OREGON CITY COURIER-HERALD, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1901.
In the arid states the only right to wa
ter which should be recognized Is that of
use. In Irrigation this right should at
tach to. the land reclaimed and be Insep
arable therefrom. Granting perpetual wa
ter rights to others than users, without
compensation to the public, is open to all
the objections which apply to giving away
perpetual franchises to the public utilities
of cities. A few of the Western States
have already recognized this, and have
Incorporated in their constitutions the
doctrine of perpetual state ownership of
water.
Nation's Aid Justified.
The benefits which have followed the
unaided development of the past Justify
the Nation's aid and co-operation in the
more difficult and important work yet to
be accomplished. Laws so vitally affect
ing homes as those which control the wa
ter supply will only be effective when
they have the sanction of the irrigators;
reforms can only be final and satisfactory
when they come through the enlighten
ment of the people most concerned. The
larger development, which National aid in
sures should, however, awaken in every
arid state the determination to make its
Irrigation system equal In Justice and ef
fectiveness that of any country In the
civilized world. " Nothing could be more
unwise than for isolated communities to
continue to learn everything experimen
tally, instead of profiting by what is al
ready known elsewhere. We are dealing
with a new and momentous question, In
the pregnant years while institutions are
forming, and what we do will affect not
only the present but future generations.
INSULAR MATTERS.
What Must Be Done to Develop
Hawaii.
In Hawaii our aim must be to develop
the territory on the traditional Ameri
can lines. We do not wish a region of
large estates tilled by cheap labor; we
wish a healthy American community of
men who themselves till the farms tHcy
own. All our legislation for the islands
should be shaped with this end in view;
the well-being of the average home-maker
must afford the true test of the healthy
deveiopment of the islands. The land
policy should as nearly as possible be
modeled on our homestead system.
Porto Rico.
It Is a pleasure to say that it Is hardly
more necessary to report as to Porto
Rico than as to any state or territory
within our continental limits. The isl
and is thriving as never before, and it is
being administered efficiently and honest
ly. Its people are now enjoying liberty
and order under the protection of the
United States, find upon this fact we con
gratulate them and ourselves. Their ma
terial welfare must be as carefully and
Jealously considered as the welfare of any
other portion of our country. We have
given them the great gift of free access
for their products to the markets of the
United States. I ask the attention of
the Congress to the need of legislation
concerning the public lands of Porto Rico.
Cuba,
In Cuba such progress has been made
toward putting the independent govern
ment of the Island, upon a firm footing
that before the present session of the Con
gress closes this will be an accomplished
fact. Cuba will then start as her own
tnlstress; and to the beautiful Queen of
the Antilles, as she unfolds this new page
of her destiny, we extend our heartiest
greetings and good wishes. Elsewhere I
have discussed the question of reciprocity.
In the case of Cuba, however, there are
weighty reasons of piorality and of Na
tional Interest why the policy should be
held to have a peculiar application, and I
most earnestly ask your attention to the
wisdom, indeed to the vital need, of pro
viding for a substantial reduction in the
tariff duties on Cuban imports into the
United States. Cuba has in her constitu
tion affirmed what we desired, that she
should stand, In International matters, in
closer and more friendly relations with
us than with any other power; and we are
bound by every consideration of honor
and expediency to pass commercial mea
sures in the interest of her material well
being. The Philippine.
In the Philippines our problem Is larg
er. They are very rich tropical islands,
inhabited by many varying tribes, repre
senting widely different stages of pro
gress toward civilization. Our earnest
effort is to help these people upward
along the stony and difficult path that
leads to self-government. We hope to
make our administration of the islands
honorable to our Nation by making it of
the highest benefit to the Filipinos them
selves; and as an earnest of what we In
tend to do,' we point to what we have
done. Already a greater measure of ma
terial prosperity and of governmental
honesty and efficiency has been attained
In the Philippines than ever before in
their history.
It Is no light task for a Nation to
achieve the temperamental qualities with
out which the institutions of free govern
ment are but an empty mockery. Our
people are now successfully governing
themselves, because for more than a thou
sand years they have been slowly fitting
themselves, sometimes consciously, some
times unconsciously, toward this end.
What has taken us 30 generations to
achieve we cannot expect to see another
tace accomplish out of hand, especially
when large portions of that race start
very far behind the point which our an
cestors had reached even 30 generation?
ago, In dealing with the Philippine peo
ple we must show both patience and
strength, forbearance and steadfast reso
lution. Our aim is high. We do not de
sire to do for the islanders merely what
has elsewhere been done for tropic peoples
by even the beet foreign governments.
We hope to do for them what has never
before been done for any people of the
tropics to make them fit for self-government
after the fashion of the really free
nations.
