The Nation continues to enjoy noteworthy prosperity. Such prosperity is of course primarily due to the high individual average of our citizenship, taken together with our great natural resources; but an important factor therein is the working of our long-continued governmental policies. The people have emphatically expressed their approval of the principles underlying these policies, and their desire that these principles be kept substantially unchanged, although of course applied in a progressive spirit to meet changing conditions. The enlargement of scope of the functions of the National Government required by our development as a nation involves, of course, increase of expense; and the period of prosperity through which the country is passing justifies expenditures for permanent improvements far greater than would be wise in hard times. Battle ships and forts, public buildings, and improved waterways are investments which should be made when we have the money; but abundant revenues and a large surplus always invite extravagance, and constant care should be taken to guard against unnecessary increase of the ordinary expenses of government. The cost of doing Government business should be regulated with the same rigid scrutiny as the cost of doing a private business. In the vast and complicated mechanism of our modern civilized life the dominant note is the note of industralism; and the relations of capital and labor, and especially of organized capital and organized labor, to each other and to the public at large come second in importance only to the intimate questions of family life. Our peculiar form of government, with its sharp division of authority between the Nation and the several States, has been on the whole far more advantageous to our development than a more strongly centralized government. But it is undoubtedly responsible for much of the difficulty of meeting with adequate legislation the new problems presented by the total change in industrial conditions on this continent during the last half century. In actual practice it has proved exceedingly difficult, and in many cases impossible, to get unanimity of wise action among the various States on these subjects. From the very nature of the case this is especially true of the laws affecting the employment of capital in huge masses. With regard to labor the problem is no less important, but it is simpler. As long as the States retain the primary control of the police power the circumstances must be altogether extreme which require interference by the Federal authorities, whether in the way of safeguarding the rights of labor or in the way of seeing that wrong is not done by unruly persons who shield themselves behind the name of labor. If there is resistance to the Federal courts, interference with the mails, or interstate commerce, or molestation of Federal property, or if the State authorities in some crisis which they are unable to face call for help, then the Federal Government may interfere; but though such interference may be caused by a condition of things arising out of trouble connected with some question of labor, the interference itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach of order--for to keep order is a primary duty and in a time of disorder and violence all other questions sink into abeyance until order has been restored. In the District of Columbia and in the Territories the Federal law covers the entire field of government; but the labor question is only acute in populous centers of commerce, manufactures, or mining. Nevertheless, both in the enactment and in the enforcement of law the Federal Government within its restricted sphere should set an example to the State governments, especially in a matter so vital as this affecting labor. I believe that under modern industrial conditions it is often necessary, and even where not necessary it is yet often wise, that there should be organization of labor in order better to secure the rights of the individual wage-worker. All encouragement should be given to any such organization so long as it is conducted with a due and decent regard for the rights of others. There are in this country some labor unions which have habitually, and other labor unions which have often, been among the most effective agents in working for good citizenship and for uplifting the condition of those whose welfare should be closest to our hearts. But when any labor union seeks improper ends, or seeks to achieve proper ends by improper means, all good citizens and more especially all honorable public servants must oppose the wrongdoing as resolutely as they would oppose the wrongdoing of any great corporation. Of course any violence, brutality, or corruption, should not for one moment be tolerated. Wage-workers have an entire right to organize and by all peaceful and honorable means to endeavor to persuade their fellows to join with them in organizations. They have a legal right, which, according to circumstances, may or may not be a moral right, to refuse to work in company with men who decline to join their organizations. They have under no circumstances the right to commit violence upon these, whether capitalists or wage-workers, who refuse to support their organizations, or who side with those with whom they are at odds; for mob rule is intolerable in any form. The wage-workers are peculiarly entitled to the protection and the encouragement of the law. From the very nature of their occupation railroad men, for instance, are liable to be maimed in doing the legitimate work of their profession, unless the railroad companies are required by law to make ample provision for their safety. The Administration has been zealous in enforcing the existing law for this purpose. That law should be amended and strengthened. Wherever the National Government has power there should be a stringent employer's liability law, which should apply to the Government itself where the Government is an employer of labor. In my Message to the Fifty-seventh Congress, at its second session, I urged the passage of an employer's liability law for the District of Columbia. I now renew that recommendation, and further recommend that the Congress appoint a commission to make a comprehensive study of employer's liability with the view of extending the provisions of a great and constitutional law to all employments within the scope of Federal power. The Government has recognized heroism upon the water, and bestows medals of honor upon those persons who by extreme and heroic daring have endangered their lives in saving, or endeavoring to save, lives from the perils of the sea in the waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, or upon an American vessel. This recognition should be extended to cover cases of conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice in the saving of life in private employments under the jurisdiction of the United States, and particularly in the land commerce of the Nation. The ever-increasing casualty list upon our railroads is a matter of grave public concern, and urgently calls for action by the Congress. In the matter of speed and comfort of railway travel our railroads give at least as good service as those of any other nation, and there is no reason why this service should not also be as safe as human ingenuity can make it. Many of our leading roads have been foremost in the adoption of the most approved safeguards for the protection of travelers and employees, yet the list of clearly avoidable accidents continues unduly large. The passage of a law requiring the adoption of a block-signal system has been proposed to the Congress. I earnestly concur in that recommendation, and would also point out to the Congress the urgent need of legislation in the interest of the public safety limiting the hours of labor for railroad employees in train service upon railroads engaged in interstate commerce, and providing that only trained and experienced persons be employed in positions of responsibility connected with the operation of trains. Of course nothing can ever prevent accidents caused by human weakness or misconduct; and there should be drastic punishment for any railroad employee, whether officer or man, who by issuance of wrong orders or by disobedience of orders causes disaster. The law of 1901, requiring interstate railroads to make monthly reports of all accidents to passengers and employees on duty, should also be amended so as to empower the Government to make a personal investigation, through proper officers, of all accidents involving loss of life which seem to require investigation, with a requirement that the results of such investigation be made public. The safety-appliance law, as amended by the act of March 2, 1903, has proved beneficial to railway employees, and in order that its provisions may be properly carried out, the force of inspectors provided for by appropriation should be largely increased. This service is analogous to the Steamboat-Inspection Service, and deals with even more important interests. It has passed the experimental stage and demonstrated its utility, and should receive generous recognition by the Congress. There is no objection to employees of the Government forming or belonging to unions; but the Government can neither discriminate for nor discriminate against nonunion men who are in its employment, or who seek to be employed under it. Moreover, it is a very grave impropriety for Government employees to band themselves together for the purpose of extorting improperly high salaries from the Government. Especially is this true of those within the classified service. The letter carriers, both municipal and rural, are as a whole an excellent body of public servants. They should be amply paid. But their payment must be obtained by arguing their claims fairly and honorably before the Congress, and not by banding together for the defeat of those Congressmen who refuse to give promises which they can not in conscience give. The Administration has already taken steps to prevent and punish abuses of this nature; but it will be wise for the Congress to supplement this action by legislation. Much can be done by the Government in labor matters merely by giving publicity to certain conditions. The Bureau of Labor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions. I shall shortly lay before you in a special message the full report of the investigation of the Bureau of Labor into the Colorado mining strike, as this was a strike in which certain very evil forces, which are more or less at work everywhere under the conditions of modern industrialism, became startlingly prominent. It is greatly to be wished that the Department of Commerce and Labor, through the Labor Bureau, should compile and arrange for the Congress a list of the labor laws of the various States, and should be given the means to investigate and report to the Congress upon the labor conditions in the manufacturing and mining regions throughout the country, both as to wages, as to hours of labor, as to the labor of women and children, and as to the effect in the various labor centers of immigration from abroad. In this investigation especial attention should be paid to the conditions of child labor and child-labor legislation in the several States. Such an investigation must necessarily take into account many of the problems with which this question of child labor is connected. These problems can be actually met, in most cases, only by the States themselves; but the lack of proper legislation in one State in such a matter as child labor often renders it excessively difficult to establish protective restriction upon the work in another State having the same industries, so that the worst tends to drag down the better. For this reason, it would be well for the Nation at least to endeavor to secure comprehensive information as to the conditions of labor of children in the different States. Such investigation and publication by the National Government would tend toward the securing of approximately uniform legislation of the proper character among the several States. When we come to deal with great corporations the need for the Government to act directly is far greater than in the case of labor, because great corporations can become such only by engaging in interstate commerce, and interstate commerce is peculiarly the field of the General Government. It is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses in great corporations by State action. It is difficult to be patient with an argument that such matters should be left to the States because more than one State pursues the policy of creating on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that State at all, but in other States whose laws they ignore. The National Government alone can deal adequately with these great corporations. To try to deal with them in an intemperate, destructive, or demagogic spirit would, in all probability, mean that nothing whatever would be accomplished, and, with absolute certainty, that if anything were accomplished it would be of a harmful nature. The American people need to continue to show the very qualities that they have shown--that is, moderation, good sense, the earnest desire to avoid doing any damage, and yet the quiet determination to proceed, step by step, without halt and without hurry, in eliminating or at least in minimizing whatever of mischief or evil there is to interstate commerce in the conduct of great corporations. They are acting in no spirit of hostility to wealth, either individual or corporate. They are not against the rich man any more than against the poor man. On the contrary, they are friendly alike toward rich man and toward poor man, provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency toward his fellows. Great corporations are necessary, and only men of great and singular mental power can manage such corporations successfully, and such men must have great rewards. But these corporations should be managed with due regard to the interest of the public as a whole. Where this can be done under the present laws it must be done. Where these laws come short others should be enacted to supplement them. Yet we must never forget the determining factor in every kind of work, of head or hand, must be the man's own good sense, courage, and kindliness. More important than any legislation is the gradual growth of a feeling of responsibility and forbearance among capitalists, and wage-workers alike; a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others; a feeling of broad community of interest, not merely of capitalists among themselves, and of wage-workers among themselves, but of capitalists and wage-workers in their relations to each other, and of both in their relations to their fellows who with them make up the body politic. There are many captains of industry, many labor leaders, who realize this. A recent speech by the president of one of our great railroad systems to the employees of that system contains sound common sense. It rims in part as follows: "It is my belief we can better serve each other, better understand the man as well as his business, when meeting face to face, exchanging views, and realizing from personal contact we serve but one interest, that of our mutual prosperity. "Serious misunderstandings can not occur where personal good will exists and opportunity for personal explanation is present. "In my early business life I had experience with men of affairs of a character to make me desire to avoid creating a like feeling of resentment to myself and the interests in my charge, should fortune ever place me in authority, and I am solicitous of a measure of confidence on the part of the public and our employees that I shall hope may be warranted by the fairness and good fellowship I intend shall prevail in our relationship. "But do not feel I am disposed to grant unreasonable requests, spend the money of our company unnecessarily or without value received, nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing, or that cause for complaint will not continually occur; simply to correct such abuses as may be discovered, to better conditions as fast as reasonably may be expected, constantly striving, with varying success, for that improvement we all desire, to convince you there is a force at work in the right direction, all the time making progress--is the disposition with which I have come among you, asking your good will and encouragement. "The day has gone by when a corporation can be handled successfully in defiance of the public will, even though that will be unreasonable and wrong. A public may be led, but not driven, and I prefer to go with it and shape or modify, in a measure, its opinion, rather than be swept from my bearings, with loss to myself and the interests in my charge. "Violent prejudice exists towards corporate activity and capital today, much of it founded in reason, more in apprehension, and a large measure is due to the personal traits of arbitrary, unreasonable, incompetent, and offensive men in positions of authority. The accomplishment of results by indirection, the endeavor to thwart the intention, if not the expressed letter of the law (the will of the people), a disregard of the rights of others, a disposition to withhold what is due, to force by main strength or inactivity a result not justified, depending upon the weakness of the claimant and his indisposition to become involved in litigation, has created a sentiment harmful in the extreme and a disposition to consider anything fair that gives gain to the individual at the expense of the company. "If corporations are to continue to do the world's work, as they are best fitted to, these qualities in their representatives that have resulted in the present prejudice against them must be relegated to the background. The corporations must come out into the open and see and be seen. They must take the public into their confidence and ask for what they want, and no more, and be prepared to explain satisfactorily what advantage will accrue to the public if they are given their desires; for they are permitted to exist not that they may make money solely, but that they may effectively serve those from whom they derive their power. "Publicity, and not secrecy, will win hereafter, and laws be construed by their intent and not by their letter, otherwise public utilities will be owned and operated by the public which created them, even though the service be less efficient and the result less satisfactory from a financial standpoint." The Bureau of Corporations has made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations. It will make a special report on the beef industry. The policy of the Bureau is to accomplish the purposes of its creation by co-operation, not antagonism; by making constructive legislation, not destructive prosecution, the immediate object of its inquiries; by conservative investigation of law and fact, and by refusal to issue incomplete and hence necessarily inaccurate reports. Its policy being thus one of open inquiry into, and not attack upon, business, the Bureau has been able to gain not only the confidence, but, better still, the cooperation of men engaged in legitimate business. The Bureau offers to the Congress the means of getting at the cost of production of our various great staples of commerce. Of necessity the careful investigation of special corporations will afford the Commissioner knowledge of certain business facts, the publication of which might be an improper infringement of private rights. The method of making public the results of these investigations affords, under the law, a means for the protection of private rights. The Congress will have all facts except such as would give to another corporation information which would injure the legitimate business of a competitor and destroy the incentive for individual superiority and thrift. The Bureau has also made exhaustive examinations into the legal condition under which corporate business is carried on in the various States; into all judicial decisions on the subject; and into the various systems of corporate taxation in use. I call special attention to the report of the chief of the Bureau; and I earnestly ask that the Congress carefully consider the report and recommendations of the Commissioner on this subject. The business of insurance vitally affects the great mass of the people of the United States and is national and not local in its application. It involves a multitude of transactions among the people of the different States and between American companies and foreign governments. I urge that the Congress carefully consider whether the power of the Bureau of Corporations can not constitutionally be extended to cover interstate transactions in insurance. Above all else, we must strive to keep the highways of commerce open to all on equal terms; and to do this it is necessary to put a complete stop to all rebates. Whether the shipper or the railroad is to blame makes no difference; the rebate must be stopped, the abuses of the private car and private terminal-track and side-track systems must be stopped, and the legislation of the Fifty-eighth Congress which declares it to be unlawful for any person or corporation to offer, gram, give, solicit, accept, or receive any rebate, concession, or discrimination in respect of the transportation of any property in interstate or foreign commerce whereby such property shall by any device whatever be transported at a less rate than that named in the tariffs published by the carrier must be enforced. For some time after the enactment of the Act to Regulate Commerce it remained a mooted question whether that act conferred upon the Interstate Commerce Commission the power, after it had found a challenged rate to be unreasonable, to declare what thereafter should, prima facie, be the reasonable maximum rate for the transportation in dispute. The Supreme Court finally resolved that question in the negative, so that as the law now stands the Commission simply possess the bare power to denounce a particular rate as unreasonable. While I am of the opinion that at present it would be undesirable, if it were not impracticable, finally to clothe the Commission with general authority to fix railroad rates, I do believe that, as a fair security to shippers, the Commission should be vested with the power, where a given rate has been challenged and after full hearing found to be unreasonable, to decide, subject to judicial review, what shall be a reasonable rate to take its place; the ruling of the Commission to take effect immediately, and to obtain unless and until it is reversed by the court of review. The Government must in increasing degree supervise and regulate the workings of the railways engaged in interstate commerce; and such increased supervision is the only alternative to an increase of the present evils on the one hand or a still more radical policy on the other. In my judgment the most important legislative act now needed as regards the regulation of corporations is this act to confer on the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to revise rates and regulations, the revised rate to at once go into effect, and stay in effect unless and until the court of review reverses it. Steamship companies engaged in interstate commerce and protected in our coastwise trade should be held to a strict observance of the interstate commerce act. In pursuing the set plan to make the city of Washington an example to other American municipalities several points should be kept in mind by the legislators. In the first place, the people of this country should clearly understand that no amount of industrial prosperity, and above all no leadership in international industrial competition, can in any way atone for the sapping of the vitality of those who are usually spoken of as the working classes. The farmers, the mechanics, the skilled and unskilled laborers, the small shop keepers, make up the bulk of the population of any country; and upon their well-being, generation after generation, the well-being of the country and the race depends. Rapid development in wealth and industrial leadership is a good thing, but only if it goes hand in hand with improvement, and not deterioration, physical and moral. The over-crowding of cities and the draining of country districts are unhealthy and even dangerous symptoms in our modern life. We should not permit overcrowding in cities. In certain European cities it is provided by law that the population of towns shall not be allowed to exceed a very limited density for a given area, so that the increase in density must be continually pushed back into a broad zone around the center of the town, this zone having great avenues or parks within it. The death-rate statistics show a terrible increase in mortality, and especially in infant mortality, in overcrowded tenements. The poorest families in tenement houses live in one room, and it appears that in these one-room tenements the average death rate for a number of given cities at home and abroad is about twice what it is in a two-room tenement, four times what it is in a three-room tenement, and eight times what it is in a tenement consisting of four rooms or over. These figures vary somewhat for different cities, but they approximate in each city those given above; and in all cases the increase of mortality, and especially of infant mortality, with the decrease in the number of rooms used by the family and with the consequent overcrowding is startling. The slum exacts a heavy total of death from those who dwell therein; and this is the case not merely in the great crowded slums of high buildings in New York and Chicago, but in the alley slums of Washington. In Washington people can not afford to ignore the harm that this causes. No Christian and civilized community can afford to show a happy-go-lucky lack of concern for the youth of to-day; for, if so, the community will have to pay a terrible penalty of financial burden and social degradation in the to-morrow. There should be severe child-labor and factory-inspection laws. It is very desirable that married women should not work in factories. The prime duty of the man is to work, to be the breadwinner; the prime duty of the woman is to be the mother, the housewife. All questions of tariff and finance sink into utter insignificance when compared with the tremendous, the vital importance of trying to shape conditions so that these two duties of the man and of the woman can be fulfilled under reasonably favorable circumstances. If a race does not have plenty of children, or if the children do not grow up, or if when they grow up they are unhealthy in body and stunted or vicious in mind, then that race is decadent, and no heaping up of wealth, no splendor of momentary material prosperity, can avail in any degree as offsets. The Congress has the same power of legislation for the District of Columbia which the State legislatures have for the various States. The problems incident to our highly complex modern industrial civilization, with its manifold and perplexing tendencies both for good and for evil, are far less sharply eccentuated in the city of Washington than in most other cities. For this very reason it is easier to deal with the various phases of these problems in Washington, and the District of Columbia government should be a model for the other municipal governments of the Nation, in all such matters as supervision of the housing of the poor, the creation of small parks in the districts inhabited by the poor, in laws affecting labor, in laws providing for the taking care of the children, in truant laws, and in providing schools. In the vital matter of taking care of children, much advantage could be gained by a careful study of what has been accomplished in such States as Illinois and Colorado by the juvenile courts. The work of the juvenile court is really a work of character building. It is now generally recognized that young boys and young girls who go wrong should not be treated as criminals, not even necessarily as needing reformation, but rather as needing to have their characters formed, and for this end to have them tested and developed by a system of probation. Much admirable work has been done in many of our Commonwealths by earnest men and women who have made a special study of the needs of those classes of children which furnish the greatest number of juvenile offenders, and therefore the greatest number of adult offenders; and by their aid, and by profiting by the experiences of the different States and cities in these matters, it would be easy to provide a good code for the District of Columbia. Several considerations suggest the need for a systematic investigation into and improvement of housing conditions in Washington. The hidden residential alleys are breeding grounds of vice and disease, and should be opened into minor streets. For a number of years influential citizens have joined with the District Commissioners in the vain endeavor to secure laws permitting the condemnation of insanitary dwellings. The local death rates, especially from preventable diseases, are so unduly high as to suggest that the exceptional wholesomeness of Washington's better sections is offset by bad conditions in her poorer neighborhoods. A special "Commission on Housing and Health Conditions in the National Capital" would not only bring about the reformation of existing evils, but would also formulate an appropriate building code to protect the city from mammoth brick tenements and other evils which threaten to develop here as they have in other cities. That the Nation's Capital should be made a model for other municipalities is an ideal which appeals to all patriotic citizens everywhere, and such a special Commission might map out and organize the city's future development in lines of civic social service, just as Major L'Enfant and the recent Park Commission planned the arrangement of her streets and parks. It is mortifying to remember that Washington has no compulsory school attendance law and that careful inquiries indicate the habitual absence from school of some twenty per cent of all children between the ages of eight and fourteen. It must be evident to all who consider the problems of neglected child life or the benefits of compulsory education in other cities that one of the most urgent needs of the National Capital is a law requiring the school attendance of all children, this law to be enforced by attendance agents directed by the board of education. Public play grounds are necessary means for the development of wholesome citizenship in modern cities. It is important that the work inaugurated here through voluntary efforts should be taken up and extended through Congressional appropriation of funds sufficient to equip and maintain numerous convenient small play grounds upon land which can be secured without purchase or rental. It is also desirable that small vacant places be purchased and reserved as small-park play grounds in densely settled sections of the city which now have no public open spaces and are destined soon to be built up solidly. All these needs should be met immediately. To meet them would entail expenses; but a corresponding saving could be made by stopping the building of streets and levelling of ground for purposes largely speculative in outlying parts of the city. There are certain offenders, whose criminality takes the shape of brutality and cruelty towards the weak, who need a special type of punishment. The wife-beater, for example, is inadequately punished by imprisonment; for imprisonment may often mean nothing to him, while it may cause hunger and want to the wife and children who have been the victims of his brutality. Probably some form of corporal punishment would be the most adequate way of meeting this kind of crime. The Department of Agriculture has grown into an educational institution with a faculty of two thousand specialists making research into all the sciences of production. The Congress appropriates, directly and indirectly, six millions of dollars annually to carry on this work. It reaches every State and Territory in the Union and the islands of the sea lately come under our flag. Co-operation