SIPT'S' LAST MESSAGE
itluut
From Page 1.)
ZtttfBnd Houso of Repro-
l . -t-mllncr of tlin lift"
PS? present tlmo la .excel-
Id D""" 7w "tho eovl
BafiOl . . , oovon vnnrn
L?Se moat BtttlBfaotory ro
Fnnt wir currency system Ib
rnut " . ,nv to ho
rwVb proposo a thoroughly
fVhinh will do away
EfejsU"5 defects.
L .ho periou irum -uu ,
PS.k"7.J.w an, 1D08. thoro
" r i in nmminf nf
l .ncreaou i im ........ -.
Ln circulation of $902,091,-
hn increasu in n v ..
no, '"-'i.i .... 7 nr. with n
tils periuu n t"-"' --
o thero woro sovoral occa-
hon it was uuvusbui mi u
department w wmo tu mu
for redemptions of United
r ... .i.n. Uv aHtntilntlni
lonai uuiiivb, m .......
al isauea of national bank
knu uy iacuiiuuiiB uuiiuiui
0m abro-.d rff gold. Our im-
.....nnKV nvnlnm lltlfl 111 n (In
konmilnfrit nnceasnry.
P . ,t....ln Mm anuiill Vin t-a
K)o monthB thero hnB been a
pIUB or nearly uuu huuuiuu
pa reduction of tho intdreBt
deal uy niuuiy iiiiiuu..b, m
I WO 0VritUIUIItJ uiuuou wi
bania canal, and a saving of
r i .ltltnn nn Mm fitinitnt
KUDU lUllllvuo VM " t,..u...
l. AUHnnfllnirlv an t lof itnlnfV
f, especially In vlow of tho
Et during this period tho na-
0 nUVUI UUiUIWU V" U..UV.-
1 expenditure that It regard-
pucuaaui. "" " .,..
I taxes anu no increases oi
bn tho contrary, somo taxes
Ln tnlfon off. thoro has hcon
ttlon of taxation.
Corporations.
gards tho groat corporations
stato business, and especially
roads, I can only repeat what
already agalu and again said
messages to tho congress. I
ithat undor tho interfltato
f tho constitution mo unueo
as comploto and paramount
control all agonclos of intor-
niraorco, and I bollovo that
ionnl govornmont alono can
this right with wisdom and
odusb so as both to secure
from, and to do justice to,
t corporations which aro tho
portant factors In modern
I bollovo that It Is vorno
Uy to attempt to prohibit all
tlons as Is done by trie snor-
tl-trtiBt law. j
allways of tho country should
completely under the inter
nimorco commission and re
train the domain of tho untl-
nw. Tho power or tno coin-
should be made thorough-
traph and tblophono compa-
QKnKod In Interstate business
bo put undor tho jurisdiction
.Interstate commerco coininls-
vory earnestly to bo wished
ir pcoplo, through tnelr rep-
patatlvea, hould act In thia mat
war wo wage must bo waged
mloconduct, against wrong-
Iwhcrovor .It Is found; und wo
utand heartily for tho rights
ry decent man. whether ho bo
I'of great wealth or a man who
Mb livelihood as ti w.igo-worlc-
tlller of tho soil.
to tho Interest of all of us
Rero should bo a promlum put
Individual lnltlatlvo and Indl-
capacity, and nn ample roward
great directing Intelligences
impotent to mnnago Ihu groat
operations of today.
often wo boo tho business coin-
In a spirit of unhealthy class
pusnesa deplore tho offort to
account undor tho law tno
mon who In tholr mnnr.ge-
ff great corporations, whether
is, atroot railways, or other
"lal entorprlsea, havo behaved
') thiit revolts tho conscience
Plain, decent pooplo. Such tin
le cinnol bo condemned too
I)', for men of proporty should
"o in thoy Jeopnrduo tno
or property when thoy fall
y to Join in tho effort to do
"th tho abuses of wealth.
t opposition to government con-
W these great corporations
its most offectlvo offort In
spo of nn anneal to tho old
e of state's rights. Of course
re many sincere men who now
in unrestricted Individualism
uness, JiiBt as thero woro for-
tnnny slncoro mon who bo
na slaverythat Is, In tho un
ited right of an individual to
pother Individual.