Local Self-Government.
In our anxiety for the welfare and prog
ress of the Philippines, it may that here
and there we have gone too rapidly in
giving them local self-government. It Is
on this side that our error, if any, has
been committed. No competent observer,
sincerely desirous of finding out the facts
and influenced only by a desire for the
welfare of the natives, can assert that
we have not gone far enough. We have
gone to the very verge of safety in hasten
ing the process. To have taken a single
step farther or faster in advance would
bave been folly and weakness, and might
well have been crime. We are extremely
anxious that the natives shall show the
power of governing themselves. We are
anxious, first for their sakee, and next,
because it relieves us of a great burden.
There need not be the slightest fear of
our not continuing to give them all the
liberty for which they are fit.
Troubles Still Ahead.
There are still troubles ahead In the
Islands. The Insurrection has become an
affair of local banditti and marauders,
who deserve no higher regard than the
brigands of portions of the Old World.
Encouragement, direct or Indirect, to
these lnsurrectos stands on the
came footing as encouragement to
hostile Indians in the days when
we still had Indian wars. Ex
actly as our aim Is to give to the Indian
who remains peaceful the fullest and
amplest consideration, but to have It un
derstood that we show no weakness if he
goes on the warpath, so we must make
It evident, unless we are false to our own
traditions and to the demands of civiliza
tion and humanity, that while we will do
everything in our power for the Filipino
who la peaceful, we will take the sternest
measures with the Filipino who follows
the path of the lnsurrocto and the ladrone.
The heartiest praise is due to large turn-
fees of the natives of the islands for their
teadfast loyalty. The Macabebes have
been conspicuous for their courage and
devotion to the flag. I recommend that
the Secretary of War be empowered to
take some systematic action in the way
of aiding those of these men who are
crippled in the service and the families
of those who are killed.
Additional Legislation Needed.
The time has come when there should
be additional legislation for the Philip
pines. Nothing better can be lone for the
islands than to Introduce Industrial enter
prises. Nothing would benefit them so
much as throwing them open to industrial
development. The connection between
Idleness and mischief is proverbial, and
the opportunity to do remunerative work
is one of the surest preventives of war.
Of course, no business man will go Into
the Philippines unless It is to his Interest
to do so; and It is immensely to the in
terest of the Islands that he should go in.
It is, therefore, necessary that the Con
gress should pass laws by which the re
sources of the islands can be developed;
so that franchises (for limited terms of
years) can be granted to companies doing
business in them, and every encourage
ment be given to the incoming of business
men of every kind.
Pacific Cable.
I call your, attention most earnestly to
the crying need of a cable to Hawaii and
the Philippines, to be continued from the
Philippines to points in Asia. We should
not defer a day longer than necessary the
construction of such a cable. It is de
manded not merely for commercial, but
for political and military considerations.
Either the Congress should immediately
provide for the construction of a Govern
ment cable, or else an arrangement should
be made by which like advantages to
those accruing, from a Government cable
may be secured to the Government by
contract with a private cable company.
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Work of the Greatest Importance to
the American People.
No single great material work which
remains to be undertaken on this conti
nent is of such consequence to the Amer
ican people as the building of a canal
across the isthmus connecting North and
South America. Its importance to the
Nation is by no means limited merely to
its material effects upon our business
prosperity; and yet with view to these
effects alone it would be to the last de
gree important for us immediately to be
gin it. While its beneficial effects would,
perhaps, be most marked upon the Pacific
Coast and the Gulf and South Atlantic
States, it would also greatly benefit other
sections. It is emphatically a work wmch
it is for the interest of the entire country
to begin and complete as soon as possi
ble; it is one of those great works which
only a great nation can undertake with
prospects of success, and which, when
done, are not only permanent assets in
the nation's material Interests, -but stand
ing monuments to its constructive ability.
1 am glad to be able to announce tt
you that our negotiations on this subjea
with Great Britain, conducted on botn
sides in a spirit of friendliness and mu
tual good will and respect, have resulted
in my being able to lay before the Senate
a treaty which if ratified will enable us
to begin preparations for an Isthmian can
al at any time, and which guarantees
to this Nation every right that it has
ever asked In connection with the canal.
In this treaty, the old Clayton-Bulwer
treaty, so long recognized as inadequate
to supply the base for the construction
and maintenance of a necessarily Ameri
can ship canal, is abrogated. It specific
ally provides that the United States alone
shall do 'the work of building and assume
the responsibility of safeguarding the can
al and shall regulate its neutral use by
all nations on terms of equality without
the guaranty or Interference of any out
side nation from any quarter. The signed
treaty will at once be laid before tfie
Senate, and if approved the Congress can
then proceed to give effect to the advan
tages it secures us by providing for the
building of the canal. ,
Monroe Doctrine,
This same peace conference acquiesced
In our statement of the Monroe Doctrine
as compatible with the purposes and aims
of the conference.