is had with the State experiment stations, and with many other institutions and individuals. The world is carefully searched for new varieties of grains, fruits, grasses, vegetables, trees, and shrubs, suitable to various localities in our country; and marked benefit to our producers has resulted. The activities of our age in lines of research have reached the tillers of the soil and inspired them with ambition to know more of the principles that govern the forces of nature with which they have to deal. Nearly half of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things from the soil. Until a recent date little has been done to prepare these millions for their life work. In most lines of human activity college-trained men are the leaders. The farmer had no opportunity for special training until the Congress made provision for it forty years ago. During these years progress has been made and teachers have been prepared. Over five thousand students are in attendance at our State agricultural colleges. The Federal Government expends ten millions of dollars annually toward this education and for research in Washington and in the several States and Territories. The Department of Agriculture has given facilities for post-graduate work to five hundred young men during the last seven years, preparing them for advance lines of work in the Department and in the State institutions. The facts concerning meteorology and its relations to plant and animal life are being systematically inquired into. Temperature and moisture are controlling factors in all agricultural operations. The seasons of the cyclones of the Caribbean Sea and their paths are being forecasted with increasing accuracy. The cold winds that come from the north are anticipated and their times and intensity told to farmers, gardeners, and fruiterers in all southern localities. We sell two hundred and fifty million dollars' worth of animals and animal products to foreign countries every year, in addition to supplying our own people more cheaply and abundantly than any other nation is able to provide for its people. Successful manufacturing depends primarily on cheap food, which accounts to a considerable extent for our growth in this direction. The Department of Agriculture, by careful inspection of meats, guards the health of our people and gives clean bills of health to deserving exports; it is prepared to deal promptly with imported diseases of animals, and maintain the excellence of our flocks and herds in this respect. There should be an annual census of the live stock of the Nation. We sell abroad about six hundred million dollars' worth of plants and their products every year. Strenuous efforts are being made to import from foreign countries such grains as are suitable to our varying localities. Seven years ago we bought three-fourths of our rice; by helping the rice growers on the Gulf coast to secure seeds from the Orient suited to their conditions, and by giving them adequate protection, they now supply home demand and export to the islands of the Caribbean Sea and to other rice-growing countries. Wheat and other grains have been imported from light-rainfall countries to our lands in the West and Southwest that have not grown crops because of light precipitation, resulting in an extensive addition to our cropping area and our home-making territory that can not be irrigated. Ten million bushels of first-class macaroni wheat were grown from these experimental importations last year. Fruits suitable to our soils and climates are being imported from all the countries of the Old World--the fig from Turkey, the almond from Spain, the date from Algeria, the mango from India. We are helping our fruit growers to get their crops into European markets by studying methods of preservation through refrigeration, packing, and handling, which have been quite successful. We are helping our hop growers by importing varieties that ripen earlier and later than the kinds they have been raising, thereby lengthening the harvesting season. The cotton crop of the country is threatened with root rot, the bollworm, and the boll weevil. Our pathologists will find immune varieties that will resist the root disease, and the bollworm can be dealt with, but the boll weevil is a serious menace to the cotton crop. It is a Central American insect that has become acclimated in Texas and has done great damage. A scientist of the Department of Agriculture has found the weevil at home in Guatemala being kept in check by an ant, which has been brought to our cotton fields for observation. It is hoped that it may serve a good purpose. The soils of the country are getting attention from the farmer's standpoint, and interesting results are following. We have duplicates of the soils that grow the wrapper tobacco in Sumatra and the filler tobacco in Cuba. It will be only a question of time when the large amounts paid to these countries will be paid to our own people. The reclamation of alkali lands is progressing, to give object lessons to our people in methods by which worthless lands may be made productive. The insect friends and enemies of the farmer are getting attention. The enemy of the San Jose scale was found near the Great Wall of China, and is now cleaning up all our orchards. The fig-fertilizing insect imported from Turkey has helped to establish an industry in California that amounts to from fifty to one hundred tons of dried figs annually, and is extending over the Pacific coast. A parasitic fly from South Africa is keeping in subjection the black scale, the worst pest of the orange and lemon industry in California. Careful preliminary work is being done towards producing our own silk. The mulberry is being distributed in large numbers, eggs are being imported and distributed, improved reels were imported from Europe last year, and two expert reelers were brought to Washington to reel the crop of cocoons and teach the art to our own people. The crop-reporting system of the Department of Agriculture is being brought closer to accuracy every year. It has two hundred and fifty thousand reporters selected from people in eight vocations in life. It has arrangements with most European countries for interchange of estimates, so that our people may know as nearly as possible with what they must compete. During the two and a half years that have elapsed since the passage of the reclamation act rapid progress has been made in the surveys and examinations of the opportunities for reclamation in the thirteen States and three Territories of the arid West. Construction has already been begun on the largest and most important of the irrigation works, and plans are being completed for works which will utilize the funds now available. The operations are being carried on by the Reclamation Service, a corps of engineers selected through competitive civil-service examinations. This corps includes experienced consulting and constructing engineers as well as various experts in mechanical and legal matters, and is composed largely of men who have spent most of their lives in practical affairs connected with irrigation. The larger problems have been solved and it now remains to execute with care, economy, and thoroughness the work which has been laid out. All important details are being carefully considered by boards of consulting engineers, selected for their thorough knowledge and practical experience. Each project is taken up on the ground by competent men and viewed from the standpoint of the creation of prosperous homes, and of promptly refunding to the Treasury the cost of construction. The reclamation act has been found to be remarkably complete and effective, and so broad in its provisions that a wide range of undertakings has been possible under it. At the same time, economy is guaranteed by the fact that the funds must ultimately be returned to be used over again. It is the cardinal principle of the forest-reserve policy of this Administration that the reserves are for use. Whatever interferes with the use of their resources is to be avoided by every possible means. But these resources must be used in such a way as to make them permanent. The forest policy of the Government is just now a subject of vivid public interest throughout the West and to the people of the United States in general. The forest reserves themselves are of extreme value to the present as well as to the future welfare of all the western public-land States. They powerfully affect the use and disposal of the public lands. They are of special importance because they preserve the water supply and the supply of timber for domestic purposes, and so promote settlement under the reclamation act. Indeed, they are essential to the welfare of every one of the great interests of the West. Forest reserves are created for two principal purposes. The first is to preserve the water supply. This is their most important use. The principal users of the water thus preserved are irrigation ranchers and settlers, cities and towns to whom their municipal water supplies are of the very first importance, users and furnishers of water power, and the users of water for domestic, manufacturing, mining, and other purposes. All these are directly dependent upon the forest reserves. The second reason for which forest reserves are created is to preserve the timber supply for various classes of wood users. Among the more important of these are settlers under the reclamation act and other acts, for whom a cheap and accessible supply of timber for domestic uses is absolutely necessary; miners and prospectors, who are in serious danger of losing their timber supply by fire or through export by lumber companies when timber lands adjacent to their mines pass into private ownership; lumbermen, transportation companies, builders, and commercial interests in general. Although the wisdom of creating forest reserves is nearly everywhere heartily recognized, yet in a few localities there has been misunderstanding and complaint. The following statement is therefore desirable: The forest reserve policy can be successful only when it has the full support of the people of the West. It can not safely, and should not in any case, be imposed upon them against their will. But neither can we accept the views of those whose only interest in the forest is temporary; who are anxious to reap what they have not sown and then move away, leaving desolation behind them. On the contrary, it is everywhere and always the interest of the permanent settler and the permanent business man, the man with a stake in the country, which must be considered and which must decide. The making of forest reserves within railroad and wagon-road land-grant limits will hereafter, as for the past three years, be so managed as to prevent the issue, under the act of June 4, 1897, of base for exchange or lieu selection (usually called scrip). In all cases where forest reserves within areas covered by land grants appear to be essential to the prosperity of settlers, miners, or others, the Government lands within such proposed forest reserves will, as in the recent past, be withdrawn from sale or entry pending the completion of such negotiations with the owners of the land grants as will prevent the creation of so-called scrip. It was formerly the custom to make forest reserves without first getting definite and detailed information as to the character of land and timber within their boundaries. This method of action often resulted in badly chosen boundaries and consequent injustice to settlers and others. Therefore this Administration adopted the present method of first withdrawing the land from disposal, followed by careful examination on the ground and the preparation of detailed maps and descriptions, before any forest reserve is created. I have repeatedly called attention to the confusion which exists in Government forest matters because the work is scattered among three independent organizations. The United States is the only one of the great nations in which the forest work of the Government is not concentrated under one department, in consonance with the plainest dictates of good administration and common sense. The present arrangement is bad from every point of view. Merely to mention it is to prove that it should be terminated at once. As I have repeatedly recommended, all the forest work of the Government should be concentrated in the Department of Agriculture, where the larger part of that work is already done, where practically all of the trained foresters of the Government are employed, where chiefly in Washington there is comprehensive first-class knowledge of the problems of the reserves acquired on the ground, where all problems relating to growth from the soil are already gathered, and where all the sciences auxiliary to forestry are at hand for prompt and effective co-operation. These reasons are decisive in themselves, but it should be added that the great organizations of citizens whose interests are affected by the forest-reserves, such as the National Live Stock Association, the National Wool Growers' Association, the American Mining Congress, the national Irrigation Congress, and the National Board of Trade, have uniformly, emphatically, and most of them repeatedly, expressed themselves in favor of placing all Government forest work in the Department of Agriculture because of the peculiar adaptation of that Department for it. It is true, also, that the forest services of nearly all the great nations of the world are under the respective departments of agriculture, while in but two of the smaller nations and in one colony are they under the department of the interior. This is the result of long and varied experience and it agrees fully with the requirements of good administration in our own case. The creation of a forest service in the Department of Agriculture will have for its important results: First. A better handling of all forest work; because it will be under a single head, and because the vast and indispensable experience of the Department in all matters pertaining to the forest reserves, to forestry in general, and to other forms of production from the soil, will be easily and rapidly accessible. Second. The reserves themselves, being handled from the point of view of the man in the field, instead of the man in the office, will be more easily and more widely useful to the people of the West than has been the case hitherto. Third. Within a comparatively short time the reserves will become self-supporting. This is important, because continually and rapidly increasing appropriations will be necessary for the proper care of this exceedingly important interest of the Nation, and they can and should he offset by returns from the National forests. Under similar circumstances the forest possessions of other great nations form an important source of revenue to their governments. Every administrative officer concerned is convinced of the necessity for the proposed consolidation of forest work in the Department of Agriculture, and I myself have urged it more than once in former messages. Again I commend it to the early and favorable consideration of the Congress. The interests of the Nation at large and of the West in particular have suffered greatly because of the delay. I call the attention of the Congress again to the report and recommendation of the Commission on the Public Lands forwarded by me to the second session of the present Congress. The Commission has prosecuted its investigations actively during the past season, and a second report is now in an advanced stage of preparation. In connection with the work of the forest reserves I desire again to urge upon the Congress the importance of authorizing the President to set aside certain portions of these reserves or other public lands as game refuges for the preservation of the bison, the wapiti, and other large beasts once so abundant in our woods and mountains and on our great plains, and now tending toward extinction. Every support should be given to the authorities of the Yellowstone Park in their successful efforts at preserving the large creatures therein; and at very little expense portions of the public domain in other regions which are wholly unsuited to agricultural settlement could be similarly utilized. We owe it to future generations to keep alive the noble and beautiful creatures which by their presence add such distinctive character to the American wilderness. The limits of the Yellowstone Park should be extended southwards. The Canyon of the Colorado should be made a national park; and the national-park system should include the Yosemite and as many as possible of the groves of giant trees in California. The veterans of the Civil War have a claim upon the Nation such as no other body of our citizens possess. The Pension Bureau has never in its history been managed in a more satisfactory manner than is now the case. The progress of the Indians toward civilization, though not rapid, is perhaps all that could be hoped for in view of the circumstances. Within the past year many tribes have shown, in a degree greater than ever before, an appreciation of the necessity of work. This changed attitude is in part due to the policy recently pursued of reducing the amount of subsistence to the Indians, and thus forcing them, through sheer necessity, to work for a livelihood. The policy, though severe, is a useful one, but it is to be exercised only with judgment and with a full understanding of the conditions which exist in each community for which it is intended. On or near the Indian reservations there is usually very little demand for labor, and if the Indians are to earn their living and when work can not be furnished from outside (which is always preferable), then it must be furnished by the Government. Practical instruction of this kind would in a few years result in the forming of habits of regular industry, which would render the Indian a producer and would effect a great reduction in the cost of his maintenance. It is commonly declared that the slow advance of the Indians is due to the unsatisfactory character of the men appointed to take immediate charge of them, and to some extent this is true. While the standard of the employees in the Indian Service shows great improvement over that of bygone years, and while actual corruption or flagrant dishonesty is now the rare exception, it is nevertheless the fact that the salaries paid Indian agents are not large enough to attract the best men to that field of work. To achieve satisfactory results the official in charge of an Indian tribe should possess the high qualifications which are required in the manager of a large business, but only in exceptional cases is it possible to secure men of such a type for these positions. Much better service, however, might be obtained from those now holding the places were it practicable to get out of them the best that is in them, and this should be done by bringing them constantly into closer touch with their superior officers. An agent who has been content to draw his salary, giving in return the least possible equivalent in effort and service, may, by proper treatment, by suggestion and encouragement, or persistent urging, be stimulated to greater effort and induced to take a more active personal interest in his work. Under existing conditions an Indian agent in the distant West may be wholly out of touch with the office of the Indian Bureau. He may very well feel that no one takes a personal interest in him or his efforts. Certain routine duties in the way of reports and accounts are required of him, but there is no one with whom he may intelligently consult on matters vital to his work, except after long delay. Such a man would be greatly encouraged and aided by personal contact with some one whose interest in Indian affairs and whose authority in the Indian Bureau were greater than his own, and such contact would be certain to arouse and constantly increase the interest he takes in his work. The distance which separates the agents--the workers in the field--from the Indian Office in Washington is a chief obstacle to Indian progress. Whatever shall more closely unite these two branches of the Indian Service, and shall enable them to co-operate more heartily and more effectively, will be for the increased efficiency of the work and the betterment of the race for whose improvement the Indian Bureau was established. The appointment of a field assistant to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs would be certain to insure this good end. Such an official, if possessed of the requisite energy and deep interest in the work, would be a most efficient factor in bringing into closer relationship and a more direct union of effort the Bureau in Washington and its agents in the field; and with the co-operation of its branches thus secured the Indian Bureau would, in measure fuller than ever before, lift up the savage toward that self-help and self-reliance which constitute the man. In 1907 there will be held at Hampton Roads the tricentennial celebration of the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, with which the history of what has now become the United States really begins. I commend this to your favorable consideration. It is an event of prime historic significance, in which all the people of the United States should feel, and should show, great and general interest. In the Post-Office Department the service has increased in efficiency, and conditions as to revenue and expenditure continue satisfactory. The increase of revenue during the year was $9,358,181.10, or 6.9 per cent, the total receipts amounting to $143,382,624.34. The expenditures were $152,362,116.70, an increase of about 9 per cent over the previous year, being thus $8,979,492.36 in excess of the current revenue. Included in these expenditures was a total appropriation of $152,956,637.35 for the continuation and extension of the rural free-delivery service, which was an increase of $4,902,237.35 over the amount expended for this purpose in the preceding fiscal year. Large as this expenditure has been the beneficent results attained in extending the free distribution of mails to the residents of rural districts have justified the wisdom of the outlay. Statistics brought down to the 1st of October, 1904, show that on that date there were 27,138 rural routes established, serving approximately 12,000,000 of people in rural districts remote from post-offices, and that there were pending at that time 3,859 petitions for the establishment of new rural routes. Unquestionably some part of the general increase in receipts is due to the increased postal facilities which the rural service has afforded. The revenues have also been aided greatly by amendments in the classification of mail matter, and the curtailment of abuses of the second-class mailing privilege. The average increase in the volume of mail matter for the period beginning with 1902 and ending June, 1905 (that portion for 1905 being estimated), is 40.47 per cent, as compared with 25.46 per cent for the period immediately preceding, and 15.92 for the four-year period immediately preceding that. Our consular system needs improvement. Salaries should be substituted for fees, and the proper classification, grading, and transfer of consular officers should be provided. I am not prepared to say that a competitive system of examinations for appointment would work well; but by law it should be provided that consuls should be familiar, according to places for which they apply, with the French, German, or Spanish languages, and should possess acquaintance with the resources of the United States. The collection of objects of art contemplated in section 5586 of the Revised Statutes should be designated and established as a National Gallery of Art; and the Smithsonian Institution should be authorized to accept any additions to said collection that may be received by gift, bequest, or devise. It is desirable to enact a proper National quarantine law. It is most undesirable that a State should on its own initiative enforce quarantine regulations which are in effect a restriction upon interstate and international commerce. The question should properly be assumed by the Government alone. The Surgeon-General of the National Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service has repeatedly and convincingly set forth the need for such legislation. I call your attention to the great extravagance in printing and binding Government publications, and especially to the fact that altogether too many of these publications are printed. There is a constant tendency to increase their number and their volume. It is an understatement to say that no appreciable harm would be caused by, and substantial benefit would accrue from, decreasing the amount of printing now done by at least one-half. Probably the great majority of the Government reports and the like now printed are never read at all, and furthermore the printing of much of the material contained in many of the remaining ones serves no useful purpose whatever. The attention of the Congress should be especially given to the currency question, and that the standing committees on the matter in the two Houses charged with the duty, take up the matter of our currency and see whether it is not possible to secure an agreement in the business world for bettering the system; the committees should consider the question of the retirement of the greenbacks and the problem of securing in our currency such elasticity as is consistent with safety. Every silver dollar should be made by law redeemable in gold at the option of the holder. I especially commend to your immediate attention the encouragement of our merchant marine by appropriate legislation. The growing importance of the Orient as a field for American exports drew from my predecessor, President McKinley, an urgent request for its special consideration by the Congress. In his message of 1898 he stated: "In this relation, as showing the peculiar volume and value of our trade with China and the peculiarly favorable conditions which exist for their expansion in the normal course of trade, I refer to the communication addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives by the Secretary of the Treasury on the 14th of last June, with its accompanying letter of the Secretary of State, recommending an appropriation for a commission to study the industrial and commercial conditions in the Chinese Empire and to report as to the opportunities for and the obstacles to the enlargement of markets in China for the raw products and manufactures of the United States. Action was not taken thereon during the last session. I cordially urge that the recommendation receive at your hands the consideration which its importance and timeliness merit." In his annual message of 1889 he again called attention to this recommendation, quoting it, and stated further: "I now renew this recommendation, as the importance of the subject has steadily grown since it was first submitted to you, and no time should be lost in studying for ourselves the resources of this great field for American trade and enterprise." The importance of securing proper information and data with a view to the enlargement of our trade with Asia is undiminished. Our consular representatives in China have strongly urged a place for permanent display of American products in some prominent trade center of that Empire, under Government control and management, as an effective means of advancing our export trade therein. I call the attention of the Congress to the desirability of carrying out these suggestions. In dealing with the questions of immigration and naturalization it is indispensable to keep certain facts ever before the minds of those who share in enacting the laws. First and foremost, let us remember that the question of being a good American has nothing whatever to do with a man's birthplace any more than it has to do with his creed. In every generation from the time this Government was founded men of foreign birth have stood in the very foremost rank of good citizenship, and that not merely in one but in every field of American activity; while to try to draw a distinction between the man whose parents came to this country and the man whose ancestors came to it several generations back is a mere absurdity. Good Americanism is a matter of heart, of conscience, of lofty aspiration, of sound common sense, but not of birthplace or of creed. The medal of honor, the highest prize to be won by those who serve in the Army and the Navy of the United States decorates men born here, and it also decorates men born in Great Britain and Ireland, in Germany, in Scandinavia, in France, and doubtless in other countries also. In the field of statesmanship, in the field of business, in the field of philanthropic endeavor, it is equally true that among the men of whom we are most proud as Americans no distinction whatever can be drawn between those who themselves or whose parents came over in sailing ship or steamer from across the water and those whose ancestors stepped ashore into the wooded wilderness at Plymouth or at the mouth of the Hudson, the Delaware, or the James nearly three centuries ago. No fellow-citizen of ours is entitled to any peculiar regard because of the way in which he worships his Maker, or because of the birthplace of himself or his parents, nor should he be in any way discriminated against therefor. Each must stand on his worth as a man and each is entitled to be judged solely thereby. There is no danger of having too many immigrants of the right kind. It makes no difference from what country they come. If they are sound in body and in mind, and, above all, if they are of good character, so that we can rest assured that their children and grandchildren will be worthy fellow-citizens of our children and grandchildren, then we should welcome them with cordial hospitality. But the citizenship of this country should not be debased. It is vital that we should keep high the standard of well-being among our wage-workers, and therefore we should not admit masses of men whose standards of living and whose personal customs and habits are such that they tend to lower the level of the American wage-worker; and above all we should not admit any man of an unworthy type, any man concerning whom we can say that he will himself be a bad citizen, or that his children and grandchildren will detract from instead of adding to the sum of the good citizenship of the country. Similarly we should take the greatest care about naturalization. Fraudulent naturalization, the naturalization of improper persons, is a curse to our Government; and it is the affair of every honest voter, wherever born, to see that no fraudulent voting is allowed, that no fraud in connection with naturalization is permitted. In the past year the cases of false, fraudulent, and improper naturalization of aliens coming to the attention of the executive branches of the Government have increased to an alarming degree. Extensive sales of forged certificates of naturalization have been discovered, as well as many cases of naturalization secured by perjury and fraud; and in addition, instances have accumulated showing that many courts issue certificates of naturalization carelessly and upon insufficient evidence. Under the Constitution it is in the power of the Congress "to establish a uniform rule of naturalization," and numerous laws have from time to time been enacted for that purpose, which have been supplemented in a few States by State laws having special application. The Federal statutes permit naturalization by any court of record in the United States having common-law jurisdiction and a seal and clerk, except the police court of the District of Columbia, and nearly all these courts exercise this important function. It results that where so many courts of such varying grades have jurisdiction, there is lack of uniformity in the rules applied in conferring naturalization. Some courts are strict and others lax. An alien who may secure naturalization in one place might be denied it in another, and the intent of the constitutional provision is in fact defeated. Furthermore, the certificates of naturalization issued by