cnicr reason, among tho many
ana compelling reasons, that
the formation of tho national
pent, was tho absolute need
He i nlon, and not tho several
snciild deal with interstate
reign commerce; and tho pow-
a with Interstate commerco
wired absolutely and plenarlb
loiuraj government awl was
e completely as regards the
BStrumentS nt Intnratntn mm.
known In thoso dnva the
ays. the highroads, as well as
"uersnips of lndlvlduilB who
ponaucted all of what himiness
iwas
Fve that tho more farslghted
"'78 are themselves coming
Cniio (he unwliulnm nf h vln.
wtliity they havo displayed
' v iasi rew years to regula
W control by tho national gov-
U 01 COmbinntlnno ihilukhH In
Me businoci
do not for a moment believe
- vruoiem will bo solved by
any short and easy method. Tho so
lution will como only by pressing
various concurrent roniodles. Some
of thoso remedies must lie outaldo
tho domain of all government, -omo
must Ho outside tho domain of tho
federal government. But thero Is
legislation which tho federal govern
ment alono can enact nnd which Is
absolutely vital in order to securo
tho attainment of our purpose. Many
laws aro needed.
To nccompllsh this, means of
.course, a certain Incrcaso In tho use
of not tho creation of power, by
tho central government. Tho power
already exists; It does not havo to be
created: tho only question Is whether
It shall bo used or loft Idle and
moaifvhilo the corporations over
which tho power ought to be exer
cised will not remain ldlo.
TJto danger to American democ
racy Ilea not In tho least In tho con
centration of nilnilnUtrativo power In
responsible and accountable hands.
It lies in having tho power insuffi
ciently concentrated, so that no one
can bo hold responsible for the peo
pie for its uso, Qonoontratod power
Is palpable, visible, responsible, eas
ily reached, quickly held to account.
Power scattored through many ad
minlBtraturs, many legislators, many
men who work behind nnd through
legislators and administrators, 1b Im
palpable, la unsoen, Is Irresponsible,
cannot bo reached, cannot bo hold to
account. Democracy Is in porll
wherever tho administration of po
litical power Is scattered among a
variety of men who work In secret,
.wnoso .vory names nro unknown to
the common people.
Labor. ,
Thoro nro many matters affoctlnir
labor and tho status of tho wago-
worKor to wnic 1 I SllOll il kn tn
draw your attention, but an oxhaust-
ivo aisctiBslon of tho problem In nil
Its aspects Is not now necessary. This
administration Is nearlng Its end:
nnd, moreover, under our ferm of
government the solution of tho nrob-
lom dopendB upon tho action of tho
states iib much nB upon tho action
of tho nation. A blind and Ignorant
resistance to ovory offort for tho re-
rorm or abuses and for tho readjust
ment of society to modern industrial
conditions represents not truo con
servatism but an Incitement to the
wildest radicalism ; for wise radical
Ism and wlso conservatism go hand
In hand, ono bent on progress, tho
othor bont on seeing that no change
la inado unless In tho right direction.
As far as possible I hope to seo
a frank recognition of tho advant
ages conferred by machinery, organl-'
zatlon, and division of labor, accom
panied by an offort to bring about
a larger share in tho ownership by
wngo-workors of(rallwoys. mill and
factory. In farming, this simply
menus that wo wish to Bee the farm
or own his own land; wo do not
wish to seo tho farms bo large that
they lioooino tho property of absentee
landlords who farm them by tenants,
nor yet so small that the farmer be
comes like a European peasant.
Again, tho depositors In our savings
banks now number over ono-tenth of
our entire population. Thcso aro all
capitalists, who through tho savings
banks loan tholr monoy to tho work
ers that Is, In many cases to them
selves to carry on their various In
dustries. Tho more wo Increase their
numbor tho more wo Introduco tho
principles of too-oporatlon Into our
Industry. Every Increase In the num
bor of stockholders In corporations
Is n good thing, for tho same reasons
and whore tho employes nro the
stockholders tho result Is particularly
good. Postal savings banks will
inako It easy for tho poorest to keep
tholr savings in absolute safety. Tho
regulation of tho national highways
must bo such that they shall sorve
ill people With equal Justice
Thero must be prohibition of child
labor, diminution of woman labor,
shortening ofhours In all mechanical
I u bo r, stock watering should bo pro
hibited, nnd stock gambling, so. far
as Is possible discouraged. Thero
should bo a progressive Inheritance
tax on largo fortunes. Industrial
education should bo encouragod. As
far as possible wo should lighten the
burdon of taxation on tho small man.