The Monroe Doctrine should be the car
dinal feature of the foreign policy of
all the nations of the two Americas, as
it Is of the United States. Just 78 years
have passed since President Monroe in
his annual message announced that "the
American continents are henceforth not
to be considered as subjects for future
colonization by any European power." in
other words, the Monroe Doctrine is a
declaration that there must be no ,terrl
torlal aggrandizement by any non-American
power at the expense of any Ameri
can power on American soil. It is in no
wise intended as hostile to any nation in
the Old World. Still less la it Intended
to give cover to any aggression
by one New World power at the ex
pense of any other. It is simply a step,
and a long step, toward assuring the uni
versal peace of the world by securing
the possibility of permanent peace on this
hemisphere.
NAVY DEPARTMENT.
Work ot Upbuilding It Must Be
Steadily Continued.
The work of upbuilding the Navy must
be steadily continued. No one point of our
policy, foreign or domestic, is more im
portant than this to the honor and ma
terial welfare, and above all to the peace,
of our Nation in the future. Whether
ive desire it or not, we must hencefortn
recognize that we have International du
ties no less than international rights.
Even If our flag were hauled down in the
Philippines and Porto Rico, even If we
decided not to build the Isthmian canal,
we should need a thoroughly trained Navy
of adequate size, or else be prepared defin
itely and for all time to abandon the
idea that our Nation is among those
whose sons go down to the sea in ships.
Unless our commerce is always to be
carried in foreign bottoms, we must have
war craft to protect it.
Inasmuch, however, as the American
people have no thought of abandoning
the path upon which they have entered,
and especially in view of the fact that
the building of the Isthmian canal Is fast
becoming one of the matters wh-'ch the
whole people are united in demanding, it
is Imperative that our Navy should be
put and kept in the hlghtest state of
efficiency, and should be made to answer
to our growing needs. So far from be
ing in any way a provocation to war, an
adequate and highly trained navy is the
best guaranty against war, the cheapest
and most effective peace Insurance. The
cost of building and maintaining such a
navy represents the very lightest pre
mium for insuring peace which this Na
tion can possibly pay.
Respect for Our Rights.
Probably no other great nation In the
world is so anxious for peace as we are.
There is not a single civilized power
which has anything whatever to fear
from aggressiveness on our part. All we
want Is peace; and toward this end we
wish to be able to secure the same re
spect for our rights from others which
we are eager and anxious (o extend to
their rights in return, to Insure fair
treatment to us commercially, and to
guarantee the safety of the American
people.
Our people intend to abide by the Mon
roe Doctrine and to Insist upon It as the
one sure means of securing the peace of
the Western Hemisphere. The Navy ' of
fers us the only means of making our
Insistence upon that Monroe Doctrine
anything but a subject of derision to
whatever nation chooses to disregard It.
We desire the peace which comes as of
right to the Just man armed; not the peace
granted on terms of Ignominy to the
craven ana ine weaiuing.
Our Modern Navy.
Our present Navy was begun In 1882.
At that period our Navy consisted of a
collection of antiquated wooden ships,
already almost as out of place against
modern war vessels as the galleys of
Alciblades and Hamilear certainly as
the ships of Tromp and Blake. Nor at
that time did we have men fit to handle
modern man-of-war. Under the wise
legislation of the Congress and the suc
cessful administration of a succession of
patriotic Secretaries of the Navy, be
longing to both political parties, the work
of upbuilding the Navy went on, and
ships equal to any in the world of their
kind were continually added; and what
was even more Important, these ships
were exercised at sea singly and in
squadrons until the men aboard them
were able to get the best possible service
out of them. The result was seen in the
short war with Spain, which was de
cided with such rapidity because of the in
finitely greater preparedness of our Navy
than of the Spanish Navy.
Should Be No Cessation.
There should be no cessation in the
work of completing our Navy. So far
ingenuity has been wholly unable to de
vise ;i substitute for tne great war
craft whose hammering guns beat out
the mastery of the high seas. It is unsafe
and unwise not to provide this year for
several additional battle-ships and heavy
armored cruisers, with auxiliary and
lighter craft in proportion; for the exact
numbers and character I refer you to
the report of the Secretary of the Navy.
But there is something we need even more
than additional ships, and this is addi
tional officers and men. To provide battle-ships
and cruisers and then lay them
up, with ihe expectation of leaving them
unmanned until they are needed in actual
war, would be worse than folly; it would
be a crime against the Nation.
Practice. and Drill.
