Siarket by put chases or redemp-
tions of United States bonds; by increas-
ing deposits In national banks; by stim-
ulating additional Issues of national bank
notes, and by facilitating importations
from abroad of gold. Our Imperfect cur-
rency system hns made these proceedings
necessary, nnd they were effective until
the monetary disturbance in the fall of
1907 Immensely increased the dlftleulty of
ordinary methods of relief. By the mid-
dle of November the available working
balance In the treasury had been reduced
to approximately $5.000,00i;. Clearing
hou3e associations throughout the coun-
try had been obliged to resort to tho
expedient of issuing clearing house cer-
tificates. to be used as money. In this
emergency it was determined to invite
subscriptions for $T 0.000.000 Panama canal
bonds, and $100,000,000 three per cent,
certificates of Indebtedness authorized by
the act of June 13. 1898. It was proposed
to redeposit in the national banks the
proceeds of these Issues, and to permit
their use as a basis for additional circu-
lating notes of national bunks. The
moral efTect of this procedure was so
great that It was necessary to issue only
$i!4,631,9S0 .if the Panama bonds and $15.-
436.500 of the certificates of indebtedness.
During the period from July 1, 1901. to
September 30. 1908, the balance between
the net ordinary receipts and the net
ordinary expenses of the government
showed a surplus In the four years 1902.
1903, 190C. ond 1907. and a deficit In the
years 1904. 1905, 1908 and a fractional part
of tr.e fiscal year 19C\ The net result
was a surplus of $91),283.413.54. The finan-
cial operations of the government during
this period, based upon these differences
between receipts and expenditures, re-
sulted In a net reduction of the Interest-
bturloi debt of the United States from
$9S7.141.040 to $S97.253.990. notwithstanding
that there had been two sales of Panama
'tanal bonds amounting In the aggregate
to $54,C31,9S0, and an issue of thre - per
cent, certificates of indebtedness under
the act of June 13. 1898. amounting to
fl5.43fi,500. Refunding operations of the
treasury department under the act of
March 14. 1900, resulted In the conver-
sion into two per cent consols "f IMO <>f
$200,309,400 bonds bearing higher rates of
interest. A decrease of $8,087,956 in the
annual interest charge resulted from
these operations.
4 In short, during the seven years and
three months there has been a net sur-
plus of nearly one hundred millions of
receipts over expenditures, a reduction
of the Interest-bearing debt by ninety
millions, in spite of the extraordinary ex-
pense of the Panama canal, and a saving
of nearly nine millions on the annual
Interest charge.
j Control of Corporations.
As regards the great corporations en-
gaged In Interstate business, and espe-
cially the railroads, I can only repeat
what I have already again and again said
In my mess« ges to the congress I be-
lieve that under the interstate clause of
the constitution the United States has
complete and paramount right to con-
trol all agencies of interstate commerce,
and I believe that the national govern-
ment alone can'exercise this right with
wisdom and effectiveness so as both to
secure Justice from, and to do Justice to.
the great corporations which are the
most important factors in modern busi-
ness. I believe that it is worse than
folly to attempt to prohibit all com-
binations as is done by the Sherman
sntl-trust law, because such a law can
be enforced only Imperfectly and un-
equally. and Its enforcement works al-
most as much hardship as good. I
strongly advocate that Instead of an un-
wise effort to prohibit all combinations,
there shall be substituted a law which
shall expressly permit combinations
which are in the Interest of the public,
but shall at the same time give to some
agency In the national government full
power of control and supervision over
thern. One of the chief features of this
control should be securing entire pub-
licity In all matters which the public
has a right to know, and furthermore,
the power, not by Judicial but by execu-
tive action, to prevent or put a stop to
every form of improper favoritism or
other wrongdoing.
The railways of the country should be
put completely under the Interstate com-
merce commission anil removed from
the domain of the anti-trust law. The
power of the commission should be made
thoroughgoing, so that It OOUld •*< It lS<
•omplete supervision and control over
tie Issue of securities as well as over
•be raising and lowering of rates. As
regards rates, at leust. this power should
be summary. . . Hates must be made
its low as Is compatible with giving prop-
er returns to all the employes of the rail-
road, from the highest to the lowest,
and proper returr/« to the shareholders,
but they must not, for Instance, be re-
duced In such fashion as to necessitate
a cut In the wages of the employes or
the abolition of the proper and legitimate
profits of honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone companies en-
gaged in Interstate business should be
put under the Jurisdiction of the Inter-
state commerce commission.