the courts differ widely in wording and appearance, and when they are brought into use in foreign countries, are frequently subject to suspicion. There should be a comprehensive revision of the naturalization laws. The courts having power to naturalize should be definitely named by national authority; the testimony upon which naturalization may be conferred should be definitely prescribed; publication of impending naturalization applications should be required in advance of their hearing in court; the form and wording of all certificates issued should be uniform throughout the country, and the courts should be required to make returns to the Secretary of State at stated periods of all naturalizations conferred. Not only are the laws relating to naturalization now defective, but those relating to citizenship of the United States ought also to be made the subject of scientific inquiry with a view to probable further legislation. By what acts expatriation may be assumed to have been accomplished, how long an American citizen may reside abroad and receive the protection of our passport, whether any degree of protection should be extended to one who has made the declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States but has not secured naturalization, are questions of serious import, involving personal rights and often producing friction between this Government and foreign governments. Yet upon these question our laws are silent. I recommend that an examination be made into the subjects of citizenship, expatriation, and protection of Americans abroad, with a view to appropriate legislation. The power of the Government to protect the integrity of the elections of its own officials is inherent and has been recognized and affirmed by repeated declarations of the Supreme Court. There is no enemy of free government more dangerous and none so insidious as the corruption of the electorate. No one defends or excuses corruption, and it would seem to follow that none would oppose vigorous measures to eradicate it. I recommend the enactment of a law directed against bribery and corruption in Federal elections. The details of such a law may be safely left to the wise discretion of the Congress, but it should go as far as under the Constitution it is possible to go, and should include severe penalties against him who gives or receives a bribe intended to influence his act or opinion as an elector; and provisions for the publication not only of the expenditures for nominations and elections of all candidates but also of all contributions received and expenditures made by political committees. No subject is better worthy the attention of the Congress than that portion of the report of the Attorney-General dealing with the long delays and the great obstruction to justice experienced in the cases of Beavers, Green and Gaynor, and Benson. Were these isolated and special cases, I should not call your attention to them; but the difficulties encountered as regards these men who have been indicted for criminal practices are not exceptional; they are precisely similar in kind to what occurs again and again in the case of criminals who have sufficient means to enable them to take advantage of a system of procedure which has grown up in the Federal courts and which amounts in effect to making the law easy of enforcement against the man who has no money, and difficult of enforcement, even to the point of sometimes securing immunity, as regards the man who has money. In criminal cases the writ of the United States should run throughout its borders. The wheels of justice should not be clogged, as they have been clogged in the cases above mentioned, where it has proved absolutely impossible to bring the accused to the place appointed by the Constitution for his trial. Of recent years there has been grave and increasing complaint of the difficulty of bringing to justice those criminals whose criminality, instead of being against one person in the Republic, is against all persons in the Republic, because it is against the Republic itself. Under any circumstance and from the very nature of the case it is often exceedingly difficult to secure proper punishment of those who have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Government. By the time the offender can be brought into court the popular wrath against him has generally subsided; and there is in most instances very slight danger indeed of any prejudice existing in the minds of the jury against him. At present the interests of the innocent man are amply safeguarded; but the interests of the Government, that is, the interests of honest administration, that is the interests of the people, are not recognized as they should be. No subject better warrants the attention of the Congress. Indeed, no subject better warrants the attention of the bench and the bar throughout the United States. Alaska, like all our Territorial acquisitions, has proved resourceful beyond the expectations of those who made the purchase. It has become the home of many hardy, industrious, and thrifty American citizens. Towns of a permanent character have been built. The extent of its wealth in minerals, timber, fisheries, and agriculture, while great, is probably not comprehended yet in any just measure by our people. We do know, however, that from a very small beginning its products have grown until they are a steady and material contribution to the wealth of the nation. Owing to the immensity of Alaska and its location in the far north, it is a difficult matter to provide many things essential to its growth and to the happiness and comfort of its people by private enterprise alone. It should, therefore, receive reasonable aid from the Government. The Government has already done excellent work for Alaska in laying cables and building telegraph lines. This work has been done in the most economical and efficient way by the Signal Corps of the Army. In some respects it has outgrown its present laws, while in others those laws have been found to be inadequate. In order to obtain information upon which I could rely I caused an official of the Department of Justice, in whose judgment I have confidence, to visit Alaska during the past summer for the purpose of ascertaining how government is administered there and what legislation is actually needed at present. A statement of the conditions found to exist, together with some recommendations and the reasons therefor, in which I strongly concur, will be found in the annual report of the Attorney-General. In some instances I feel that the legislation suggested is so imperatively needed that I am moved briefly to emphasize the Attorney-General's proposals. Under the Code of Alaska as it now stands many purely administrative powers and duties, including by far the most important, devolve upon the district judges or upon the clerks of the district court acting under the direction of the judges, while the governor, upon whom these powers and duties should logically fall, has nothing specific to do except to make annual reports, issue Thanksgiving Day proclamations, and appoint Indian policemen and notaries public. I believe it essential to good government in Alaska, and therefore recommend, that the Congress divest the district judges and the clerks of their courts of the administrative or executive functions that they now exercise and cast them upon the governor. This would not be an innovation; it would simply conform the government of Alaska to fundamental principles, making the governorship a real instead of a merely nominal office, and leaving the judges free to give their entire attention to their judicial duties and at the same time removing them from a great deal of the strife that now embarrasses the judicial office in Alaska. I also recommend that the salaries of the district judges and district attorneys in Alaska be increased so as to make them equal to those received by corresponding officers in the United States after deducting the difference in the cost of living; that the district attorneys should be prohibited from engaging in private practice; that United States commissioners be appointed by the governor of the Territory instead of by the district judges, and that a fixed salary be provided for them to take the place of the discredited "fee system," which should be abolished in all offices; that a mounted constabulary be created to police the territory outside the limits of incorporated towns--a vast section now wholly without police protection; and that some provision be made to at least lessen the oppressive delays and costs that now attend the prosecution of appeals from the district court of Alaska. There should be a division of the existing judicial districts, and an increase in the number of judges. Alaska should have a Delegate in the Congress. Where possible, the Congress should aid in the construction of needed wagon roads. Additional light-houses should be provided. In my judgment, it is especially important to aid in such manner as seems just and feasible in the construction of a trunk line of railway to connect the Gulf of Alaska with the Yukon River through American territory. This would be most beneficial to the development of the resources of the Territory, and to the comfort and welfare of its people. Salmon hatcheries should be established in many different streams, so as to secure the preservation of this valuable food fish. Salmon fisheries and canneries should be prohibited on certain of the rivers where the mass of those Indians dwell who live almost exclusively on fish. The Alaskan natives are kindly, intelligent, anxious to learn, and willing to work. Those who have come under the influence of civilization, even for a limited period, have proved their capability of becoming self-supporting, self-respecting citizens, and ask only for the just enforcement of law and intelligent instruction and supervision. Others, living in more remote regions, primitive, simple hunters and fisher folk, who know only the life of the woods and the waters, are daily being confronted with twentieth-century civilization with all of its complexities. Their country is being overrun by strangers, the game slaughtered and driven away, the streams depleted of fish, and hitherto unknown and fatal diseases brought to them, all of which combine to produce a state of abject poverty and want which must result in their extinction. Action in their interest is demanded by every consideration of justice and humanity. The needs of these people are: The abolition of the present fee system, whereby the native is degraded, imposed upon, and taught the injustice of law. The establishment of hospitals at central points, so that contagious diseases that are brought to them continually by incoming whites may be localized and not allowed to become epidemic, to spread death and destitution over great areas. The development of the educational system in the form of practical training in such industries as will assure the Indians self-support under the changed conditions in which they will have to live. The duties of the office of the governor should be extended to include the supervision of Indian affairs, with necessary assistants in different districts. He should be provided with the means and the power to protect and advise the native people, to furnish medical treatment in time of epidemics, and to extend material relief in periods of famine and extreme destitution. The Alaskan natives should be given the right to acquire, hold, and dispose of property upon the same conditions as given other inhabitants; and the privilege of citizenship should be given to such as may be able to meet certain definite requirements. In Hawaii Congress should give the governor power to remove all the officials appointed under him. The harbor of Honolulu should be dredged. The Marine-Hospital Service should be empowered to study leprosy in the islands. I ask special consideration for the report and recommendation of the governor of Porto Rico. In treating of our foreign policy and of the attitude that this great Nation should assume in the world at large, it is absolutely necessary to consider the Army and the Navy, and the Congress, through which the thought of the Nation finds its expression, should keep ever vividly in mind the fundamental fact that it is impossible to treat our foreign policy, whether this policy takes shape in the effort to secure justice for others or justice for ourselves, save as conditioned upon the attitude we are willing to take toward our Army, and especially toward our Navy. It is not merely unwise, it is contemptible, for a nation, as for an individual, to use high-sounding language to proclaim its purposes, or to take positions which are ridiculous if unsupported by potential force, and then to refuse to provide this force. If there is no intention of providing and of keeping the force necessary to back up a strong attitude, then it is far better not to assume such an attitude. The steady aim of this Nation, as of all enlightened nations, should be to strive to bring ever nearer the day when there shall prevail throughout the world the peace of justice. There are kinds of peace which are highly undesirable, which are in the long run as destructive as any war. Tyrants and oppressors have many times made a wilderness and called it peace. Many times peoples who were slothful or timid or shortsighted, who had been enervated by ease or by luxury, or misled by false teachings, have shrunk in unmanly fashion from doing duty that was stern and that needed self-sacrifice, and have sought to hide from their own minds their shortcomings, their ignoble motives, by calling them love of peace. The peace of tyrannous terror, the peace of craven weakness, the peace of injustice, all these should be shunned as we shun unrighteous war. The goal to set before us as a nation, the goal which should be set before all mankind, is the attainment of the peace of justice, of the peace which comes when each nation is not merely safe-guarded in its own rights, but scrupulously recognizes and performs its duty toward others. Generally peace tells for righteousness; but if there is conflict between the two, then our fealty is due-first to the cause of righteousness. Unrighteous wars are common, and unrighteous peace is rare; but both should be shunned. The right of freedom and the responsibility for the exercise of that right can not be divorced. One of our great poets has well and finely said that freedom is not a gift that tarries long in the hands of cowards. Neither does it tarry long in the hands of those too slothful, too dishonest, or too unintelligent to exercise it. The eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty must be exercised, sometimes to guard against outside foes; although of course far more often to guard against our own selfish or thoughtless shortcomings. If these self-evident truths are kept before us, and only if they are so kept before us, we shall have a clear idea of what our foreign policy in its larger aspects should be. It is our duty to remember that a nation has no more right to do injustice to another nation, strong or weak, than an individual has to do injustice to another individual; that the same moral law applies in one case as in the other. But we must also remember that it is as much the duty of the Nation to guard its own rights and its own interests as it is the duty of the individual so to do. Within the Nation the individual has now delegated this right to the State, that is, to the representative of all the individuals, and it is a maxim of the law that for every wrong there is a remedy. But in international law we have not advanced by any means as far as we have advanced in municipal law. There is as yet no judicial way of enforcing a right in international law. When one nation wrongs another or wrongs many others, there is no tribunal before which the wrongdoer can be brought. Either it is necessary supinely to acquiesce in the wrong, and thus put a premium upon brutality and aggression, or else it is necessary for the aggrieved nation valiantly to stand up for its rights. Until some method is devised by which there shall be a degree of international control over offending nations, it would be a wicked thing for the most civilized powers, for those with most sense of international obligations and with keenest and most generous appreciation of the difference between right and wrong, to disarm. If the great civilized nations of the present day should completely disarm, the result would mean an immediate recrudescence of barbarism in one form or another. Under any circumstances a sufficient armament would have to be kept up to serve the purposes of international police; and until international cohesion and the sense of international duties and rights are far more advanced than at present, a nation desirous both of securing respect for itself and of doing good to others must have a force adequate for the work which it feels is allotted to it as its part of the general world duty. Therefore it follows that a self-respecting, just, and far-seeing nation should on the one hand endeavor by every means to aid in the development of the various movements which tend to provide substitutes for war, which tend to render nations in their actions toward one another, and indeed toward their own peoples, more responsive to the general sentiment of humane and civilized mankind; and on the other hand that it should keep prepared, while scrupulously avoiding wrongdoing itself, to repel any wrong, and in exceptional cases to take action which in a more advanced stage of international relations would come under the head of the exercise of the international police. A great free people owes it to itself and to all mankind not to sink into helplessness before the powers of evil. We are in every way endeavoring to help on, with cordial good will, every movement which will tend to bring us into more friendly relations with the rest of mankind. In pursuance of this policy I shall shortly lay before the Senate treaties of arbitration with all powers which are willing to enter into these treaties with us. It is not possible at this period of the world's development to agree to arbitrate all matters, but there are many matters of possible difference between us and other nations which can be thus arbitrated. Furthermore, at the request of the Interparliamentary Union, an eminent body composed of practical statesmen from all countries, I have asked the Powers to join with this Government in a second Hague conference, at which it is hoped that the work already so happily begun at The Hague may be carried some steps further toward completion. This carries out the desire expressed by the first Hague conference itself. It is not true that the United States feels any land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power. If every country washed by the Caribbean Sea would show the progress in stable and just civilization which with the aid of the Platt amendment Cuba has shown since our troops left the island, and which so many of the republics in both Americas are constantly and brilliantly showing, all question of interference by this Nation with their affairs would be at an end. Our interests and those of our southern neighbors are in reality identical. They have great natural riches, and if within their borders the reign of law and justice obtains, prosperity is sure to come to them. While they thus obey the primary laws of civilized society they may rest assured that they will be treated by us in a spirit of cordial and helpful sympathy. We would interfere with them only in the last resort, and then only if it became evident that their inability or unwillingness to do justice at home and abroad had violated the rights of the United States or had invited foreign aggression to the detriment of the entire body of American nations. It is a mere truism to say that every nation, whether in America or anywhere else, which desires to maintain its freedom, its independence, must ultimately realize that the right of such independence can not be separated from the responsibility of making good use of it. In asserting the Monroe Doctrine, in taking such steps as we have taken in regard to Cuba, Venezuela, and Panama, and in endeavoring to circumscribe the theater of war in the Far East, and to secure the open door in China, we have acted in our own interest as well as in the interest of humanity at large. There are, however, cases in which, while our own interests are not greatly involved, strong appeal is made to our sympathies. Ordinarily it is very much wiser and more useful for us to concern ourselves with striving for our own moral and material betterment here at home than to concern ourselves with trying to better the condition of things in other nations. We have plenty of sins of our own to war against, and under ordinary circumstances we can do more for the general uplifting of humanity by striving with heart and soul to put a stop to civic corruption, to brutal lawlessness and violent race prejudices here at home than by passing resolutions about wrongdoing elsewhere. Nevertheless there are occasional crimes committed on so vast a scale and of such peculiar horror as to make us doubt whether it is not our manifest duty to endeavor at least to show our disapproval of the deed and our sympathy with those who have suffered by it. The cases must be extreme in which such a course is justifiable. There must be no effort made to remove the mote from our brother's eye if we refuse to remove the beam from our own. But in extreme cases action may be justifiable and proper. What form the action shall take must depend upon the circumstances of the case; that is, upon the degree of the atrocity and upon our power to remedy it. The cases in which we could interfere by force of arms as we interfered to put a stop to intolerable conditions in Cuba are necessarily very few. Yet it is not to be expected that a people like ours, which in spite of certain very obvious shortcomings, nevertheless as a whole shows by its consistent practice its belief in the principles of civil and religious liberty and of orderly freedom, a people among whom even the worst crime, like the crime of lynching, is never more than sporadic, so that individuals and not classes are molested in their fundamental rights--it is inevitable that such a nation should desire eagerly to give expression to its horror on an occasion like that of the massacre of the Jews in Kishenef, or when it witnesses such systematic and long-extended cruelty and oppression as the cruelty and oppression of which the Armenians have been the victims, and which have won for them the indignant pity of the civilized world. Even where it is not possible to secure in other nations the observance of the principles which we accept as axiomatic, it is necessary for us firmly to insist upon the rights of our own citizens without regard to their creed or race; without regard to whether they were born here or born abroad. It has proved very difficult to secure from Russia the right for our Jewish fellow-citizens to receive passports and travel through Russian territory. Such conduct is not only unjust and irritating toward us, but it is difficult to see its wisdom from Russia's standpoint. No conceivable good is accomplished by it. If an American Jew or an American Christian misbehaves himself in Russia he can at once be driven out; but the ordinary American Jew, like the ordinary American Christian, would behave just about as he behaves here, that is, behave as any good citizen ought to behave; and where this is the case it is a wrong against which we are entitled to protest to refuse him his passport without regard to his conduct and character, merely on racial and religious grounds. In Turkey our difficulties arise less from the way in which our citizens are sometimes treated than from the indignation inevitably excited in seeing such fearful misrule as has been witnessed both in Armenia and Macedonia. The strong arm of the Government in enforcing respect for its just rights in international matters is the Navy of the United States. I most earnestly recommend that there be no halt in the work of upbuilding the American Navy. There is no more patriotic duty before us a people than to keep the Navy adequate to the needs of this country's position. We have undertaken to build the Isthmian Canal. We have undertaken to secure for ourselves our just share in the trade of the Orient. We have undertaken to protect our citizens from proper treatment in foreign lands. We continue steadily to insist on the application of the Monroe Doctrine to the Western Hemisphere. Unless our attitude in these and all similar matters is to be a mere boastful sham we can not afford to abandon our naval programme. Our voice is now potent for peace, and is so potent because we are not afraid of war. But our protestations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor deserve the slightest attention if we were impotent to make them good. The war which now unfortunately rages in the far East has emphasized in striking fashion the new possibilities of naval warfare. The lessons taught are both strategic and tactical, and are political as well as military. The experiences of the war have shown in conclusive fashion that while sea-going and sea-keeping torpedo destroyers are indispensable, and fast lightly armed and armored cruisers very useful, yet that the main reliance, the main standby, in any navy worthy the name must be the great battle ships, heavily armored and heavily gunned. Not a Russian or Japanese battle ship has been sunk by a torpedo boat, or by gunfire, while among the less protected ships, cruiser after cruiser has been destroyed whenever the hostile squadrons have gotten within range of one another's weapons. There will always be a large field of usefulness for cruisers, especially of the more formidable type. We need to increase the number of torpedo-boat destroyers, paying less heed to their having a knot or two extra speed than to their capacity to keep the seas for weeks, and, if necessary, for months at a time. It is wise to build submarine torpedo boats, as under certain circumstances they might be very useful. But most of all we need to continue building our fleet of battle ships, or ships so powerfully armed that they can inflict the maximum of damage upon our opponents, and so well protected that they can suffer a severe hammering in return without fatal impairment of their ability to fight and maneuver. Of course ample means must be provided for enabling the personnel of the Navy to be brought to the highest point of efficiency. Our great fighting ships and torpedo boats must be ceaselessly trained and maneuvered in squadrons. The officers and men can only learn their trade thoroughly by ceaseless practice on the high seas. In the event of war it would be far better to have no ships at all than to have ships of a poor and ineffective type, or ships which, however good, were yet manned by untrained and unskillful crews. The best officers and men in a poor ship could do nothing against fairly good opponents; and on the other hand a modern war ship is useless unless the officers and men aboard her have become adepts in their duties. The marksmanship in our Navy has improved in an extraordinary degree during the last three years, and on the whole the types of our battleships are improving; but much remains to be done. Sooner or later we shall have to provide for some method by which there will be promotions for merit as well as for seniority, or else retirement all those who after a certain age have not advanced beyond a certain grade; while no effort must be spared to make the service attractive to the enlisted men in order that they may be kept as long as possible in it. Reservation public schools should be provided wherever there are navy-yards. Within the last three years the United States has set an example in disarmament where disarmament was proper. By law our Army is fixed at a maximum of one hundred thousand and a minimum of sixty thousand men. When there was insurrection in the Philippines we kept the Army at the maximum. Peace came in the Philippines, and now our Army has been reduced to the minimum at which. it is possible to keep it with due regard to its efficiency. The guns now mounted require twenty-eight thousand men, if the coast fortifications are to be adequately manned. Relatively to the Nation, it is not now so large as the police force of New York or Chicago relatively to the population of either city. We need more officers; there are not enough to perform the regular army work. It is very important that the officers of the Army should be accustomed to handle their men in masses, as it is also important that the National Guard of the several States should be accustomed to actual field maneuvering, especially in connection with the regulars. For this reason we are to be congratulated upon the success of the field maneuvers at Manassas last fall, maneuvers in which a larger number of Regulars and National Guard took part than was ever before assembled together in time of peace. No other civilized nation has, relatively to its population, such a diminutive Army as ours; and while the Army is so small we are not to be excused if we fail to keep it at a very high grade of proficiency. It must be incessantly practiced; the standard for the enlisted men should be kept very high, while at the same time the service should be made as attractive as possible; and the standard for the officers should be kept even higher--which, as regards the upper ranks, can best be done by introducing some system of selection and rejection into the promotions. We should be able, in the event of some sudden emergency, to put into the field one first-class army corps, which should be, as a whole, at least the equal of any body of troops of like number belonging to any other nation. Great progress has been made in protecting our coasts by adequate fortifications with sufficient guns. We should, however, pay much more heed than at present to the development of an extensive system of floating mines for use in all our more important harbors. These mines have been proved to be a most formidable safeguard against hostile fleets. I earnestly call the attention of the Congress to the need of amending the existing law relating to the award of Congressional medals of honor in the Navy so as to provide that they may be awarded to commissioned officers and warrant officers as well as to enlisted men. These justly prized medals are given in the Army alike to the officers and the enlisted men, and it is most unjust that the commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Navy should not in this respect have the same rights as their brethren in the Army and as the enlisted men of the Navy. In the Philippine Islands there has been during the past year a continuation of the steady progress which has obtained ever since our troops definitely got the upper hand of the insurgents. The Philippine people, or, to speak more accurately, the many tribes, and even races, sundered from one another more or less sharply, who go to make up the people of the Philippine Islands, contain many elements of good, and some elements which we have a right to hope stand for progress. At present they are utterly incapable of existing in independence at all or of building up a civilization of their own. I firmly believe that we can help them to rise higher and higher in the scale of civilization and of capacity for self-government, and I most earnestly hope that in the end they will be able to stand, if not entirely alone, yet in some such relation to the United States as Cuba now stands. This end is not yet in sight, and it may be indefinitely postponed if our people are foolish enough to turn the attention of the Filipinos away from the problems of achieving moral and material prosperity, of working for a stable, orderly, and just government, and toward foolish and dangerous intrigues for a complete independence for which they are as yet totally unfit. On the other hand our people must keep steadily before their minds the fact that the justification for our stay in the Philippines must ultimately