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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1907)
.r0s MESSAGE IS CONSERVATIVE Communication to Congress Alms to Please All Classes. Wants Financial Legislation and Favors Changes in Railroad Law Inves t'gate Child Labor Conditions- Protect Labor in Employ of Man ufacturer Has 8obered Down. Vo nation has greater resource! than nun. and I think It can be truthfully said that ths citizens of no nation possess greater en ergy ana Industrial ability. In no nation are the fundamental business condition! sounder than In ours at this very moment and It la foolish, when such Is the case, for people to hoard money Instead of keeping It In sound banks; for It Is such hoarding that Is the Immediate occasion of money tiingency. Moreover, as a rule, the business r our people is conducted with honesty and probity, and this applies alike to farms and factories, to railroads and banks, to all our legitimate commercial sntemrises. In the effort to punlsn the guilty It Is jo th wise and proper to endeavor so far as possible to minimize the distress of those who have been misled by the guilty. Yet ii is not possible to refrain because of such distress from striving to put an end to the misdeeds that are the ultimate causes of the suffering, and. as a means to this end, where possible to punish those responsible for them. There may be honest differences of opinion as to many Governmental nollcies tut surely there can be no such differences s to the need of unflinching perseverance in toe war against successful dishonesty, INTERSTATE COMMERCE. No small part of the trouble that we have comes from carrying to an extreme the National virtue of self-reliance, of inde pendence In Initiative and action. It is wise to conserve this virtue and to provide for Its fullest exercise, compatible with see ing that liberty does not become a liberty to wrong others. Unfortunately, this Is the kind of liberty that the lack of all effective regulation inevitably breeds. The founders of the Constitution provided that the Na tlonai Government should have complete no sole control of Interstate commerce, There was then practically no Interstate business save such as was conducted by water, and this the National Government at once proceeded to regulate In thoroughgoing and effective fashion. Conditions have now ao wholly changed that the Interstate com merce by water Is insignificant compared with the amount that goes by land, and ai most all big business concerns are now en .gaged In Interstate commerce. As a result. It can be but partially and Imperfectly controlled or regulated by the action of any one of the several states; such action In evitably tending to be either too drastic or ls too lax, and In either case Ineffective for purposes of Justice. Only the National Government can In thoroughgoing fashion exercise the needed control. This does not mean that there should be any extension of Federal authority, for such authority al ready exists under the Constitution In amplest and most far-reaching form; but It does mean that there should be an exten alon of Federal activity. This Is not ad vocating centralization. It Is merely look tng facta In the face, and realizing that centralization in business has already come and cannot be avoided or undone, and that the public at large can only protect Itself from certain evil effects of this business centralization by rrovldlng better methods for the exercise of control through the authority already centralized In the National Government by the Constitution Itself. To confer upon the National Government, tn connection with the amendment I advo cate In the anti-trust law, power of super vision over big business concerns engaged In Interstate commerce, would benefit them as It has benefitted the National banks. In The recent business crisis it Is noteworthy that the Institutions which failed were In stitutions which were not under the super vision and control of the National Govern ment. Those which were under National control stood the test. FCBE FOOD LAW. Incidentally, In the passage of the pure food law the action of the various state food and dairy commissioners showed In striking fashion how mucn good for the whole people results from the hearty co operation of the Federal and state officials In securing a given reform. It is primarily to the action of these state commissioners that we owe the enactment of this law; for they aroused the people, first to demand the enactment and enforcement of state laws on the subject, and then the enact ment of the Federal law, without which the state laws were largely Ineffective. There must be the closest co-operation be tween the National and state governments In administering these laws. CURRENCY. In my message to Congress a year ago I apoke as follows on the currency: I especially call your attention to the con dition of our currency laws. The National bank act has ably served a great purpose in aiding the enormous business development of the country, and within ten years there has been an Increase In circulation per cap ita from 21. 41 to $,'13.08. For several years evidence has been accumulating that addi tional legislation Is needed. The recurrence of each crop season emphasizes the defects of the present laws. There must soon be a revision of them, because to leave them as they are means to Incur liability of business disaster. Since your body adjourned there lias been a fluctuation In the interest on call money from 2 per cent to IIO per cent, and the fluctuation was even greater during the preceding six months. The Secretary of the treasury had to step in and by wise action put a stop to the most violent period of os cillation. Even worse than such fluctuation Is the advance in commercial rates and the uncertainty felt In the sufflency of credit oven at high rates. All commercial Interests uffer during each crop period. Excessive rates for call money In New York attract money from the interior franks into the spec ulative field This depletes the fund that would otherwise be available for commercial tiitv and commercial borrowers are forced to pay abnormal rates, so that each Fall a tax, in the snaps or increased interest charges. Is placed on the whole commerce of the country. The mere statement of these facta shows that our present system Is seriously defec tive. There Is need of a change. Unfor tunately, however, many of the proposed changes must be ruled from consideration because they are complicated, are not easy of comprehension and tend to disturb exist ing rights and Interests. We must also rule out any plan which would materially impair the value of the United States 2-per cent bonds now pledged to secure circulation, the Issue of which was made under conditions peculiarly creditable to the Treasury. I do siot press any especial plan. Various plans have recently been proposed by expert com mittees of bankers. Among the plans which are possibly feasible and which certainly ahould receive your consideration Is that re peatedly brought to your attention by the present Secretary of the Treasury, the es sential