It Is very earnestly to be wished that
our people, through their representatives,
should act in this matter. It Is to
the Interest of all of us that
there should be a premium put upon in-
dividual initiative gitd Individual ca-
pacity, and an ample reward for the
great directing Intelligences alone com-
petent to manage the great business op-
erations or to-day. It is well to keep In
mind that exactly as the anarchist 1« the
worst enemy of liberty and the reaction-
ary the worst enemy of order, ho the
men who defend the rights of property
have most t«. fear from the wrongdoers
of great wealth, and the men who lire
championing popular rights have most
to fear from the demagogues who In the
name of popular rights would do wrong
to and oppress honest business men.
honest men of wealth: for the success of
either type of wrongdoer necessarily In-
vites u violent reaction >galnst the cause
the wrongdoer nominally upholds. . . .
Need of Centralization.
The proposal to make the na-
tional government supreme over, and
therefore to give It complete control over,
the railroads and other instruments of
interstate commerce is merely a propos-
al to carry out to the letter one of the
prime purposes, If not tho prime purpose,
for which the constitution was founded,
it doss not represent centralisation, it
represents merely the acknowledgment
of the patent fact that centralization has
already come in business. If this Irre-
sponsible outside business power is to be
controlled in the interest of the general
public It can only bo controlled in one
way; by giving adequate power of con-
trol to the one sovereignty capable of ex-
ercising such power—the national govern-
ment To abandon the effort for national
control means to abandon the effort for
all adequate control and yet to render like-
ly continual bursts of action by state leg-
islatures, which cannot achieve the pur-
pose sought for, but which can do a
great deal of damage to the corporation
without conferring any real benefit on
the public.
There should be regulation by the na-
tional government of the great Interstate
corporations. Including a simple method
of account keeping, publicity, supervision
of the Issue of securities, abolition of
rebates and of special privileges. There
should be short-time franchises for all
corporations engaged In public business;
Including the corporations which get
power from water rights. There should
he national as well as state guardianship
of mines and forests. The labor legisla-
tion hereinafter referred to should con-
currently be enacted Into law.
To accomplish this, means a certain in-
crease in the use of—not the creation of
—power, by the central government. The
power already exists; It does not have
to be created; the only question Is
whether It shall be used or left Idle—
and meanwhile tho corporations over
which the power ought to be exercised
will not remain Idle. The danger to Amer-
ican democracy lies not in tin* least In the
concentration of administrative power in
responsible and accountable hands. It
lies in having the power insufficiently
concentrated, so that no one can bo held
responsible to tho people for its use.
Concentrated power Is palpable, visible,
responsible, easily reached, quickly held
to account. Democracy Is in peril
wherever the administration of po-
litical power Is scattered among
a variety of men who work In
secret, whose very names are un-
known to the common people. It Is not
In peril from any man who derives au-
thority from the people, who exercises
It In sight of the people, and who is
from time to time compelled to give an
account of Its exercise to the people.
Legislation for Wageworker.
There are many matters affecting labor
and the status of the wageworker to
which I should like to draw your atten-
tion. but an exhaustive discussion of the
problem in all its aspects Is not now nec-
essary. I believe In a steady ef-
fort, or perhaps It would be more
accurate to say In steady efforts
In many different directions, to bring
about a condition of affairs under which
the men who work with hand or with
brain, the laborers, the superintendents,
the men who produce the market and the
men who find a market for the articles
produced, shall own a far greater share
than at present of the wealth they pro-
duce, and be enabled to Invest It in the
tools nnd Instruments by which all work
is carried on. As far us possible I hope
to see a frank recognition of the advan-
tages conferred by mact'.nery, organlza-
tlon and division of labor, accompanied
by an effort to bring about a larger share
In the ownership by wage-worker of rail-
way, mill and factory.
Postal Savings banks will make it
easy for the poorest to keep their sav-
ings in absolute safety. The regulation
of the national highways must be such
that they shall serve all people with
equal Justice. Corporate finances must
be supervised so ns to make it far safer
than at present for the man of small
means to Invest his money In stocks.