Wo should put a premium upon
thrift, hard work, nnd business on
orgy; but thus equalities cease to be
tho main factors In accumulating a
fortune long boforo that fortune
reaches a point where It would bo
sorlously affected by any Inheritance
tax such as I propose It Is eminent
ly right that tho nation ah.ould fix
tho terms uion which tho groat for
tunes nro Inherited. They rnroly do
good and they often do harm to those
who Inherit, them In their ontlrety,
Protection for Wagf-Worker.
Tho above Is tho merest sketch,
hardly even a sketch In outline, of
tho reforms for which we should
work. Hut thoro Is one mnttor with
which the congress should deal at
hls session. Thero should i longer
uo any paltering with the question of
taking caro of tho wage-workers who
under our present Industrial system
becomo killed, crippled, or worn out
is n part pf the regular Incidents of
a given business. Tho majority of
wago-workors must havo their rights
secured for them by stato action, but
tue national government should leg
Islato In thorough-going and far--oachlng
fashion not only for all em
ployes of the national government,
but for all porsons engaged In Inter
state commerce.
Our present aystom, or rather no
system, works dreadful wrong, and
Is of bonoflt to only one class of
peopl -tho lawyers. When a work
man Is Injured what ho needs is not
an expensive and doubtful lawsuit
but the certainty of relief through
Immediate administrative action.
Ponding a thorough-going Investi
gation nnd action there Is certain
legislation which should be enacted
at once. The Jaw. passed at the last
sosslon of the conn ess, granting com-nno-.tinn
to certain classes of em
ployes of the government, should be
extended to Include all employes of
iuu ttuvuruinem ana should b made
morb llborftl In Its terms. There is
nb good ground for the distinction
nlado In the law between those en-
gagca in hasardous occupations and
thoso hot so engaged, If a man Is
Injured br killed (n any line of work,
it was hazardous In his Mori in
.this respect tho generosity of tho
unuco. mates toward Its employes
.Compares most unfavorably -with that
of evory cohntrv In Eurono nvnA
,the poorest,
The congress should "without fur
ther ilelrty nass a model omployora
liability Inw Tor tho District ot Co
lumbia. Tho employers liability act
recently declared unconstltutlbnnl, on
accpunt of apparpntly Including In
Its provisions employes engaged In
Intrastate commerce as well an thdso
ongaged In Interstate cbmmorco, haa
been held by the local courts to bo
Still In effect so far as Its provisions
apply to tho District of Columbia.
There should be no hmblgulty on this
point,
I renew my recommendation made
In a previous message that halt-holidays
bo granted during tho summer
to all wage-workers in government
employ.
I also renew my recommendation
(hat tho principle of tho clghhoUr
day should be rapidly nnd. as far ns
practicable be extended to tho ontlre
work bolng carried on by tho govern
ment; tho present law should b6
amendod to embrace contracts on
thoBe public works which the present
wording of tho act seems to excludd.
The Courts.
I most earnestly urgo upon tho
congress the duty of Increasing' tho
totally Inadequate salaries now given
to our judges. On tho wholo thoro
Is no body ot public servants who do
as valuable work, nor whoso moneyed
roward Is so Inadequate compared to
tuolr work. Beginning with tho su
premo court tho Judges should, havo
their salaries doubled. It Is not bet
fitting tho dignity ot the nation thai
Its most honored pnhIq servants
should bo paid sums so small com
pared to what thoy would earn In
prlfato life that the performanco ot
public sorvico by them Impllea an ex
ceedingly heavy pecuniary sacrifice.
It Ib earnestly to bo d.oalrcd that
somo mothod should bo devised for
doing away with tho long delays
which now obtain In the administra
tion of Justice. )n somo noted recent
cases this over-regard for technicali
ties hnB resulted In a striking denial
of Justice, and flagrant wrong to luu
body politic,
Attack on (tampers.