rest chiefly upon the good we are able to do in the islands. I do not overlook the fact that in the development of our interests in the Pacific Ocean and along its coasts, the Philippines have played and will play an important part; and that our interests have been served in more than one way by the possession of the islands. But our chief reason for continuing to hold them must be that we ought in good faith to try to do our share of the world's work, and this particular piece of work has been imposed upon us by the results of the war with Spain. The problem presented to us in the Philippine Islands is akin to, but not exactly like, the problems presented to the other great civilized powers which have possessions in the Orient. There are points of resemblance in our work to the work which is being done by the British in India and Egypt, by the French in Algiers, by the Dutch in Java, by the Russians in Turkestan, by the Japanese in Formosa; but more distinctly than any of these powers we are endeavoring to develop the natives themselves so that they shall take an ever-increasing share in their own government, and as far as is prudent we are already admitting their representatives to a governmental equality with our own. There are commissioners, judges, and governors in the islands who are Filipinos and who have exactly the same share in the government of the islands as have their colleagues who are Americans, while in the lower ranks, of course, the great majority of the public servants are Filipinos. Within two years we shall be trying the experiment of an elective lower house in the Philippine legislature. It may be that the Filipinos will misuse this legislature, and they certainly will misuse it if they are misled by foolish persons here at home into starting an agitation for their own independence or into any factious or improper action. In such case they will do themselves no good and will stop for the time being all further effort to advance them and give them a greater share in their own government. But if they act with wisdom and self-restraint, if they show that they are capable of electing a legislature which in its turn is capable of taking a sane and efficient part in the actual work of government, they can rest assured that a full and increasing measure of recognition will be given them. Above all they should remember that their prime needs are moral and industrial, not political. It is a good thing to try the experiment of giving them a legislature; but it is a far better thing to give them schools, good roads, railroads which will enable them to get their products to market, honest courts, an honest and efficient constabulary, and all that tends to produce order, peace, fair dealing as between man and man, and habits of intelligent industry and thrift. If they are safeguarded against oppression, and if their real wants, material and spiritual, are studied intelligently and in a spirit of friendly sympathy, much more good will be done them than by any effort to give them political power, though this effort may in its own proper time and place be proper enough. Meanwhile our own people should remember that there is need for the highest standard of conduct among the Americans sent to the Philippine Islands, not only among the public servants but among the private individuals who go to them. It is because I feel this so deeply that in the administration of these islands I have positively refused to permit any discrimination whatsoever for political reasons and have insisted that in choosing the public servants consideration should be paid solely to the worth of the men chosen and to the needs of the islands. There is no higher body of men in our public service than we have in the Philippine Islands under Governor Wright and his associates. So far as possible these men should be given a free hand, and their suggestions should receive the hearty backing both of the Executive and of the Congress. There is need of a vigilant and disinterested support of our public servants in the Philippines by good citizens here in the United States. Unfortunately hitherto those of our people here at home who have specially claimed to be the champions of the Filipinos have in reality been their worst enemies. This will continue to be the case as long as they strive to make the Filipinos independent, and stop all industrial development of the islands by crying out against the laws which would bring it on the ground that capitalists must not "exploit" the islands. Such proceedings are not only unwise, but are most harmful to the Filipinos, who do not need independence at all, but who do need good laws, good public servants, and the industrial development that can only come if the investment, of American and foreign capital in the islands is favored in all legitimate ways. Every measure taken concerning the islands should be taken primarily with a view to their advantage. We should certainly give them lower tariff rates on their exports to the United States; if this is not done it will be a wrong to extend our shipping laws to them. I earnestly hope for the immediate enactment into law of the legislation now pending to encourage American capital to seek investment in the islands in railroads, in factories, in plantations, and in lumbering and mining.
The Nation continues to enjoy noteworthy prosperity. Such prosperity is of course primarily due to the high individual average of our citizenship, taken together with our great natural resources; but an important factor therein is the working of our long-continued governmental policies. The people have emphatically expressed their approval of the principles underlying these policies, and their desire that these principles be kept substantially unchanged, although of course applied in a progressive spirit to meet changing conditions. The enlargement of scope of the functions of the National Government required by our development as a nation involves, of course, increase of expense; and the period of prosperity through which the country is passing justifies expenditures for permanent improvements far greater than would be wise in hard times. Battle ships and forts, public buildings, and improved waterways are investments which should be made when we have the money; but abundant revenues and a large surplus always invite extravagance, and constant care should be taken to guard against unnecessary increase of the ordinary expenses of government. The cost of doing Government business should be regulated with the same rigid scrutiny as the cost of doing a private business. In the vast and complicated mechanism of our modern civilized life the dominant note is the note of industralism; and the relations of capital and labor, and especially of organized capital and organized labor, to each other and to the public at large come second in importance only to the intimate questions of family life. Our peculiar form of government, with its sharp division of authority between the Nation and the several States, has been on the whole far more advantageous to our development than a more strongly centralized government. But it is undoubtedly responsible for much of the difficulty of meeting with adequate legislation the new problems presented by the total change in industrial conditions on this continent during the last half century. In actual practice it has proved exceedingly difficult, and in many cases impossible, to get unanimity of wise action among the various States on these subjects. From the very nature of the case this is especially true of the laws affecting the employment of capital in huge masses. With regard to labor the problem is no less important, but it is simpler. As long as the States retain the primary control of the police power the circumstances must be altogether extreme which require interference by the Federal authorities, whether in the way of safeguarding the rights of labor or in the way of seeing that wrong is not done by unruly persons who shield themselves behind the name of labor. If there is resistance to the Federal courts, interference with the mails, or interstate commerce, or molestation of Federal property, or if the State authorities in some crisis which they are unable to face call for help, then the Federal Government may interfere; but though such interference may be caused by a condition of things arising out of trouble connected with some question of labor, the interference itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach of order--for to keep order is a primary duty and in a time of disorder and violence all other questions sink into abeyance until order has been restored. In the District of Columbia and in the Territories the Federal law covers the entire field of government; but the labor question is only acute in populous centers of commerce, manufactures, or mining. Nevertheless, both in the enactment and in the enforcement of law the Federal Government within its restricted sphere should set an example to the State governments, especially in a matter so vital as this affecting labor. I believe that under modern industrial conditions it is often necessary, and even where not necessary it is yet often wise, that there should be organization of labor in order better to secure the rights of the individual wage-worker. All encouragement should be given to any such organization so long as it is conducted with a due and decent regard for the rights of others. There are in this country some labor unions which have habitually, and other labor unions which have often, been among the most effective agents in working for good citizenship and for uplifting the condition of those whose welfare should be closest to our hearts. But when any labor union seeks improper ends, or seeks to achieve proper ends by improper means, all good citizens and more especially all honorable public servants must oppose the wrongdoing as resolutely as they would oppose the wrongdoing of any great corporation. Of course any violence, brutality, or corruption, should not for one moment be tolerated. Wage-workers have an entire right to organize and by all peaceful and honorable means to endeavor to persuade their fellows to join with them in organizations. They have a legal right, which, according to circumstances, may or may not be a moral right, to refuse to work in company with men who decline to join their organizations. They have under no circumstances the right to commit violence upon these, whether capitalists or wage-workers, who refuse to support their organizations, or who side with those with whom they are at odds; for mob rule is intolerable in any form. The wage-workers are peculiarly entitled to the protection and the encouragement of the law. From the very nature of their occupation railroad men, for instance, are liable to be maimed in doing the legitimate work of their profession, unless the railroad companies are required by law to make ample provision for their safety. The Administration has been zealous in enforcing the existing law for this purpose. That law should be amended and strengthened. Wherever the National Government has power there should be a stringent employer's liability law, which should apply to the Government itself where the Government is an employer of labor. In my Message to the Fifty-seventh Congress, at its second session, I urged the passage of an employer's liability law for the District of Columbia. I now renew that recommendation, and further recommend that the Congress appoint a commission to make a comprehensive study of employer's liability with the view of extending the provisions of a great and constitutional law to all employments within the scope of Federal power. The Government has recognized heroism upon the water, and bestows medals of honor upon those persons who by extreme and heroic daring have endangered their lives in saving, or endeavoring to save, lives from the perils of the sea in the waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, or upon an American vessel. This recognition should be extended to cover cases of conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice in the saving of life in private employments under the jurisdiction of the United States, and particularly in the land commerce of the Nation. The ever-increasing casualty list upon our railroads is a matter of grave public concern, and urgently calls for action by the Congress. In the matter of speed and comfort of railway travel our railroads give at least as good service as those of any other nation, and there is no reason why this service should not also be as safe as human ingenuity can make it. Many of our leading roads have been foremost in the adoption of the most approved safeguards for the protection of travelers and employees, yet the list of clearly avoidable accidents continues unduly large. The passage of a law requiring the adoption of a block-signal system has been proposed to the Congress. I earnestly concur in that recommendation, and would also point out to the Congress the urgent need of legislation in the interest of the public safety limiting the hours of labor for railroad employees in train service upon railroads engaged in interstate commerce, and providing that only trained and experienced persons be employed in positions of responsibility connected with the operation of trains. Of course nothing can ever prevent accidents caused by human weakness or misconduct; and there should be drastic punishment for any railroad employee, whether officer or man, who by issuance of wrong orders or by disobedience of orders causes disaster. The law of 1901, requiring interstate railroads to make monthly reports of all accidents to passengers and employees on duty, should also be amended so as to empower the Government to make a personal investigation, through proper officers, of all accidents involving loss of life which seem to require investigation, with a requirement that the results of such investigation be made public. The safety-appliance law, as amended by the act of March 2, 1903, has proved beneficial to railway employees, and in order that its provisions may be properly carried out, the force of inspectors provided for by appropriation should be largely increased. This service is analogous to the Steamboat-Inspection Service, and deals with even more important interests. It has passed the experimental stage and demonstrated its utility, and should receive generous recognition by the Congress. There is no objection to employees of the Government forming or belonging to unions; but the Government can neither discriminate for nor discriminate against nonunion men who are in its employment, or who seek to be employed under it. Moreover, it is a very grave impropriety for Government employees to band themselves together for the purpose of extorting improperly high salaries from the Government. Especially is this true of those within the classified service. The letter carriers, both municipal and rural, are as a whole an excellent body of public servants. They should be amply paid. But their payment must be obtained by arguing their claims fairly and honorably before the Congress, and not by banding together for the defeat of those Congressmen who refuse to give promises which they can not in conscience give. The Administration has already taken steps to prevent and punish abuses of this nature; but it will be wise for the Congress to supplement this action by legislation. Much can be done by the Government in labor matters merely by giving publicity to certain conditions. The Bureau of Labor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions. I shall shortly lay before you in a special message the full report of the investigation of the Bureau of Labor into the Colorado mining strike, as this was a strike in which certain very evil forces, which are more or less at work everywhere under the conditions of modern industrialism, became startlingly prominent. It is greatly to be wished that the Department of Commerce and Labor, through the Labor Bureau, should compile and arrange for the Congress a list of the labor laws of the various States, and should be given the means to investigate and report to the Congress upon the labor conditions in the manufacturing and mining regions throughout the country, both as to wages, as to hours of labor, as to the labor of women and children, and as to the effect in the various labor centers of immigration from abroad. In this investigation especial attention should be paid to the conditions of child labor and child-labor legislation in the several States. Such an investigation must necessarily take into account many of the problems with which this question of child labor is connected. These problems can be actually met, in most cases, only by the States themselves; but the lack of proper legislation in one State in such a matter as child labor often renders it excessively difficult to establish protective restriction upon the work in another State having the same industries, so that the worst tends to drag down the better. For this reason, it would be well for the Nation at least to endeavor to secure comprehensive information as to the conditions of labor of children in the different States. Such investigation and publication by the National Government would tend toward the securing of approximately uniform legislation of the proper character among the several States. When we come to deal with great corporations the need for the Government to act directly is far greater than in the case of labor, because great corporations can become such only by engaging in interstate commerce, and interstate commerce is peculiarly the field of the General Government. It is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses in great corporations by State action. It is difficult to be patient with an argument that such matters should be left to the States because more than one State pursues the policy of creating on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that State at all, but in other States whose laws they ignore. The National Government alone can deal adequately with these great corporations. To try to deal with them in an intemperate, destructive, or demagogic spirit would, in all probability, mean that nothing whatever would be accomplished, and, with absolute certainty, that if anything were accomplished it would be of a harmful nature. The American people need to continue to show the very qualities that they have shown--that is, moderation, good sense, the earnest desire to avoid doing any damage, and yet the quiet determination to proceed, step by step, without halt and without hurry, in eliminating or at least in minimizing whatever of mischief or evil there is to interstate commerce in the conduct of great corporations. They are acting in no spirit of hostility to wealth, either individual or corporate. They are not against the rich man any more than against the poor man. On the contrary, they are friendly alike toward rich man and toward poor man, provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency toward his fellows. Great corporations are necessary, and only men of great and singular mental power can manage such corporations successfully, and such men must have great rewards. But these corporations should be managed with due regard to the interest of the public as a whole. Where this can be done under the present laws it must be done. Where these laws come short others should be enacted to supplement them. Yet we must never forget the determining factor in every kind of work, of head or hand, must be the man's own good sense, courage, and kindliness. More important than any legislation is the gradual growth of a feeling of responsibility and forbearance among capitalists, and wage-workers alike; a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others; a feeling of broad community of interest, not merely of capitalists among themselves, and of wage-workers among themselves, but of capitalists and wage-workers in their relations to each other, and of both in their relations to their fellows who with them make up the body politic. There are many captains of industry, many labor leaders, who realize this. A recent speech by the president of one of our great railroad systems to the employees of that system contains sound common sense. It rims in part as follows: "It is my belief we can better serve each other, better understand the man as well as his business, when meeting face to face, exchanging views, and realizing from personal contact we serve but one interest, that of our mutual prosperity. "Serious misunderstandings can not occur where personal good will exists and opportunity for personal explanation is present. "In my early business life I had experience with men of affairs of a character to make me desire to avoid creating a like feeling of resentment to myself and the interests in my charge, should fortune ever place me in authority, and I am solicitous of a measure of confidence on the part of the public and our employees that I shall hope may be warranted by the fairness and good fellowship I intend shall prevail in our relationship. "But do not feel I am disposed to grant unreasonable requests, spend the money of our company unnecessarily or without value received, nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing, or that because for complaint will not continually occur; simply to correct such abuses as may be discovered, to better conditions as fast as reasonably may be expected, constantly striving, with varying success, for that improvement we all desire, to convince you there is a force at work in the right direction, all the time making progress--is the disposition with which I have come among you, asking your good will and encouragement. "The day has gone by when a corporation can be handled successfully in defiance of the public will, even though that will be unreasonable and wrong. A public may be led, but not driven, and I prefer to go with it and shape or modify, in a measure, its opinion, rather than be swept from my bearings, with loss to myself and the interests in my charge. "Violent prejudice exists towards corporate activity and capital today, much of it founded in reason, more in apprehension, and a large measure is due to the personal traits of arbitrary, unreasonable, incompetent, and offensive men in positions of authority. The accomplishment of results by indirection, the endeavor to thwart the intention, if not the expressed letter of the law (the will of the people), a disregard of the rights of others, a disposition to withhold what is due, to force by main strength or inactivity a result not justified, depending upon the weakness of the claimant and his indisposition to become involved in litigation, has created a sentiment harmful in the extreme and a disposition to consider anything fair that gives gain to the individual at the expense of the company. "If corporations are to continue to do the world's work, as they are best fitted to, these qualities in their representatives that have resulted in the present prejudice against them must be relegated to the background. The corporations must come out into the open and see and be seen. They must take the public into their confidence and ask for what they want, and no more, and be prepared to explain satisfactorily what advantage will accrue to the public if they are given their desires; for they are permitted to exist not that they may make money solely, but that they may effectively serve those from whom they derive their power. "Publicity, and not secrecy, will win hereafter, and laws be construed by their intent and not by their letter, otherwise public utilities will be owned and operated by the public which created them, even though the service be less efficient and the result less satisfactory from a financial standpoint." The Bureau of Corporations has made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations. It will make a special report on the beef industry. The policy of the Bureau is to accomplish the purposes of its creation by co-operation, not antagonism; by making constructive legislation, not destructive prosecution, the immediate object of its inquiries; by conservative investigation of law and fact, and by refusal to issue incomplete and hence necessarily inaccurate reports. Its policy being thus one of open inquiry into, and not attack upon, business, the Bureau has been able to gain not only the confidence, but, better still, the cooperation of men engaged in legitimate business. The Bureau offers to the Congress the means of getting at the cost of production of our various great staples of commerce. Of necessity the careful investigation of special corporations will afford the Commissioner knowledge of certain business facts, the publication of which might be an improper infringement of private rights. The method of making public the results of these investigations affords, under the law, a means for the protection of private rights. The Congress will have all facts except such as would give to another corporation information which would injure the legitimate business of a competitor and destroy the incentive for individual superiority and thrift. The Bureau has also made exhaustive examinations into the legal condition under which corporate business is carried on in the various States; into all judicial decisions on the subject; and into the various systems of corporate taxation in use. I call special attention to the report of the chief of the Bureau; and I earnestly ask that the Congress carefully consider the report and recommendations of the Commissioner on this subject. The business of insurance vitally affects the great mass of the people of the United States and is national and not local in its application. It involves a multitude of transactions among the people of the different States and between American companies and foreign governments. I urge that the Congress carefully consider whether the power of the Bureau of Corporations can not constitutionally be extended to cover interstate transactions in insurance. Above all else, we must strive to keep the highways of commerce open to all on equal terms; and to do this it is necessary to put a complete stop to all rebates. Whether the shipper or the railroad is to blame makes no difference; the rebate must be stopped, the abuses of the private car and private terminal-track and side-track systems must be stopped, and the legislation of the Fifty-eighth Congress which declares it to be unlawful for any person or corporation to offer, gram, give, solicit, accept, or receive any rebate, concession, or discrimination in respect of the transportation of any property in interstate or foreign commerce whereby such property shall by any device whatever be transported at a less rate than that named in the tariffs published by the carrier must be enforced. For some time after the enactment of the Act to Regulate Commerce it remained a mooted question whether that act conferred upon the Interstate Commerce Commission the power, after it had found a challenged rate to be unreasonable, to declare what thereafter should, prima facie, be the reasonable maximum rate for the transportation in dispute. The Supreme Court finally resolved that question in the negative, so that as the law now stands the Commission simply possess the bare power to denounce a particular rate as unreasonable. While I am of the opinion that at present it would be undesirable, if it were not impracticable, finally to clothe the Commission with general authority to fix railroad rates, I do believe that, as a fair security to shippers, the Commission should be vested with the power, where a given rate has been challenged and after full hearing found to be unreasonable, to decide, subject to judicial review, what shall be a reasonable rate to take its place; the ruling of the Commission to take effect immediately, and to obtain unless and until it is reversed by the court of review. The Government must in increasing degree supervise and regulate the workings of the railways engaged in interstate commerce; and such increased supervision is the only alternative to an increase of the present evils on the one hand or a still more radical policy on the other. In my judgment the most important legislative act now needed as regards the regulation of corporations is this act to confer on the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to revise rates and regulations, the revised rate to at once go into effect, and stay in effect unless and until the court of review reverses it. Steamship companies engaged in interstate commerce and protected in our coastwise trade should be held to a strict observance of the interstate commerce act. In pursuing the set plan to make the city of Washington an example to other American municipalities several points should be kept in mind by the legislators. In the first place, the people of this country should clearly understand that no amount of industrial prosperity, and above all no leadership in international industrial competition, can in any way atone for the sapping of the vitality of those who are usually spoken of as the working classes. The farmers, the mechanics, the skilled and unskilled laborers, the small shop keepers, make up the bulk of the population of any country; and upon their well-being, generation after generation, the well-being of the country and the race depends. Rapid development in wealth and industrial leadership is a good thing, but only if it goes hand in hand with improvement, and not deterioration, physical and moral. The over-crowding of cities and the draining of country districts are unhealthy and even dangerous symptoms in our modern life. We should not permit overcrowding in cities. In certain European cities it is provided by law that the population of towns shall not be allowed to exceed a very limited density for a given area, so that the increase in density must be continually pushed back into a broad zone around the center of the town, this zone having great avenues or parks within it. The death-rate statistics show a terrible increase in mortality, and especially in infant mortality, in overcrowded tenements. The poorest families in tenement houses live in one room, and it appears that in these one-room tenements the average death rate for a number of given cities at home and abroad is about twice what it is in a two-room tenement, four times what it is in a three-room tenement, and eight times what it is in a tenement consisting of four rooms or over. These figures vary somewhat for different cities, but they approximate in each city those given above; and in all cases the increase of mortality, and especially of infant mortality, with the decrease in the number of rooms used by the family and with the consequent overcrowding is startling. The slum exacts a heavy total of death from those who dwell therein; and this is the case not merely in the great crowded slums of high buildings in New York and Chicago, but in the alley slums of Washington. In Washington people can not afford to ignore the harm that this causes. No Christian and civilized community can afford to show a happy-go-lucky lack of concern for the youth of to-day; for, if so, the community will have to pay a terrible penalty of financial burden and social degradation in the to-morrow. There should be severe child-labor and factory-inspection laws. It is very desirable that married women should not work in factories. The prime duty of the man is to work, to be the breadwinner; the prime duty of the woman is to be the mother, the housewife. All questions of tariff and finance sink into utter insignificance when compared with the tremendous, the vital importance of trying to shape conditions so that these two duties of the man and of the woman can be fulfilled under reasonably favorable circumstances. If a race does not have plenty of children, or if the children do not grow up, or if when they grow up they are unhealthy in body and stunted or vicious in mind, then that race is decadent, and no heaping up of wealth, no splendor of momentary material prosperity, can avail in any degree as offsets. The Congress has the same power of legislation for the District of Columbia which