There must be prohibition of child la-
bor. u^mlnutlon of women labor, short-
ening of hours of all mechanical labor;
stock watering should be prohibited,
nnd stock gambling so far as Is possi-
ble discouraged. There should be a
progressive inheritance tax on large
fortunes. Industrial education should
be encouraged. As far as possible we
should lighten the burden of taxation
on the small man. We should put a
premium upon thrift, hard work, and
business energy; but these qualities
cease to be the main factors in accu-
mulating a fortune long before that
fortune reaches a point where it would
be seriously affected by any inheri-
tance tax such as I propose. It Is emi-
nently right that the nation should fix
the terms upon which tho great for-
tunes are Inherited. They rarely do
good and they often do harm to those
who Inherit them in their entirety.
There should no longer be any palter-
ing with the question of taking care of
the wageworkers who. under our pres-
ent Industrial system, become killed,
crippled, or worn out ns part of the
regular Incidents of a given busi-
ness. As far as concerns those
who have been worn out. I call your
attention to the fact that definite
steps toward providing old-age pen-
sions have been taken in many of our
private industries. These may bo In-
definitely extended through voluntary
association and contributory schemes,
or through the agency of savings
banks, as under the Massachusetts
plan.
Urgent Need of Reform.
Our present system, or rather no sys-
tem. works dreadful wrong, nnd Is of
benefit to only one class of people—the
lawyers. When a workman Is injured
what he needs is not an expensive and
doubtful lawsuit, but the certainty of
relief through Immediate administra-
tive action. No acudemic theory
about "freedom of contract" or "consti-
tutional liberty to contract" should be
permitted to Interfere with this nnd
similar movements.
pending a thoroughgoing Investiga-
tion and action there is certain legis-
lation which should be enacted at once.
The law. passed at tho last session of
the congress .grnntlng compensation to
certain classes of employes of the gov-
ernment .should be extended to Include
all employes of the government and
should be made more liberal in its
terms. There Is no good ground for
the distinction made In the law be-
tween those engaged In hazardous oc-
cupations and those not so en-
gaged. The terms of the act pro-
viding compensation should be made
more liberal than In the present
act. A year's compensation Is not ade-
quate for a wage-earner's family In the
event of his death by accident In the
course of his employment. And In the
event of death occurring, say. ten or
eleven months after the accident, the
family would only receive ns compen-
sation tho equivalent of on* or two
months' earnings In this respect the
generosity of the United States towards
Its employes compares most unfavora-
bly w it it that of every country In Eu-
rope—even the poorest.
1 renew my recommendation made In
a previous message that half-holidays
be granted during summer to all wage-
workers in government employ .
I also renew my recommendation that
the principle of the eight-hour day
should as rapidly and as far as practi-
cable be extended to the entire work
being carried on by the government;
the present law should be amended to
umhrace contracts on those public
works which the present wording of
the act seems to exclude.
Would Double Salaries of Judges.
I most earnestly urge upon the con-
gress the duty of Increasing the totally
Inadequate salaries now given to our
Judges On the whole there is no body
of public servants who do as valuable
work, nor whose moneyed reward Is so
inadequate compared to their work. Be-
ginning with the supreme court the
Judges should have their salaries dou-
bled It is not befitting the dignity of
the nntion that Its most honored public
servants should he paid sums so small
compared to what they would earn In
private life that the performance of
public service by them Implies an ex-
ceedingly heavy pecuniary sacrifice.
It Is earnestly to be desired that some
method should be devised for doing
away with the long delays which now
obtain In tho administration of Justice,
and which operate with peculiar sever-
ity against persons of small means, and
favor only the very criminals whom it
Is n\ost desirable to punish. These
long delays in the final decisions of
cases make in the aggregate a cryinw
evil; "ill a remedy shouii be devised.
Much of this intolerable delay is due
to improper regard paid to technicali-
ties which are a mere hlnderance to
Justice. In some noted recent cases this
over-regard for technicalities has re-
sulted In a striking denial of Justice,
and flagrant wrong to the body politic.
Labor Leaders Criticised.
At the last election certain leaders of
organized labor made a violent and
sweeping attack upon the entire Judi-
ciary of the country, an attack couched
in such terms as to include the most
upright, honest and broad-minded
Judges, no less than those of narrower
mind and more restricted outlook.
