HESUME OF MESSAGE
President’s Communication Is
Conservative Document.
AIMS TO PLEASE ALL CLASSES
'Would Daisy Tariff Logltlotlon Until
Aftor tha Praaldantlal Election—
Wonts Curroncy Chang««.
N# nat loo
g r e a t e r resource# than oura.
wa d I think It can ha t r u th f u lly said that
tha d M io n a a f no nation posse»« g r e a t s r an
• t n v and iad ua trlal a b ili ty
In no nation
ara tha fu n d a m e n t a l
business
c on d itio n *
aoundar t h i n In oura at th l* vary m o m e n t,
and It la foolish, whan such 1* tha raa*. fot
people to hoar d
m oney Inatead o f k**plr>K
It In sound banka; f o r It I* such hoarding
that la tha irnin rd lala o « « a * l o n o f m oney
s trin g e n c y M oreover, ae a rule, tha business
o f our people la conducted with honesty and
probity, and thla applies a lik e to f a r m « and
factorlaa. to railroads and banka, to all uur
la g ltlm a ta c o m m e r c ia l antarprlaaa
In tha eff o rt to puiitan the g u ilty It Is
both wlaa and prope r to e n d e a v o r eo f a r as
possible to m in im is e the distress of those
who h a v e been misled by tha gu ilt y
Yet
It la not possible to r e fr a in because of surb
distress f r o m s triv in g to put an end to the
m is de eds th at ara the ult imat a cause* o f tho
suffering, and. as a me ans to thla and. where
possible to punleh those responsible for
them.
T h e r e m a y ba honest d iffer en ces of
opinion as to m a n y G ovs rn rn sntal policies,
but surely there can be no aurh different es
as to the need o f unflinching per seve ra nce
tn tha wa r ag ainst tu< easeful dishonesty.
I N T K I I M T A T K F O R M E R ! tC.
N o s m a ll part o f the trouble that * •
h a v e c om es f r o m c a r r y in g to an e x t re m e
th e N a tio n a l v irt u e o f s e l f • reliance, of Inde
p e n d e n c * in In itia tiv e and action.
It Is
w|aa to con ser ve this virtu e and to provide
f o r Its fullest e le r r ls e , c o m p a tib le with •*•*-
l o g that lib ert y does not become a liberty
to w r o n g others
t' n fo rt u n a t e ly . this is the
bin d of liberty that tha lack of all rffe<ti\.
re gu la ti o n In evitab ly breeds
T h e founders
o f tha Constitution p ro vid ed that the Na
t l o n a l * G o v e rn m e n t should hav e com plete
a n d sola con tro l o f Intarstate c o m m e r c e
T h e r a waa then p ra c tic a lly no Interstate
business save such as was conducted by
w a te r, and this the Na ti o n al G o ve rn m e n t a»
o n ce proceeded to re gula te In th o ro u g h g oin g
and e ff e c tiv e fashion
Conditions hav e n o *
so w h o lly chan ge d that the Inters ta te com
«tierce by w a te r Is Insignificant com pa re d
w it h the am ount that go e « by land, and a l
most a ll hlg business con* * rn * are now en
wa ge d In In te rs ta te com m erce
A s a result.
It ran ha but p a r t ia lly and Im p e rfe c tly
c o n t ro l!« » ! r f re gu la te d by the action o f any
one o f the sever al states, such action In
e v l t a b l y te nding lo he e ith er too drastic or
elsa too lax. and In either case In effe ctiv e
f o r purpose* o f " Justice.
Only the Nation al
G o v e r n m e n t can In th o ro u g h g o in g fashion
e xe rc is e th e needed control
T h l * does noi
m e a n that there should be any extension of
F e d e r a l au th ority , f o r such au th o ri ty al
rs ad y
exists
under
the
Constitu tion
It
am ple st and most far «re achin g f o r m , t u 1
f t does m*iin that there should be an e x t e n
sion o f F i A i f f t l A f t l f U j
TbU is not .« i
v o c a t ln g centrallxatt< n.
It Is m e t e ly look
f n g fa. ts In the face, and r e a li s in g that
c en tr a lis a tio n In business has a lr e a d y corn*
and can n ot I*« avoided o r und«»ne. and that
tha public at lar ge can only p ro te ct Itself
f r o m c ertain e vil e ffe cts o f this business
c e n tr a lis a tio n by f r o v t d l n g bat ter m eth o d*
f o r the rs er cls e o f control th ro u gh th*
au th o rity alr ea d y centr alis ed in the Na tional
G o v e r n m e n t by tha Constitution Itself
P I KK FOOD LA W .
In c id e n ta lly . In the passage o f the pure-
f o o d law the action o f the various state
fo o d and d a iry com missio ner s s how ed In
s tr ik in g fashion how muen good f o r the
w h o le people reaulta f ro m the h e a r ty co
o pe ra ti o n o f the F e de ra l and state officials
In securing a gi v en reform.
It la p rim a r ily
to the action o f these state com m iss io n er*
th at wa o w e the e n a ct m e n t o f thla la w ;
f o r the y aroused the peopla. first to demand
tha an a ct m en t and e n fo rc e m e n t o f state
la w s on the auhjn t. and tr.-n I b l M A t t
m i n t o f tha F e d e ra l law, wit h ou t which
tha state laws
were
la r g e ly
In eff ec ti ve
T h e r a m u lt be the closest CO-opera!Ion b e
tw e e n the Na ti o n al nnd stat e g o v ern m e n ts
In ad m in is te rin g these laws
CURRENCY.
In m y meaaaga to Congress a ye ar a g o I
a poke aa fo ll o w s on tha currency
I especially call your at te ntion to tha c o n
dit io n o f our currency laws.
T h e Na ti o n al
bank act has ab ly served a g re at purpose in
a id in g the enormous business dev elo p m e nt
o f the country, und within ten ye ar s there
has been an Increase in circu lation per c a p
i t a f r o m 921 41 to 933 08. Fo r sever al years
« v l d e n c e has been ac c um u lati n g th at add!
tlon al legislatio n Is needed
T h a recurrence
o f each crop season emphasises the d ef ec ts
o f tha present laws
T h e r a must goon be a
re vision o f them, because to le a v e them as
th e y ar e mean s to Incur liab ility o f business
d isa ster
Hinca yo u r body ad jo u rn e d there
has been a fluc tuatio n In the Interest on call
m o n e y f ro m 2 per cent to :n> per cent, and
tho flu ctu ation was even g r e a t e r durin g the
p re c e d in g six months
T h e S ec re ta ry o f the
T re a s u ry had to step !n and by w ise n* tlon
I>ut a stop to tha most violent period o f os
c illation .