At tho last election certain loaders
of, organized labor mado a violent
and sweeping attack upon tho entire
judiciary of tho country, an attack
couched In such terms as to Includo
tho most upright, honest and broad
minded judges, no less than thoso of
nurrower mind and more restricted
outlook. It was tho kind of attack
admirably fitted to prevent any suc
cessful attempt to reform abuses of
tho judiciary, because It gavo tho
champions of the unjust Judge tholr
eagerly desired opportunity to shift
their ground Into a championship of
just Judges who woro unjustly as
sailed, last year, before the houso
committee on tho Judiciary, thoso
same labor leaders formulated tholr
demands, specifying the bill that con
tained them, refusing all compromise
stating they wished tho principle of
that bill or nothing. They Insisted
on a provision that In a labor dispute
no Injunction should Issue except to
protect a property right, and specify
cully provided that the right to carry
on business should not be oonstrued
as a property right; and In a second
provision their bill made logal In a
I'ibor dispute any act or agreement
by or botweon two or more persons
that would not havo been unlawful
If dono by single person. In oUior
words, this bill legalized blacklisting
and boycotting In every form, legal
izing, for Instance, thoso forms of tho
secondary boycott which the anthra
cite coal strike commission so unrei
wrvcdly condemned; while the right
to carry on a business was explicitly
taken out from under that protection
which tho law throws ovor property
Tho vlolonco ot tho crusndo for
this legislation, nnd'lts complete fall
uro, illustrate two truths which it is
essential our people should learn. In
tho first place, they ought to teach
tho worklngman, tho laborer, the
wage-worker, that by demanding
what Is improper and Impossible ho
plays Into tho hands or his foes.
"Class consciousness," where It Is
merely another name for tbu odious
vice of class selflshucss, Is vquall)
noxious whether In an employer's as
sociation or In a worklngmnn's astVi
riatlon. This healthy truth, by tho way,
will bo learned by tho soolallsts If
they ever succoed In establishing In
this country an Important national
party based on such class conscious
ness and selfish class Interest
Hut the extreme reactionaries, the
persons who blind themselves ti the
wrongs now and then committed by
the courts on laboring men, should
also think seriously as to what such
3 movement us this portends The
rapid changes in our social and In
dustrial life which have attended this
rapid growth have made it necossary
that, In applying to concrete cases
the great rule of right laid down In
our constitution, there should bo a
full understanding and appreciation
of the new conditions to which the
rules are to bo applied. What would
have been an Infringement upon lib
erty half a century ago may be th
necessary safeguard of liberty today.
It Is desirable that the legislative,
body should possess, and wherever
necessary exercise, the power to de
termlne whothejr in a given case eoit
ployers and emplpyes are not on an
equal footing, so that the necessities
of the latter compel them to tfjbinlt
to such exactions aj to hours and
conditions of labor as unduly to tax
their strength; and only mischief can
result when such determination is
upset on the ground that there must
be no "Interference with the liberty
to contract" often a merely academ
ic liberty," the exercise ot which la
the negation if real liberty.
There are certain decisions by va
rious courts which havo been ex
ceedingly detrimental to tho rights
bt Wago-workers. This Is truo of nil
the decisions that docldo that mon
fend women are, by tho constitution,
"gunranteqd their llburty" to con
tract to enter n danuirotta occupation
or to work nh undesirablo or Improp
er numbor of hours, or to work In
unhealthy surroundings; and there
fore cannot recovor damages when
maimed In that occupation, nnd can
not bo forbidden to work what tho
legislature decides Is an exccsslvo
numbor of hours, or to carry on tho
work ,-nder conditions which tho leg
islature decides to bo unhealthy.
Thoro Is also, I think, ground for
tho belief that substantial injustlco
is often Buffered by oiuployos In con
Bcqhcnco of th.0 custom of courts Is
suing temporary Injunctions without
notlpo to thorn, nnd punishing thorn
for contempt of court In Instances
whore, nB a mattor ot fact, thoy havo
nd knowledge of nny proceedings.
feuch proposals as thoso mentioned
above ns adVocalod by tho oxtromo
labor leaders, contain tho vital error
of being class legislation of tho most
bfreiiBlvo kind, and oven If onaoted
Into law I bollovo thnt tho Inw would
rightly ho hold unconstitutional.