I,ast year, before the house com-
mittee on Judiciary. these same
labor leaders formulated their de-
mands, specifying the bill that
contained them, refusing all compro-
mise, stating they wished the principle
of that bill or nothing. They insisted
on a provision that in a labor dispute
no Injunction should issue except to
protect a property right, and specifical-
ly provided that the right to carry on
business should not be construed as a
property right; and in a second provis-
ion their bill made legal in a labor dis-
pute any act or agreement by or be-
tween two or more persons that would
not have been unlawful If done by a
single person. In other words, this hill
legalized blacklisting and boycotting
in every form, legalizing, for instance,
those forms of the secondary boycott
which the anthracite coal strike com-
mission so unreservedly condemned;
while the right to carry on a business
was explicitly taken out from under
that protection which the law throws
over property. The demand was made
that there should be trial by jury in
contempt cases, thereby most seriously
impairing the authority of the courts.
All this represented a course of policy
which, if carried out. would mean the
enthronement of class privilege in its
crudest and most brutal form, and the
destruction of one of the most essen- i
tial functions of the judileary in all civ-
ilized lands.
The violence of the crusade for this
legislation, and its complete failure.
Illustrate two truths which it is essen-
tial our people should learn. In the
first place, they ought to teach the
workingman. the laborer, the wage-
worker. that by demanding what is Im-
proper and impossible he plays Into the
hnnds of his foes. Such a crude and
vicious attack upon the courts, even If
It were temporarily successful, would
Inevitably in the end cause a violent
reaction and would band the great
mass of citizens together, forcing them
to stand by all the judges, competent
nnd Incompetent alike, rather than to
see the wheels of Justice stopped.
The wageworkers. the workingmen.
the laboring men of the country by the
way In which they repudiated the ef-
fort to get them to cast their votes in
response to an appeal to class hatred,
have emphasized their sound patriotism
and Americanism. Such an attitude
is an object lesson In good citizenship to
the entire nation.
Judicial System Sound.
Our Judicial system Is sound and
effective at core. and It remains,
and must ever be maintained. as
the safeguard of those principles of lib-
erty and Justice which stand at the
foundation of American Institutions;* for.
as Burke finely said, when liberty and
Justice are separated, neither Is safe.
There are. however, some members of
the Judicial body who have lagged be-
hind In their understanding of these
great and vital changes In the body
politic, whose minds have never been
opened to the new applications of the old
principles made necessary by the new
conditions. Judges of this stamp do last-
ing harm by their decisions, because they
convince poor men in need of protection
that the cosrts of the land are pro-
foundly Ignorant of and out of sympathy
with their needs, and profoundly Ignorant
or hostile to any proposed remedy. To
such men It seems a cruel mockery to
have any court decide against them on
the ground that It desires to preserve
"liberty" in a purely technical form, bj
withholding liberty in any real and con
structlve sense.
There are certain decisions by various
courts which have been exceedingly det-
rimental to the rights of wage-workers
This is true of all decisions that decide
that men are, by the constitution, "guar
anteed their liberty" to contract to enter
a dangerous occupation, or to work an
undesirable or Improper number of hours,
or to work In unhealthy surroundings;
nnd therefore cannot recover damages
when maimed In that occupation, and
cannot be forbidden to work what the
legislature decides is an excessive num-
ber of hours, or to carry on the work
under conditions which the legislature
decides to be unhealthy. Decisions
such as those nullify the legislative
effort to protect the wage-workers who
most need protection from those employ-
ers who take advantage of their grind-
ing need. They halt or hamper the move-
ment for securing better and more equi-
table conditions of labor.
There Is also. I think, ground for the
belief that substantial injustice Is often
suffered by employes in consequence of
the custom of courts issuing temporary
injunctions without notice to them, and
punishing them for contempt of court In
Instances where, as a matter of fact,
they have no knowledge of any proceed-
ings. Organized labor is chafing
under the unjust restraint which
comes from repented resort to this
plan of procedure. Its discontent
has been unwisely expressed, and
often Improperly expressed, but there
Is a sound basis for It, and the or-
derly and law-abbllng people of a com-
munity would be In a far stronfer posi-
tion for upholding the courts If the un-
doubtedly existing abuses could be pro-
vided agulnst.
Injunction Must Remain.
The power of Injunction Is a great
equitable remedy, which should on
should be erected against 4ts abuse.
In substance, provision should be made
that no injunction or temporary re-
straining order Issue otherwise than on
notice, except where Irreparable injury
would otherwise result, and In such case
a hearing on the merits of the order
should be had within a short fixed pe-
riod. and. If not then continued after
hearing, it should forthwith lapse. De-
cisions should be rendered Immediately,
and tho chance of delay minimized In
every way. Moreover. I believe that the
procedure should be sharply defined, and
the Judge required minutely to state the
particulars both of his action and of his
reasons therefor, so that the congress
can If it desires examine and Investigate
the same.