features of which have been ap- firoved by many prominent bankers and bus ness men According to this plan National lianks should be permitted to issue a speci fied proportion of their capital In notes of a given kind, the Issue to be taxed at so Talgh a rate as to drive the notes back when rot wanted In legitimate trade. This plan would not permit the Issue of currency to give banks additional profits, but to meet j tns emergency ptcmiiicu oy nines gt strin srency. Need for Immediate Action. I again urge on the Congress the need of Immediate attention to this matter. We ned a greater elasticity In our currency; provided, of course, that we recognize the oven greater need of a safe and secure cur rency. There must always be the most rigid examination by tha National author ities. Provision should be made for an emergency currency. Tha emergency Issue ahould. of course, be made with an effective guaranty, and upon conditions carefully pre scribed by the Government. Such emergency Issue must be based on adequate securities approved by the Government and must be Issued under a heavy tax. This would per mit currency being issued when the demand for It was urgent, while securing Its retire ment as the demand fell off. It Is worth while Investigating to determine whether officers and directors of National banks ahould over be allowed to loan to themselves. Trust companies should be subject to the am supervision as banks; legislation to this effect should be enacted for tha Dis trict of Columbia and tha Territories. THE TARIFF. This oauatrr anltely committed ta ins protective sytem and any ehot to uproot It could not but cause widespread In dustrial disaster. In other .words, tha prin ciple of the present tariff law could not with wisdom be changed. Hut In a country of such phenomenal growth as ours It is prob ably well that every dozen years or So the tariff luws should be rareflly scrutinized so as to see that no excessive or Improper benefits are conferred thereby, that proper revenue Is provided and that our foreign trade is encouraged. There muBt always be as a minimum a tariff which will not only allow for the collection of ah ample revenue but which will at least make good the dif ference in cost of production here and abroad; that Is, the difference in the labor cost here and abroad, for the well-being of the wage-worker must ever be ja cardinal point cf American policy. The question should be approached purely from a busi ness standpoint; both the time and the manner of the change being such as to arouse the minimum of agitation and dis turbance in the business world, and to give the least play for selfilsh and fac tional motives. The 'sole consideration should be to see that the sum total of changes represents the public good. This means that tha subject cannot with wisdom be dealt with In the year preceding a Presidential election; because as a matter of fact experience has conclusively shown that at such a time It Is Impossible to get men to treat It from the standpoint of the dutrti'iHr controversies s are of sufficient ( carried to an excess It becomes foolishness, magnitude and of sufficient concern to the i 'Ve are prone to speak of the. resources of people of the country as a whole to warrant this country as Inexhaustible; this is not the Federal Government in taking action. "- Tha mineral wealth of the country, the Capital and Ijibor coal. Iron, oil, gas. and the like, does not It Is certain that for some time to come "'produce Itself, arid therefore Is certain th.. ...in i.. .. ,.....,.. i ... i. ..i., to be exhausted ultimately: and wasteful- ...,..,....,, ....,,,u.. ui vuwua ui uim generation or two before they otherwise "! " wno work tor wages. This means w u,(1 ,,. .i.,.,-,., .... (.erialn other forms that there will be an ever Increasing need ,. WUBte which could be entirely stopped movement of pasnene.g between Hawaii and 1 exaeten, without Just compensation, of saw the mainland. L'nler the Curigrtis is pre- , h..-h , ,,. vninniariiw am.r.,1 tha. pared by positive i'iuragent tit to secure Army to do service of an altogether dlf- Ueen Hawaii aid the mainland then ih 1 -rent kind, There are a "umber of other coastwise shluolna laws should he so far re- law" necessary to so organize the Army aa liixed as' to prevent Hawaii suffering as It I to promote Its efficiency and facilitate Its to consider the problems Inseparable from a great Industrial civilization. Where an im mense and complex business, especially In those branches relating to manufacture and transpnratlon, Is transacted by a large num ber of capitalists who employ a very much larger number of wage-earners, the former - tend more and more to combine into corporations and the lat ter Into unions. The relations of the capitalist and wage-worker to one an other, and of each to the generul public, are not always eusy to adjust; and to out them and keep them on a satisfactory basis is one of the most important and one of the most delicate tasks before our whole civilization Much of the work for the accomplishment of this end must be done by the individuals concerned themselves, whether singly or In combination; and the one fundamental fact that must never be lost track of Is that the character of the average man, whether he be a man of means or a man who works with his hands, is the most Important factor public good. In my Judgment the wise time I In solving the problem aright. But It is al to deal. with the matter la Immediately acter I most equally Important to remember that such election. INCOME AND INHERITANCE TAX. When our tax laws are revised the question of an income tax and ao inheritance tax should receive the careful attention of our legislators. In my Judgment both of these : taxes ahould be part of our system of Fed- without good laws It Is also Impossible to reach the proper solution. It Is Idle to hold that without good laws evils such as child labor, as the over-working of women, as the failure to protect employes from loss of life or limb, can he effectively reached, any more than the evils of rebates and stock- watering can be reached without good laws, eral taxation. I speak diffidently about the T ,.m , th... i.. ,, ,.,,.,7. Income tax because one scheme for an in- mean, to forre nonest men lnto them be. come tax was declared unconstitutional by cause otherwise the dJshonest who surely jii . i, , . i i i . i i. .1 i I taae advantage or mem win have every a difficult tax to administer In Its practical working, and great care would have to be exercised to see that It was not evaded by the very men whom It was most desirable to have taxed, for If so evaded It would, of course, be worse than no tax at all; as the least desirable of all taxes Is the tax which bears heavily upon the honest as com pared with the dishonest man. Neverthe less, a gruduated Income tax of the proper type would be a desirable feature of Federal taxation, and it is to be hoped that one may be devised which the Supreme Court will declare constitutional. The Inheritance tax, however, is both a far better method of tax ation and far more important for the pur pose of having the