Moreover, th.o labor pooplo nro thorn
sqlvcs now beginning to Invoko tho
use of 'tho power of Injunction. Dur
ing tho Inst ten years, and within my
own knowledgo, at least fifty injunc
tions havo been obtained by lnbor
unions In Now York city nlono, most
of them being to protect tho union
labol (a "proporty right"), but somo
being obtained for othor reasons
against employors. Tho power of In
junction Is a great equltablo remedy,
Which should on no account bo de
stroyed. Tho legislators and executives are
chosen to represent tho pcoplo tn
enacting and administering tho laws.
Tho Judges are not hoson o repre
sent tho people in thlH senno. Tholr
function Ib to Interpret tho laws. The
legislators are responsible for tho
.laws; tho Judges for tho spirit In
which they Interpret nnd enforoo tho
laws.
For many of tho shortcomings of
Justlco In our country our pcoplo an
a wholo aro themselves to blame nnd
tho Judges nnd Juries moroly bonr
tholr shnro tognthor with tho publlo
as a wholo. It Is discreditable) to un
as a pooplo thnt thoro should ho dif
ficulty In convicting murderers, or
In bringing to justice men who ns
publlo servants havo been guilty of
corruption, or who hnvo profltod by
tho corruption or publlo servants.
Tho chief broakdown Is In doallnir
with tho now rotations thnt nrlBo
from tho mutualism, tho Interdepend
ence of our tlmo. Every now noolnl
rolntlon begets a new typo of wrong
doing or sin. to iisq nn old-fashioned
word and many years always
elapse before soaloty Is able to tjrn
tuls sin into crime which can ho ef
fectively punished nt law. During
tho lifetime ot tho oldor men now
allvo tho social relations hnvo chang
ed tar moro rnpldly than In tho pro
coding two centuries.
Tho hugo wenlth thnt has boon
accumulated by a fow Individuals of
recent years, In what has amounted
to a soclnl nnd Industrial revolution,
has boon ns regnrds somo of these
Individuals mado possible only by tho
impropor uso or tho modern corpora
tion. A certain typo or modern nor
porntlnn, with Its officers and agents,
Its many Issues nf securities, nnd Its
constant consolidation with allied un
dertakings, finally becomes un Instru
ment so complox ns to omtnln a
groator number of elements thnt, un
der vnrloiiB Judicial decisions, loud
thomsolvos to fraud and oppression
than any device yet uvolved in tho
humnn brain.
Thoy havo boon pormlttod to be
como n monnco largely bocuusu tho
governmental representatives nf tho
pooplo havo worked slowly In pro
viding for adequate control over
them.
Tho chlof offender In nny given
caso mny bo nn nxer-utlvu, n legis
lator, or a Judge Everv executive
head who advises violent Instead of
gradual, notion, or who advocates Ill
considered nnd swooping measures
or reform (espoMully If thoy nro
tainted with vliiu tlveness, and dis
regard for tho rights of tho minority)
is particularly blameworthy, Tho sov
eral legislatures uro responsible for
Uio fact that our laws aro often pro
pared with slovenly hasto and lack of
consideration. Movcovor, thoy arc
often prepared, and still more fro-
auuntly amendod dm lug passage, at
tho suggestion of the very parties
ngnlnst whom they nro nrterwardH
enforced. Our great clusters of cor
porations, huge trusts and fabulously
wealthy multimillionaires, employ
the vory boat lawyers thoy nan obtain
to pick flaws in those ntntutun utter
their puKsago; but they also emloy
a class of secret agents who seek,
under tho advice of experts, to ren
der hostile legislation Innocuous by
making it unconstitutional, often
through tho Insertion or what appear
na their race to be drastic and
sweeping provisions against the lu
(ort'stH of the parties Inspiring thorn;
while tho demagogues, tho corrupt
creatures who introduce blackmail
ing schemes to "strike" corporations,
and all who demand oxtromo, nnd un
desirably radical, measures, show
tnemselves to bo the worst enemies
of tho very public whose loud-mouthed
champions they profess to be.