For many of the shortcomings of
Justice In our country our people ns a
whole are themselves to blame, and the
judges and Juries merely bear their
share together with the public as a
whole. It is discreditable to us as a
people that there should be difficulty in
convicting murderers, or In bringing to
justice men who as public servants
have been guilty of corruption, or who
have profited by the corruption of
public servants. The result Is equally
unfortunate, whether due to hairsplit-
ting technicalities in the interpretation
of law by Judges, to sentimentality and
class consciousness on the part of
Juries, or to hysteria and sensational-
ism in the daily press. For much of
this failure of justice no responsibility
whatever lies on rich m n as such. We
who make up the mass of the people
cannot shift the responsibility from our
own shoulders. But there is an impor-
tant part of the failure which has spe-
cially to do with Inability to hold
to proper account men of wealth who
behave badly.
The Modern Corporation.
The huge wealth that has been accu-
mulated by a few Individuals of recent
years, In what has amounted to a so-
cial and industrial revolution, has been
as regards some of these Individuals
made possible only by the Improper use
of the modern corporation. A certain
type of modern corporation, with its
officers and agents, its many Issues of
securities, and its constant consolida-
tion with allied undertakings, finally
becomes an Instrument so complex as
to contain a greater number of ele-
ments that, tinder various judicial de-
cisions, lend themselves to fraud and
oppression than any device yet evolved
In the human brain. Corporations are
necessary Instruments of modern busi-
ness. They have been permitted to
become a menace largely because the
governmental representatives of the
people have worked slowly In provid-
ing for adequate control over them.
Our great clusters of corpora-
tions. huge trusts and fabulously
wealthy multimillionaires, employ the
very best lawyers they can obtain to
pick flaws in statutes after their
passage; but they also employ a class
of secret agents who seek, under the
advice of experts, to render hostile
legislation innocuous by making it un-
constitutional. often through the Inser-
tion of what appear on their face to be
Irastic and sweeping provisions against
the Interests of the parties inspiring
them; while the demagogues, the cor-
rupt creatures who introduce black-
mailing schemes to "strike" corpora-
tions, and all who demand extreme,
and undesirably radical. measures,
show themselves to be the worst ene-
mies of the very public whose loud-
mouthed champions they profess to be.
Real damage has been done by the
manifold and conflicting interpretations
ot the interstate commerce law. Con-
trol over the great corporations doing
interstate business can be effective only
if It is vested with full power in an
administrative department, a branch of
the federal executive, carrying out a
federal law; It can never be effective If
divided responsibility is left in both
e states and the nation; it can never
be effective if left in the hands of the
courts to be decided by lawsuits.
Respect for Law Must Be Upheld.
The courts hold a place of peculiar and
deserved sanctity under our form of gov-
ernment. Respect for the law is essen-
tial to the permanence of our institu-
tions; and respect for the law is largely
conditioned upon respect for the^ courts.
It is an offense against the republic to
say anything which can weaken this re-
spect, snve for the gravest reason and in
the most carefully guarded manner. In no
other nation in the world do the courts
wield such vast and far-reaching power
as In the United States. All that Is nec-
essary Is that the courts as a whole
should exercise this power with the far-
sighted wisdom already shown by those
judges who scan the future while they
act in the present. Let them exercise
this great power not only honestly and
bravely, but with wise insight Into the
needs and fixed purposes of the people,
so that they may do justice, and work
equity, so that they may protect all per-
sons in their rights, and yet break down
the barriers of privilege, which is the foe
of right.
Forest Preservation.
If there is any one duty which more
than another we owe It to our children
to perform at once, it is to save the for-
ests of this country, for they constitute
the first and most important element in
the conservation of the natural re-
sources of the country. . . . Just as
a farmer, after all his life making his
living from his farm, will, if he is an ex-
pert farmer, leave it as an asset of in- |
creased value to his son. so we should
leave our national domain to our chil-
dren, Increased in value and not worn
out. There are small sections of our own
country. In the east and In the west. In
the Adlrondacks, the White mountains
and the Appalachians, and In the Rocky
mountains, where we can already see for
ourselves the damage in the shape of
permanent injury to the soil and the
river systems which comes from reckless
deforestation. It matters not whether
this deforestation Is due to the actual
reckless cutting of timber, to the fires
that inevitably follow such reckless cut-
ting of timber, or to reckless and uncon-
trolled grazing, especially by the great
migratory bands of sheep, the un-
checked wandering of which over the
country means destruction to forests and
disaster to the small home-makers, the
settlers of limited means.