E ve n worse than such fluctuation
Is the a d v an ce in c o m m er cia l ra tes and the
un c erta in ty felt In the s u ffl e n cy o f credit
« v e n at high ra tes
A l l c o m m e r c ia l Interests
au ff ar durin g each crop period
Excessive
ra te * f o r call m oney In N e w Y o rk attract
m o n e y f ro m the In terior banks Into the spec
ula ti v e f ie ld
T h is dep letea the fund that
w ou ld o th orw is e be a v a il a b le f o r c om m er cia l
uses, and c o m m e r c ia l bor ro wers are forced
to pay abn orm al rates, so that eac h Kali
at tax. In the shape o f Increased Interest
cha rg e s, Is placed on the whole c om mer ce
©f the country
Need for Im m ediate Action.
I again urge on the Congress the need of
Im m e d i a t e at te ntion to this m a tte r
We
need a g r e a t e r e la s tic ity In our currency;
p rovided , of course, th at we re co gn is e the
e v e n g r e a t e r need of u safe and secure rur
ran cy. T h e r e must a lw a y s be the mAst
r ig i d e x a m in a t io n by the N a tio n a l a u th o r
ities.
P ro vis io n should be m a de f o r an
e m e r g e n c y currency.
T h e e m e r g e n c y Issue
should, o f course, be m a d e with an e ff e c t i v e
gu a ra n t y, and upon cond itions c a r e fu lly p r e
scribed by the G ove rn m en t. Such e m e r g e n c y
Issue must be based on ad e qua te securities
a p p ro ve d by the G o ve rn m e n t and must be
Issued un der a h e a v y tax.
T h is wou ld per
m l t currenc y being Issued wh en tho d em a n d
f o r It wa s urgent, w h ile securing Its r e t i r e
m e n t as the d em a n d f e ll off. It Is wo rt h while
In v e s t ig a t in g to d et erm in e w h e th e r o ff ic e rs
an d d ire c to rs o f Nu tlo nal banks should
e v e r be allo w ed to loan to th em selves
T r u s t compa nies should bo subject
to the
s a m e supervision a « banks; legislatio n to
this e f f e c t should be enacted f o r the D is
tr ic t o f C olum bia and the T erritorie s.
T IIK T A R IF F .
T h la cou n tr y la d efin ite ly c o m m it t e d to
t h a p r o t e c t iv e syst em and any effo rt to
uproot It could not but cause widesp re ad In
d u s tr ia l disaster.
In oth er words, the p rin
c ip le o f the present ta riff law could not with
w is d o m be cha nged.
Jtut In a country of
• u rh phe n o m en a l g r o w t h as ours It Is prob
a b ly w e ll th a t e v e r y dozen years or to the
t a r i f f la w a should be c a r e f l l y acrutlnlxed so
as to see that no excessive or Im proper
benefits ar e con fer red thereby, th a t proper
re v e n u e Is p ro vid ed and th at our fo r eign
tr a d e la encouraged.
T h e r e must a lw a y s be
as a m in im u m a ta riff which w ill not only
a l l o w f o r the colle ctio n o f an a m p le revenue
but wh ic h w ill at least ma ke good the d i f
f e r e n c e In cost o f production here and
a b r o a d ; th a t la, tha differ en ce In th e labor
cost here and abroad, f o r the we ll being
o f tha w a g e - w o r k e r must a v e r be a car din al
poin t a f A m e r ic a n
policy.
The
question
should be approached pure ly f r o m a bull*
nese sta n d p o in t; both t o . tim e
and
the
mann er of the c h a n ge being such as to
arouse the m in im u m o f a g ita tio n and dis
tu rb an ce In the business world , and to ylvs
t tie
least
p la y
for
seifllah
and
fac
tional
m o tiv e s
The
sole
consideration
should
he
to see
that
the
sum
total
of
cha nge s
r#pr***r»t*
the public
good.
T his m e an « Dial tbs subject «tin not with
wis dom be dea lt wit h |n the year preceding
a President 1 ts I election« b «r u u * * as a matt er
o f fa c t experien ce has conclusively shown
that at eucp a tim e It Is Impossible to get
me n to tr ea t It f r o m the etandpolnt o f the
public goo d
in m y Judgment the wise tim e
to deal with the m a tte r Is Im m e d ia t e ly a fte r
such slsctlon.
E N t O M C E M K N T O F T i l l ; IJ b W .
A f e w years a g o there was loud c o m
plaint that the law could not be Invoked
against w e alt h y offe nder*. T h e r e Is no su' h
c o m p la in t now
T h e cou rse o f the D*
partrnent o f Justice durin g the last few
ye ars has l»«*n such as to ma ke It evid ent
that no man rt nnds s ho v e the law, that no
c or p o ra ti o n Is so w e a lt h y
that
It
cannot
l e held to account
T h e Depa rtment of
.lijsttc«’ has heen as prompt
to
proceed
ag ainst
tha we alth ie s t m a l e f a c t o r whose
cri m e was one of greed and ru nn in g as to
proceed ag ainst the a g ita t o r w h o Incites
to brutal violence.
E v e r y t h i n g that < an be
done under the e x is tin g law. and with th©
exis ti n g state o f public opinion, wh ic h eo
p ro fo un d ly influences tot*, the courts and
Juries, b e * been done.
Hut the l a w * t h e m
selves need s tr e n gth e n in g In m ore than one
Im p o rt a n t point . the y should be m a de more
definite, s i that no honest man r a r be
led u n w it tin g ly t » break them, and eo that
the re al w r on gd o er ra n he te a d ll y punished
IN JU N C TIO N S .
In sta n ce* of abuse In t h « g r a n t in g o f in
Junctions in labor disputes cont inue to o c
cur
and the re sen tmen t In the minds of
♦hose who feel that th eir r i g h t * are being
Invaded and their liberty o f ac tio n ami of
speech urc w a r r a n t a b ly restraine d con tinu e»
li k ew is e to gro w
Much «>f the a tta ck or.
the use of the process of injunction I* wholly
with ou t » m i rant, but I am con strain ed to
esp re s* the b elie f ( k i t f o r some o f It there
Is w a rra n t
T h l * question Is bec omin g
more and more one o f ptlrne Im portance,
and unless tbe courts will the m s elv es deal
wit h It in affec ti v e manner, it Is cert ain
u lt im a t e ly to dem a n d «»«»m* f o r m o f leg*
la tlve s e l l *n
It would be most unfnrtun
at# f o r our s o d a l w e lf a r e If we should
per m it m any honest and la w - a b id in g crlil-
xens to fesl th at they had Just cause fur
re g a r d in g our courts
wit h
hostility.