fortunes of the country bear In proportion to their increase in size a corresponding Increase and burden of tax ation. The Government has the absolute right to decide as to the terms upon which a man shall receive a bequest or devise from thing their own way. If tha states will cor rect these evils, well and? good; but the Vallnn m..al , n ,1 ... A .1 1.1 I. Farmers and Wage-Workers. When the Department of Agriculture was founded there was much sneering as to its usefulness. No department of the Govern ment, however, has more emphatically vindi cated its usefulness, and none save the Posloffiee Department comes so continually and intimately Into touch with the people The two citizens whose welfare is in the aggregate most vital to "he welfare of the Nation, and therefore to the welfare of all other citizens, are the wage-worker who does manual labor and the tiller of the soil. the farmer. There are, of course, kinds of labor where the work must be purely mental, and there are other kinds of labor where, under existing conditions, very little de mand Indeed Is made upon the mind, though I am glad to say that the proportion of men anstthar n . thl. ..!., n ,( I n Hi Z.ZJL..1L -..,riK,i ,, .LJ.LZ.Jt.,. .... . .JL engaged in this kind of work Is diminishing Imposition of a tax. Laws imposing such taxes have repeatedly been placed upon the National statute books and as repeatedly declared constitutional by the courts; and these laws contained the progressive princi ple, that is, after a certain amount Is reached the bequest or gift, ln life or death. Is increasingly burdened and the rate of taxation is Increased ln proportion tj the remoteness of blood of the man receiving tha bequest. ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW. any community with the solid. healthy qualities which make up a really great nation the bulk of the people shmuld do work which calls for the exercise of both body and mind. Progress can not pe.ma nently exist in the abandonment of physi cal labor, but In the development of physi cal labor, so that it shall represent more and more the work of the trained mind In the trained body. Our school system Is gravely defective In so far as It puts a premium upon mere literary training and tends therefore to A few years ago there was loud com- I train the boy away from the farm and the plaint that the law could not be Invoked I workshop. Nothing Is more needed than against wealthy offenders. There Is no such I the best type of Industrial school, the complaint now. The course of the De- I school for mechanical industries ln the city. partment of Justice during the last few I the school for practically teaching agrlcul- years has been such as to make It evident 1 ture In the country. The calling off the that no man rtauds above the law, that no I skilled tiller of the soil, the calling of the corporation is so wealthy that it cannot skilled mechanic, should alike be reco-.-- le held to account. The Department of nlzed as professions, Just as emphatically Justice has been as prompt to proceed as the callings of lawyer, doctor, merchant against the wealthiest malefactor whose or clerk. The schools should recognize this crime was one of greed and cunning as to fact and It should equally be recognized In proceed against the agitator who incites popular opinion. The young man who has to brutal violence. Everything that can be tn. farsightedness and couraee to recognize done under the existing low, ond with the I )t anri t0 get over tne idea that It makes a existing state or pudiic opinion, wnicn so difference whether what he earns Is called profoundly influences both the courts and fB.tarv or waees. and who refuses to enter Juries, has been done. But the laws them- tn crowded field of the so-called profes selves need strengthening ln more than one sions, and takes to constructive industry in Important point; they should be made more ,tead, Is reasonably sure of an am?Ie re definlte. si that no honest man can be ward in earnings, in health, ln oDDortunity led unwittingly tD break them, and so that the real wrongdoer can be readily punished. INJUNCTIONS. Instances of abuse ln the granting of In junctions In labor disputes continue to oc cur, and the resentment in the minds of those who feel that their rights are being Invaded and their liberty of action and of to marry early, and to establish a home with a fair amount of freedom from worry. It should be one of our prime objects to put both the farmer and the mechanic on a higher plane of efficiency and reward, sc as to increase their effectiveness in the eco nomic woiid. and therefore the dignity. the remuneration, and the power of their . .,, ... ,.i,i ;,... i.j .i.,. I positions In the social world likewise to grow. Much of the attack or. The grain-producing industry of the the use of the process of injunction is wholly c.ou,n,r'-..onf of -,he moHt Important In the without warrant; but I am constrained to nl'ed States ceserves special consider express the belief that for some of It there a,lnn at tn hands of the Congress. Our Is warrant. This question Is becoming raln " sold almost exclusively by grades. more and more one of prime Importance. io """J "u... in our noine .r.A r,i... .v.. -,. i I markets and to facilitate our trade abroad, l.h in effective manner It la certain these grades Should approximate the lllgh- ultlmatelv to demand some 'form of le-rls- est deree of uniformity and certainty. The latlve action. It would be most unfortun ate for our social welfare If we should permit many honest and law-abiding citi zens to feel that they had Just cause for regarding our courts with hostility. I earnestly commend to the attention of the Congress this matter, so that some way present diverse methods of Inspection and grading throughout the country under dif ferent laws and boards, result In confusion,- and lack of uniformity, destroying that confidence which is necessary for health ful trade. Complaints against the present methods have continued for years and they n v, .i.s t,i,.i, .iii ni. I are growing in miiumii mm iiiiensiiy, no! e ininnni.,.." .n,t r,rat tv. ri.ht. -hid. only In this country but abroad. I there from time to time It unwarrantably lnvade Moreover, discontent Is often expressed with the use of the process of injunction by th" courts, not only In labor disputes, but where state laws are concerned. I refrain from discussion of this question aa I am informed that It will soon receive the consideration of the Supreme Court, QUESTIONS AFFECTING LABOR. The ?Oittonal Government should be a fore suggest to the Congress the advis ability of a National system of inspection and grading of grain entering Into Inter state and foreign commerce as a remedy for the present evil". RECLAMATION' WOtlK Irrigation should be far more pjte:nslvely developed than at present, not only in the states of the great plains and the Rocky Mountains, but in many others, as, for in stance, in large portions of the South At the waate of soli by washing, for Instance Which H among the most dangerous of all wastes now In progress ln the United State is easily preventable, so that this