Thanks to our own recklessness
in the use of our splendid forests,
we have already crossed the verge of a
timber famine in this country, and no
measures that we now take can, at least
for many years, undo the mischief that
has already been done. But we can pre-
vent further mischief being done; and It
would be in the highest degree reprehen-
sible to let any consideration of tem-
porary convenience or temporary cost
Interfere with such actl< . especially as
regards the national forests which the
nation can now. at this very moment,
control.
The lesson of deforestation In China
is a lesson which mankind should have
learned many times already from what
has occurred In other places. Denuda-
tion leaves naked soli; then gullying
cuts down to the bare rock; and mean-
while the rock-waste buries the bottom-
lands. When the soil Is gone, men
must go; nnd the process does not take
long.
Plea for Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith, dur-
ing the present session of the congress,
for the Improvement of our Inland water-
ways-action which will result In giving
us not only navigable but navigated
rivers.
est results Is that of a per-
manent commission authorised to co-or-
dinate the work of all the government
departments relating to waterways, and
to frame and supervise the execution of
a comprehensive plan. Under such a
commission the actual work of construc-
tion might be entrusted to the reclama-
tion service; or to the military engineers
acting with a sufficient number of civili-
ans to continue the work In time of war;
or It might be divided between the rec-
lamation service and the corps of en-
gineers. Funds should be provided from
jurrent revenues if it is deemed wise—
jtherwise from the sale of bonds. The
essential thing is that the work should
go forward under the best possible plan,
and with the least possible delay. The
time for playing with our wuterways Is
past. The country demands results.
The president urges that national
parks adjacent to national forests be
placed under the control of the forest
service of the agricultural depart-
ment; he also points out the benefits
derived from prure food legislation.
The message continues:
Needs of the Secret Service.
I-ast year an amendment was incor-
porated in the measure providing for tho
secret service, which provided that there
should be no detail from the secret serv-
ice and no transfer therefrom. The
amendment in question was of benefit to
no one excepting to criminals, and
it seriously hampers the government in
the detection of crime and the securing
of justice. The chief argument in
favor of the provision was that
the congressmen did not them-
selves wish to be Investigated by tho
secret service men. Very little of such
Investigation has been done In the past;
but it is true that the work of the secret
service agents was partly responsible for
the Indictment and conviction of a sen-
ator and a congressman for land frauds
in Oregon. I do not believe that It 1s
In the public Interest to protect criminals
in any branch of the public service, and
exactly as we have again and again dur-
ing the past seven years prosecuted and
convicted such criminals who were In
the executive branch of the government,
so in my belief we ahould be given ample
means to prosecute them If found in the
legislative branch. But if this is not
considered desirable a special exception
could be made In the law prohibiting tho
use of the secret service force In Inves-
tigating members of the congress.
Postal Savings Banks.
I again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit-
ing savings with the security of the
government behind them. The object
is to encourage thrift and economy In
the wage-earner and person of mod-
erate means. It is believed that In the
aggregate vast sums of money would be
brought into circulation through the in-
strumentality of the postal savings
banks.
Parcel Post.
In my last annual message I com-
mended the postmaster-general's
recommendation for an extension of tho
parcel post on the rural routes. The
establishment of a local parcel post on
rural routes would be to the mutual
benefit of the farmer and the country
storekeeper, and It Is desirable that the
routes, serving more than 15,000,000
people, should be utilized to the fullest
practicable extent.
Education.
With the limited means hitherto pro-
vided. the bureau of e ducation has
rendered efficient service, bat the con-
gress has neglected to adequately sup-
ply the bureau with means to meet the
educational growth of the country.
I earnestly recommend that this un-
fortunate state of afTairs as regards
the national educational office be reme-
died by adequate appropriations. This
recommendation is urged by the repre-
sentatives of our common schools and
well for them to become independent, or
to continue under the protection of a
strong and disinterested power, able to
guarantee to the islands order at home
and protection from foreign invasion.
Porto Rico.
I again recommend that American cit-
izenship be conferred upon the people of
Porto Rico.