the State legislatures have for the various States. The problems incident to our highly complex modern industrial civilization, with its manifold and perplexing tendencies both for good and for evil, are far less sharply eccentuated in the city of Washington than in most other cities. For this very reason it is easier to deal with the various phases of these problems in Washington, and the District of Columbia government should be a model for the other municipal governments of the Nation, in all such matters as supervision of the housing of the poor, the creation of small parks in the districts inhabited by the poor, in laws affecting labor, in laws providing for the taking care of the children, in truant laws, and in providing schools. In the vital matter of taking care of children, much advantage could be gained by a careful study of what has been accomplished in such States as Illinois and Colorado by the juvenile courts. The work of the juvenile court is really a work of character building. It is now generally recognized that young boys and young girls who go wrong should not be treated as criminals, not even necessarily as needing reformation, but rather as needing to have their characters formed, and for this end to have them tested and developed by a system of probation. Much admirable work has been done in many of our Commonwealths by earnest men and women who have made a special study of the needs of those classes of children which furnish the greatest number of juvenile offenders, and therefore the greatest number of adult offenders; and by their aid, and by profiting by the experiences of the different States and cities in these matters, it would be easy to provide a good code for the District of Columbia. Several considerations suggest the need for a systematic investigation into and improvement of housing conditions in Washington. The hidden residential alleys are breeding grounds of vice and disease, and should be opened into minor streets. For a number of years influential citizens have joined with the District Commissioners in the vain endeavor to secure laws permitting the condemnation of insanitary dwellings. The local death rates, especially from preventable diseases, are so unduly high as to suggest that the exceptional wholesomeness of Washington's better sections is offset by bad conditions in her poorer neighborhoods. A special "Commission on Housing and Health Conditions in the National Capital" would not only bring about the reformation of existing evils, but would also formulate an appropriate building code to protect the city from mammoth brick tenements and other evils which threaten to develop here as they have in other cities. That the Nation's Capital should be made a model for other municipalities is an ideal which appeals to all patriotic citizens everywhere, and such a special Commission might map out and organize the city's future development in lines of civic social service, just as Major L'Enfant and the recent Park Commission planned the arrangement of her streets and parks. It is mortifying to remember that Washington has no compulsory school attendance law and that careful inquiries indicate the habitual absence from school of some twenty per cent of all children between the ages of eight and fourteen. It must be evident to all who consider the problems of neglected child life or the benefits of compulsory education in other cities that one of the most urgent needs of the National Capital is a law requiring the school attendance of all children, this law to be enforced by attendance agents directed by the board of education. Public play grounds are necessary means for the development of wholesome citizenship in modern cities. It is important that the work inaugurated here through voluntary efforts should be taken up and extended through Congressional appropriation of funds sufficient to equip and maintain numerous convenient small play grounds upon land which can be secured without purchase or rental. It is also desirable that small vacant places be purchased and reserved as small-park play grounds in densely settled sections of the city which now have no public open spaces and are destined soon to be built up solidly. All these needs should be met immediately. To meet them would entail expenses; but a corresponding saving could be made by stopping the building of streets and levelling of ground for purposes largely speculative in outlying parts of the city. There are certain offenders, whose criminality takes the shape of brutality and cruelty towards the weak, who need a special type of punishment. The wife-beater, for example, is inadequately punished by imprisonment; for imprisonment may often mean nothing to him, while it may because hunger and want to the wife and children who have been the victims of his brutality. Probably some form of corporal punishment would be the most adequate way of meeting this kind of crime. The Department of Agriculture has grown into an educational institution with a faculty of two thousand specialists making research into all the sciences of production. The Congress appropriates, directly and indirectly, six millions of dollars annually to carry on this work. It reaches every State and Territory in the Union and the islands of the sea lately come under our flag. Co-operation is had with the State experiment stations, and with many other institutions and individuals. The world is carefully searched for new varieties of grains, fruits, grasses, vegetables, trees, and shrubs, suitable to various localities in our country; and marked benefit to our producers has resulted. The activities of our age in lines of research have reached the tillers of the soil and inspired them with ambition to know more of the principles that govern the forces of nature with which they have to deal. Nearly half of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things from the soil. Until a recent date little has been done to prepare these millions for their life work. In most lines of human activity college-trained men are the leaders. The farmer had no opportunity for special training until the Congress made provision for it forty years ago. During these years progress has been made and teachers have been prepared. Over five thousand students are in attendance at our State agricultural colleges. The Federal Government expends ten millions of dollars annually toward this education and for research in Washington and in the several States and Territories. The Department of Agriculture has given facilities for post-graduate work to five hundred young men during the last seven years, preparing them for advance lines of work in the Department and in the State institutions. The facts concerning meteorology and its relations to plant and animal life are being systematically inquired into. Temperature and moisture are controlling factors in all agricultural operations. The seasons of the cyclones of the Caribbean Sea and their paths are being forecasted with increasing accuracy. The cold winds that come from the north are anticipated and their times and intensity told to farmers, gardeners, and fruiterers in all southern localities. We sell two hundred and fifty million dollars' worth of animals and animal products to foreign countries every year, in addition to supplying our own people more cheaply and abundantly than any other nation is able to provide for its people. Successful manufacturing depends primarily on cheap food, which accounts to a considerable extent for our growth in this direction. The Department of Agriculture, by careful inspection of meats, guards the health of our people and gives clean bills of health to deserving exports; it is prepared to deal promptly with imported diseases of animals, and maintain the excellence of our flocks and herds in this respect. There should be an annual census of the live stock of the Nation. We sell abroad about six hundred million dollars' worth of plants and their products every year. Strenuous efforts are being made to import from foreign countries such grains as are suitable to our varying localities. Seven years ago we bought three-fourths of our rice; by helping the rice growers on the Gulf coast to secure seeds from the Orient suited to their conditions, and by giving them adequate protection, they now supply home demand and export to the islands of the Caribbean Sea and to other rice-growing countries. Wheat and other grains have been imported from light-rainfall countries to our lands in the West and Southwest that have not grown crops because of light precipitation, resulting in an extensive addition to our cropping area and our home-making territory that can not be irrigated. Ten million bushels of first-class macaroni wheat were grown from these experimental importations last year. Fruits suitable to our soils and climates are being imported from all the countries of the Old World--the fig from Turkey, the almond from Spain, the date from Algeria, the mango from India. We are helping our fruit growers to get their crops into European markets by studying methods of preservation through refrigeration, packing, and handling, which have been quite successful. We are helping our hop growers by importing varieties that ripen earlier and later than the kinds they have been raising, thereby lengthening the harvesting season. The cotton crop of the country is threatened with root rot, the bollworm, and the boll weevil. Our pathologists will find immune varieties that will resist the root disease, and the bollworm can be dealt with, but the boll weevil is a serious menace to the cotton crop. It is a Central American insect that has become acclimated in Texas and has done great damage. A scientist of the Department of Agriculture has found the weevil at home in Guatemala being kept in check by an ant, which has been brought to our cotton fields for observation. It is hoped that it may serve a good purpose. The soils of the country are getting attention from the farmer's standpoint, and interesting results are following. We have duplicates of the soils that grow the wrapper tobacco in Sumatra and the filler tobacco in Cuba. It will be only a question of time when the large amounts paid to these countries will be paid to our own people. The reclamation of alkali lands is progressing, to give object lessons to our people in methods by which worthless lands may be made productive. The insect friends and enemies of the farmer are getting attention. The enemy of the San Jose scale was found near the Great Wall of China, and is now cleaning up all our orchards. The fig-fertilizing insect imported from Turkey has helped to establish an industry in California that amounts to from fifty to one hundred tons of dried figs annually, and is extending over the Pacific coast. A parasitic fly from South Africa is keeping in subjection the black scale, the worst pest of the orange and lemon industry in California. Careful preliminary work is being done towards producing our own silk. The mulberry is being distributed in large numbers, eggs are being imported and distributed, improved reels were imported from Europe last year, and two expert reelers were brought to Washington to reel the crop of cocoons and teach the art to our own people. The crop-reporting system of the Department of Agriculture is being brought closer to accuracy every year. It has two hundred and fifty thousand reporters selected from people in eight vocations in life. It has arrangements with most European countries for interchange of estimates, so that our people may know as nearly as possible with what they must compete. During the two and a half years that have elapsed since the passage of the reclamation act rapid progress has been made in the surveys and examinations of the opportunities for reclamation in the thirteen States and three Territories of the arid West. Construction has already been begun on the largest and most important of the irrigation works, and plans are being completed for works which will utilize the funds now available. The operations are being carried on by the Reclamation Service, a corps of engineers selected through competitive civil-service examinations. This corps includes experienced consulting and constructing engineers as well as various experts in mechanical and legal matters, and is composed largely of men who have spent most of their lives in practical affairs connected with irrigation. The larger problems have been solved and it now remains to execute with care, economy, and thoroughness the work which has been laid out. All important details are being carefully considered by boards of consulting engineers, selected for their thorough knowledge and practical experience. Each project is taken up on the ground by competent men and viewed from the standpoint of the creation of prosperous homes, and of promptly refunding to the Treasury the cost of construction. The reclamation act has been found to be remarkably complete and effective, and so broad in its provisions that a wide range of undertakings has been possible under it. At the same time, economy is guaranteed by the fact that the funds must ultimately be returned to be used over again. It is the cardinal principle of the forest-reserve policy of this Administration that the reserves are for use. Whatever interferes with the use of their resources is to be avoided by every possible means. But these resources must be used in such a way as to make them permanent. The forest policy of the Government is just now a subject of vivid public interest throughout the West and to the people of the United States in general. The forest reserves themselves are of extreme value to the present as well as to the future welfare of all the western public-land States. They powerfully affect the use and disposal of the public lands. They are of special importance because they preserve the water supply and the supply of timber for domestic purposes, and so promote settlement under the reclamation act. Indeed, they are essential to the welfare of every one of the great interests of the West. Forest reserves are created for two principal purposes. The first is to preserve the water supply. This is their most important use. The principal users of the water thus preserved are irrigation ranchers and settlers, cities and towns to whom their municipal water supplies are of the very first importance, users and furnishers of water power, and the users of water for domestic, manufacturing, mining, and other purposes. All these are directly dependent upon the forest reserves. The second reason for which forest reserves are created is to preserve the timber supply for various classes of wood users. Among the more important of these are settlers under the reclamation act and other acts, for whom a cheap and accessible supply of timber for domestic uses is absolutely necessary; miners and prospectors, who are in serious danger of losing their timber supply by fire or through export by lumber companies when timber lands adjacent to their mines pass into private ownership; lumbermen, transportation companies, builders, and commercial interests in general. Although the wisdom of creating forest reserves is nearly everywhere heartily recognized, yet in a few localities there has been misunderstanding and complaint. The following statement is therefore desirable: The forest reserve policy can be successful only when it has the full support of the people of the West. It can not safely, and should not in any case, be imposed upon them against their will. But neither can we accept the views of those whose only interest in the forest is temporary; who are anxious to reap what they have not sown and then move away, leaving desolation behind them. On the contrary, it is everywhere and always the interest of the permanent settler and the permanent business man, the man with a stake in the country, which must be considered and which must decide. The making of forest reserves within railroad and wagon-road land-grant limits will hereafter, as for the past three years, be so managed as to prevent the issue, under the act of June 4, 1897, of base for exchange or lieu selection (usually called scrip). In all cases where forest reserves within areas covered by land grants appear to be essential to the prosperity of settlers, miners, or others, the Government lands within such proposed forest reserves will, as in the recent past, be withdrawn from sale or entry pending the completion of such negotiations with the owners of the land grants as will prevent the creation of so-called scrip. It was formerly the custom to make forest reserves without first getting definite and detailed information as to the character of land and timber within their boundaries. This method of action often resulted in badly chosen boundaries and consequent injustice to settlers and others. Therefore this Administration adopted the present method of first withdrawing the land from disposal, followed by careful examination on the ground and the preparation of detailed maps and descriptions, before any forest reserve is created. I have repeatedly called attention to the confusion which exists in Government forest matters because the work is scattered among three independent organizations. The United States is the only one of the great nations in which the forest work of the Government is not concentrated under one department, in consonance with the plainest dictates of good administration and common sense. The present arrangement is bad from every point of view. Merely to mention it is to prove that it should be terminated at once. As I have repeatedly recommended, all the forest work of the Government should be concentrated in the Department of Agriculture, where the larger part of that work is already done, where practically all of the trained foresters of the Government are employed, where chiefly in Washington there is comprehensive first-class knowledge of the problems of the reserves acquired on the ground, where all problems relating to growth from the soil are already gathered, and where all the sciences auxiliary to forestry are at hand for prompt and effective co-operation. These reasons are decisive in themselves, but it should be added that the great organizations of citizens whose interests are affected by the forest-reserves, such as the National Live Stock Association, the National Wool Growers' Association, the American Mining Congress, the national Irrigation Congress, and the National Board of Trade, have uniformly, emphatically, and most of them repeatedly, expressed themselves in favor of placing all Government forest work in the Department of Agriculture because of the peculiar adaptation of that Department for it. It is true, also, that the forest services of nearly all the great nations of the world are under the respective departments of agriculture, while in but two of the smaller nations and in one colony are they under the department of the interior. This is the result of long and varied experience and it agrees fully with the requirements of good administration in our own case. The creation of a forest service in the Department of Agriculture will have for its important results: First. A better handling of all forest work; because it will be under a single head, and because the vast and indispensable experience of the Department in all matters pertaining to the forest reserves, to forestry in general, and to other forms of production from the soil, will be easily and rapidly accessible. Second. The reserves themselves, being handled from the point of view of the man in the field, instead of the man in the office, will be more easily and more widely useful to the people of the West than has been the case hitherto. Third. Within a comparatively short time the reserves will become self-supporting. This is important, because continually and rapidly increasing appropriations will be necessary for the proper care of this exceedingly important interest of the Nation, and they can and should he offset by returns from the National forests. Under similar circumstances the forest possessions of other great nations form an important source of revenue to their governments. Every administrative officer concerned is convinced of the necessity for the proposed consolidation of forest work in the Department of Agriculture, and I myself have urged it more than once in former messages. Again I commend it to the early and favorable consideration of the Congress. The interests of the Nation at large and of the West in particular have suffered greatly because of the delay. I call the attention of the Congress again to the report and recommendation of the Commission on the Public Lands forwarded by me to the second session of the present Congress. The Commission has prosecuted its investigations actively during the past season, and a second report is now in an advanced stage of preparation. In connection with the work of the forest reserves I desire again to urge upon the Congress the importance of authorizing the President to set aside certain portions of these reserves or other public lands as game refuges for the preservation of the bison, the wapiti, and other large beasts once so abundant in our woods and mountains and on our great plains, and now tending toward extinction. Every support should be given to the authorities of the Yellowstone Park in their successful efforts at preserving the large creatures therein; and at very little expense portions of the public domain in other regions which are wholly unsuited to agricultural settlement could be similarly utilized. We owe it to future generations to keep alive the noble and beautiful creatures which by their presence add such distinctive character to the American wilderness. The limits of the Yellowstone Park should be extended southwards. The Canyon of the Colorado should be made a national park; and the national-park system should include the Yosemite and as many as possible of the groves of giant trees in California. The veterans of the Civil War have a claim upon the Nation such as no other body of our citizens possess. The Pension Bureau has never in its history been managed in a more satisfactory manner than is now the case. The progress of the Indians toward civilization, though not rapid, is perhaps all that could be hoped for in view of the circumstances. Within the past year many tribes have shown, in a degree greater than ever before, an appreciation of the necessity of work. This changed attitude is in part due to the policy recently pursued of reducing the amount of subsistence to the Indians, and thus forcing them, through sheer necessity, to work for a livelihood. The policy, though severe, is a useful one, but it is to be exercised only with judgment and with a full understanding of the conditions which exist in each community for which it is intended. On or near the Indian reservations there is usually very little demand for labor, and if the Indians are to earn their living and when work can not be furnished from outside (which is always preferable), then it must be furnished by the Government. Practical instruction of this kind would in a few years result in the forming of habits of regular industry, which would render the Indian a producer and would effect a great reduction in the cost of his maintenance. It is commonly declared that the slow advance of the Indians is due to the unsatisfactory character of the men appointed to take immediate charge of them, and to some extent this is true. While the standard of the employees in the Indian Service shows great improvement over that of bygone years, and while actual corruption or flagrant dishonesty is now the rare exception, it is nevertheless the fact that the salaries paid Indian agents are not large enough to attract the best men to that field of work. To achieve satisfactory results the official in charge of an Indian tribe should possess the high qualifications which are required in the manager of a large business, but only in exceptional cases is it possible to secure men of such a type for these positions. Much better service, however, might be obtained from those now holding the places were it practicable to get out of them the best that is in them, and this should be done by bringing them constantly into closer touch with their superior officers. An agent who has been content to draw his salary, giving in return the least possible equivalent in effort and service, may, by proper treatment, by suggestion and encouragement, or persistent urging, be stimulated to greater effort and induced to take a more active personal interest in his work. Under existing conditions an Indian agent in the distant West may be wholly out of touch with the office of the Indian Bureau. He may very well feel that no one takes a personal interest in him or his efforts. Certain routine duties in the way of reports and accounts are required of him, but there is no one with whom he may intelligently consult on matters vital to his work, except after long delay. Such a man would be greatly encouraged and aided by personal contact with some one whose interest in Indian affairs and whose authority in the Indian Bureau were greater than his own, and such contact would be certain to arouse and constantly increase the interest he takes in his work. The distance which separates the agents--the workers in the field--from the Indian Office in Washington is a chief obstacle to Indian progress. Whatever shall more closely unite these two branches of the Indian Service, and shall enable them to co-operate more heartily and more effectively, will be for the increased efficiency of the work and the betterment of the race for whose improvement the Indian Bureau was established. The appointment of a field assistant to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs would be certain to insure this good end. Such an official, if possessed of the requisite energy and deep interest in the work, would be a most efficient factor in bringing into closer relationship and a more direct union of effort the Bureau in Washington and its agents in the field; and with the co-operation of its branches thus secured the Indian Bureau would, in measure fuller than ever before, lift up the savage toward that self-help and self-reliance which constitute the man. In 1907 there will be held at Hampton Roads the tricentennial celebration of the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, with which the history of what has now become the United States really begins. I commend this to your favorable consideration. It is an event of prime historic significance, in which all the people of the United States should feel, and should show, great and general interest. In the Post-Office Department the service has increased in efficiency, and conditions as to revenue and expenditure continue satisfactory. The increase of revenue during the year was $9,358,181.10, or 6.9 per cent, the total receipts amounting to $143,382,624.34. The expenditures were $152,362,116.70, an increase of about 9 per cent over the previous year, being thus $8,979,492.36 in excess of the current revenue. Included in these expenditures was a total appropriation of $152,956,637.35 for the continuation and extension of the rural free-delivery service, which was an increase of $4,902,237.35 over the amount expended for this purpose in the preceding fiscal year. Large as this expenditure has been the beneficent results attained in extending the free distribution of mails to the residents of rural districts have justified the wisdom of the outlay. Statistics brought down to the 1st of October, 1904, show that on that date there were 27,138 rural routes established, serving approximately 12,000,000 of people in rural districts remote from post-offices, and that there were pending at that time 3,859 petitions for the establishment of new rural routes. Unquestionably some part of the general increase in receipts is due to the increased postal facilities which the rural service has afforded. The revenues have also been aided greatly by amendments in the classification of mail matter, and the curtailment of abuses of the second-class mailing privilege. The average increase in the volume of mail matter for the period beginning with 1902 and ending June, 1905 (that portion for 1905 being estimated), is 40.47 per cent, as compared with 25.46 per cent for the period immediately preceding, and 15.92 for the four-year period immediately preceding that. Our consular system needs improvement. Salaries should be substituted for fees, and the proper classification, grading, and transfer of consular officers should be provided. I am not prepared to say that a competitive system of examinations for appointment would work well; but by law it should be provided that consuls should be familiar, according to places for which they apply, with the French, German, or Spanish languages, and should possess acquaintance with the resources of the United States. The collection of objects of art contemplated in section 5586 of the Revised Statutes should be designated and established as a National Gallery of Art; and the Smithsonian Institution should be authorized to accept any additions to said collection that may be received by gift, bequest, or devise. It is desirable to enact a proper National quarantine law. It is most undesirable that a State should on its own initiative enforce quarantine regulations which are in effect a restriction upon interstate and international commerce. The question should properly be assumed by the Government alone. The Surgeon-General of the National Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service has repeatedly and convincingly set forth the need for such legislation. I call your attention to the great extravagance in printing and binding Government publications, and especially to the fact that altogether too many of these publications are printed. There is a constant tendency to increase their number and their volume. It is an understatement to say that no appreciable harm would be caused by, and substantial benefit would accrue from, decreasing the amount of printing now done by at least one-half. Probably the great majority of the Government reports and the like now printed are never read at all, and furthermore the printing of much of the material contained in many of the remaining ones serves no useful purpose whatever. The attention of the Congress should be especially given to the currency question, and that the standing committees on the matter in the two Houses charged with the duty, take up the matter of our currency and see whether it is not possible to secure an agreement in the business world for bettering the system; the committees should consider the question of the retirement of the greenbacks and the problem of securing in our currency such elasticity as is consistent with safety. Every silver dollar should be made by law redeemable in gold at the option of the holder. I especially commend to your immediate attention the encouragement of our merchant marine by appropriate legislation. The growing importance of the Orient as a field for American exports drew from my predecessor, President McKinley, an urgent request for its special consideration by the Congress. In his message of 1898 he stated: "In this relation, as showing the peculiar volume and value of our trade with China and the peculiarly favorable conditions which exist for their expansion in the normal course of trade, I refer to the communication addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives by the Secretary of the Treasury on the 14th of last June, with its accompanying letter of the Secretary of State, recommending an appropriation for a commission to study the industrial and commercial conditions in the Chinese Empire and to report as to the opportunities for and the obstacles to the enlargement of markets in China for the raw products and manufactures of the United States. Action was not taken thereon during the last session. I cordially urge that the recommendation receive at your hands the consideration which its importance and timeliness merit." In his annual message of 1889 he again called attention to this recommendation, quoting it, and stated further: "I now renew this recommendation, as