present enormous loss of fertility is entirely un n"cessaiy. The preservation or replacement of the forests Is one of the most Important means of preventing Ibis loss. We have made a beginning ln forest preservation, but It Is only a oeulnnlr.g. At present lumber ing Is the fourth greatest industry In tne I nlted Mates; and et, so rapid has been th rat't of exhaustion of timber In the United Btates in the past, and ho rapidly Is tha remainder being exhausted, that the couii try Is unquestionably on the verge of a timber famine which will be felt ln every househ jd In the land. There has already been a rls In the price of lumber, but there Is certain to be a more rapid and heavier rise in ine rutura. The present annual consumption of lum ber Is certainly three times as great as the annual growth; and If the consumption and growth continue unchanged, prucilcally all our lumber will be exhausted In another genera ;lon, while long before the limit to complete exhaustion is reached the growing scarcity will make Itself felt ln many blight Ing ways upon our National welfare. About 20 per cent of our forest territory Is now re served In National forests; but these do not Include the most valuable timber lands, and ln any event the proportion Is too small to expect that the reserves can accomplish more than a mitigation of the trouble whicl is ahead for the Nation. Far more drastic action Is needed. Forests can be lumbered so as to give to the public the full use of their mercantile timber without the slight est detriment to the forest, any more than It Is a detriment to a farm to furnish harvest; so that there is no parallel between forests and mines, which can only be com pletely used by exhaustion. But forests, if used as all our forests have ben used in the past and as most of them are still used. will be either wholly destroyed, or so dam aged that many decades have to pass befor? effective use can be made of them again. All these facts are so obvious that it is extra ordinary that It ahould be necessary to re peat them. Of course to check the waste of timber means that there must be on the part of the public the acceptance of a temporary re striction ln the lavish use of the timber, In order to prevent the total loss of this use In the future. There are plenty of men ln public and private life who actually advo cate the continuance of the present system of unchecked and wasteful extravagance, using as an argument the fact that to check It will of course mean interference with the ease and comfort of certain people who now get lumber at less cost than they ought to pay, at the expense of the future genera tions. Pome of these persons actually de mand that the present forest reserves be thrown open to destruction, because, for sooth, they think that thereby the price of lumber coulj be put down again for two or three or more years. Their attitude Is pre cisely like that of an agitator protesting against the outlay of money by farmers on manure and ln taking care of their farms generally. MINERAL LANDS. In the eastern United States the mineral fuels have already passed Into the hands of large private owners, and those of the West are rapidly following. It is obvious that these fuels should be conserved and not wasted, and It would be well to protect the people against unjust and extortionate prices, so far as that can still be done. What has been accomplished in the great oil fields of the Indian Territory by the action of the Administration, offers a striking example of the good results of such a policy. In my Judgment the Government should have the tight to keen the fee of the coal, oil and gas fields ln Its own possession and to lease the rights to develop them under proper regula tions; or else, I; the Congress will not adopt this method, the coal deposits should be sold under limitations, to conserve them as public utilities, the right to mine coal being separated from the title to the soil. The regulations should permit coal lands to be worked in sufficient quantity by the several corporations. The present limitations have been absurd, excessive and serve no useful purpose, and often render it necessary that there should be either fraud or else aban donment of the work of getting out th coal. TlfE PANAMA CANAL. Work on the Panama Canal is proceeding In a highly satisfactory manner. In March last, John F. Stevens, chairman of the Commission, and chief engineer, resigned, and the Commission was reorganized and constituted as follows: Lieutenant-Colonel George W. Goethals, Corps of Engineers, United States Army, chairman and chief engineer; Major D. D. Gaillard, Corps of Engineers. United States Army; Major Wil liam L. Sibert, Corps of Engineers. United States Army; Civil Engineer H. H. Kous seau. United States Navy; J. C. S. Black burn; Colonel W. C. Gorgas, United States Army, and Jackson Smith. Commissioners. This change of authority and direction went Into effect on April 1, without causing a per ceptible check In the progress of the work. is now suffering. I again cull your attention to ine capital importance rrom every stand point of making Pearl Harbor available for the largest deep-wat, r vetseis and of suit ably foitifjiiiK the Island. , The Seen tary of U ur nas gone to the I'hll lp(,lnit. On his return I shall submit to ou bis report on the Islands. 1 again rer.onuntnd that the rights of citi zenship be conferred upon the people of Porto I.lco. A bureau of mines should be created under the control and direction of the Secretary of the Interior; the bureau to have powe,' to collect statistics and make investigations in all matters pertaining to mining and par ticularly to the accidents and dangers of the industry. If this cannot now be done, at least additional appropriations should be given the Interior Jjepartment to be uwed for the ptudy of mining conditions, for the prevention of frrudulent mining schemes, for carrying on the work of rnaumnii the nilnlna- rlitMciA for studying methoos for minimizing the ac- cldents and dangers in the industry; in short, to aid in all proper ways the development of the yilning industry. I call your eicial attention to the un satisfactory condition of our foreign mall service, which, b cause of the lack of Ameri can steamnhtp lines, is now largely done through foreign lines, and which, particularly so far as South and Central America are concerned, is done in a manner which consti tutes a serious barrier to the extension of our commerce. Not only there Is not now, but there never has been, any other nation in the world so wholly free from the evils or militarism as Is ours. There never has been any other large nation, not even China, which for so rapid expansion in time of war: but tha above are the most Important, The Navy. It was hoped The Hague Conference might deal with the question of the limitation of armaments. Hut even before It had assem bled informal inquiries had developed that as regards naval armaments, the only onea in which this country had any Interest, U was hopeless to try to devise any plan for which there was the slightest possibility of s -curing assent of the nations