I
ear nest ly c o m m en d to the at te n ti o n of the
Congress this matt er, so that some wav
m a y be d ev ised wh ic h will limit the abuse
o f in ju n c ti o n » and protect those rig h ts which
f r o m ti m e to tim e it unw a r ra n ts h ly in v a d e .
Moreo ver , d isconten t Is often expressed with
kthe u*s of the pror.-ss of In ju nctio n by th ”
court*, not only In labor disputes, but where
» ( a t e la w s are concer ned
I r e fr a in from
d!t< usslon o f thl* quest ton a* I a m Informed
that It w ill soon re ce iv e tbs cons ideration
of the Huprsrne Court.
Qt K H T IO N N A F F E C T I N G L A B O R .
T h e N a tio n a l O o f #n i men t should be s
m o d el e m p l o j e r
It should d em a n d the
h t f h e » t q u a lit y o f serv ic e f ro m each o f It"
e m p lo y e s #nd It should care f o r all of
th em p ro pe rly In return
Congress should
adopt le gisla tio n p ro v id in g limited but defi
nite c om pen sa tion f o r accide nts to all work
men w ith in the scope o f the F e d e ra l power,
in cluding
e m p lo y e *
of
n a v y -y a r d s
and
a r s-n als
In oth er words, a model e m
ployers'
li ab il ity
act.
f a r - r e a c h in g
and
th o ro u g hg oin g, should be enacted
which
should apply to all positions, public and
prlxate. o ve r which tbe Na tio n a l Govern
fro nt has jur isd iction. T h e num ber o f a c c i
dents to w a g e - w o r k e r * . Including those that
a-a p re v e n t a b le and those that arc not, has
bec ome a p p a lli n g in th*» mecha nical, menu
factu rtng. and tr an sp ort a tion ope ra tio ns of
t tie day
It work s grim hardship to the
o rd in a ry w a g * w o r k e r a e d his f a m i l y to have
the effe ct o f such an accident fa ll solely
upon h im ; and. on the o th e r hand, there
are w h o le « la sse s o f at to rn eys w h o exist
o n ly by In citin g men wh o ma y or ma y not
h a v e been w r on ge d to un der take suits for
n eg li gen c e
T h e Congress should consider the extension
of tb e eigh t -hour law
T h e c onstit utio nality
of th# present la w has re ce n tly been called
Into question, and th * Hup re m« Co ur t ha»
dec ided that the exi s ti n g le gislatio n Is un
questionably within tha pow tm o f tt** Con
gress
T h e p iln c lp le o f the e ig h t-h o u r day
should as ra pidly and as f a r as pra ctl ra bl«
be exten ded to the entire work car ried on
by the G o v e r n m e n t ; and the present law
should l e amend* d In embr ac e con tra cts on
those public work s which the present w o r d
ing o f the a c t lias been construed to e x
clude.
T h e g e n era l Introduction of the
e ig h t - h o u r day should be the g o a l tow ar d
which we should stead ily tend, and tbe
G o v e r n m e n t should set the e x a m p le In this
respect.
Compulsory
In ie w tlg a tlo n
of
Industrial
Disputes.
Strikes and lockouts, wit h their atte nda nt
loss and suf fering continue to Increase. For
the five years end in g Dece m b er 31. 1905. the
num ber o f strik es was g r e a t e r than those
In an y prev io us ten ye ars and was diSuble
tbe n um ber In t h * prece ding five years
T hese figures Indicate the Im rc usU ig need
of p ro v id in g soma m ach in er y to dea l with
this c l * » * o f disturb anc es In the Interest
alik e o f the e m plo ye r, the e m p lo y e and the
g e n era l public
l renew my prev io us re co m
m e n d a tio n that th e Congress f a v o r a b ly c o n
sider the m a tte r o f c re atin g the m ach in er y
f o r com pu lso ry In v es ti ga ti o n o f such In
dustrial c on tro ve rs ies as ar e o f sufficient
m a g n it u d e and o f sufficient conc ern to the
people of the cou n tr y us a w h o le to warr ant
I he F e de ra l G o ve rn m e n t In ta k in g action.
Ca p it a l and laihor.
It Is certain that f o r some tim e to com e
there will be a constant Increase absolutely,
and perhaps re la t iv e ly , o f those a m o n g our
cltlxens wh o d w e ll in c l t l w or to w ns o f some
six* nnd who wo rk fo$ w a ge s
T h i s means
that th e r e will be an e v e r Increasing need
to con s id e r the p ro ble m s Inseparable f ro m a
g re at Industrial c ivil is a t io n W h e r e an I m
mense and c om ple x business, esp ec ially In
those branches re la t in g to m a n u fa ctu re and
transporatinn. Is tr an sa ct ed by a la r g e n um
ber
of
c ap ita lis ts
who
e m p lo y
a
very
much
la r g e r num ber
of
wa ge -earn er s,
the
form er
tend
more
and
more
to
c om bin e
Into corpo ra tio ns and
the
lat
ter
Into
unions
The
rela tion s
of
the
capita lis t
and
wage-worker
to one
an
other. and o f each to the ge n era l public, are
no l alw a x s easy to ad ju s t, and lo put them
and keep the m «m a s a tis fac to ry basis Is one
o f the most Im p o rt a n t and one o f the most
d e lic a t e tasks b efo re our whole civilisat ion.
Much o f the wo rk f o r the accom plis h m en t
o f th l* end must be done by the Individuals
concer ned themselves , w h e th e r sin g ly or In
c om bin atio n ; nnd th e one fu n d a m e n t a l fa c t
that must n ev e r be lost track o f la th at the
c h a r a c t e r o f the a v e r a g e man. w h e th e r he
be a man o f mean s or a man w h o works
wit h h i* hands. Is the most Im p o rt a n t fac to r
In s o lv in g the problem aright. Hut It Is a l
most equ a ll y Im p o rt a n t to re m e m b e r that
with ou t good laws It la also Impossible to
rench the proper solution*. It Is Idle to hold
th at w it h o u t go od laws evils such aa child
labor, ns the o v e r - w o r k i n g o f wo me n, as the
fa ilu re to pro te ct e m ploye s f r o m loss o f
Ilf© o r limb, can be e ff ec ti v e ly re ached, any
m ore than the e v il* o f rebates and stock-
w a t e r i n g can he re ac hed without good laws.
T o f a ll to stop these practices by legislation
means to force honest men Into them, be
cause o th e rw is e the dishonest w h o surely
will ta k e a d v a n t a g e o f the m will h a v e e v e r y
th in g th eir own way.
I f the stat es w il l c o r
rect these evi l« , we ll and g o o d ; but the
N a t io n must stand re ad y to aid them.
F a rm e rs and W a g e - W o r k e r s .