The courts hold a placo of peculiar
and deserved sanctity under our form
of government. Keapect for the luw
Is essential to tho permanence of our
institutiens: and respect for the law
Is largely conditioned upon r I oect
for tho courts. It is an offense
against tho republic to say anything
which can weaken this respect, .save
for the gravest reason and In the
most carefully guarded manner Our
Judges should be held in peculiar
honor; und tho duty of respectful and
truthful comment and criticism,
which should be binding when we
sneak of anybody, should bo especial
ly binding when wo speak of them.
Forehts.
If there Is any one duty which
more than another we owe it to our
children and our children's children
1 yg
to perform nt onco, It Is to eavo tho
forests or this country, tor thoy con
stitute tho firs and most important
clement tn tho conservation of tho
natural resources or tho country.
Thoro nro of course two kinds of
nntpral resourcea. Just as n farmer,
after all his llfo making his living
from hl farm, will, If ho Ih nn ox
pert farmer, leavo It ns an nssot of
tnerensed vnluo to his son, so wo
Bhould leavo our nnttonnl domnln to
our children, Increased in vnluo and
not worn out. Thoro nro small sec
tions of our own country, In tho enst
nnd In tho west, In tho Adlrondacks,
tho Whlto mountains, and tho Appa
lachians, nnd In tho Rocky moun
tains, whoro wo can nlrendy seo for
oursolvea tho dnmngo in tho shnpo
oi pcrmanont Injury to tho soil nnd
tho river systems which comos from
reckless deforestation.
Short-sighted poraoy.s. or porsoiiB
blinded to tho tuturo by desire to
make money In every vay out of
tho present, Bomettmca apeak ns If
no grent dnmngo would bo dono by
tho reckless destruction of our for
ests. It Is difficult to Jinvo patience
with tho arguments of thcso persona.
Thanks to our own recklessness In
tho uso or our spbltdld forests, wo
havo nlreudy crosacd tho vorgo of n
tlmbor famine In this country, and
no measures that wo now t.iko can,
nt lonst for many years, undo tho
mlnchlof that has already boon dono.
All Borloua students of tho ques
tion nro nwnro of tho gront dnmngo
thnt has boon dono In tho Mediterran
ean countries of Europe Asia and
Africa by deforestation. A recent
Investigation into conditions In Norrh
China by Prank N. Meyor, of tho
bureau of plant Industry of tho Unit
ed Stntos dopnrtmont of agriculture,
has tncldentnlly furnlshod In vory
striking fashion proof of tho ruin that
comes from rocklosa deforestation or
mountains and or tho further fact
that tho dnmngo onco dono mny provo
practically Irroparablo. So Important
nro thcBo Investigations thnt I here
with attach ns nn appendix to my
mossngo certain photographs showing
prcsont conditions in China. Thoy
nhow tn vivid fashion tho appalling
desolation, taking the shnpo of bnr
ron mountains nnd gravol and sand
covored plains, which Immediately
follows and doponds upon tho defor
estation of tho mountains. Not many
conturles ngo tho country or northern
China wns ono of tho most fertile
nnd beautiful spots In tho ontlre
world, nnd was heavily forested. Wo
know thu not only from tho old Chi
nese rVcords, hut from tho accounts
itlvon by tho traveler. Mnrco Polo.
Ho, for Instance, mentions that in
visiting tho provinces of Slums! and
Shonsl he observed many plantations
or mulborry trqon. Now thoro Is
hnrdly n slnglo mulberry treo In eith
er of these provinces, nnd tho cul
ture of thu Hllkworm has moved far
ther south, to regions of atmosphorlo
moisture. As nn Illustration of tho
comploto change in thu livers, wu
may take Polo's ntatuiuunt that a
cortalu rlvor, tho Uuu Ho, was so
largo and deep that merchants as
cended It from tho sen with heavily
laden bouts; today this river Is sim
ply a broad, sandy bod, with shal
low, rapid ourrents wandering hlthur
nnd thlthor nomas It, absolutely un
nnvlgable, Hut wu do not have to
depend upon written records. Tho
dry wells, nnd tho wells with water
far holow tho fornuir watermark bear
testlmovy to tho good days or the
pnst anil thu ovll days of tho present.