the importance of the subject has steadily grown since it was first submitted to you, and no time should be lost in studying for ourselves the resources of this great field for American trade and enterprise." The importance of securing proper information and data with a view to the enlargement of our trade with Asia is undiminished. Our consular representatives in China have strongly urged a place for permanent display of American products in some prominent trade center of that Empire, under Government control and management, as an effective means of advancing our export trade therein. I call the attention of the Congress to the desirability of carrying out these suggestions. In dealing with the questions of immigration and naturalization it is indispensable to keep certain facts ever before the minds of those who share in enacting the laws. First and foremost, let us remember that the question of being a good American has nothing whatever to do with a man's birthplace any more than it has to do with his creed. In every generation from the time this Government was founded men of foreign birth have stood in the very foremost rank of good citizenship, and that not merely in one but in every field of American activity; while to try to draw a distinction between the man whose parents came to this country and the man whose ancestors came to it several generations back is a mere absurdity. Good Americanism is a matter of heart, of conscience, of lofty aspiration, of sound common sense, but not of birthplace or of creed. The medal of honor, the highest prize to be won by those who serve in the Army and the Navy of the United States decorates men born here, and it also decorates men born in Great Britain and Ireland, in Germany, in Scandinavia, in France, and doubtless in other countries also. In the field of statesmanship, in the field of business, in the field of philanthropic endeavor, it is equally true that among the men of whom we are most proud as Americans no distinction whatever can be drawn between those who themselves or whose parents came over in sailing ship or steamer from across the water and those whose ancestors stepped ashore into the wooded wilderness at Plymouth or at the mouth of the Hudson, the Delaware, or the James nearly three centuries ago. No fellow-citizen of ours is entitled to any peculiar regard because of the way in which he worships his Maker, or because of the birthplace of himself or his parents, nor should he be in any way discriminated against therefor. Each must stand on his worth as a man and each is entitled to be judged solely thereby. There is no danger of having too many immigrants of the right kind. It makes no difference from what country they come. If they are sound in body and in mind, and, above all, if they are of good character, so that we can rest assured that their children and grandchildren will be worthy fellow-citizens of our children and grandchildren, then we should welcome them with cordial hospitality. But the citizenship of this country should not be debased. It is vital that we should keep high the standard of well-being among our wage-workers, and therefore we should not admit masses of men whose standards of living and whose personal customs and habits are such that they tend to lower the level of the American wage-worker; and above all we should not admit any man of an unworthy type, any man concerning whom we can say that he will himself be a bad citizen, or that his children and grandchildren will detract from instead of adding to the sum of the good citizenship of the country. Similarly we should take the greatest care about naturalization. Fraudulent naturalization, the naturalization of improper persons, is a curse to our Government; and it is the affair of every honest voter, wherever born, to see that no fraudulent voting is allowed, that no fraud in connection with naturalization is permitted. In the past year the cases of false, fraudulent, and improper naturalization of aliens coming to the attention of the executive branches of the Government have increased to an alarming degree. Extensive sales of forged certificates of naturalization have been discovered, as well as many cases of naturalization secured by perjury and fraud; and in addition, instances have accumulated showing that many courts issue certificates of naturalization carelessly and upon insufficient evidence. Under the Constitution it is in the power of the Congress "to establish a uniform rule of naturalization," and numerous laws have from time to time been enacted for that purpose, which have been supplemented in a few States by State laws having special application. The Federal statutes permit naturalization by any court of record in the United States having common-law jurisdiction and a seal and clerk, except the police court of the District of Columbia, and nearly all these courts exercise this important function. It results that where so many courts of such varying grades have jurisdiction, there is lack of uniformity in the rules applied in conferring naturalization. Some courts are strict and others lax. An alien who may secure naturalization in one place might be denied it in another, and the intent of the constitutional provision is in fact defeated. Furthermore, the certificates of naturalization issued by the courts differ widely in wording and appearance, and when they are brought into use in foreign countries, are frequently subject to suspicion. There should be a comprehensive revision of the naturalization laws. The courts having power to naturalize should be definitely named by national authority; the testimony upon which naturalization may be conferred should be definitely prescribed; publication of impending naturalization applications should be required in advance of their hearing in court; the form and wording of all certificates issued should be uniform throughout the country, and the courts should be required to make returns to the Secretary of State at stated periods of all naturalizations conferred. Not only are the laws relating to naturalization now defective, but those relating to citizenship of the United States ought also to be made the subject of scientific inquiry with a view to probable further legislation. By what acts expatriation may be assumed to have been accomplished, how long an American citizen may reside abroad and receive the protection of our passport, whether any degree of protection should be extended to one who has made the declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States but has not secured naturalization, are questions of serious import, involving personal rights and often producing friction between this Government and foreign governments. Yet upon these question our laws are silent. I recommend that an examination be made into the subjects of citizenship, expatriation, and protection of Americans abroad, with a view to appropriate legislation. The power of the Government to protect the integrity of the elections of its own officials is inherent and has been recognized and affirmed by repeated declarations of the Supreme Court. There is no enemy of free government more dangerous and none so insidious as the corruption of the electorate. No one defends or excuses corruption, and it would seem to follow that none would oppose vigorous measures to eradicate it. I recommend the enactment of a law directed against bribery and corruption in Federal elections. The details of such a law may be safely left to the wise discretion of the Congress, but it should go as far as under the Constitution it is possible to go, and should include severe penalties against him who gives or receives a bribe intended to influence his act or opinion as an elector; and provisions for the publication not only of the expenditures for nominations and elections of all candidates but also of all contributions received and expenditures made by political committees. No subject is better worthy the attention of the Congress than that portion of the report of the Attorney-General dealing with the long delays and the great obstruction to justice experienced in the cases of Beavers, Green and Gaynor, and Benson. Were these isolated and special cases, I should not call your attention to them; but the difficulties encountered as regards these men who have been indicted for criminal practices are not exceptional; they are precisely similar in kind to what occurs again and again in the case of criminals who have sufficient means to enable them to take advantage of a system of procedure which has grown up in the Federal courts and which amounts in effect to making the law easy of enforcement against the man who has no money, and difficult of enforcement, even to the point of sometimes securing immunity, as regards the man who has money. In criminal cases the writ of the United States should run throughout its borders. The wheels of justice should not be clogged, as they have been clogged in the cases above mentioned, where it has proved absolutely impossible to bring the accused to the place appointed by the Constitution for his trial. Of recent years there has been grave and increasing complaint of the difficulty of bringing to justice those criminals whose criminality, instead of being against one person in the Republic, is against all persons in the Republic, because it is against the Republic itself. Under any circumstance and from the very nature of the case it is often exceedingly difficult to secure proper punishment of those who have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Government. By the time the offender can be brought into court the popular wrath against him has generally subsided; and there is in most instances very slight danger indeed of any prejudice existing in the minds of the jury against him. At present the interests of the innocent man are amply safeguarded; but the interests of the Government, that is, the interests of honest administration, that is the interests of the people, are not recognized as they should be. No subject better warrants the attention of the Congress. Indeed, no subject better warrants the attention of the bench and the bar throughout the United States. Alaska, like all our Territorial acquisitions, has proved resourceful beyond the expectations of those who made the purchase. It has become the home of many hardy, industrious, and thrifty American citizens. Towns of a permanent character have been built. The extent of its wealth in minerals, timber, fisheries, and agriculture, while great, is probably not comprehended yet in any just measure by our people. We do know, however, that from a very small beginning its products have grown until they are a steady and material contribution to the wealth of the nation. Owing to the immensity of Alaska and its location in the far north, it is a difficult matter to provide many things essential to its growth and to the happiness and comfort of its people by private enterprise alone. It should, therefore, receive reasonable aid from the Government. The Government has already done excellent work for Alaska in laying cables and building telegraph lines. This work has been done in the most economical and efficient way by the Signal Corps of the Army. In some respects it has outgrown its present laws, while in others those laws have been found to be inadequate. In order to obtain information upon which I could rely I caused an official of the Department of Justice, in whose judgment I have confidence, to visit Alaska during the past summer for the purpose of ascertaining how government is administered there and what legislation is actually needed at present. A statement of the conditions found to exist, together with some recommendations and the reasons therefor, in which I strongly concur, will be found in the annual report of the Attorney-General. In some instances I feel that the legislation suggested is so imperatively needed that I am moved briefly to emphasize the Attorney-General's proposals. Under the Code of Alaska as it now stands many purely administrative powers and duties, including by far the most important, devolve upon the district judges or upon the clerks of the district court acting under the direction of the judges, while the governor, upon whom these powers and duties should logically fall, has nothing specific to do except to make annual reports, issue Thanksgiving Day proclamations, and appoint Indian policemen and notaries public. I believe it essential to good government in Alaska, and therefore recommend, that the Congress divest the district judges and the clerks of their courts of the administrative or executive functions that they now exercise and cast them upon the governor. This would not be an innovation; it would simply conform the government of Alaska to fundamental principles, making the governorship a real instead of a merely nominal office, and leaving the judges free to give their entire attention to their judicial duties and at the same time removing them from a great deal of the strife that now embarrasses the judicial office in Alaska. I also recommend that the salaries of the district judges and district attorneys in Alaska be increased so as to make them equal to those received by corresponding officers in the United States after deducting the difference in the cost of living; that the district attorneys should be prohibited from engaging in private practice; that United States commissioners be appointed by the governor of the Territory instead of by the district judges, and that a fixed salary be provided for them to take the place of the discredited "fee system," which should be abolished in all offices; that a mounted constabulary be created to police the territory outside the limits of incorporated towns--a vast section now wholly without police protection; and that some provision be made to at least lessen the oppressive delays and costs that now attend the prosecution of appeals from the district court of Alaska. There should be a division of the existing judicial districts, and an increase in the number of judges. Alaska should have a Delegate in the Congress. Where possible, the Congress should aid in the construction of needed wagon roads. Additional light-houses should be provided. In my judgment, it is especially important to aid in such manner as seems just and feasible in the construction of a trunk line of railway to connect the Gulf of Alaska with the Yukon River through American territory. This would be most beneficial to the development of the resources of the Territory, and to the comfort and welfare of its people. Salmon hatcheries should be established in many different streams, so as to secure the preservation of this valuable food fish. Salmon fisheries and canneries should be prohibited on certain of the rivers where the mass of those Indians dwell who live almost exclusively on fish. The Alaskan natives are kindly, intelligent, anxious to learn, and willing to work. Those who have come under the influence of civilization, even for a limited period, have proved their capability of becoming self-supporting, self-respecting citizens, and ask only for the just enforcement of law and intelligent instruction and supervision. Others, living in more remote regions, primitive, simple hunters and fisher folk, who know only the life of the woods and the waters, are daily being confronted with twentieth-century civilization with all of its complexities. Their country is being overrun by strangers, the game slaughtered and driven away, the streams depleted of fish, and hitherto unknown and fatal diseases brought to them, all of which combine to produce a state of abject poverty and want which must result in their extinction. Action in their interest is demanded by every consideration of justice and humanity. The needs of these people are: The abolition of the present fee system, whereby the native is degraded, imposed upon, and taught the injustice of law. The establishment of hospitals at central points, so that contagious diseases that are brought to them continually by incoming whites may be localized and not allowed to become epidemic, to spread death and destitution over great areas. The development of the educational system in the form of practical training in such industries as will assure the Indians self-support under the changed conditions in which they will have to live. The duties of the office of the governor should be extended to include the supervision of Indian affairs, with necessary assistants in different districts. He should be provided with the means and the power to protect and advise the native people, to furnish medical treatment in time of epidemics, and to extend material relief in periods of famine and extreme destitution. The Alaskan natives should be given the right to acquire, hold, and dispose of property upon the same conditions as given other inhabitants; and the privilege of citizenship should be given to such as may be able to meet certain definite requirements. In Hawaii Congress should give the governor power to remove all the officials appointed under him. The harbor of Honolulu should be dredged. The Marine-Hospital Service should be empowered to study leprosy in the islands. I ask special consideration for the report and recommendation of the governor of Porto Rico. In treating of our foreign policy and of the attitude that this great Nation should assume in the world at large, it is absolutely necessary to consider the Army and the Navy, and the Congress, through which the thought of the Nation finds its expression, should keep ever vividly in mind the fundamental fact that it is impossible to treat our foreign policy, whether this policy takes shape in the effort to secure justice for others or justice for ourselves, save as conditioned upon the attitude we are willing to take toward our Army, and especially toward our Navy. It is not merely unwise, it is contemptible, for a nation, as for an individual, to use high-sounding language to proclaim its purposes, or to take positions which are ridiculous if unsupported by potential force, and then to refuse to provide this force. If there is no intention of providing and of keeping the force necessary to back up a strong attitude, then it is far better not to assume such an attitude. The steady aim of this Nation, as of all enlightened nations, should be to strive to bring ever nearer the day when there shall prevail throughout the world the peace of justice. There are kinds of peace which are highly undesirable, which are in the long run as destructive as any war. Tyrants and oppressors have many times made a wilderness and called it peace. Many times peoples who were slothful or timid or shortsighted, who had been enervated by ease or by luxury, or misled by false teachings, have shrunk in unmanly fashion from doing duty that was stern and that needed self-sacrifice, and have sought to hide from their own minds their shortcomings, their ignoble motives, by calling them love of peace. The peace of tyrannous terror, the peace of craven weakness, the peace of injustice, all these should be shunned as we shun unrighteous war. The goal to set before us as a nation, the goal which should be set before all mankind, is the attainment of the peace of justice, of the peace which comes when each nation is not merely safe-guarded in its own rights, but scrupulously recognizes and performs its duty toward others. Generally peace tells for righteousness; but if there is conflict between the two, then our fealty is due-first to the because of righteousness. Unrighteous wars are common, and unrighteous peace is rare; but both should be shunned. The right of freedom and the responsibility for the exercise of that right can not be divorced. One of our great poets has well and finely said that freedom is not a gift that tarries long in the hands of cowards. Neither does it tarry long in the hands of those too slothful, too dishonest, or too unintelligent to exercise it. The eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty must be exercised, sometimes to guard against outside foes; although of course far more often to guard against our own selfish or thoughtless shortcomings. If these self-evident truths are kept before us, and only if they are so kept before us, we shall have a clear idea of what our foreign policy in its larger aspects should be. It is our duty to remember that a nation has no more right to do injustice to another nation, strong or weak, than an individual has to do injustice to another individual; that the same moral law applies in one case as in the other. But we must also remember that it is as much the duty of the Nation to guard its own rights and its own interests as it is the duty of the individual so to do. Within the Nation the individual has now delegated this right to the State, that is, to the representative of all the individuals, and it is a maxim of the law that for every wrong there is a remedy. But in international law we have not advanced by any means as far as we have advanced in municipal law. There is as yet no judicial way of enforcing a right in international law. When one nation wrongs another or wrongs many others, there is no tribunal before which the wrongdoer can be brought. Either it is necessary supinely to acquiesce in the wrong, and thus put a premium upon brutality and aggression, or else it is necessary for the aggrieved nation valiantly to stand up for its rights. Until some method is devised by which there shall be a degree of international control over offending nations, it would be a wicked thing for the most civilized powers, for those with most sense of international obligations and with keenest and most generous appreciation of the difference between right and wrong, to disarm. If the great civilized nations of the present day should completely disarm, the result would mean an immediate recrudescence of barbarism in one form or another. Under any circumstances a sufficient armament would have to be kept up to serve the purposes of international police; and until international cohesion and the sense of international duties and rights are far more advanced than at present, a nation desirous both of securing respect for itself and of doing good to others must have a force adequate for the work which it feels is allotted to it as its part of the general world duty. Therefore it follows that a self-respecting, just, and far-seeing nation should on the one hand endeavor by every means to aid in the development of the various movements which tend to provide substitutes for war, which tend to render nations in their actions toward one another, and indeed toward their own peoples, more responsive to the general sentiment of humane and civilized mankind; and on the other hand that it should keep prepared, while scrupulously avoiding wrongdoing itself, to repel any wrong, and in exceptional cases to take action which in a more advanced stage of international relations would come under the head of the exercise of the international police. A great free people owes it to itself and to all mankind not to sink into helplessness before the powers of evil. We are in every way endeavoring to help on, with cordial good will, every movement which will tend to bring us into more friendly relations with the rest of mankind. In pursuance of this policy I shall shortly lay before the Senate treaties of arbitration with all powers which are willing to enter into these treaties with us. It is not possible at this period of the world's development to agree to arbitrate all matters, but there are many matters of possible difference between us and other nations which can be thus arbitrated. Furthermore, at the request of the Interparliamentary Union, an eminent body composed of practical statesmen from all countries, I have asked the Powers to join with this Government in a second Hague conference, at which it is hoped that the work already so happily begun at The Hague may be carried some steps further toward completion. This carries out the desire expressed by the first Hague conference itself. It is not true that the United States feels any land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the Western Hemisphere save such as are for their welfare. All that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable, orderly, and prosperous. Any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship. If a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, if it keeps order and pays its obligations, it need fear no interference from the United States. Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power. If every country washed by the Caribbean Sea would show the progress in stable and just civilization which with the aid of the Platt amendment Cuba has shown since our troops left the island, and which so many of the republics in both Americas are constantly and brilliantly showing, all question of interference by this Nation with their affairs would be at an end. Our interests and those of our southern neighbors are in reality identical. They have great natural riches, and if within their borders the reign of law and justice obtains, prosperity is sure to come to them. While they thus obey the primary laws of civilized society they may rest assured that they will be treated by us in a spirit of cordial and helpful sympathy. We would interfere with them only in the last resort, and then only if it became evident that their inability or unwillingness to do justice at home and abroad had violated the rights of the United States or had invited foreign aggression to the detriment of the entire body of American nations. It is a mere truism to say that every nation, whether in America or anywhere else, which desires to maintain its freedom, its independence, must ultimately realize that the right of such independence can not be separated from the responsibility of making good use of it. In asserting the Monroe Doctrine, in taking such steps as we have taken in regard to Cuba, Venezuela, and Panama, and in endeavoring to circumscribe the theater of war in the Far East, and to secure the open door in China, we have acted in our own interest as well as in the interest of humanity at large. There are, however, cases in which, while our own interests are not greatly involved, strong appeal is made to our sympathies. Ordinarily it is very much wiser and more useful for us to concern ourselves with striving for our own moral and material betterment here at home than to concern ourselves with trying to better the condition of things in other nations. We have plenty of sins of our own to war against, and under ordinary circumstances we can do more for the general uplifting of humanity by striving with heart and soul to put a stop to civic corruption, to brutal lawlessness and violent race prejudices here at home than by passing resolutions about wrongdoing elsewhere. Nevertheless there are occasional crimes committed on so vast a scale and of such peculiar horror as to make us doubt whether it is not our manifest duty to endeavor at least to show our disapproval of the deed and our sympathy with those who have suffered by it. The cases must be extreme in which such a course is justifiable. There must be no effort made to remove the mote from our brother's eye if we refuse to remove the beam from our own. But in extreme cases action may be justifiable and proper. What form the action shall take must depend upon the circumstances of the case; that is, upon the degree of the atrocity and upon our power to remedy it. The cases in which we could interfere by force of arms as we interfered to put a stop to intolerable conditions in Cuba are necessarily very few. Yet it is not to be expected that a people like ours, which in spite of certain very obvious shortcomings, nevertheless as a whole shows by its consistent practice its belief in the principles of civil and religious liberty and of orderly freedom, a people among whom even the worst crime, like the crime of lynching, is never more than sporadic, so that individuals and not classes are molested in their fundamental rights--it is inevitable that such a nation should desire eagerly to give expression to its horror on an occasion like that of the massacre of the Jews in Kishenef, or when it witnesses such systematic and long-extended cruelty and oppression as the cruelty and oppression of which the Armenians have been the victims, and which have won for them the indignant pity of the civilized world. Even where it is not possible to secure in other nations the observance of the principles which we accept as axiomatic, it is necessary for us firmly to insist upon the rights of our own citizens without regard to their creed or race; without regard to whether they were born here or born abroad. It has proved very difficult to secure from Russia the right for our Jewish fellow-citizens to receive passports and travel through Russian territory. Such conduct is not only unjust and irritating toward us, but it is difficult to see its wisdom from Russia's standpoint. No conceivable good is accomplished by it. If an American Jew or an American Christian misbehaves himself in Russia he can at once be driven out; but the ordinary American Jew, like the ordinary American Christian, would behave just about as he behaves here, that is, behave as any good citizen ought to behave; and where this is the case it is a wrong against which we are entitled to protest to refuse him his passport without regard to his conduct and character, merely on racial and religious grounds. In Turkey our difficulties arise less from the way in which our citizens are sometimes treated than from the indignation inevitably excited in seeing such fearful misrule as has been witnessed both in Armenia and Macedonia. The strong arm of the Government in enforcing respect for its just rights in international matters is the Navy of the United States. I most earnestly recommend that there be no halt in the work of upbuilding the American Navy. There is no more patriotic duty before us a people than to keep the Navy adequate to the needs of this country's position. We have undertaken to build the Isthmian Canal. We have undertaken to secure for ourselves our just share in the trade of the Orient. We have undertaken to protect our citizens from proper treatment in foreign lands. We continue steadily to insist on the application of the Monroe Doctrine to the Western Hemisphere. Unless our attitude in these and all similar matters is to be a mere boastful sham we can not afford to abandon our naval programme. Our voice is now potent for peace, and is so potent because we are not afraid of war. But our protestations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor deserve the slightest attention if we were impotent to make them good. The war which now unfortunately rages in the far East has emphasized in striking fashion the new possibilities of naval warfare. The lessons taught are both strategic and tactical, and are political as well as military. The experiences of the war have shown in conclusive fashion that while sea-going and sea-keeping torpedo destroyers are indispensable, and fast lightly armed and armored cruisers very useful, yet that the main reliance, the main standby, in any navy worthy the name must be the great battle ships, heavily armored and heavily gunned. Not a Russian or Japanese battle ship has been sunk by a torpedo boat, or by gunfire, while among the less protected ships, cruiser after cruiser has been destroyed whenever the hostile squadrons have gotten within range of one another's weapons. There will always be a large field of usefulness for cruisers, especially of the more formidable type. We need to increase the number of torpedo-boat destroyers, paying less heed to their having a knot or two extra speed than to their capacity to keep the seas for weeks, and, if necessary, for months at a time. It is wise to build submarine torpedo boats, as under certain circumstances they might be very useful. But most of all we need to continue building our fleet of battle ships, or ships so powerfully armed that they can inflict the maximum of damage upon our opponents, and so well protected that they can suffer a severe hammering in return without fatal impairment of their ability to fight and