W h e n the D e p a rtm e n t o f A g r ic u lt u r e was
fou nde d th ere wns much sneerin g as to Its
usefulness.
N o d e p a r t m e n t o f the G o v e r n
ment, howeve r, has m ore e m p h a tic a lly v i n d i
cate d Its usefiilnesa, and none save the
Postof flc© D e p a r tm e n t comes so continu ally
and in tlm n t e ly in to touch w it h the people.
I he tw o cltlxens whose w e l f a r e Is In the
a g g r e g a t e most v ita l to the w e l f a r e of the
N a ti o n , nnd th e r e fo r e to the w e l f a r e o f all
oth er cltlxens, ar c the w a g e - w o r k e r who
does m a nu al labor and the ti ll e r o f the soli,
the fa r m e r .
T h e r e are, o f course, kinds of
labor w h e re the w o r k must be pure ly mental,
and th e re ar e o th e r kinds o f labor where,
under exi s ti n g conditions, v e ry litt le d e
m a nd Indeed Is m a d e upon the mind, though
I am gla d to say th at the pro po rt io n o f men
e n g a g e d In this kind of work Is d im in is h in *
Hut
In any c o m m u n ity w it h
the solid,
h e a lt h y qu ali ties which m a ke up a really
g r e a t nation tha bulk o f the peop la should
do w o r k which calls for the exercise of both
body an d mind.
P ro gre ss can not p e r m a
nen tly exist in l h * ab an donm en t o f p h y si
cal labor, but In the d ev e lo p m e n t of p h y s i
cal labor, so th at It shall represent more
arid »nor* the w o rk o f the trained mind In
the tr ained body
Our school system Is g r a v e l y d e f e c t iv e In
so f a r as It puts a p rem iu m upon mere
li te r a r y tr ain in g and tends therefor«* *.o
train the boy a w a y fro m the f a r m and the
w o rk s h o p
N o th in g la more needed than
th * best ty pe o f Industrial
ruhool.
the
school f o r m e ch a n ic a l Induatrle* if, the city,
the school f o r p ra c tic a lly te a c h in g a g r i c u l
ture In the c ou n tr y
T h e caJHn? o f the
"k ille d ti ll e r o f the soli, the « a i l i n g of the
» k i l l e d mechanic, should alike be r e c o g
nised as professions, Just as e m p h a tic a ll y
us the « alllriK" of la w ye r. d*»rtor, me rc ha nt
or dark .
T h * schools should re co gn is e this
fact and It should equ a lly be re cognised In
p op ula r opinbm
T h e youn g man who has
the f ar sigh te dn ess and cou rag e to recognise
It and to ge t o ve r the Idea that It m a k e « n
d lf fer en «’* w h e th e r what he earns Is called
s ala ry or w a g * « , an«! who refuses to enter
the c ro w d ed fle|«l o f the »««-called profes
«Ions, and ta k « a to con stru ctive industry in
stead. Is te as o n ab ly sure o f an am ple r«-*
wa rd In earn in g«. In health. In opportu nity
lo m a r r y early, and to establish a home with
a f a ir amount of free d o m f r o m worry.
It
should be one o f our prime o b je c ts to put
both the f a r m e r and the me ch anic on a
h ig h e r p lan* o f e fficie n cy and re wa rd, sc
ns to ln« rease th e ir effectlve neaa In the e c o
n om ic world, and th e re fo re the «Signify,
the rrm un er aiton. and the p o w e r of their
positions In the social world
T h e graln -pro d ii« Ing
industry
of
the
country, «»ne o f the most Im p o rt a n t In the
f o i l e d Htates. deserve# special
consider*
at!«»n at the hands of the Congress.
Our
gra in 1« sold alm os t exclu sivel y by gra des
T o secure s a tis fa c to ry results Ln our horn«
m a rk e ts and t«> fa« Dilute our trad e abroad,
thee*- gra«les should a p p r o x im a te the h i g h
est d'-gree o f u n if o r m ity ami « erta lnty . T h e
p r * e «n t d ivers e m e t h o d « o f Inspection an«!
g r a d in g th ro u gh ou t the country un«!*r d i f
ferent Jaws and boards, result In c o n f u
sion and lack o f un iform ity, d e s tr o yin g t h G
confidence whl«'h Is necessary f o r h e a lt h
ful trade
C o m p la in t* against the present
m eth ods hav e continu ed f o r ye ar s and they
r*r* g r o w in g In v o lu m e and Intensity, not
only In thl# cou n tr y but abroad
1 there*
f«»r* suggest to the Congress the a d v is
a b il it y of a N a tio n a l system o f inspection
and g r a d in g o f gra in enter in g Into I n te r
state and fo r e ig n c om m er ce at a remedy
f o r the present e vils
R E C LA M A TIO N WORK.
I r r ig a t io n should be far m ore e xten s iv e ly
d*v*l«#p*«I than at present, not o n ly In the
stat es of the g re a t plains and the R oc k y
Mountains, but In m a n y others, as. for :n-
« t u n e . In la r g e p«>rtlona of the youth A t
lantic and G u lf Htates. where It should go
hand In hand w it h
the
reclamat io n
of
swamp
land
Th*
F ede ra l
G o ve rn m en t
should seriously d ev o te Itself to this task,
re a li s in g that ut ilisation «if w a te rw a y s and
wa terp ow er , fore stry , irr igati o n and the re*
«tarnation of lands th re at en ed wit h overflow,
ar e all In te rd ep end ent parts o f the same
problem.
T h e w o rk o f
the
R ec la m a ti o n
S e r v b e In d e v e lo p in g the la r g e r opp ortuni
ties o f the western h a lf of our country for
Ir r ig a t io n Is m o r * Im portant than almost
any oth er m o v em e n t
T h# constant purpose
o f the G o ve rn m e n t In connect ion with the
R e c la m a tio n Hervlce has been to use tlyi
Water resources o f the public lands f o r the
u lt im a t e gr eat es t g«»od o f the gre ates t n u m
ber; In o th e r words. t«> put upon the land
p er m an en t h o m e m a k e r s , to use and d e
v elop It f o r the m s elv es and for their c h i l
dren and c hil d re n 's children
T h e r e has
been, o f course, opposition to this w o r k ;
opposition fron t som e Interested men who
«leslre to exhaust the land f o r th eir own
im m e d ia te profit with ou t re g a r d to the w e l
fare of the next ge neration, and opposition
f r o m honest and w e ll- m e a n in g men wh o did
not fully understand the subject or who dl«l
not look f a r enough ahead
T h is opposition
Is. I think d yin g aw ay , and our people are
un der standin g th a t It would
be
ut terly
wron g to allo w a few In divid uals to e x
haust f o r th eir o w n
te m p o r a r y
personal
pr««flt the re source« which ough t to be d e
veloped through use so a* to be conserved
f o r the p er m an en t c om m o n a d v a n t a g e of the
people as a whole.
w ill be either r/holiy n es t.o ye d,
dam
ag ed that ma ny d * « a d * s h a v e to pass b efo re
• rreetlv ? use can be m a de o f th e m again A l l
th*'«* facts are ao obvious th a i It is * x t r a -
o<d in ary that It should be necessary to r e
peat them
*H course to r h e ' k the waste o f ti m be r
me ans that there must b* on the part o f the
public the a r u e p t e n « « o f a te m p o r a r y r e
striction In the lavish use of the timber, In
o r d * r to prevent the to tal loss o f this use
In the future.