gathered at The Hague. No plan was even proposed which would have had the assent of mors than one first-class power outside sf tha United States. The only plan that seemed at all feasible, that of limiting the size of battleships, mett,wlth no favor at all It Is evident, therefore, that It Is folly fo this Nation to base any hope of securing peace on any international agreement as tf the limitation of armaments. Such batng the fact It would be moat unwise for ul to stop the upbuilding of our Nary. Ta build one battleship of th best and most advanced type a year would barely keen our fleet up to Its present fores. This 1 not enough. In my Judgment, we should this year provide for four battleships. But it is Idle to build battleships unless In addition to providing the men, and tha means for thorough training, ws prevlds the auxiliaries for them, unless we pro vide docks, the coaling stations, tha camera and supply ships that they need. Ws ara extremely deficient ln coaling stations and docks on the Pacific, and this deficiency should not longer be permitted ta . exist. Plenty of torpedo boats and destroyers hers so small a regular army as has ours. ;noult be built. Doth on the Atlantlo and Never at any time in our history has this Iac'nc coasts fortifications of the best typa Nation suffered from militarism or been in ?h"ll be provided for all our greatest har- the remotest danger of suffering from mill- i borS' tarism. Never at anv time of our history .Until our. battle fleet la much larger thaa has-the regular Army been of a size which I fhpIf " . vfl.. .k pl" ,nfJ 69 caused the slightest appreciable tax upon the taxpaying citizens of the Nation. Al most always it has been too small ln size and underpaid. Never ln our entire history has the Nation suffered In the least particu lar because too much care has been given to the Army, too much prominence given It, too much money spent upon it, or because It has been too large. But again and again we have Buffered because enough care has not been given to It, because It has been too small, because there has not been sufficient preparation ln advance for possible war. Every foreign war in which we have en gaged has cost us many times the amount, which. If wisely expended during the preced ing years of peace on the regular Army, would have Insured the war ending In but a fraction of the time and but for a fraction of the cost that was actually the case. As a Nation we have always been shortsighted In providing for the efficiency of the Army in time of peace. It is nobody's especial In terest to make such provision and no one looks ahead to war at any period, no mat ter how remote, as being a serious possi bility : while an Improper economy, or rath er niggardliness, can be practiced at the ex pense of the Army with the certainty that those practicing It will not be called to ac count therefor, but that the price will bs paid by the unfortunate persons who hap pen to be ln office when a war does actually come. Industry Is always necessary, Just as war is sometimes necessary. Each has its price, and Industry in the United States now ex acts, and has always exacted, a far heavier toll of death than all our wars put to gether. The statistics of the railroads of this country for the year ended June 30, 1!)06. the last contained ln the annual sta tistical report of the Interstate Commerce Commission, show in that one year a total of 10S.324 casualties to persons, of which 10. tilS represent the number of persons killed. In that wonderful hive of human activity, Pittsburg, the deaths due to Indus trial accidents In 1906 were 819, all the re sult of accidents In mills, mines or on rail tachments so far apart that they could not In event of emergency be speedily united. Our coast line Is on the Pa cific Just as much as on the Atlan tic The Interests of California, Oregon and Washington are aa emphatically the In terests of the whole Union as those of Malna and New York, of Loulfliana and Texas. The battle fleet should now and then ba moved to the pacific, JuM as at other times it should be kept in the Atlantic. When the Isthmian Canal is built the transit of the battle fleet from one ocean to the other will be comparatively easy. Until It Is built, I earnestly hope that the battle fleet will ba thus shifted between the two oceans every year or two. The marksmanship on all our ships has improved phenomenally during the laet five years. Until within the last two or three years It was not possible to train a battle fleet ln squadron maneuvers under service conditions, and it is only during these last two or threa years that the training under these conditions has really become effective Another and most necessary stride In advance is now beina taken. The battle fleet Is about starting by the Straits of Magellan to visit the Pacific. Coast. Sixteen battlenhlps are going nnder the command of Rear-Admiral Evans, while eight armored cruisers and two other battls shlps will meet him at Ban - Francisco, whither certain torpedo destroyers are also, going. No fleet of such sirs has ever roads such a voyage, and It will bs of very great educational use to all engaged ln It. Tha only way by which to teach officers and men how to handle the fleet so as to meet every posible strain and emergency In time of war la to have them practice under similar con ditions ln time of peace. Moreover, the only way to find out our actual needs Is to per form ln time of pesos whatever maneuvers might be necessary In tlmeof war. After war is declared It Is too late to find out the needs; that means to Invite disaster. Thla trip to the Pacific will show what some of our needs are and will enable us to provlda for them. The proper place for an officer to learn his duty Is at sea, and the only way In which a navy can ever be made efficient Is by practice at sea. under all the conditions which would have to be met if war existed. If all that ought to be dona cannot now I be done, at least let a beginning be mads. is safe to say that the deaths due to Indus- ln mr last thre9 ann,ual 1me"8ageln1! trial accidents aggregate in the neighbor hood of 20.000 a year. Such a record makes the death rate in all our foreign wars ut terly trivial by comparison. The number of deaths In battle in all the foreign wars put together, for the last century and a quarter, aggregate considerably less than one year's death record for our Industries A mere glance at these figures Is sufficient to show the absurdity of tha outcry against mlittar ism a specln.1 message to the last Congress, tha necessity for legislation that will cause of ficers of the line of the Navy to reach tha grades of captain and rear-admiral at less advanced ages and which will cause them to have more sea training and experience In the highly responsible duties of thosa grades, so that they may become thoroughly skillful la handling battleships, divisions, squadrons and fleets in action, has been fully explained and urgent'y recommended. The Medical Corps should be much larger : Won thls subject the Secretary of the Nary than the needs of our regular Army in war. has submitted aetauea ana