Cuba.
In Cuba our occupancy will cease In
about two months' time; the Cubans
have in orderly manner elected their own
governmental authorities, and the island
will he turned over to them. Our occu-
pation on this occasion has lasted a lit-
tle over two years, and Cuba has thriv-
en and prospered under it. Our earnest
hope and one desire Is that the people
of the island shall now govern them-
selves with justice, so that peace and or-
der may be secure.
Japanese Exposition.
The Japanese government has post-
poned until 1917 the date of the great
International exposition, the action be-
ing taken so as to Insure ample time
in which to prepare to make the expo-
sition all that it should be made. The
American commissioners have visited
Japan and the postponement will mere-
ly give ampler opportunity for Ameri-
ca to be represented at the exposition.
Not since the first international expo-
sition has there been one of greater
importance than this will be. marking,
as it does, the fiftieth anniversary of
the ascension to the throne of the em-
peror of Japan. The extraordinary
leap to the foremost place among the
nations of the world made by Japan
during this half century is something
unparalleled In all previous history,
I take this opportunity publicly to
state my appreciation of the way In
which in Japan, in Australia, In New
Zealand, and in all the states of South
America, the battle fleet has been re-
ceived on its practice voyage around
the world. The American government
can not too strongly express its appre-
ciation of the abounding and generous
hospitality shown our ships in evet
port thoy visited.
The Army.
As regards the army I call attention
to the fact that while our junior offi-
cers and enlisted men stand very high,
the present system of promotion by
seniority results in bringing Into the
higher grades many men of mediocre
capacity who have but a short time to
serve. No man should regard It as his
vested right to rise to the highest rank
in the army any more than in any
other profession. It is a cur^->us and
by no means creditable fact that there
should be so often a failure on the
part of the public and Its representa-
tives to understand the great need,
from the standpoint of the service and
the nation, of refusing to promote re-
spectable. elderly incompetents. The
higher places should be given to the
most deserving men without regard to
seniority; at least seniority should bo
treated as only one consideration. In
the stress of modern industrial com-
petition no business firm could succeed
if those responsible for Its management
were chosen simply on the ground that
they were the oldest people In its em-
ployment; yet this Is the course advo-
cated as regards the army, and re-
quired by law for all grades except
those of general officer. As a matter
of fact all of the best officers In the
highest ranks of the army are those
who have attained their present posi-
tion wholly or In part by a process of
selection.
The scope of retiring boards should
be extended so that they could con-
sider general unfitness to command for
any cause, in order to secure a far more
rigid enforcement than at present in
the elimination of officers for mental,
physical or temperamental disabilities.
But this plan is recommended only if
the congress does not see fit to provide
what in my judgment Is far better,
that Is, for selection in promotion, and
great state universities and the leading [ for elimination for age. Officers who
Until the work of river Improvement
undertaken In a modern way it can not
have results that will meet the needs
this modern nation. The plan
educators, who all unite in requesting
favorable consideration and action by
the congress upon this subject.
The president points out the neces-
sity of better organization of the vari-
ous bureaus responsible for the public
health, and urges the placing of all
soldiers' homes under the jurisdiction
of the war department.
Statehood.
On the question of statehood the
president says:
I advocate the immediate admission of
New Mexico and Arizona as states. This
should be done at the present session of
the congress. The people of the two ter-
ritories have made it evident by thoir
votes that they will not come In as one
state. The only alternative Is to admit
them as two, and I trust that this will be
done without delay.
Interstate Fisheries.
I call the attention of the congress to
the Importance of the problem of the
fisheries in the Interstate waters. On the
Great Lakes we are now, under the very
wise treaty of April 11 of this year, en-
deavoring to come to an International
agreement for the preservation and sat-
isfactory use of the fisheries of these wa-
ters which can not otherwise be achieved.
I.ake Erie, for example, has the richest
fresh water fisheries In the world; but It
Is now controlled by the statutes of two
nations, four states, and one province,
and this province by two different ordi-
nances In different counties. All these
political divisions work at cross pur-
poses, and in no case can they achieve
protection to the fisheries, on the one
hand, and Justice to the localities and In-
dividuals on the other.
Foreign Affairs.
This nation's foreign policy is based
ot« the theory that right must be done
between nations precisely as between
Individuals, and In our actions for the
last ten years we have In this matter
proven our faith by our deeds. We
have behaved, and are behaving, to-
wards other nations, as in private life
an honorable man would behave to-
wards his fellows.