maneuver. Of course ample means must be provided for enabling the personnel of the Navy to be brought to the highest point of efficiency. Our great fighting ships and torpedo boats must be ceaselessly trained and maneuvered in squadrons. The officers and men can only learn their trade thoroughly by ceaseless practice on the high seas. In the event of war it would be far better to have no ships at all than to have ships of a poor and ineffective type, or ships which, however good, were yet manned by untrained and unskillful crews. The best officers and men in a poor ship could do nothing against fairly good opponents; and on the other hand a modern war ship is useless unless the officers and men aboard her have become adepts in their duties. The marksmanship in our Navy has improved in an extraordinary degree during the last three years, and on the whole the types of our battleships are improving; but much remains to be done. Sooner or later we shall have to provide for some method by which there will be promotions for merit as well as for seniority, or else retirement all those who after a certain age have not advanced beyond a certain grade; while no effort must be spared to make the service attractive to the enlisted men in order that they may be kept as long as possible in it. Reservation public schools should be provided wherever there are navy-yards. Within the last three years the United States has set an example in disarmament where disarmament was proper. By law our Army is fixed at a maximum of one hundred thousand and a minimum of sixty thousand men. When there was insurrection in the Philippines we kept the Army at the maximum. Peace came in the Philippines, and now our Army has been reduced to the minimum at which. it is possible to keep it with due regard to its efficiency. The guns now mounted require twenty-eight thousand men, if the coast fortifications are to be adequately manned. Relatively to the Nation, it is not now so large as the police force of New York or Chicago relatively to the population of either city. We need more officers; there are not enough to perform the regular army work. It is very important that the officers of the Army should be accustomed to handle their men in masses, as it is also important that the National Guard of the several States should be accustomed to actual field maneuvering, especially in connection with the regulars. For this reason we are to be congratulated upon the success of the field maneuvers at Manassas last fall, maneuvers in which a larger number of Regulars and National Guard took part than was ever before assembled together in time of peace. No other civilized nation has, relatively to its population, such a diminutive Army as ours; and while the Army is so small we are not to be excused if we fail to keep it at a very high grade of proficiency. It must be incessantly practiced; the standard for the enlisted men should be kept very high, while at the same time the service should be made as attractive as possible; and the standard for the officers should be kept even higher--which, as regards the upper ranks, can best be done by introducing some system of selection and rejection into the promotions. We should be able, in the event of some sudden emergency, to put into the field one first-class army corps, which should be, as a whole, at least the equal of any body of troops of like number belonging to any other nation. Great progress has been made in protecting our coasts by adequate fortifications with sufficient guns. We should, however, pay much more heed than at present to the development of an extensive system of floating mines for use in all our more important harbors. These mines have been proved to be a most formidable safeguard against hostile fleets. I earnestly call the attention of the Congress to the need of amending the existing law relating to the award of Congressional medals of honor in the Navy so as to provide that they may be awarded to commissioned officers and warrant officers as well as to enlisted men. These justly prized medals are given in the Army alike to the officers and the enlisted men, and it is most unjust that the commissioned officers and warrant officers of the Navy should not in this respect have the same rights as their brethren in the Army and as the enlisted men of the Navy. In the Philippine Islands there has been during the past year a continuation of the steady progress which has obtained ever since our troops definitely got the upper hand of the insurgents. The Philippine people, or, to speak more accurately, the many tribes, and even races, sundered from one another more or less sharply, who go to make up the people of the Philippine Islands, contain many elements of good, and some elements which we have a right to hope stand for progress. At present they are utterly incapable of existing in independence at all or of building up a civilization of their own. I firmly believe that we can help them to rise higher and higher in the scale of civilization and of capacity for self-government, and I most earnestly hope that in the end they will be able to stand, if not entirely alone, yet in some such relation to the United States as Cuba now stands. This end is not yet in sight, and it may be indefinitely postponed if our people are foolish enough to turn the attention of the Filipinos away from the problems of achieving moral and material prosperity, of working for a stable, orderly, and just government, and toward foolish and dangerous intrigues for a complete independence for which they are as yet totally unfit. On the other hand our people must keep steadily before their minds the fact that the justification for our stay in the Philippines must ultimately rest chiefly upon the good we are able to do in the islands. I do not overlook the fact that in the development of our interests in the Pacific Ocean and along its coasts, the Philippines have played and will play an important part; and that our interests have been served in more than one way by the possession of the islands. But our chief reason for continuing to hold them must be that we ought in good faith to try to do our share of the world's work, and this particular piece of work has been imposed upon us by the results of the war with Spain. The problem presented to us in the Philippine Islands is akin to, but not exactly like, the problems presented to the other great civilized powers which have possessions in the Orient. There are points of resemblance in our work to the work which is being done by the British in India and Egypt, by the French in Algiers, by the Dutch in Java, by the Russians in Turkestan, by the Japanese in Formosa; but more distinctly than any of these powers we are endeavoring to develop the natives themselves so that they shall take an ever-increasing share in their own government, and as far as is prudent we are already admitting their representatives to a governmental equality with our own. There are commissioners, judges, and governors in the islands who are Filipinos and who have exactly the same share in the government of the islands as have their colleagues who are Americans, while in the lower ranks, of course, the great majority of the public servants are Filipinos. Within two years we shall be trying the experiment of an elective lower house in the Philippine legislature. It may be that the Filipinos will misuse this legislature, and they certainly will misuse it if they are misled by foolish persons here at home into starting an agitation for their own independence or into any factious or improper action. In such case they will do themselves no good and will stop for the time being all further effort to advance them and give them a greater share in their own government. But if they act with wisdom and self-restraint, if they show that they are capable of electing a legislature which in its turn is capable of taking a sane and efficient part in the actual work of government, they can rest assured that a full and increasing measure of recognition will be given them. Above all they should remember that their prime needs are moral and industrial, not political. It is a good thing to try the experiment of giving them a legislature; but it is a far better thing to give them schools, good roads, railroads which will enable them to get their products to market, honest courts, an honest and efficient constabulary, and all that tends to produce order, peace, fair dealing as between man and man, and habits of intelligent industry and thrift. If they are safeguarded against oppression, and if their real wants, material and spiritual, are studied intelligently and in a spirit of friendly sympathy, much more good will be done them than by any effort to give them political power, though this effort may in its own proper time and place be proper enough. Meanwhile our own people should remember that there is need for the highest standard of conduct among the Americans sent to the Philippine Islands, not only among the public servants but among the private individuals who go to them. It is because I feel this so deeply that in the administration of these islands I have positively refused to permit any discrimination whatsoever for political reasons and have insisted that in choosing the public servants consideration should be paid solely to the worth of the men chosen and to the needs of the islands. There is no higher body of men in our public service than we have in the Philippine Islands under Governor Wright and his associates. So far as possible these men should be given a free hand, and their suggestions should receive the hearty backing both of the Executive and of the Congress. There is need of a vigilant and disinterested support of our public servants in the Philippines by good citizens here in the United States. Unfortunately hitherto those of our people here at home who have specially claimed to be the champions of the Filipinos have in reality been their worst enemies. This will continue to be the case as long as they strive to make the Filipinos independent, and stop all industrial development of the islands by crying out against the laws which would bring it on the ground that capitalists must not "exploit" the islands. Such proceedings are not only unwise, but are most harmful to the Filipinos, who do not need independence at all, but who do need good laws, good public servants, and the industrial development that can only come if the investment, of American and foreign capital in the islands is favored in all legitimate ways. Every measure taken concerning the islands should be taken primarily with a view to their advantage. We should certainly give them lower tariff rates on their exports to the United States; if this is not done it will be a wrong to extend our shipping laws to them. I earnestly hope for the immediate enactment into law of the legislation now pending to encourage American capital to seek investment in the islands in railroads, in factories, in plantations, and in lumbering and mining.
the nation continues to enjoy noteworthy prosperity such prosperity is of course primarily due to the high individual average of our citizenship taken together with our great natural resources but an important factor therein is the working of our governmental policies the people have emphatically expressed their approval of the principles underlying these policies and their desire that these principles be kept substantially unchanged although of course applied in a progressive spirit to meet changing conditions the enlargement of scope of the functions of the national government required by our development as a nation involves of course increase of expense and the period of prosperity through which the country is passing justifies expenditures for permanent improvements far greater than would be wise in hard times battle ships and forts public buildings and improved waterways are investments which should be made when we have the money but abundant revenues and a large surplus always invite extravagance and constant care should be taken to guard against unnecessary increase of the ordinary expenses of government the cost of doing government business should be regulated with the same rigid scrutiny as the cost of doing a private business in the vast and complicated mechanism of our modern civilized life the dominant note is the note of industralism and the relations of capital and labor and especially of organized capital and organized labor to each other and to the public at large come second in importance only to the intimate questions of family life our peculiar form of government with its sharp division of authority between the nation and the several states has been on the whole far more advantageous to our development than a more strongly centralized government but it is undoubtedly responsible for much of the difficulty of meeting with adequate legislation the new problems presented by the total change in industrial conditions on this continent during the last half century in actual practice it has proved exceedingly difficult and in many cases impossible to get unanimity of wise action among the various states on these subjects from the very nature of the case this is especially true of the laws affecting the employment of capital in huge masses with regard to labor the problem is no less important but it is simpler as long as the states retain the primary control of the police power the circumstances must be altogether extreme which require interference by the federal authorities whether in the way of safeguarding the rights of labor or in the way of seeing that wrong is not done by unruly persons who shield themselves behind the name of labor if there is resistance to the federal courts interference with the mails or interstate commerce or molestation of federal property or if the state authorities in some crisis which they are unable to face call for help then the federal government may interfere but though such interference may be caused by a condition of things arising out of trouble connected with some question of labor the interference itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach of order for to keep order is a primary duty and in a time of disorder and violence all other questions sink into abeyance until order has been restored in the district of columbia and in the territories the federal law covers the entire field of government but the labor question is only acute in populous centers of commerce manufactures or mining nevertheless both in the enactment and in the enforcement of law the federal government within its restricted sphere should set an example to the state governments especially in a matter so vital as this affecting labor i believe that under modern industrial conditions it is often necessary and even where not necessary it is yet often wise that there should be organization of labor in order better to secure the rights of the individual all encouragement should be given to any such organization so long as it is conducted with a due and decent regard for the rights of others there are in this country some labor unions which have habitually and other labor unions which have often been among the most effective agents in working for good citizenship and for uplifting the condition of those whose welfare should be closest to our hearts but when any labor union seeks improper ends or seeks to achieve proper ends by improper means all good citizens and more especially all honorable public servants must oppose the wrongdoing as resolutely as they would oppose the wrongdoing of any great corporation of course any violence brutality or corruption should not for one moment be tolerated have an entire right to organize and by all peaceful and honorable means to endeavor to persuade their fellows to join with them in organizations they have a legal right which according to circumstances may or may not be a moral right to refuse to work in company with men who decline to join their organizations they have under no circumstances the right to commit violence upon these whether capitalists or who refuse to support their organizations or who side with those with whom they are at odds for mob rule is intolerable in any form the are peculiarly entitled to the protection and the encouragement of the law from the very nature of their occupation railroad men for instance are liable to be maimed in doing the legitimate work of their profession unless the railroad companies are required by law to make ample provision for their safety the administration has been zealous in enforcing the existing law for this purpose that law should be amended and strengthened wherever the national government has power there should be a stringent employer liability law which should apply to the government itself where the government is an employer of labor in my message to the congress at its second session i urged the passage of an employer liability law for the district of columbia i now renew that recommendation and further recommend that the congress appoint a commission to make a comprehensive study of employer liability with the view of extending the provisions of a great and constitutional law to all employments within the scope of federal power the government has recognized heroism upon the water and bestows medals of honor upon those persons who by extreme and heroic daring have endangered their lives in saving or endeavoring to save lives from the perils of the sea in the waters over which the united states has jurisdiction or upon an american vessel this recognition should be extended to cover cases of conspicuous bravery and in the saving of life in private employments under the jurisdiction of the united states and particularly in the land commerce of the nation the casualty list upon our railroads is a matter of grave public concern and urgently calls for action by the congress in the matter of speed and comfort of railway travel our railroads give at least as good service as those of any other nation and there is no reason why this service should not also be as safe as human ingenuity can make it many of our leading roads have been foremost in the adoption of the most approved safeguards for the protection of travelers and employees yet the list of clearly avoidable accidents continues unduly large the passage of a law requiring the adoption of a system has been proposed to the congress i earnestly concur in that recommendation and would also point out to the congress the urgent need of legislation in the interest of the public safety limiting the hours of labor for railroad employees in train service upon railroads engaged in interstate commerce and providing that only trained and experienced persons be employed in positions of responsibility connected with the operation of trains of course nothing can ever prevent accidents caused by human weakness or misconduct and there should be drastic punishment for any railroad employee whether officer or man who by issuance of wrong orders or by disobedience of orders causes disaster the law of 1901 requiring interstate railroads to make monthly reports of all accidents to passengers and employees on duty should also be amended so as to empower the government to make a personal investigation through proper officers of all accidents involving loss of life which seem to require investigation with a requirement that the results of such investigation be made public the law as amended by the act of march 2 1903 has proved beneficial to railway employees and in order that its provisions may be properly carried out the force of inspectors provided for by appropriation should be largely increased this service is analogous to the service and deals with even more important interests it has passed the experimental stage and demonstrated its utility and should receive generous recognition by the congress there is no objection to employees of the government forming or belonging to unions but the government can neither discriminate for nor discriminate against nonunion men who are in its employment or who seek to be employed under it moreover it is a very grave impropriety for government employees to band themselves together for the purpose of extorting improperly high salaries from the government especially is this true of those within the classified service the letter carriers both municipal and rural are as a whole an excellent body of public servants they should be amply paid but their payment must be obtained by arguing their claims fairly and honorably before the congress and not by banding together for the defeat of those congressmen who refuse to give promises which they can not in conscience give the administration has already taken steps to prevent and punish abuses of this nature but it will be wise for the congress to supplement this action by legislation much can be done by the government in labor matters merely by giving publicity to certain conditions the bureau of labor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions i shall shortly lay before you in a special message the full report of the investigation of the bureau of labor into the colorado mining strike as this was a strike in which certain very evil forces which are more or less at work everywhere under the conditions of modern industrialism became startlingly prominent it is greatly to be wished that the department of commerce and labor through the labor bureau should compile and arrange for the congress a list of the labor laws of the various states and should be given the means to investigate and report to the congress upon the labor conditions in the manufacturing and mining regions throughout the country both as to wages as to hours of labor as to the labor of women and children and as to the effect in the various labor centers of immigration from abroad in this investigation especial attention should be paid to the conditions of child labor and legislation in the several states such an investigation must necessarily take into account many of the problems with which this question of child labor is connected these problems can be actually met in most cases only by the states themselves but the lack of proper legislation in one state in such a matter as child labor often renders it excessively difficult to establish protective restriction upon the work in another state having the same industries so that the worst tends to drag down the better for this reason it would be well for the nation at least to endeavor to secure comprehensive information as to the conditions of labor of children in the different states such investigation and publication by the national government would tend toward the securing of approximately uniform legislation of the proper character among the several states when we come to deal with great corporations the need for the government to act directly is far greater than in the case of labor because great corporations can become such only by engaging in interstate commerce and interstate commerce is peculiarly the field of the general government it is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses in great corporations by state action it is difficult to be patient with an argument that such matters should be left to the states because more than one state pursues the policy of creating on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that state at all but in other states whose laws they ignore the national government alone can deal adequately with these great corporations to try to deal with them in an intemperate destructive or demagogic spirit would in all probability mean that nothing whatever would be accomplished and with absolute certainty that if anything were accomplished it would be of a harmful nature the american people need to continue to show the very qualities that they have shown that is moderation good sense the earnest desire to avoid doing any damage and yet the quiet determination to proceed step by step without halt and without hurry in eliminating or at least in minimizing whatever of mischief or evil there is to interstate commerce in the conduct of great corporations they are acting in no spirit of hostility to wealth either individual or corporate they are not against the rich man any more than against the poor man on the contrary they are friendly alike toward rich man and toward poor man provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency toward his fellows great corporations are necessary and only men of great and singular mental power can manage such corporations successfully and such men must have great rewards but these corporations should be managed with due regard to the interest of the public as a whole where this can be done under the present laws it must be done where these laws come short others should be enacted to supplement them yet we must never forget the determining factor in every kind of work of head or hand must be the man own good sense courage and kindliness more important than any legislation is the gradual growth of a feeling of responsibility and forbearance among capitalists and alike a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others a feeling of broad community of interest not merely of capitalists among themselves and of among themselves but of capitalists and in their relations to each other and of both in their relations to their fellows who with them make up the body politic there are many captains of industry many labor leaders who realize this a recent speech by the president of one of our great railroad systems to the employees of that system contains sound common sense it rims in part as follows it is my belief we can better serve each other better understand the man as well as his business when meeting face to face exchanging views and realizing from personal contact we serve but one interest that of our mutual prosperity serious misunderstandings can not occur where personal good will exists and opportunity for personal explanation is present in my early business life i had experience with men of affairs of a character to make me desire to avoid creating a like feeling of resentment to myself and the interests in my charge should fortune ever place me in authority and i am solicitous of a measure of confidence on the part of the public and our employees that i shall hope may be warranted by the fairness and good fellowship i intend shall prevail in our relationship but do not feel i am disposed to grant unreasonable requests spend the money of our company unnecessarily or without value received nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing or that because for complaint will not continually occur simply to correct such abuses as may be discovered to better conditions as fast as reasonably may be expected constantly striving with varying success for that improvement we all desire to convince you there is a force at work in the right direction all the time making progress is the disposition with which i have come among you asking your good will and encouragement the day has gone by when a corporation can be handled successfully in defiance of the public will even though that will be unreasonable and wrong a public may be led but not driven and i prefer to go with it and shape or modify in a measure its opinion rather than be swept from my bearings with loss to myself and the interests in my charge violent prejudice exists towards corporate activity and capital today much of it founded in reason more in apprehension and a large measure is due to the personal traits of arbitrary unreasonable incompetent and offensive men in positions of authority the accomplishment of results by indirection the endeavor to thwart the intention if not the expressed letter of the law the will of the people a disregard of the rights of others a disposition to withhold what is due to force by main strength or inactivity a result not justified depending upon the weakness of the claimant and his indisposition to become involved in litigation has created a sentiment harmful in the extreme and a disposition to consider anything fair that gives gain to the individual at the expense of the company if corporations are to continue to do the world work as they are best fitted to these qualities in their representatives that have resulted in the present prejudice against them must be relegated to the background the corporations must come out into the open and see and be seen they must take the public into their confidence and ask for what they want and no more and be prepared to explain satisfactorily what advantage will accrue to the public if they are given their desires for they are permitted to exist not that they may make money solely but that they may effectively serve those from whom they derive their power publicity and not secrecy will win hereafter and laws be construed by their intent and not by their letter otherwise public utilities will be owned and operated by the public which created them even though the service be less efficient and the result less satisfactory from a financial standpoint the bureau of corporations has made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations it will make a special report on the beef industry the policy of the bureau is to accomplish the purposes of its creation by not antagonism by making constructive legislation not destructive prosecution the immediate object of its inquiries by conservative investigation of law and fact and by refusal to issue incomplete and hence necessarily inaccurate reports its policy being thus one of open inquiry into and not attack upon business the bureau has been able to gain not only the confidence but better still the cooperation of men engaged in legitimate business the bureau offers to the congress the means of getting at the cost of production of our various great staples of commerce of necessity the careful investigation of special corporations will afford the commissioner knowledge of certain business facts the publication of which might be an improper infringement of private rights the method of making public the results of these investigations affords under the law a means for the protection of private rights the congress will have all facts except such as would give to another corporation information which would injure the legitimate business of a competitor and destroy the incentive for individual superiority and thrift the bureau has also made exhaustive examinations into the legal condition under which corporate business is carried on in the various states into all judicial decisions on the subject and into the various systems of corporate taxation in use i call special attention to the report of the chief of the bureau and i earnestly ask that the congress carefully consider the report and recommendations of the commissioner on this subject the business of insurance vitally affects the great mass of the people of the united states and is national and not local in its application it involves a multitude of transactions among the people of the different states and between american companies and foreign governments i urge that the congress carefully consider whether the power of the bureau of corporations can not constitutionally be extended to cover interstate transactions in insurance above all else we must strive to keep the highways of commerce open to all on equal terms and to do this it is necessary to put a complete stop to all rebates whether the shipper or the railroad is to blame makes no difference the rebate must be stopped the abuses of the private car and private and systems must be stopped and the legislation of the congress which declares it to be unlawful for any person or corporation to offer gram give solicit accept or receive any rebate concession or discrimination in respect of the transportation of any property in interstate or foreign commerce whereby such property shall by any device whatever be transported at a less rate than that named in the tariffs published by the carrier must be enforced for some time after the enactment of the act to regulate commerce it remained a mooted question whether that act conferred upon the interstate commerce commission the power after it had found a challenged rate to be unreasonable to declare what thereafter should prima facie be the reasonable maximum