aennite recom- Yet at present it Is smaller than the needs mendations which have received my ap- of the service demand een in peace. The rroval, and which, If enacted Into law. Spanish War occurred less than ten years will accomplish what Is Immediately ago. The chief loss we suffered in it was sary and will, as compared with ex"t'nir by disease among the regiments which never law, make a saving of more than $3,(r00,00y left the country. At the moment the Nation , during the next seven years. seemed deeply Impressed by this fact; yet seemingly It has already been forgotten, for not the slightest effort has been made to prepare a medical corps of sufficient size to prevent the repetition of the same dis aster on a much larger scale if we should ever be engaged in a serious conflict. The trouble In the Spanish War was not with the then existing officials of the War De partment; It was with the representatives of the people as a whole who, for the pre ceding 35 years, had declined to make the necessary provision for the Army. Unless ample provision is now made by Congress to put the Medical Corps where it should be put disaster in the next war is inevitable model employer. It should demand the I lantlc and Gulf States, where It should go highest quality of service from each of Its hand In hand with the reclnm.itinn nf employes ana It shouia care for all or swamp land. The Federal Government them properly in return. Coneress should adopt legislation providing limited hut defi nite compensation for accidents to ail work men within the scope of the Federal powen. Including employes of navy-yards and arsenals. In other words, a model em ployers' liability act, far-reaching and should seriously devote itself to this task realizing that utilization of waterway and waterpower. forestry, irrigation and the re clamatlon of lands threatened with overflow- are all Interdependent parts of the same promem. 1 he work of the Reclamation thornuehrolnu- Hhould he enacted which I Service In developing the larger opportuni should apply to all positions, public and I ties of the western half of our country for private, over which the National Govern- I irrigation is more Important than almost ment has Jurisdiction. The number of acci- I any other movement. The constant purpose dents to wage-workers. Including those thai I of the Government ln connection with the are preventable ana tnose mat are not, nas Reclamation Service has been, to use the become appalling in the mechanical, manu- water resources of the. public lands for the rnctiirtnir ami traTiamtrtnti,tn ,it,rflrlna r.fl..,., ... - -. " I ultimate greatest -gooa or the greatest num- th. day. It works grim hardship to. the L. ?h.r i.rVi. f., . permanent home-makers, to use and de- ordlnaty wage-woiker ad his family to have th. uffut or, ...,IA.nt fall .nl.l uoon hkm: and on the other hand, there 'eloP " for themselves and for their chi are whole classes of attorneys who exist dren and children's children. There has onlv bv Inciting men who mav r mav not I been, of course, opposition, to this work have been wronged to undertake suits for I opposition from some interested men who negligence, , I desire to exhaust the land for their own As a mattev of fact a suit for negligence I immediate proilt without retard to the wel Is generally an Inadequate remedy for the fare of the next generation, and opposition person injured, while it often causes alto- from honest and well-meaning men who did gether disproportionate annoyance to the not fully understand the subject or who did employer. The law should be made such not look far enough ahead. This opposition that the payment for accidents by the em- j, j thlnk, d5ln away- and ' " , ployer would be automatic instead of being .?. ' , , t . a matter for lawsuits. Workmen should "JLJ J. ' ?. - J1 . .,,JD, ullt"" receive certain and definite compensation for all accidents In Industry irrespective of negligence. The employer is the agent of the pubjlc and on his own responsibility and for his own profit he serves the public. When he starts in motion agencies which create risks for others, he should take all the ordinary and extraordinary risks in volved,; and the risk he thus at the moment assumes will ultimately be assumed, as It ought to be, by the general public. Only wrong to allow a few Individuals to ex haust for their own temporary personal proilt the resources which ought to be de veloped through use so as to be conserved for the permanent common advantage of the people as a w noie. PUBLIC LANDS. The effort of the Government to deal with the public land has been based upon the same principle as that of the Reclamation Service. The land law system which was In thla wav can Ih. ahnclc r,f the acci .1 ent " :u ,u l" neeas or tne lett'.ie te diffused, instead of falling upon the m-n V . . . K . n ' ne MK1"' . on i. .i.i. . v.. a it t. ,, I nu.i liiiiceiy uroKcn aown when ui case. The community at larx'e should share ',!led to ,he dryer regions of the great th burdens n well as tha linnerita of In. ""'"" iii"uuimii nu mucn or me dustry. By the proposed law, employers would gain a desirable certainty of obli gation and get rid of litigation to deter mine It, while the workman and his fam ily would ,be relieved from a crushing load Pacific Slope, where a farm of HK acres is Inadequate for self-support. In these regions the system lent itself to fraud, and much land passed out of the hands of the Government without passing into the hands With such a policy would come increased ?f ,thf home-maker The Department of the care, and accidents would number. reduced ln interior and the Department of Justice Joined ln prosecuting the offenders against The Congress should consider the extension iV,,!?'. .Rnd .hey 5aV,' accomplished much while where the administration of the law has been defective it has been changed But the laws themselves are defective Three years ago a public lands commission was appointed to scrutinize the law. and de- Their ex- of the eight-hour law. The constitutionally of the present law has recently been called Into question, and the Surreme Court has dealded that the existing legislation is un n,,Atlnnahlv n-lthln th ...