Wherever the natlvn vegetation has
been allowed to remain, as, for In
stance hero nnd thero nrouiid n sa
cred temple or Imperial burying
ground, there aro still huge trees
and tanglud Jungle fragments of thu
glorious ancient forests.
In thu total absence of regulation
of thu matter In thu Interest of the
wholo people, each small group Is
Inevitably pushed into a policy or
destruction which cannot afford to
take thought for the iiu.Vow. This
la Just one of those mutton! which
It Is fatal to leave to. unsupervised
Individual control. Tu fo costs can
only bo protected y luu state, by
tho nnttrni, and the liberty or fiction
or Individuals must bo conditioned
upon What tho statu or nation deter
mines to bo necessary for tho com
mon safety.
Ho loKuutl of deforestation In
China Is u Uvwm whloh mankind
should hnvo learned many times al
ready from whut has occurred In,
other places. Donudatlou leaves,
naked soil; then gullying outs down
to the lmr rook, and meanwhile tho
rook-waste hiirloH the bottomlands.
When the soil Is gone, men must go,
and the process does mil take lung.
What hus thus huppouod In north
ern China, what hus happened la
Central Asia, In I'ltlimtiue. I it Nena
Afrlou, In parts of the Mediterranean
countries nf Europe, will surely hap
pen In our country If wu do not ox
orolso Hint wise rorothough which
should be one of thu chief marks of
any people calling Itself civilized.
Nothing should be permitted to stand
In the way of the prosorutlon or the
forests, und It is criminal to penult
Individuals to purchase a little gala
for themselves through tho dostruc-'
tlon of forests when this destruction
Is fatul to the well-being of the whole
country in the future.
Inland Wmervt ays.
Action should be begun forwlth,
during the present session of the
congress, for thu Improvement of our
Inland waterways - action which will
result tu giving us not only navlguble
but navigated rivers. We havo spent
hundreds of millions of dollars upon
these waterways, yet the traffic on
nearly all of them Is steadily declin
ing. This condition Is tho direct re
sult ot thu absence or any compre
hensive und fur-soulug plainer wutor
wuy Improvement. Obviously we
cannot continue thus to expend the
revenues of the government without
return. It Is poor business to spend
money for Inland navigation unless
we gut It.
Inquiry Into the condition of the
Mississippi und Its principal tributar
ies reveals very many instances of th
utter waste caused by thu method
whloh have hitherto obtained for the
so-culled "improvement" of naviga
tion. A striking instancy Is supplied
by tho "improvement" ot the Ohio,
which, begun In 1824, was contlnuU
undor a slnglo plan for half a cen
tury. In 187G a now plan Wris" Adopt
ed nnd followed for a quarter of a ,
century. In 1902 still different
plnn wns ndoptcd nnd has since-'beeb
pursued at n rate Which .only" nroih
lses a navigable rlvor In froni twenty
to ono hundred years longer.
Such short-sighted, vacillating and
futllo mothods nro nccompanled ,by
decreasing wntor-borno , commerce
nnd Increasing trattlc congestion on
land, by Increasing floods, anu by
tho wasto of public money) the
remedy lies In abandoning tho, moth- ,
ods which hnvo so signally failed, &h A
adopting now pnos in keeping yflth
tno needs and demands ot our people.
Until tho work of rlvor Improve
ment Is undertaken In a modorn way
It cannot havo results tha,t wjll meet
tho needs of this modorn nation.
Theso needs should bo met with6ut
further dilly-dallying or delay. Tha
plnn which promises tbp host and
quickest results Is that of a perma
nent commission authorized to co
ordinate tho work ot all tho gqrerni
ment departments relating to water
ways, and tv frame nnd aUpcrvlBq the,
execution of a comprehensive plan.
National Parks.
I urge thnt nil our nutlonnl imrta
adjacent to national forojts bo pteee
completely undor tho control or tho
forest Borvlco of tho agricultural do-
(inrtmont, Instead of leaving them ns
hoy now are, undor tho thtorlor de
inrtmont nnd policed by thu artsy.
I am happy to say that 1 have beoai
able to sot nstdo In various parts of
the country small, woll-chosoh iractfti
or ground to sorvo ns sanctuaries andl
hursorlcs ror wild cronttiros.
Donnturtsl Alcohol.