Every detail ashore which can be per-
rormed by a civilian should be so Der-
formed, the officer being kept for his
special duty in the sea service. Above
all, gunnery practice should be unceasing.
It is Important to have our Navy of ade
quate size, but It is even more important
that ship for ship it should equal in
efficiency any navy in the world. This
is possible only with highly drilled crews
and officers, and this in turn imperatively
demands continuous and progressive in
struction in target practice, ship hand
ling, squadron tactics, and general dis
cipline. Our ships must be assembled in
squadrons actively cruising away from
harbors and never long at anchor. The
resulting wear upon engines and hulls
must be endured; a battle-ship worn out
in long training of officers and men is
wall paid for by the results, while, on the
other hand, no matter in how excellent
condition, it Is useless If the crew be not
expert.
We now have 17 battle-ships appropriat
ed for, of which nine are completed and
have been commissioned for actual service.
The remaining eight will be ready in from
two to four years, but it will take at least
that time to recruit and train the men
to fight them. It is of vast concern that
we have trained crews ready for the ves
sels by the time they are commissioned
Good ships and good guns are simply good
weapons, and the best weapons are use
less save in the hands of men who know
how to fight with them. The men must
be trained and drilled under a thorough
and well-planned ' system of progressive
instruction, while the recruiting must be
carried on with still greater vigor. Every
effort must be made to exalt the main
function of the officer the command of
men. The leading graduates of the Naval
Academy should be assigned to the com
batant branches, the line and marines.
Many of the essentials of success are
already recognized by the general board,
which, as the central office of a growing
staff, is moving steadily toward a proper
war efficiency and a proper efficiency of
the whole Navy, under the Secretary. This
general board, by fostering the creation of
a general staff, Is providing for the of
ficial and then the general recognition of
our altered conditions as a Nation and
of the true meaning of a great war fleet,
which meaning is, first, the best men,
and, second, the best ships,
The Naval Militia.
The naval militia forces are state organ
izations, and are trained for coast service,
and, in event of war, they will constitute
the inner line of defense. They should re
ceive hearty encouragement from the
General Government.
But in addition we should at once pro
vide for a National naval reserve, organ
ized and trained under the direction of
the Navy Department, and subject to the
call of the Chief Executive whenever war
becomes Imminent. It should be a real
auxiliary to the naval seagoing peace es
tablishment, and offer material to be
drawn on at once for manning our ships
in time of war. It should be composed
of graduates of the Naval Academy, grad
uates of the naval militia, officers and
crews of coast-line steamers, longshore
schooners, fishing vessels and steam
yachts, together with the coast population
about suph centers as life-saving stations
and lighthouses.
The American, people must either build
and maintain an adequate navy or else
make up their minds definitely to accept
a secondary position in International af
fairs, not merely in political, but In com
mercial, matters. It has been well said
that there is no surer way of courting
National disastet than to be "opulent, ag
gressive and unarmed."
WAR DEPARTMENT.
Army Is Large Enough at the Pres.
ent Time.
It Is not necessary to Increase our Army
beyond its present size at this time. But
it Is necessary to keep It at the highest
point of efficiency. The Individual units
who as officers and enlisted men compose
this Army, are, we have good reason to
believe, at least as efficient as those of
any other army in the entire world. It
is our duty to see that their training is
of a kind to Insure the hlghe-t possible
expression of power to these units when
acting in combination.
The conditions of modern war are such
as to make an infinitely heavier demand
than ever before upon the Individual char
acter and capacity of the officer and the
enlisted man, and to make It far more
difficult for men to act together with ef
fect. At present the fighting must be done
in extended order, whlch-means that each
man must act for himself and at the same
time act In combination with others with
whom he is no longer In the old-fashioned
elbow-to-elbow touch. Under such con
ditions a few men of the highest excel
lence are worth more than many men
without the special skill which is only
found as the result of special training ap
plied to men of exceptional physique and
morale. But nowadays the most valuable
fighting man and the most difficult to per
fect is the rifleman who is also a skillful
and daring rider.
The proportion of our cavalry regiments
has wisely been Increased. The American
cavalryman, trained to maneuver and
fight with equal facility on foot and, one
horseback, la the best type of soldier for
general purposes now to be found in the
world. The Ideal cavalryman of the pres
ent day Is a man who can fight on foot
as effectively as the bett infantryman,
and who Is in addition unsurpassed In the
care and management of his horse and In
his ability to fight on horseback.
General Staff.
A general staff should be created. As
for the present staff and supply depart
ments, they should be filled by details
from the line, the men so detailed return
ing after a while to their line duties. It
is very undesirable to have the, senior
grades of the Army composed of men who
have come to fill the positions by the
mere fact of seniority. A system should
oe adopted by which there shall be an
elimination, grade by grade, of those who
seem unfit to render the best service in
the next grade. ' Justice to the veterans
of the Civil War who are still In the
Army would seem to require that In the
matter of retirements they be given by
law the same privileges accorded to their
comrades in the Navy.