-.uera nf lha frn - I " ' 1 " Th. n,in,.ii. r .... ei-ht-hoor n., ,er"' Bna recommend a remedy should as rapidly and as far as practicable be extended to the entire work carried on by the Government; and the present law should be amended to embrace contracts on those public works which the. present word ing of the act has been construed to ex clude. The general Introduction of the eight-hour day should he the goal toward amination specifically showed 'he existence or great fraud upon the public domain, ami their recommendations for changes in the 'aw were made with the design of conserv ing the natural resources of every part of the public lands by putting it to its best use. Especial attention was called to the pre vention or settlement by the which we should steadily tend, and the ll"'," . nf ;,h 7A 1 JIa . . .11, "I .... mm.nt .ni th. .v... i ,i. reat r,as of public land Into the hands or Government should set the example In this respect. few men, and to the enormous waste Compulsory Inve.tlg-.lon of I.dtrf.! Disputes, Strikes and lockouts, with their attendant loss and suffering continue te Increase. For the five year ending December 31. UK3, the number of strikes was greater than those In any previous ten years and was double the number In the preceding five years Public Lands commission are sound, f r they are especially In the interest of the actual home-maker; and where the small home-maker cannot at present utilize the land they provide that the Government shall keep control of It so that it may not be monopolized by a few men. The Congress tr,uT t ft- ft i tia t J T, th. 7- JZ J,.' . u .i and the responsibility will not He with those I commend 10 the favorabje Con-ideratlon , , f War Department. but of the Congress a l".sti. savings bank sys- .,,,, ,L.' j;.u , rt.ciin. tn mit tha a-, . ,a. . , - I '"'",'- i " ' 1 J m .T . m.phin., a i lnes not jet actea upon these recommends thla class of disturbances In the Interest alike of the employer, the employs snd ths general public. I renew my previous recom mendation that ths Congress favorably con sider ths matter of creating ths machinery tor emaulsery lavesttgatloa of suck la- tions; but they are so Just and proper, so essential to our National welfare, that I feel confident. If the Congress will take time to consider them, that they will ulti mately be adopted. FORESTS. Optimism Is a good characteristic, but tf tern, as recommen-ted by the Postmaster- General. The primary object is to encourage among our people economy arid thrift, and oy the use of postal savings banks to give them an opportunity to husband their resources. particularly those who have not the facili ties at hand for depositing their money In savlmrs banks. Viewed, however, from the experience of the pact few weeks, it Is evi dent that the advantages of such an nsti tltlon are' still more far-reaching. Timid depositors have withdrawn their savings for tne time beir.g from National banks, trust companies and savings banks; individuals have hoarded their cash and the working men their earnings; all of which money has been withheld and kept in hiding or in the sure deposit box to the detriment or pros perity. Through the agency of the postal savings banks such money would be stored to the channels of trade, to the mu tual beieflt of capital and labor. I further commend to the Congreaa the con slderation cf the rstinater-15bneral s recjm mendatlon for the extension of the parcel; post, especially on the rural routes. There are now 3S.215 rural routes, serving nearly la.OtKi.OOO people who do not have the ad vantages of the inhabitants of cities in ob taining thtir supplies. These recommendations hove been drawn up to benefit the farmer and the country shoitkeeoer: otherwise. I should not favor them, for I believe that it is good policy for our Government to do everything poasiible to aid the small town and the country district. It is desirable that the country merchant should not be crushed out. OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma ' has become a state, standing on full equality with her elder sisters, and her future is asBiired by her great natural re source.". The duty of the National Govern ment to guard the personal and property rights of the Indians within her borders remains of course unchanged. ALASKA. I reitcr.ite my recommendations of last year as regards Alaska. Some form of local self government should be provided, as simple and Inexpensive a possible; it is impossible for the Cong'ess to devote the necessary time to all the little details of necessary Alaskan legislation. Uoad building and railway build ing should he encouraged. The Governor of Alaska should be given an ample appropriation wherew ith to orc.inize a force to reserve the public peace. Whisky selling to the natives (should be made a felony. The coal land laws should be changed so as to meet the peculiar needs of the territory. This should be at tended to st once; for the present laws jermlt individuals to locate large areas of the pub lic domain ror speculative purposes, and cause an Immense amount of trouble, fraud snd llticatlon. There should be another Ju dicial division established. As early as p slble lighthouses and buoys should be estab lished as aids to navigat'on. especially In and about Prince William- Sound, and the survey of the coast completed. There i nee-j of liberal appropriations for lighting ami buoy ing the southern coast and improving the aids to navigation in Southeastern Alaska. One of the great industries of Alaska, as of licet soun.1 ana tne Columbia, is salmon fishing. Gradually, by reason of lack of proper laws, this Industry is being ruined; It should now be taken in charge, and ef fectively protected, by the United States Government. . The couraee and enterprise of the cit!ens of the far Northwest In their projected Alaska-Yukon-Pactflc Imposition, to be held ln l'ttm. should receive liberal encouragement. This exposition is rot sentimental in Its concep tion. iut seeks to exploit the natural re sources of Alaska and to promote the com merce, trade and Industry of the Pacific States with their neighboring states and with our Insular possessions and the neighboring countriis of the Pacific. The exposition asks no loan from the Congress, but seeks appro priations for National exhibits and exhibits of the Western dcj-endenoles of the General Government. The State of Washington and ths city of Seattle have shown the character istic Western enterprise In large donations for the conduct of this exposition. In which other states sre les!.r r.nerous aoslstaics. HAWAII. The unfortunate lailure cf the shipping bill at ths last session of ths last Congress wss followed by th taking off of certain Pacific steamships, which has greatly hampered the with those who now decline to make the necessary provision, The Haarue. The second International peace Confer ence was convened at The Hague on tha 15th of June last and remained In session until the 18th of October. For the first time the representatives of practically all the civilized countries of the world united in a temperate and kindly discussion of tha methods by which the causes of war might be narrowed and Its Injurious effects re duced. Although the agreements reached ln th conference did not In any direction go t the length hoped for by the more sanguine, yet fn many directions important steps were taken, and upon every Subject oil tne pro gramme there was such full and consider I ate discussion as to Justify the belief that But the Medical Department Is not the only department for which increased pro- fu":,!r agreements in. in. lu.urs. t nir vision should be made. The rate of pay for the officers should be greatly Increased; there is no higher tyre of citizen than th American regular officer, and he should have a fair reward for his admirable work. There should be a relatively even greater Increase ln the pay for the enlisted men. An e-pecial provlglen should be made for estab lishing grades equivalent to these of war rant officers ln the Navy which shdtlld be open to the