I had occnulon in my rncssnW C
Mny 4, 1000, to urgo tho passage of
some Inw putting alcohol, UwU n
tho arts, Industries, and manufac
tures, upon tho froo list; that Is, to
)rovtdo for tho withdrawal free. bf.
tax or alcohol which is to, be de
natured ror thoiio purposes. The.
law or Juno 7, 100C, and Uo 'menil-
ment or March 2, 1907, accomplished!
what was doslred In that rosoui, andl'
the uso ot tonnturod alcohol, us Ja
tendud, Is making a fair degree. Ot
progress and is1 entitled to furtfctr
uncnurngoment nnd support front
tho congress.
Pun? Komi.
Tho puru food legislator hnn al
ready worked a bonoflt difficult tot
ovor-ostlmu .
Indian Borvlco.
It has boon my purpdso froiu tfis
beginning or my administration o
tako tho Indian sorvico coinJMoly
out or tho ntmosphuru of political ac-.
tlvlty, and there has boo steady
progress toward that und. Thu iMt
remaining stronghold of politics In
that service was tho hgoncy system,
which had seen Its best dayn und was
gradually railing to plocea from nat
ural or purely evolutionary cause,
but, like nil such survivals, was de
caying slowly In its later stages, It
scums clear that Its extinction had
hotter ho made flunl now, so that.
the ground can ho cleared for largw
runstructlvu work on bohalf of Vtyi
Indians, preparatory to their Inser
tion Into tho full muasuro of rejH'oat
Bible .citizenship. On Novuwbi;
only eighteen agencies were If Wt,
the rester: with two uuAmrs,
where some legal qiluutloyi seemed
to temporarily In thu Way, Ihosu have
boon changed to ouperlirfopdoncles,
and their heads brought Into the
classified civil service.
Hecrcl Hervtce.
Last year an umondmout, -wan .flrr
eorporntud III tho muasuru preving:
for the secret service, which rxovldh
ed thnt thoro should bo noj detain
from tho secret sorvico and. so tcuw
for therefrom. It Is pot, too, BMwfc
to say that thin umoudiuont has, feoag
of benefit only, mid could bo olV bone
fit only, tn thu criminal clanaou, It
deliberately Introduced for thq pur
pose of diminishing the effectiveness
if war ngnlnst crlnio It could aot
have boon better dvvlsod tu this end.
It forbade I Wo pruutlcus that had'
been followed to a greater pr lessi
oxteut by thu executive heads of y
rlouu departments for twenty yoarsi.
To thoso practices wo owe the secur
ing of tho ovldcnce which enabled n
to drive groat lotteries out of lumi
nous nnd securo a quarter of a, kilp
lloa of dollars In rinos from their
promoters These practices have en
abled iih to discover some of the most
outrageous frauds In connection wlUh
thu theft of government land audi
government timber by great corpo Tor
tious and by Individuals. Thosei
practices have enabled uo to cot bob
f the evidence Indispensable lUQCdNK
io secure the conviction q( m wor
thiest und must formidable criminals
with whom tho Kovoruiuont has to
deal, both those operating In viola
tion of the anti-trust law and others.
The amendment in question was of
benefit to no one excepting to tkeso
criminals, und it seriously liampqrs
thu government In the detection pf
crime and the securing of. Justice,
moreover. It not only uffects depart
ments oulsldo of the treasury PVt
It tends to hamper the secretary of
the treasury himself In tho effort to ,
utilize the employes of bs depart
ment so us to best meet the require
ments of tho publlo service, It for
bids him from preventing frauds
upon thu customs service, from ln
.fstlgatiiig IrregiiliirltleH In branch
mints and assay offlr.es, and has s
rlously crippled him It prevents tso
promotion of employes In the secret
service, und this further dlcouraW,
goo deffort In its present form to
restriction operates only to (he ad
vantage of the criminal, of tae
wrong-doer Thu chief argument is
favor of the provision was that tkw
congressmen did not themselves wtftti
to bo investigated by boo ret Brre
mou Very little of such tftvostlfta
lion hus been done iu thu past; hut.
.. Is true that the work of the secret
servloe agents was partly responsible
for the Indictment and conviction of
i senutor and a congressman for land
ruuds in Oregon.
tCo&tuuea on pugq ntst),
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