T h e r e are p le n ty o f men In
public and p riv a te life wh o a c t u a lly a d v o -
c a te th * con tinu an ce o f the present sys tem
o f unchecked and wa st ef ul e x t ra v a g a n c e ,
using a » an a r g u m e n t the fac t that to check
It will o f « o urs * mean in te rfe re n c e with the
ease and c o m fo r t of certa in people wh o now
get lumber at less coat, than th e y ou gh t to
pay. at the expense of the futu re g e n e r a
tion*
Home o f these p*rs««ns a c tu a ll y d e
mand that the present forest re serves be
th ro w n open to destruction, because, f o r
sooth. the y think that th e re by the pric e of
lumber could b* put dow n again f o r t w o or
three or m o re years.
T h e i r at tit u d e Is p re
cisely Ilk * that o f an
agitator
pro te st ing
aga nst the o u t la y o f m o n e y by f a r m e r s on
manu re and In ta k in g c ar e o f thair farm s
g e n e r a lly
M IN E R A L LAN D *.
In th# eastern I n lt *d ftlates the mineral
fue ls h av e a lr e a d y passed Into the hands o f
la rge p riv a te owners, and those o f the Yveat
ar e rapidly f o l l o w in g
It is obv lo u* that
these fuels should be conser ved and n«-t
wa sted, and It would be we ll to prote«*t the
people
against
unjust
and
e x t o rtio n a t e
price*, so far as that « a n still be done W h a t
has been accom pli sh ed In the g re at oil fields
o f the Ind ian T e r r i t o r y by the actio n o f the
A d m in is tr a ti o n , off e rs »• «♦ r ik '. n * e x a m p le o f
the goo d results o f such a policy
In my
Judgment the G o v e rn m e n t shou ld h av e the
rig h t to k *e p the fee o f the coal, oil and gas
fields In Its own poshes-ion and to lease the
righ ts to d e v e lo p the m under proper r e g u l a
tions; o r els«. If the Congress will not ad««pt
this method
the coal dep osits should be
sold un d-r lim itations, to con ser ve th e m as
public Utilities, the r l r h t to mine coxl being
separated fro m the title to the soil
The
re gu la tion s should p erm it coal lands to b*i
w o rk *d In sufficient q u a n tit y by th e s ev er al
corporations.
T h e present lim itati o n s hav e
been absurd, excess ive and s erv e no useful
purpose gnd oft en re n der It necessary th at
there should be e l t h “ r frau d or else a b a n
d on m e n t o f the work o f g e t t in g out th©
coal
TH E PAN A M A CANAL.
W o r k on the p m i m i Canal la p ro ree d »n g
In a h ig h ly ©a tt *fa «t o ry m a nn er In M ar h
last. J«»hn F. Hteven*. cha irm a n
of
the
Commission, and c h ie f engineer, resigned,
and the Go m m ls Go n was re o rg an iz ed and
constituted aa fo llo w s
Lieute n an t- C olo n el
G e or ge W
Ooethals. Corps of Engineers.
United Hta»e# A r m y , c h a ir m a n and c h ie f
eng ine e r. M a jo r D D GalDard. «*orps of
Engineers. United States A r m y . M a jo r W i l
lia m L Hlbert. Corps o f Engineers. United
States A r m y ; C iv il E n g in e e r H H. R o u s
seau. Un ited States N a v y ; J C- 8 B l a c k
burn; Colonel W C. Gorges. Un ited S ta te «
Ar m y, and Jack son Smith.
Commission ers
T his m a n g e o f au th o ri ty and d ir ec ti o n went
into e ff e c t on A p ril l, with ou t causing a p e r
ceptible check In the progress o f the work.
P O t f T A L A I- FA IR **.
I c«>mmend lo the favorable consideration
o f the Congress» a postal savings bank sys
tem. as recommendhd by the Postmazt«-r-
General.
The primary object la to encourag«
among our people economy and thrift, and oy
the use of postal savings banks to giv e them
*n opportunity to husband their resour^s.
particularly th«^«ae who have not the fac il i
ties at hand for depositing their money In
aavlnrs banks.
Viewed, however, from the
*xperlence o f the pajrt few weeks. It is e v i
dent that the advantages of such an inatl-
t it ion are still more far-reaching
Timid
dep«j*itors have withdrawn their savings for
th* time being from National banks, trust
companies and
saving©
banka.
individuals
have h«*arded their cash and the w«»rklng
men their earnings; ail of which money has
b«en withheld and kept In hiding or in the
safe depoelt box to the detriment o f pros
perity.
Through the agency of tbe postal
saving* banka such money would be re
stored to the channels o f trad«, to the mu
tual benefit of capital and labor.
1 further commend to the Cqngrsse the con
sideration of the Uostm.aHter-GeneraVa recom
mendation for th# extension of the parcel©
PUBLIC LA N D *
poet, especially on the rural routes.
There
T h e effort o f the G o v e rn m e n t to dea l with
are now H8.215 rural routes, serv in g nearly
tha public land lias been based upon the
15.000.00» people who do not have the ad
'»am© principle as that o f the R ec la m a ti o n
vantages of the inhabitants o f cities In ob
Service
T h * land law s ys tem which was taining their supplies
These recommendations
have been drawn up to benefit the farmer
d es ign ed to meet the needs o f (h e fe rt il e
I
and w *11-w at «»red regions o f
the
M iddle and the country shopkeeper; otherwise.
W es t has la r g e l y broken d o w n when a p should not favor them, for I believe that it
is
good
policy
for
our
Government
to
do
plied to the d r y e r regions o f
the
g re at
plains, the mount ains and much of the everything p<«**1ble to aid the small town and
It is desirable that the
Pacific Slope, w h e re a f a r m o f 100 acres Is the country district.
in ad eq ua te
for
self-support.
In
these country merchant should not be crushed out.
OKLAHOM A.
regions the s ys tem lent It se lf to fraud, and
Oklahoma has become a state, standing on
much land passed out o f the hands o f the
G o ve rn m e n t with ou t passing Into the hands a full equality with her elder sisters, and her
future la assured by her great natural re-
o f the home m a k e r
T h e D e p a rtm e n t o f the sour«'e©.