enlisted men who serve Suf ficiently long and who do their work well. Inducements should be offered sufficient to encourage really good men to make the Army a life occupation. The prime needs of our present Army is to secure and retain competent noncommissioned officers. This difficulty rests fundamentally on the ques tion of pay. The noncommissioned officer does not cor respond with an unskilled laborer; he corre sponds to the best type of skilled workman or to the subordinate official in civil lnsii tutlons. Wages have greatly increased in outside occupations in the last 41) years and the pay of the soldier, like the pay of the officers, should be proportionately increased The first sergeant of a company, if a good man. must be one of such executive and ndminlstative ability, and such knowledge of his trade, as to be worth far more than wo at present pay him. The same is true of the regimental sergeant major. The.e men should be men who had fully resolved to make the Army a life occupation and they should be able to look forward to leen Conventions were agreed upon embody ing the definite conclusions which had beet, reached, and resolutions were adopted mark ing the progress made ln matters upon which agreement was not yet sufficiently complete to make conventions practicable. Cuba. A year ago In consequence of a revolu tionary movement ln Cuba which threatened the Immediate return to chaos of the Isl and, the United States Intervened, sending down an army and establishing a provision al government under Governor Magoon. Ab solute quiet and prosperity have returned to the island because of this action. We are now taking steps to provide for elections in the Island and our expectation is within the coming year to be able to turn the island over again to a government chosen by the people thereof. Cuba is at our doors. It is not possible that this Nation should permit Cuba again to sink Into the condition from which we rescued It. All that we ask of the Cuban people Is that they be prosperous, that they govern them selves so as to bring content, order and progress to their Island, the Queen of the Antilles; and our only Interference has been and will ba to help them achieve these re sults. China. I ask for authority to re-form the agree- ' ment with China under which the indemnity of l'.tOO was fixed, by remitting and cancel ing the obligation of China for the pay- nmple reward; while only men properly ment of all that pr.rt of the stipulated in- qualified should be given a chance to secure I demnity w hlch is in excess of the sum of these final rewards. The Increase over the present pay need not be great In the lower grades for the first one or two enlistments, but the Increase should be marked for the noncommissioned officers of the upper grades who serve long enough to make It evident that they intend to stay perma nently in the Army, while additional pay should be given for high qualifications In target practice. Among the officers there should be se vere examinations to weed out the unfit up to the grade of Major. From that po sition on appointments should be solely bv selection and it should be understood that a man of merely average capacity could never get beyond the position of Major. while every man who serves In any grade a certain length rf time prior to promotion to the next grade without getting the pro motion to the next grade should be forth with retired. The practice marches and field maneuvers of the last two or three years have been Invaluable to the Army. They should be continued and extended. A rigid and not a perfunctory examination of physical capacity has been provided for the higher grade officers. This will work well. Unless an officer has a good physique, unless he can stand hardship, ride well, and walk fnlily, he Is not fit for any position, even after he has become a Colonel. Before he has beer me a Colonel the need for physical fitness in the officer Is almost as great as in the enlisted man. I hope speedily to see Introduced Into the Army a far more rigid and thoroughgoing test of horsemanship for all field officers than at present. There should be a Chief of Cavalry Just as there Is a Chief of Artillery. 1'erhaps the most important of all legis lation needed for the benefit of the Army is a law to equalize and Increase the pay of efficers and enlisted men of the Army. Navy, Marine Corps, and Kevenue-Cuttor service Such a bill has been prepared. which It is hoped will meet with your favorable consideration. The next most essential measure Is to authorize a number of extra officers as mentaloned above. To make th Army more attractive to enlisted men. It is absolutely essential to create a service corps, such as exists in nearly every modern army in the world, to lo the skilled and unskilled labor. Inseparably connected with military adralnlstratloa, which Is now $11,003,402.60. and interest at 4 per cent. After the rescue of the foreign legations In Pekin during the Boxer troubles ln 1'XK) the rowers required from China tha payment of equitable Indemnities to the several nations, and the- final protocol un der which the troops were withdrawn, signed at Pekin. September 7. 1SHH, fixed the amount of this indemnity allotted to the United States at over $20,000,000. and China paid, up to and including the 1st day of June, last, a little over $t!.',000. It was the first intention cf this Govern ment at the proper time, when all claims had been presented and all expenses ascer tained as fully as possible, to revise the estimates and account, and as a proof of sincere friendship for China voluntarily te release that country from its legal liability for all payments in ex-ess of the sum which, should prove to be necessary for actual Indemnity to the United States and Its citi zens. Chines Students. This Nation should help in every prac ticable way in the education of the Chinese people, so that ths vast and populous Em pire of China may gradually adapt Itself to modern conditions. One way of doing this is by promoting the coming of Chinese stu dents to this country and making it at tractive to them tn take courses at our uni versities and higher educational Institutions, Our educator should, so far as possible, take concerted action toward this end. Intem.itionul lliirmu ot American Republics One of the results of the Pan-American Conference at Rio Janeiro in ths Summer of IP06 has been a great Increase in ths activity and usefulness of the International Bureau of American Republics That In stitution, which Includes all ths Amerlcsn Republics in Its membership snd brings all their representatives together. Is doing a really v.-.IuaMe work in mrormirg ine peo ple of the United States about the oth.r Republics and ln making the United States known to th-m. Its action Is now limited bv appropriations determined when It was doing a work on a much smaller seals and rendering much less valuable service. I re.-ommend that ths contribution of this Government to ths expenses of ths bureau be made commensurate with Its to.cr.asa4 work. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Ths White House, Decsmbsr t, 180T. 1