Every effort should be made to bring
the Army to a constantly Increasing state
of efficiency. When on actual service no
work save that directly in the line of such
service should be required. The paper
work in the Army, as in the Navy, should
be greatly reduced. What Is needed is
proved power of command and casacity
to work well in the field. Constant care
Is necessary to prevent dry rot in the
transportation and commissary depart
ments. Field Exercises. ,
Our Army is so small and so much scat
tered that it is very difficult to give the
higher officers (as well as the lower officers
and the enlisted men) a chance to practice
maneuvers irf mass and on a compara
tively large scale. In time of need no
amount of Individual 'excellence would
avail against the paralysis which would
follow inability to work as a coherent
whole, under skillful and daring leader
ship. The Congress should provide means
whereby it will be possible to have field
exercises by at least a division of regu
lars, and, if possible, also a division of
National Guardsmen once a year. These
exercises might take the form of field
maneuvers; or, if on the Gulf Coast or the
Pacific or Atlantic seaboard, or in the
region of the Great Lakes, the Army corps
when assembled should be marched from
some Inland point to some point on the
water, there embarked, disembarked after
a couple of days' journey at some other
point, and again marched Inland. Only
by actual handling and providing for men
in masses while they are marching, camp
ing, embarking and disembarking, will it
be possible to train the higher officers to
perform their duties well and smoothly.
A great debt is owing from the public
to the men of the Army and Navy. They
should be so treated as to enable them
to reach the highest point of efficiency,
so that they may be able to respond in
stantly to any demand made upon them
to sustain the Interests of the Nation and
the honor of the flag. The individual
American enlisted man is probably on the
whole a more formidable fighting man
than the regular of any other army.
Every consideration should be shown him,
and in. return the highest standard ot
usefulness shall be exacted from him.
it is well worth while tor the ConsTeM
to consider whether the pay of enlisted
men upon second and subsequent enlist
ments should not be Increased to corre
spond with the Increased value of the
veteran soldier.
Reorganizing the Army.
Much good has already come from the
act reorganizing the Army, passed early
in the present year. The three prime re
forms, all of them of literally inestimable
value, are, first, the substitution of four
year details from the line for permanent
appointments in the so-called staff divi
sions; second, the establishment of a
corps of artillery with a chief at the
head; third, the establishment of a max
imum and minimum limit for the Army.
It woulu be difficult to overestimate the
improvement in the efficiency of our Army
which these three reforms are making,
and have in part already effected.
The reorganization provided for by the
act has been substantially accomplished.
The improved conditions in the Philip
pines have enabled the War Department
materially to reduce the military
charge upon our revenue and to
arrange the number of soldiers so as to
bring this number much nearer to the
minimum than to the maximum limit
established by law. There is, however,
need of supplementary legislation. Thor
ough military education must be pro
vided, and in addition to the regulars the
advantages of this education should be
given to the officers of the National Guard
and others In civil life who desire Intel
ligently to fit themselves for possible mil
itary duty. The officers should be given
the chance to perfect themselves by study
in the higher branches of this art. At
West Point the education should be or
the kind most apt to turn out men who
are good In actual field service; too much
stress should not be laid on mathematics,
nor should proficiency therein be held to
establish the right of entry to a corps'
d'ellte. The typical American officer ot
the best kind need not be a good mathe
matician; but he must be able to master
himself, to control others, and to show
boldness and fertility of resource in every
emergency.
Volunteer Forces.
Action should be taken in reference to
the militia and to the raising of volunteer
forces. Our militia law Is obsolete and
worthless. The organization and arma
ment of the National Guard of the several
states, which are treated as militia In the
appropriations by the Congress, should be
made Identical with those provided for
tne regular forces. The obligations and
duties of trie guard in time of war should
be carefully defined, and a system estab
lished by law under which the method
of procedure of raising volunteer forces
should be prescribed In advance, it Is ut
terly impossible In the excitement and
hasie of impending war to do this sat
isfactorily If the arrangements have not
been made long beforehand. Provision
should be made for utilizing In the first
volunteer organizations called out the
training of those citizens who have al
ready had experience under arms, and
especially for the selection In advance of
the officers of any force which may be
raised for careful selection of the kind
necissary Is impossible after the outbreak
of war.
OTHER MATTERS.
Debt Due to the Veterans Who Saved
the Union.