The duty o f the Xationa4 Govern
I n te rio r and the
D e p a rtm e n t
of
Justice ment to guard the personal and property rights
Joined In prose cu tin g the o ffe nders ag ainst of the Indians within her border# letnains of
the la w ; and th ey hav e ac com plis h ed much, course unchanged.
w h ile wh ere the a d m in is tr a ti o n o f the la w
A LASK A.
has been d e f e c t i v e It has been changed.
I reiterate my recommendation© of last year
Hut the law s th em selves
ar e
d efec tive.
a» regard.« Alaska.
Some form of local self-
T h r e e year s a g o a public lands com mission government should be provided, as simple
was appointed to scrutinise th e law. and d e and inexpensive a© possible; it i© Impossible
feats. an«l re c o m m e n d a rem edy.
T h e i r e x for the Congress to devote the neceesai^ time
am in a ti o n spe cifically s how ed the existence to all the little details o f necessary Alaskan
o f g re at fr au d upon the public domain, and legislation.
Road building and railw ay build
The Governor of
th e ir re c o m m e n d a tio n * f o r cha nge s In the ing should be encouraged.
law- were m a de w it h the d es ign o f c o n s e r v Alaska should be given an ample appropriation
in g the natural resources o f e v e r y part o f wherewith to organize a force to preserve the
Whigky selling to tbe natives
the public lands by pu tt in g It to its best public peace.
should t«e made a felony. The coal land laws
us*.
should be changed so a© to meet the peculiar
Especial a tte n ti o n was c alle d to the p r e need© of th© territory
This should be a t
vention o f s et tle m e n t by the
passage
of tended to at once; for the present laws permit
g re at areas o f public land in to the hands or Individuals to locate large areas of the pub
i f«*w men. and to th© enorm ous wa ste
lic domain for speculative purpose©. anJ
nused by unrestricted g r a z i n g upon *h * cause an immense amount of trouble, fraud
open ra nge
T h e re co m m en d ati o n s o f the and litigation.
There should be another Ju
As ear l) a© pos
Public Lands Commission ar e sound, f o r dicial division established.
th ey are esp ec ially In th© Interest o f the sible lighthouses and buoys ©houid be estab
actu al h o m e - m a k e r ; and w h e r e the small lished as aid* to navigation, especially in and
h o m e - m a k e r can n ot at prese nt utilise the about Prince W illia m Sound, and the survey
There i© need of
land the y p r o v id e that the G o v e r n m e n t shall of the coast completed.
k ee p control o f It so th at It ma y not be liberal appropriation© for llgh tl a g and buoy
ing the southern coast and improving the
monopo liz ed by a f e w men.
T h e Congress aid# to navigation tn Southeastern Alaska
has not yet acte d upon these r e c o m m e n d a One of the great industries o f Alaska, as of
tions; but th e y ar e so Just and proper, so Puget Sound and the Columbia. Is salmon
essential to our National, welf are , that I fishing.
Gradually, by reason of lack of
fee l confident. If the Co ngr ess w il l ta ke
proper laws, this Industry I* being ruined;
tim e to consider them, th a t th ey w il l u lt i It should now be taken In charge, and e f
fec tively protected,
by the United State#
m a t e l y be adopted.
Government.
,
KORENTS.
The courage and enterpri©© o f th© citizens o f
O p tim is m is a good characteris tic , but If
carr ie d to an excess It bec omes foolishness. th© far Northwest In their projected A la sk a-
V> are prone to »p eak o f the resources of Yu kon-Pacific Exposition, to be held In 1009.
Thl©
this eountry as in ex hau st ible ; this Is not should receive liberal encouragement.
so. T h e m in e ra l we alt h o f the country, the exposition is not sentimental in it© concep
coal. Iron. oil. gas. and the like, does not tion. but seeks to exploit the natural re
re pr od uce Itself, and th e r e fo r e is certain sources o f Alaska and to promote the com
to be exhau sted u lt im a t e ly ; and w a s t e f u l merce, trade and Industry o f the Pacific
ness in d e a lin g w it h It to d a y means that States with their neighboring states and with
our d es ce n da n t« w il l feel the exhaustion a our insular poa©es«ions and th© neighboring
The exposition asks
ge n era ti o n or tw o b efore th e y oth erw is e countrl»© of the Pacific.
would.
But th ere are c ertain oth er form s no loan from the Congress, but seeks appro
priations
for
National
exhibits
exhibits
o f wa ste wh ic h could be e n t ir e ly stopped — of the Western dependencies o f and
the General
th e waste o f soil »by wa shin g, f o r Instance, Government.
Tbe State o f Was hington and
w hic h Is a m o n g the most dange ro us o f all the city o f Seattle have shown the cha racter
wa stes now In progress In the Un ited States, istic Western enterprise In large donation©
Is easily p re ventab le, so t h a t this present for the conduct of this exposition. In which
enormous loss o f f e r t ilit y Is e ntir e ly u n other state© are lending generous a©*tstaice.
necessary.
T h e p re s e rv a ti o n o r repla ce ment
A bureau o f mines should be created under
o f the for es ts Is «me o f th© most Im portant the control and direction of the Secretary of
me ans o f p re v e n t in g this loss.
W e hav e th© Interior; the bureau to have power to
m a d e a b e g in n in g In forest prese rvation, but collect statistics And make Investigation© in
It Is only a b egin n in g
A t present lu m b e r all matters pertaining to mining and par
in g Is the fo u rth gr eat es t Industry in the ticularly to the accidents and dangers o f tha
United Sta tes; nnd >et. so rapid has been the industry.
I f this cannot now be done, at
ra te o f exh aus tio n of tim b e r In th© United least additional appropriations should be given
S t a t e » In the past, and so ra p id ly Is tho the Interior Department to b© uoed for the
r e m a in d e r b eing exhausted, th a t the cou n study of mining conditions, for the prevention
tr y Is un questionably on the v e r g e o f a of frauduh'nt mining scheme©, for carrying
tim b e r fa m t n * wh ic h w il l b * f e lt In e ve ry on the work o f mapping the mining dlMlicta,
househ »Id In the land.
T h e r e has alr ea d y for studying method© for minimizing the ac
\ een a rise In the price o f lumber, but there cidents and danger© in th© Industry; in short,
Is certa in to be a more rapid and heavier to aid In all proper wa ys the development
o f the mining Industry.
rise In the future..