Latin-American Republics.
The commercial and material prog-
ress of the 20 Latin-American republics
is worthy of the careful attention of
the congress. The International Bureau
of the American Republics Is doing a
useful work in making these nations
and their resources better known to
us, and In acquainting them not only
with us as a people and with our pur-
poses towards them, but with what we
have to exchange for their goods.
Panama Canal.
The work on the Panama canal Is be-
ing done with a speed, efficiency nnd
entire devotion to duty, which make It
:t model for all work of the kind. The
men on the Isthmus, from Col. Goethals
and his fellow commissioners through
the entire list of employes who are
faithfully doing their duty, have won
their right to the ungrudging respect
and gratitude of the American people.
Ocean Mail Lines.
I again recommend the extension of
the ocean mail act of 1891 so that satis-
factory American ocean mail lines to
South America, Asia, tho Philippines,
and Australasia may be established.
Hawaii.
I call particular attention to the Ter-
ritory of Hawaii. The Importance of
those Islands is apparent, and the need
of improving their condition and de-
veloping their resources is urgent.
The Philippines.
Real progress toward self-government
is being made In the Philippine Islands.
I trust that within a generation
the time will arrive when the Philippines
c9n for th;niMlve« whether it 1*
fail to attain a certain rank by a cer-
tain age. should be retired—for in-
stance, if a man should not attain
field rank by the time he is 45 he
should of course be placed on the re-
tired list. General officers should be
selected as at present, and one-third
of the other promotions should bo
made by selection, the selection to be
made by the president or secretary of
war from a list of at least two candi-
dates proposed for each vacancy by a
board of officers from the arm of the
service from which the promotion is
to be made. A bill Is now before tho
congress having for its object to se-
cure the promotion of officers to vari-
ous grades at reasonable ages through
a process of selection, by boards of of-
ficers, of the least efficient for retire-
ment with a percentage of their pay
depending upon length of service. Tho
bill, although not accomplishing all
that should be done. Is a long step in
the right direction; and I earnestly
recommend Its passage, or that of a
more completely effective measure.
National Guard.
Now that the organized militia, the
National Guard, has been incorporate
with the army as a part of the national
forces, it behooves the government to
do every reasonable thing in its power
to perfect its efficiency. It should be
assisted in its instruction and other-
wise aided more liberally than hereto-
fore. The continuous services of many
well-trained regular officers will be
essential In this connection. A
bill Is now pending before the
congress creating a number of extra
officers in the army, which if passed,
as it ought to be. will enable more
officers to be trained as Instructors of
.National Guard and assigned to that
duty. In case of war It will bo of tho
utmost importance to have a largo
number of trained officers to use for
turning raw levies Into good troops.
The Navy.
I approve the recommendations of
the general board for the In-
crease of the navy, calling especial
attention to the need of addi-
tional destroyers and colliers, and above
all. of the four battleships. It Is desir-
able to complete as soon as possible a
squadron of eight battleships of the best
existing type.
I most earnestly recommend that the
general board be by law turned Into a
general staff. There Is literally no ex-
cuse whatever for continuing the pres-
ent bureau organization of the navy. Tho
navy should be treated as a purely mili-
tary organization, and everything should
be subordinated to the one object of se-
curing military efficiency. A system
of promotion by merit, either by selec-
tion or by exclusion, or by both
processes, should be Introduced. It Is out
of the question, If the pr< sent principle
of promotion by mere seniority Is kept,
to expect to get the best results from tho
higher officers. Our men come too old.
and stay for too short a time, in the high
command positions.
Nothing better for the navy from every
standpoint has ever occurred than the
cruise of the battle fleet around the
world. The improvement of the ships In
every wny has been extraordinary and
they have gained far more experience
In battle tactics than they would have
gained If they had stayed In the Atlantic
waters. The American people have cause
for profound gratification, both in view
of the excellent condition of tho fleet as
shown by this cruise, and In view of the
Improvement the cruise has worked In
this already high condition. I do not
believe that there is any other service In
the worhl In which the average of chi r
acter and efficiency In the enlisted men
Is as high as i« now the case in our own.
THKODORH ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Tuesday, December
U, 1104.
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Miller, C. H. The Hennessey Clipper. (Hennessey, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 17, 1908, newspaper, December 17, 1908; Hennessey, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc105635/m1/2/: accessed April 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.