No other citizens deserve so well of
the Republic as the veterans, the sur
vivors of those who saved the Union. They
did tne one deed which, if left undone,
would have meant that all else in our
history went for nothing. But for their
steadfast prowess In the greatest crisis ot
our history, all our annals would be mean
ingless, and our great experiment In pop
ular freedom and self-government a
gloomy failure. Moreover, they not only
left us a united Nation, but they left us
also as a heritage the memory of the
mighty deeds by which the Nation was
kept united. We are now, Indeed, one
Nation, one in fact as well as In name;
we are united In our devotion to the flag
which is the symbol of national greatness
and unity; and the very completeness of
our Union enables us all, In every part of
the country, to glory In the valor shown
alike by the sons of the North and the
sons of the South in the times that tried
men's souls.
Civil Service.
The merit system of making appoint
ments is In Its essence as democratic and
American as the common school system
Itself. It' simply means that In clerical
and other positions where the duties are
entirely non-political, all applicants gnould
have a fair field and no favor, each stand
ing on his merits as he Is able to show
them by practical test. Written competi
tive examinations offer the only available
means In many cases for applying this
system. In other cases, as where laborers
are employed, a system of registration
undoubtedly can be widely extended.
There are, of course, places where the
written competitive examination cannot
be applied, and others where It offers
by no means an Ideal solution, but where
under existing political conditions It Is.
though an Imperfect means, yet the best
present means of getting satisfactory re
I recommend the passage of a law
which will extend the classified service
to the District of Columbia, or will at
least enable the President thus to extend
it. In my Judgment all laws providing for
the temporary employment of clerks '
should hereafter contain provision that
they be selected under the civil service
law.
It Is Important to have this system
obtain at home, but it is even more Im
portant to have It applied rigidly in our
insular possessions. Not an office should
be filled in the Philippines or Porto Rico
with any regard to the man's partisan
affiliations or services, with any regard to
the political, social or personal influence
which he may have at his command; In
short, heed should be paid to absolutely
nothing save the man's own character
and capacity and the needs of the serv
ice. The administration of these islands
should be as wholly free from the sus
picion of partisan polities as the adminis-'
tration of the Army and Navy. All that
we ask from the public servant In the
Philippines or Porto Rico is that he re
flect honor on his country by the way in
which he makes that country's rule a
benefit to the peoples who have come
under it. This is all that we should ask,
and we cannot afford to be content with
less. .
The merit system Is simply one method
of securing honest and efficient adminis
tration of the Government; and in the
long run the sole Justification of any type
of government lies in Its proving Itself
ootn nonesi ana erncient.
Consular Service.
The consular service is now organized
under the provisions of a law passed in
1856, which Is entirely inadequate to ex
isting conditions. The interest shown by
so many commercial bodies throughout
the country in the reorganization of the
service is heartily commended to your at
tention. Several bills providing for a new
consular service have in recent years
been submitted to Congress. They are
based upon the Just principle that ap
pointments to the service should be made
only after a practical test of the appli
cant's fitness, that promotions shoulcFbe
governed by trustwonhvness, adaptabil
ity ana zeal in tne pertormance or duty,
and that the tenure of office should be
unaffected by partisan considerations.
Treatment of Indians.
In my Judgment the time has arrived
when we should definitely make up our
minds to recognize the Indian as an indi
vidual and not as a member of a tribe,
The general allotment act is a mighty
pulverizing engine to break up the tribal
mass, it acts directly upon the family
and the Individual. Under Its provisions
some 60,000 Indians have already become
citizens of the United States. We should
now break up tho tribal funds, doing for
them what allotment does for the tribal
lands that is, they should be divided into
Individual holdings. There will be a tran
sition period during which the funds will
in many cases have to be held In trust.
This is the case, also, with the lands. A
stop should be put upon the indiscrim
inate permission of Indians to lease their
allotments. The effort should be stead
ily to make the Indian work like any oth
er man on his own ground. The mar
riage laws of the Indians should be made
the same as those of the whites.
In the schools the education should be
elementary and largely Industrial. The
need of higher education among the In
dians is very, very limited. On the reser
vations care should be taken to try to
suit the teaching to the needs of the par
ticular Indian. There is no use In at
tempting to Induce agriculture in a coun
try suited only for cattle-raising, where
the Indian should be made a stockgrow
er. The ration system, which Is merely
the corral and the reservation system, Is
highly detrimental to the Indians. It
promotes beggary, perpetuates pauperism
and stifles industry. It is an effectual
barrier to progress. It must continue to
a greater or less degree as long as tribes
are herded on reservations and have ev
erything In common. The Indian should
be treated as an individual like the white
man. During the change of treatment
inevitable hardships will occur, every ef
fort should be made to minimize
the hardships: but we should not
because of them, hesitate to make
the change. There should be
continuous reduction in the number of
agencies.