I call your e n e d a l attention to th© un-
T h e present annual consumption o f l u m
ber Is c e rt a in ly thre«» tim es as gr eat as the *atl©factory condition o f our foreign mail
service,
which, because o f th© lack o f A m e r i
annual g r o w t h ; and If the consumption and
Is now largely done
g r o w t h c on tlaue unchanged, p ra c ti c a lly all can stt atr.oMp line#
through
foreign lines, and which, particularly
our lu m be r w i l l be exhau ste d In anothe r
©o f a r as South and Central Am erica are
ge neration, w h ile long b e f o re the lim it to concerned, la don© In a manner which conatl-
c o m p le te exhaustion Is reach ed th© g ro w in g tutea a serious barrier to the extension of
scarcity w ill m a k e Itself f e lt In m any b l i g h t our commerce.
i n g w ays upon our Na ti o n al w-elfare. About
Not o n ly th e r e la not now. but there n e v e r
20 per cent o f our forest t e r r it o r y Is now r e has been, an y o t h e r nation in the w o r ld ao
serv ed In N a tio n a l for es ts; but these do not w h o lly tree f r o m tha e vils o f m ilit a r is m as
inclu de the most valu a ble t im b e r lands, Is ours.
T h e ra n ev e r has been an y o th e r
and In any eve nt the pro po rt ion Is too sm all la r ge nation, not even China, wh ic h f o r so
to expect th at the reserv es can accom plish long a period has had r e l a t i v e l y to Its n u m
m o re than a m it ig a t io n o f the trouble which bers so « m a ll a r e g u la r a r m y a* has oura.
la ahead f o r the Nation.
F a r more drastic
N e v e r at an y t im e In our histo ry has this
ac ti o n Is needed.
Forest© can b© lum bered Na tio n suffered f ro m m ilit a r is m or been In
so as to g iv e to the public th e full use of the re motest d a n g e r o f s uffe ri n g f ro m m i l i
th eir m e rc a n til e tim ber w it h o u t th© s l i g h t tarism.
N e v e r at any tlm© o f our hist ory
est d e t rim e n t to the forest, an y m o te than has tha re gu la r A r m y heen o f a size wh ic h
It is a d e t rim e n t to a f a r m to furnish a caused the s lig h te st ap p re ciable ta x upon
h ar vest ; so th at there Is no p a ra ll el betw een th© t a x p a y in g clttsena o f tha Nation.
A l
forest# and mines, which can only be c o m most a lw a y s It has been too s mall In size
p le t e ly used by exhaustion.
Out forests, if and underpaid.
N e v e r In our entlra histo ry
used as all our forests h a v e been used In has tha N a ti o n suffered In tha least p a r t ic u
tha past and aa most o f th e m ara still used. lar because too much « a r t hat be#n given tn
tha Arm y, too much pro min en ce gle an It«
too much money spent upon It or herausa is
ha* t>#*n too large
Hut again and again w©
hav e suffered because ©no igh car© has ©**
been gi v en to It, because It has been ton
srqjiil. her-au»© there has n«>t been sufficient
prepar atio n In ad v an ce for possible war.
E v e r y foreign w a r In which we h a v e en
g a ged has « ost us m a n y times the am ount,
which. If wisely expe nded «luring the p re c e d
ing years o f peace on the re gula r A r m y ,
would hav e Insured the w a r endin g In but a
fra ction o f tii© tim e and but f o r a fra c ti o n
o f the «-«>st that was a c tu a ll y th© case.
Aa
a Na ti o n we hav e a lw a y s been s ho rt sig hted »
In pro vid in g for tbe effi cie n cy o f the A r m y
In time o f pea«©. It is nobody's especial ln-
t * r * * t to m a k e such provision and no o n «
look* ahead to w a r at any period, no m a t
ter how remote, a* being a serious possi
b il ity ; w h il e an Improper economy, or r a t h
er nigga rdliness, can be pra ctic ed at the e x
pert** o f the A r m y with the c e rt a in ty th at
those p ra c ti c in g It will not be called to ac
count th ere for, but th at the pries will ba
paid by th© unfo rtu na te persons who h a p
pen to be In offic e when a war does ac tu all y
come
Th« Med ical Corps should bs much la r g e r
than the needs o f our re gu la r A r m y in war.
Ye t at present It I* s m a ll e r tha n the needs
o f the serv ic e dem and a . « n in pea«*#. T h e
Hpanixh W a r occurred less than ten years
ago
The
h le f loss we suffered In It was
by disease a m o n g th * r e g im e n ts which never
left the - ountry
A t the m o m e n t the N a tio n
seemed deeply Impressed by th l* f a c t ; yet
s e e m in g ly It has al rea dy been forgo tt e n , for
not the slightest effort has been m a de to
prepare a m edical corps o f sufficient size
to p re vent the repetition o f the same d is
aste r on a mu' h la r g e r s* ale If we should
e v e r be e n g age d In a serious conflict.
The
trouble In the n parl*h W a r w a * not w it h
ih e then exis ti n g offic ials of the W a r D e
p a r t m e n t ; it wa * with the re pres en tati ve*
«.•f the p*ople as a whole who, f o r the pre-
ce«1ln^ $5 year», had dec lin ed to m a k e th#
necessary provision for the A r m y .
Unless
amp e provision is now ma de by Congress
to put the M ed ical Corps where it should bs
put «!i*a^ter In the next wa r Is in ev ita ble,
and the responsibility will not lie wD h those
then in c ha rg e o f the W a r Depa rt m en t, but
w it h those who now d ec lin e to m a k e the
n © 'e«s a ry provision.
Rut the M ed ical D * r * r t m * n t la not t h «
o nly d ep artm e n t f o r w h k h increased p r o
vision should be made. T h e rats o f pay f o f
the officers should be
greatly
Inc re ase d;
there It no h ig h e r ty pe o f citizen than the
A m eric an re gu la r officer, ar.d he should
h a v e a fa ir re w a rd f o r his a d m ira b le work.
’7 ^ + rf. »bo uld be a r e la t iv e ly even g r e a t e r
Increase In the pay f o r the enlisted men All
e-pe cial provision should be ma de f o r e st a b
lishing grade s e q u iv a le n t to tho**- o f war*
rant officers in the N a v y which should he
open to the enlisted men who s er ve suf-
f l c i * r t l y long and who do their wo rk well.
Ind i* e m e n ts should be offered sufficient to
e n t o u ra g e re all y good men to m a k e the
A r m y s li f e occupation
T h e p ri m e needs
o f our present A r m y Is to » « c u r * and retain
c om pe tent noncommissioned officer*. T hla
d if fic u lt y rests f u n d a m e n t a lly on th# qu es
tion of psy
I' erhs p s the moat im p o rta n t o f all le g is
l a t e n needed f o r th * benefit o f the Arm y
1« a law to e qu aliz e and increase th e pay of
« ffi re rs and enlisted m*n o f the Arm y.