In dealing with the aboriginal races few
things are more Important than to pre
serve them from the terrible physical and
moral degradation resulting from the li
quor traffic. We are doing all we can
to save our own Indian tribes from this
evil. Wherever In International agreement
this same end can be attained as resards
races where we do not possess exclusive
control, every effort should be made, to
bring It about.
St, Lonls Exposition.
I bespeak the most cordial sup
port from the Congress and the
people for the St. Louis Exposi
tion to commemorate' the 108th an
niversary of the Louisiana Purchase. This
purchase was the greatest Instance of ex
pansion in our history. It definitely de
cided that we were to become a great
continental Republic, by far the foremost
power in the Western Hemisphere. It Is
one of three or four great landmarks In
our history the great turning-points in
our development. It is eminently fitting
that all our people should join with heart
iest good-will In commemorating It, and
the citizens of St. Louis, of Missouri, of
all the adjacent region, are entitled to
every aid in making the celebration a
noteworthy event In our annals. We
earnestly hope that foreign nations will
appreciate the deep interest our country
takes in this exposition, and our view of
Its Importance from every standpoint, and
that they will participate In securing Its
success. The National Government
shculd be represented by a full and com
plete set of exhibits.
Charleston Exposition.
The people of Charleston, with great
energy and civic spirit, are carrying on
an exposition which will continue
throughout the most of the present ses
sion of Congress. I .heartily commend
this exposition to the good-will of the
people. It deserves all the encouragement
that can be given It. The managers of
the Charleston Exposition have requested
the Cabinet officers to place thereat the
Government exhibits which have been at
Buffalo, promising to pay the necessary
expenses. I have taken the responsibility
of directing that this be done, for I feel
that It Is due to Charleston to help her
in her nralseworthy effort. In my opin
ion tne management Bnould not be re
quired to pay all these expenses. I earn
estly recommended that the Congress ap
propriate at once the small sum necessary
tor mis purpose.
Pan-American Exposition.
The Pan-American Exposition at But
falo has Just closed. Both from the in
dustrlal and the artistic standpoint this
exposition has been In a high degree
creditable and useful, not merely to Buf
falo, but to the United States. The ter
rlble trugedy of the President's assassin
atlon Interfered materially with Its being
a financial success. The exposition was
peculiarly in harmony with the trend of
our public policy, because It represented
an effort to bring Into closer touch all
the peoples of the Western Hemisphere,
and give them an Increasing sense of uni
ty. Such an effort was a genuine service
to the entire American public.
Library of Congress,
Perhaps the most characteristic educa
tional movement of the past 60 years is
that which has created ttie modern pub
lic library and developed it into broad and
active service. There are now over 6000
public libraries In the United States, the
product of this period. In addition to ac
cumulating material, they are also striv.
Ing by organization, by Improvement In
method, and by co-operation, to give
greater efficiency to the material they
hold, to make It mora widely useful, and
by avoidance of unnecessary duplication
In process to reduce the cost ot Us ad
ministration.
In these efforts they naturally look for
assistance to the Federal l'brary, which,
though still the Library of Congress, and
so entitled, is the one National library of
the United States. Already the largest
single collection of books on the Western
Hemisphere, and certain to increase more
rapidly than any other through purchase,
exchange, and the operation of the copy,
right law, this library has a unique op
portunity to render to the libraries of this
country to American scholarship service
of tho highest Importance. It Is housed
in a. Duuuing wmen is tne largest ana
most magnificent yet erected for library
uses. Resources are now being provided
which will develop the collection properly,
equip It with the apparatus and service
necessary to its effective use, render its
bibliographic work widely available, and
enable it to become, not merely a center
of research, but tne cniei iactor in great
co-operative efforts for the diffusion of
knowledge and the advancement of learn
ing.
Permanent Census Bureau.
For the sake of good administration,
sound economy and the advancement of
science, the Census Office, as now consti
tuted, should be made a permanent Gov
ernment bureau. This would insure bet
ter, cheaper and more satisfactory work,
in the interest not only of our business.
but of statistic, economic and social sci
ence.
The Postal Service.
The remarkable growth of the postal
service is shown in the fact that Its reve
nues have doubled and its expenditures
have nearly doubled within 12 years. Its
progressive development compels con
stantly increasing outlay, but in this pe
riod of business energy and prosperity its
receipts grow so much faster than Its ex
penses that the annual deficit has been
steadily reduced from $11,411,779 in 1897 to
$3,923,727 in 1901. Among recent postal ad
vances the success of rural free delivery
wherever established has been so marked,
and actual experience has made Its bene
fits so plain, that the demand for its ex
tension is general and urgent.
It is just that the great agricultural
population should share in the Improve
ment of the service. The number of rural
routes now in operation is 6009, practically
all established within three years, and
there are 0000 applications awaiting action.
It is expected that the number in opera
tion at the close of the current fiscal year
will reach 8600. The mail will then be
dally carried to the doprs of 5,700,000 of our
people who have heretofore been depend
ent upon distant offices, and one-third of
all that portion of the country whicn is
adapted to it will be covered by this kind
of service.
Chinese Situation.
Owing to the rapid growth of our power
and our interests on the Pacific, whatever
happens in China must be of the keenest
National concern to us.
The general terms of the settlement of
the questions growing out of the anti
foreign uprisings in China of 1900, having
been formulated In a joint note addressed
to China by the representatives of the
injured powers in December last, were
promptly accepted by the Chinese Gov
ernment. After protracted conferences
the plenipotentiaries of the several powers
were able to sign a final protocol witn
the Chinese plenipotentiaries on the ith
of last September, setting forth the meas
ures taken by China In compliance witn,
the demands of the joint note, and ex
pressing their satisfaction therewith. It
will be laid before the Congress, with a
report of the plenipotentiary on behalf of
the United States, Mr. William WoodvMe
Rockhill, to whom high praise is due for
the tact good Judgment and energy he
has displayed In performing an exception
ally difficult and delicate task.
The agreement reaohed disposes in a
manner satisfactory to the powers of the
various grounds of complaint, and will
contribute materially to better future re
lations between China and the powers.
Reparation has been made by China for
the murder of foreigners during the up
rising, and punishment has been inflicted
on the officials, however high In rank,
recognized as responsible for or having
participated in the outbreak. Official ex
aminations have been forbidden for a
period of five years in all cities in which
foreigners have been, murdered or cruelly
treated, and edicts have been Issued, mak
ing all officials directly responsible for
the future safety of foreigners and for
the suppression of violence against them.
Provisions have been made for Insur
ing the future safety of the foreign rep
resentatives in Pekin by setting aside
for their exclusive use a quarter of the
city which the powers can make defensi
ble and In which they can, If necessary,
ir.alntain permanent military guards; by
6.imir,i.iln8 the military works between
the capital and the sea; and by allowing
the temporary maintenance of foreign
millltary posts along this line. An edict
has been Issued by the Emperor of China
prohibiting for two years the importa
tion of arms and ammunition into China.
China has agreed to pay adequate In
demnities to the states, societies and in
dividuals for the losses sustained by them
and for the expenses of the military ex
peditions sent by the various powers to
protect life and restore order.
New Treaties of Commerce.
Under the provisions of the Joint note
of December, J900, China has agreed to
revise the treaties of commerce and navi
gation and to take such other steps for
the purpose of facilitating foreign trade
as the foreign powers may decide to ba .
needed.
The Chinese Government has agreed to
participate financially in the work of bet
tering the water approaches to Shanghai .
and to Tien Tsln, the centers of foreign
trade in Central and Northern China,
and an International conservancy board,.
In which the Chinese Government is
largely represented, has been provided tor
the Improvement of the Shanghai River
and the control of its navigation. In the
same line of commercial advantages a
revision of the present tariff on Imports
has been assented to for the purpose of
substituting specific for ad valorem du
ties, and an expert has been sent abroad
on the part of the United States to as
sist in this work. A list of articles to re
main free of duty. Including flour, cereals
and rice, gold and silver coin and bul
lion, has also been agreed upon In the
settlement.
Pan-American Congress.
We view with lively Interest and keen
hopes of beneficial results the proceed
ings of the Pan-American Congress, con
voked at the Invitation of Mexico, and
now sitting at the Mexican capital. Tha
delegates of the United States are under
the most liberal Instructions to co-operate
with their colleagues In all matters prom
ising advantage to the great family of
American commonwealths, as well in
their relations among themselves as In
their domestic advancement and In thef
Intercourse with the wortd at large,
I tun I. A Vlit.i.la an.l
The death of Queen Victoria caused the
people of the United States deep and
heartfelt sorrow, to which the Govern
ment gave full expression. When Presi
dent McKlnley died, our Nation In turn
received from every quarter of the Brit
ish Empire expressions of grief and sym
pathy no less sincere, The death of the '
Empress Dowager Frederick of Germany
also aroused the genuine sympathy of
the American people; and this sympathy
was cordially reciprocated by Germany
when the President was assassinated. In
deed, from every quarter of the civilized
world we received, at the time of the
President's death, assurances of such
grief and regard as to touch the hearts -of
our people. In the midst of our afflic
tion we reverently thank the Almighty
that we are at peace with the nations
of mankind; and we firmly Intend that
our policy shall be such as to continue
unbroken these International relations of
mutual respect and good will.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Whit House, December I, 19QL