N a v y . M ari n e Corps, and Revenue-Cutte«
servic«
Such a bill has been
prepared,
which It is hoped w il l meet w it h yout
f a v o r a b le
consideration.
T h e nex t most
essential measure is to au thorise a number
o f e x t r a officers as m e nta lo ned above.
To
m a ke the A r m y more a t t r a c t iv e to enlisted
men. it is absolutely essential to c re a te a
s er vic e corps, such as exists In nea rl y e v e ry
mod ern a r m y In the world, te do th© skilled
ar.d unskilled labor. In sep ar ably connected
wit h m ilit a r y admin is tratio n, which is now
exacted, with out Just compensa tion, o f e n
listed men w h o v o lu n ta r ily en ter ed
the
A r m v to do ser vic e o f an a lt o g e t h e r d i f
feren t kind.
T h e r e are a number o f other
law’ s necesaary to ao o r g a n iz e the A r m y as
to p ro m o te It* effi cie n cy and f a c ilit a t e its
ra pid expans ion In ti m e o f w a r; but t h «
ab o ve ar e the most im portant.
The N a vy.
It was hoped T h * H a g u e C o n fe re n ce m ig h t
d *a l with (he qu estio n o f the lim it a tio n c f
a rm am *nts.
Bu t even b efo re it had as s e m
bled in to rm a l Inquiries had d ev elo p ed that
as re g a r d s n av al ar m am en ts , the o n ly ones
in which this eou n tr y had any Interest, i:
was hopeless to tr y to dev is e any plan for
which th ere wa s the slig htest possibility
o f securing as tent o f the nations g a th e r e d
at T h e Hag ue.
N o plan was even proposed
which would h av e had th e assent o f mors
than o f e fl rst-clasa p o w e r outside o f the
United State*.
T h e o nly plan that seemed
at all feasible, th at o f li m it in g the sis«
o f battleships, met w it h no f a v o r at all.
It Is evid ent, the re fore , th a t It is f o l l y for
this N a tio n to base an y hope o f securing
peace on any In te rn atio n a l a g r e e m e n t as ta
the lim it a tio n o f ar m am en ts .
Such b ein g
the f a c t it wo uld be most unwise f o r ua
to stop the up b uild ing o f our N a v y .
To
build one battlesh ip o f the best and m o s t
ad v a n c e d type a y e a r wo uld b a re ly keep
pur fle e t up to Its prese nt force.
T h is ta
not enough.
In m y ju d g m e n t, w e should
this y e a r p ro vid e f o r fou r battleships. B u t
it Is idle to build battles hips unless In
additio n to p r o v id in g th e men, an d tho
me ans f o r tho roug h tr ainin g, w s p ro vld a
the au xiliarie s f o r them, unleaa w e p ro
vide docks, th e c o a lin g stations, the c o l l i e r t
and supply ships th at th ey need.
W e ara
e x t r e m e l y deficient In c o a lin g stations and
docks on the Pacific, and this d eficiency
should not lo n g e r be p erm it te d to exist.
P le n t y o f to rp edo boats
and
des troye rs
should be built.
B o th on the A t la n t ic and
P acific coasts forti fic a ti o ns c f the best ty pe
should be p ro vid ed f o r a l l our g re a t e s t h a r
bors.
Until our battle fleet la much lar ger than
at present It ©hould never be split Into dq-
tachmvnt© so far apart that they could not
In
e ve n t
of
emergency
be
speed ily
united.
Our coast line Is on the P a
cific ju s t
as much
as on t h «
Atlan
tic
T h e interest s of California. O re go n
and Washington are as emphatically the In
terests o f the whole Union as those of Mains
and N e w York, of Loui©lana and Texas.
The battle fleet should now and then bs
moved to the Pacific. ju©t aa at other times
It ©hould be kept in the Atlantic.
When the
l©thmian Canal is built the transit of the
battle fleet from one ocean to the other will
be com paratively easy.
Until it Is built, 1
earnestly hope that the battle fleet will be
thus shifted between the two oceans every
year or two.
The mark©manship on all our
ships ha© improved phenomenally during the
laat fiv e years.
Until within the last tw o o r three years It
was not p<*slble to train a battle fleet In
squadron maneuvers under ©ervice condition©,
and it la only during these last two or three
years that the training under th*©e conditions
ha» really become e ff ec ti v e Another and most
necessary stride In advance
is now
being
taken.
The battle fleet Is about starting by
the Straits o f Magellan to visit the Pacific
CY>ast.
Sixteen battlewhlp© are going under
the command o f R ea r- Admiral Evans, while
f ig h t irmored cruisers and tw o other battle
ships will meet him
at
San
Francisco,
whither certain torpedo deetroyer* are also
going.
N o fleet o f such size has ever mads
such a voyage, and It will be of very great
educational use to all engaged in It.
The
only way by which to teach officers and men
how to handle the fleet so as to meet every
possible ©train and emergency In time o f war
Is to have them practice under similar con
ditions In time of peace.
Moreover, the only
wa y to find out our actual needs 1© to per
form In time of peace whatever maneuvers
might be necessary In time of war.
Afte r
w a r Is d ec lare d it la too late to find out
the needs: that means to Invite disaster. This
trip to the Pacific will show what some ol
our need© are and will enable u© to provide
for them.
The proper place for an officer
to learn his duty Is at sea, and the only way
In wh ic h a n a v y can e v e r b© mad© effic ie n t
la by practice at ©ea, under all th© conditions
whlon would have to b© met If w a r existed.
I f all th a t o u gh t to be done can n ot now
be done, at least let a b egin n in g ba mads.
In m y last th re e annual messages, and In
a apeclal message to the last Congress, tha
necess ity f o r le gisla tio n th at w il l cause o f
ficers o f th e line o f th e N a v y to re ac h th#
gra de s o f c ap ta in and r e a r - a d m ir a l at less
ad van ce d ages and w h ic h w il l cause th em
to h av e m o re sea t r a in in g and experien ce
In the h i g h ly responsible duties o f those
grades, ao that th ey m a y bec ome th o ro u g h ly
skil lf u l In han d li ng battleships, divisions,
squadrons and fle e ts in action, has been
fu lly explain ed and u r g e n t ly reco mm en ded .
Upon this subject the S ec re ta ry o f the Navy
has submitted detail e d and definite recom
m e nda tions which h a v e re ce iv ed m y ap
proval. and which. If ena cted into law ,
will accom plish w h a t Is I m m e d ia t e ly neces
sary and will, as c om pa re d w it h existing
law . m a k e a s a v in g o f m o re th an 95.000,00$
durin g th e next seven years.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Decs mbs# * lfOT.