rate for the transportation in dispute the supreme court finally resolved that question in the negative so that as the law now stands the commission simply possess the bare power to denounce a particular rate as unreasonable while i am of the opinion that at present it would be undesirable if it were not impracticable finally to clothe the commission with general authority to fix railroad rates i do believe that as a fair security to shippers the commission should be vested with the power where a given rate has been challenged and after full hearing found to be unreasonable to decide subject to judicial review what shall be a reasonable rate to take its place the ruling of the commission to take effect immediately and to obtain unless and until it is reversed by the court of review the government must in increasing degree supervise and regulate the workings of the railways engaged in interstate commerce and such increased supervision is the only alternative to an increase of the present evils on the one hand or a still more radical policy on the other in my judgment the most important legislative act now needed as regards the regulation of corporations is this act to confer on the interstate commerce commission the power to revise rates and regulations the revised rate to at once go into effect and stay in effect unless and until the court of review reverses it steamship companies engaged in interstate commerce and protected in our coastwise trade should be held to a strict observance of the interstate commerce act in pursuing the set plan to make the city of washington an example to other american municipalities several points should be kept in mind by the legislators in the first place the people of this country should clearly understand that no amount of industrial prosperity and above all no leadership in international industrial competition can in any way atone for the sapping of the vitality of those who are usually spoken of as the working classes the farmers the mechanics the skilled and unskilled laborers the small shop keepers make up the bulk of the population of any country and upon their generation after generation the of the country and the race depends rapid development in wealth and industrial leadership is a good thing but only if it goes hand in hand with improvement and not deterioration physical and moral the of cities and the draining of country districts are unhealthy and even dangerous symptoms in our modern life we should not permit overcrowding in cities in certain european cities it is provided by law that the population of towns shall not be allowed to exceed a very limited density for a given area so that the increase in density must be continually pushed back into a broad zone around the center of the town this zone having great avenues or parks within it the statistics show a terrible increase in mortality and especially in infant mortality in overcrowded tenements the poorest families in tenement houses live in one room and it appears that in these tenements the average death rate for a number of given cities at home and abroad is about twice what it is in a tenement four times what it is in a tenement and eight times what it is in a tenement consisting of four rooms or over these figures vary somewhat for different cities but they approximate in each city those given above and in all cases the increase of mortality and especially of infant mortality with the decrease in the number of rooms used by the family and with the consequent overcrowding is startling the slum exacts a heavy total of death from those who dwell therein and this is the case not merely in the great crowded slums of high buildings in new york and chicago but in the alley slums of washington in washington people can not afford to ignore the harm that this causes no christian and civilized community can afford to show a lack of concern for the youth of for if so the community will have to pay a terrible penalty of financial burden and social degradation in the there should be severe and laws it is very desirable that married women should not work in factories the prime duty of the man is to work to be the breadwinner the prime duty of the woman is to be the mother the housewife all questions of tariff and finance sink into utter insignificance when compared with the tremendous the vital importance of trying to shape conditions so that these two duties of the man and of the woman can be fulfilled under reasonably favorable circumstances if a race does not have plenty of children or if the children do not grow up or if when they grow up they are unhealthy in body and stunted or vicious in mind then that race is decadent and no heaping up of wealth no splendor of momentary material prosperity can avail in any degree as offsets the congress has the same power of legislation for the district of columbia which the state legislatures have for the various states the problems incident to our highly complex modern industrial civilization with its manifold and perplexing tendencies both for good and for evil are far less sharply eccentuated in the city of washington than in most other cities for this very reason it is easier to deal with the various phases of these problems in washington and the district of columbia government should be a model for the other municipal governments of the nation in all such matters as supervision of the housing of the poor the creation of small parks in the districts inhabited by the poor in laws affecting labor in laws providing for the taking care of the children in truant laws and in providing schools in the vital matter of taking care of children much advantage could be gained by a careful study of what has been accomplished in such states as illinois and colorado by the juvenile courts the work of the juvenile court is really a work of character building it is now generally recognized that young boys and young girls who go wrong should not be treated as criminals not even necessarily as needing reformation but rather as needing to have their characters formed and for this end to have them tested and developed by a system of probation much admirable work has been done in many of our commonwealths by earnest men and women who have made a special study of the needs of those classes of children which furnish the greatest number of juvenile offenders and therefore the greatest number of adult offenders and by their aid and by profiting by the experiences of the different states and cities in these matters it would be easy to provide a good code for the district of columbia several considerations suggest the need for a systematic investigation into and improvement of housing conditions in washington the hidden residential alleys are breeding grounds of vice and disease and should be opened into minor streets for a number of years influential citizens have joined with the district commissioners in the vain endeavor to secure laws permitting the condemnation of insanitary dwellings the local death rates especially from preventable diseases are so unduly high as to suggest that the exceptional wholesomeness of washington better sections is offset by bad conditions in her poorer neighborhoods a special commission on housing and health conditions in the national capital would not only bring about the reformation of existing evils but would also formulate an appropriate building code to protect the city from mammoth brick tenements and other evils which threaten to develop here as they have in other cities that the nation capital should be made a model for other municipalities is an ideal which appeals to all patriotic citizens everywhere and such a special commission might map out and organize the city future development in lines of civic social service just as major and the recent park commission planned the arrangement of her streets and parks it is mortifying to remember that washington has no compulsory school attendance law and that careful inquiries indicate the habitual absence from school of some twenty per cent of all children between the ages of eight and fourteen it must be evident to all who consider the problems of neglected child life or the benefits of compulsory education in other cities that one of the most urgent needs of the national capital is a law requiring the school attendance of all children this law to be enforced by attendance agents directed by the board of education public play grounds are necessary means for the development of wholesome citizenship in modern cities it is important that the work inaugurated here through voluntary efforts should be taken up and extended through congressional appropriation of funds sufficient to equip and maintain numerous convenient small play grounds upon land which can be secured without purchase or rental it is also desirable that small vacant places be purchased and reserved as play grounds in densely settled sections of the city which now have no public open spaces and are destined soon to be built up solidly all these needs should be met immediately to meet them would entail expenses but a corresponding saving could be made by stopping the building of streets and levelling of ground for purposes largely speculative in outlying parts of the city there are certain offenders whose criminality takes the shape of brutality and cruelty towards the weak who need a special type of punishment the for example is inadequately punished by imprisonment for imprisonment may often mean nothing to him while it may because hunger and want to the wife and children who have been the victims of his brutality probably some form of corporal punishment would be the most adequate way of meeting this kind of crime the department of agriculture has grown into an educational institution with a faculty of two thousand specialists making research into all the sciences of production the congress appropriates directly and indirectly six millions of dollars annually to carry on this work it reaches every state and territory in the union and the islands of the sea lately come under our flag is had with the state experiment stations and with many other institutions and individuals the world is carefully searched for new varieties of grains fruits grasses vegetables trees and shrubs suitable to various localities in our country and marked benefit to our producers has resulted the activities of our age in lines of research have reached the tillers of the soil and inspired them with ambition to know more of the principles that govern the forces of nature with which they have to deal nearly half of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things from the soil until a recent date little has been done to prepare these millions for their life work in most lines of human activity men are the leaders the farmer had no opportunity for special training until the congress made provision for it forty years ago during these years progress has been made and teachers have been prepared over five thousand students are in attendance at our state agricultural colleges the federal government expends ten millions of dollars annually toward this education and for research in washington and in the several states and territories the department of agriculture has given facilities for work to five hundred young men during the last seven years preparing them for advance lines of work in the department and in the state institutions the facts concerning meteorology and its relations to plant and animal life are being systematically inquired into temperature and moisture are controlling factors in all agricultural operations the seasons of the cyclones of the caribbean sea and their paths are being forecasted with increasing accuracy the cold winds that come from the north are anticipated and their times and intensity told to farmers gardeners and fruiterers in all southern localities we sell two hundred and fifty million dollars worth of animals and animal products to foreign countries every year in addition to supplying our own people more cheaply and abundantly than any other nation is able to provide for its people successful manufacturing depends primarily on cheap food which accounts to a considerable extent for our growth in this direction the department of agriculture by careful inspection of meats guards the health of our people and gives clean bills of health to deserving exports it is prepared to deal promptly with imported diseases of animals and maintain the excellence of our flocks and herds in this respect there should be an annual census of the live stock of the nation we sell abroad about six hundred million dollars worth of plants and their products every year strenuous efforts are being made to import from foreign countries such grains as are suitable to our varying localities seven years ago we bought of our rice by helping the rice growers on the gulf coast to secure seeds from the orient suited to their conditions and by giving them adequate protection they now supply home demand and export to the islands of the caribbean sea and to other countries wheat and other grains have been imported from countries to our lands in the west and southwest that have not grown crops because of light precipitation resulting in an extensive addition to our cropping area and our territory that can not be irrigated ten million bushels of macaroni wheat were grown from these experimental importations last year fruits suitable to our soils and climates are being imported from all the countries of the old world the fig from turkey the almond from spain the date from algeria the mango from india we are helping our fruit growers to get their crops into european markets by studying methods of preservation through refrigeration packing and handling which have been quite successful we are helping our hop growers by importing varieties that ripen earlier and later than the kinds they have been raising thereby lengthening the harvesting season the cotton crop of the country is threatened with root rot the bollworm and the boll weevil our pathologists will find immune varieties that will resist the root disease and the bollworm can be dealt with but the boll weevil is a serious menace to the cotton crop it is a central american insect that has become acclimated in texas and has done great damage a scientist of the department of agriculture has found the weevil at home in guatemala being kept in check by an ant which has been brought to our cotton fields for observation it is hoped that it may serve a good purpose the soils of the country are getting attention from the farmer standpoint and interesting results are following we have duplicates of the soils that grow the wrapper tobacco in sumatra and the filler tobacco in cuba it will be only a question of time when the large amounts paid to these countries will be paid to our own people the reclamation of alkali lands is progressing to give object lessons to our people in methods by which worthless lands may be made productive the insect friends and enemies of the farmer are getting attention the enemy of the san jose scale was found near the great wall of china and is now cleaning up all our orchards the insect imported from turkey has helped to establish an industry in california that amounts to from fifty to one hundred tons of dried figs annually and is extending over the pacific coast a parasitic fly from south africa is keeping in subjection the black scale the worst pest of the orange and lemon industry in california careful preliminary work is being done towards producing our own silk the mulberry is being distributed in large numbers eggs are being imported and distributed improved reels were imported from europe last year and two expert reelers were brought to washington to reel the crop of cocoons and teach the art to our own people the system of the department of agriculture is being brought closer to accuracy every year it has two hundred and fifty thousand reporters selected from people in eight vocations in life it has arrangements with most european countries for interchange of estimates so that our people may know as nearly as possible with what they must compete during the two and a half years that have elapsed since the passage of the reclamation act rapid progress has been made in the surveys and examinations of the opportunities for reclamation in the thirteen states and three territories of the arid west construction has already been begun on the largest and most important of the irrigation works and plans are being completed for works which will utilize the funds now available the operations are being carried on by the reclamation service a corps of engineers selected through competitive examinations this corps includes experienced consulting and constructing engineers as well as various experts in mechanical and legal matters and is composed largely of men who have spent most of their lives in practical affairs connected with irrigation the larger problems have been solved and it now remains to execute with care economy and thoroughness the work which has been laid out all important details are being carefully considered by boards of consulting engineers selected for their thorough knowledge and practical experience each project is taken up on the ground by competent men and viewed from the standpoint of the creation of prosperous homes and of promptly refunding to the treasury the cost of construction the reclamation act has been found to be remarkably complete and effective and so broad in its provisions that a wide range of undertakings has been possible under it at the same time economy is guaranteed by the fact that the funds must ultimately be returned to be used over again it is the cardinal principle of the policy of this administration that the reserves are for use whatever interferes with the use of their resources is to be avoided by every possible means but these resources must be used in such a way as to make them permanent the forest policy of the government is just now a subject of vivid public interest throughout the west and to the people of the united states in general the forest reserves themselves are of extreme value to the present as well as to the future welfare of all the western states they powerfully affect the use and disposal of the public lands they are of special importance because they preserve the water supply and the supply of timber for domestic purposes and so promote settlement under the reclamation act indeed they are essential to the welfare of every one of the great interests of the west forest reserves are created for two principal purposes the first is to preserve the water supply this is their most important use the principal users of the water thus preserved are irrigation ranchers and settlers cities and towns to whom their municipal water supplies are of the very first importance users and furnishers of water power and the users of water for domestic manufacturing mining and other purposes all these are directly dependent upon the forest reserves the second reason for which forest reserves are created is to preserve the timber supply for various classes of wood users among the more important of these are settlers under the reclamation act and other acts for whom a cheap and accessible supply of timber for domestic uses is absolutely necessary miners and prospectors who are in serious danger of losing their timber supply by fire or through export by lumber companies when timber lands adjacent to their mines pass into private ownership lumbermen transportation companies builders and commercial interests in general although the wisdom of creating forest reserves is nearly everywhere heartily recognized yet in a few localities there has been misunderstanding and complaint the following statement is therefore desirable the forest reserve policy can be successful only when it has the full support of the people of the west it can not safely and should not in any case be imposed upon them against their will but neither can we accept the views of those whose only interest in the forest is temporary who are anxious to reap what they have not sown and then move away leaving desolation behind them on the contrary it is everywhere and always the interest of the permanent settler and the permanent business man the man with a stake in the country which must be considered and which must decide the making of forest reserves within railroad and limits will hereafter as for the past three years be so managed as to prevent the issue under the act of june 4 1897 of base for exchange or lieu selection usually called scrip in all cases where forest reserves within areas covered by land grants appear to be essential to the prosperity of settlers miners or others the government lands within such proposed forest reserves will as in the recent past be withdrawn from sale or entry pending the completion of such negotiations with the owners of the land grants as will prevent the creation of scrip it was formerly the custom to make forest reserves without first getting definite and detailed information as to the character of land and timber within their boundaries this method of action often resulted in badly chosen boundaries and consequent injustice to settlers and others therefore this administration adopted the present method of first withdrawing the land from disposal followed by careful examination on the ground and the preparation of detailed maps and descriptions before any forest reserve is created i have repeatedly called attention to the confusion which exists in government forest matters because the work is scattered among three independent organizations the united states is the only one of the great nations in which the forest work of the government is not concentrated under one department in consonance with the plainest dictates of good administration and common sense the present arrangement is bad from every point of view merely to mention it is to prove that it should be terminated at once as i have repeatedly recommended all the forest work of the government should be concentrated in the department of agriculture where the larger part of that work is already done where practically all of the trained foresters of the government are employed where chiefly in washington there is comprehensive knowledge of the problems of the reserves acquired on the ground where all problems relating to growth from the soil are already gathered and where all the sciences auxiliary to forestry are at hand for prompt and effective these reasons are decisive in themselves but it should be added that the great organizations of citizens whose interests are affected by the such as the national live stock association the national wool growers association the american mining congress the national irrigation congress and the national board of trade have uniformly emphatically and most of them repeatedly expressed themselves in favor of placing all government forest work in the department of agriculture because of the peculiar adaptation of that department for it it is true also that the forest services of nearly all the great nations of the world are under the respective departments of agriculture while in but two of the smaller nations and in one colony are they under the department of the interior this is the result of long and varied experience and it agrees fully with the requirements of good administration in our own case the creation of a forest service in the department of agriculture will have for its important results first a better handling of all forest work because it will be under a single head and because the vast and indispensable experience of the department in all matters pertaining to the forest reserves to forestry in general and to other forms of production from the soil will be easily and rapidly accessible second the reserves themselves being handled from the point of view of the man in the field instead of the man in the office will be more easily and more widely useful to the people of the west than has been the case hitherto third within a comparatively short time the reserves will become this is important because continually and rapidly increasing appropriations will be necessary for the proper care of this exceedingly important interest of the nation and they can and should he offset by returns from the national forests under similar circumstances the forest possessions of other great nations form an important source of revenue to their governments every administrative officer concerned is convinced of the necessity for the proposed consolidation of forest work in the department of agriculture and i myself have urged it more than once in former messages again i commend it to the early and favorable consideration of the congress the interests of the nation at large and of the west in particular have suffered greatly because of the delay i call the attention of the congress again to the report and recommendation of the commission on the public lands forwarded by me to the second session of the present congress the commission has prosecuted its investigations actively during the past season and a second report is now in an advanced stage of preparation in connection with the work of the forest reserves i desire again to urge upon the congress the importance of authorizing the president to set aside certain portions of these reserves or other public lands as game refuges for the preservation of the bison the wapiti and other large beasts once so abundant in our woods and mountains and on our great plains and now tending toward extinction every support should be given to the authorities of the yellowstone park in their successful efforts at preserving the large creatures therein and at very little expense portions of the public domain in other regions which are wholly unsuited to agricultural settlement could be similarly utilized we owe it to future generations to keep alive the noble and beautiful creatures which by their presence add such distinctive character to the american wilderness the limits of the yellowstone park should be extended southwards the canyon of the colorado should be made a national park and the system should include the yosemite and as many as possible of the groves of giant trees in california the veterans of the civil war have a claim upon the nation such as no other body of our citizens possess the pension bureau has never in its history been managed in a more satisfactory manner than is now the case the progress of the indians toward civilization though not rapid is perhaps all that could be hoped for in view of the circumstances within the past year many tribes have shown in a degree greater than ever before an appreciation of the necessity of work this changed attitude is in part due to the policy recently pursued of reducing the amount of subsistence to the indians and thus forcing them through sheer necessity to work for a livelihood the policy though severe is a useful one but it is to be exercised only with judgment and with a full understanding of the conditions which exist in each community for which it is intended on or near the indian reservations there is usually very little demand for labor and if the indians are to earn their living and when work can not be furnished from outside which is always preferable then it must be furnished by the government practical instruction of this kind would in a few years result in the forming of habits of regular industry which would render the indian a producer and would effect a great reduction in the cost of his maintenance it is commonly declared that the slow advance of the indians is due to the unsatisfactory character of the men appointed to take immediate charge of them and to some extent this is true while the standard of the employees in the indian service shows great improvement over that of bygone years and while actual corruption or flagrant dishonesty is now the rare exception it is nevertheless the fact that the salaries paid indian agents are not large enough to attract the best men to that field of work to achieve satisfactory results the official in charge of an indian tribe should possess the high qualifications which are required in the manager of a large business but only in exceptional cases is it possible to secure men of such a type for these positions much better service however might be obtained from those now holding the places were it practicable to get out of them the best that is in them and this should be done by bringing them constantly into closer touch with their superior officers an agent who has been content to draw his salary giving in return the least possible equivalent in effort and service may by proper treatment by suggestion and encouragement or persistent urging be stimulated to greater effort and induced to take a more active personal interest in his work under existing conditions an indian agent in the distant west may be wholly out of touch with the office of the indian bureau he may very well feel that no one takes a personal interest in him or his efforts certain routine duties in the way of reports and accounts are required of him but there is no one with whom he may intelligently consult on matters vital to his work except after long delay such a man would be greatly encouraged and aided by personal contact with some one whose interest in indian affairs and whose authority in the indian bureau were greater than his own and such contact would be certain to arouse and constantly increase the interest he takes in his work the distance which separates the agents the workers in the field from the indian office in washington is a chief obstacle to indian progress whatever shall more closely unite these two branches of the indian service and shall enable them to more heartily and more effectively will be for the increased efficiency of the work and the betterment of the race for whose improvement the indian bureau was established the appointment of a field assistant to the commissioner of indian affairs would be certain to insure this good end such an official if possessed of the requisite energy and deep interest in the work would be a most efficient factor in bringing into closer relationship and a more direct union of effort the bureau in washington and its agents in the field and with the of its branches thus secured the indian bureau would in measure fuller than ever before lift up the savage toward that and which constitute the man in 1907 there will be held at hampton roads the tricentennial celebration of the settlement at jamestown virginia with which the history of what has now become the united states really begins i commend this to your favorable consideration it is an event of prime historic significance in which all the people of the united states should feel and should show great and general interest in the department the service has increased in efficiency and conditions as to revenue and expenditure continue satisfactory the increase of revenue during the year was or per cent the total receipts amounting to the expenditures were an increase of about 9 per cent over the previous year being thus in excess of the current revenue included in these expenditures was a total appropriation of for the continuation and extension of the rural service which was an increase of over the amount expended for this purpose in the preceding fiscal year large as this expenditure has been the beneficent results attained in extending the free distribution of mails to the residents of rural districts have justified the wisdom of the outlay statistics brought down to the 1st of october 1904 show that on that date there were rural routes established serving approximately of people in rural districts remote from and that there were pending at that time petitions for the establishment of new rural routes unquestionably some part of the general increase in receipts is due to the increased postal facilities which the rural service has afforded the revenues have also been aided greatly by amendments in the classification of mail matter and the curtailment of abuses of the mailing privilege the average increase in the volume of mail matter for the period beginning with 1902 and ending june 1905 that portion for 1905 being estimated is per cent as compared with per cent for the period immediately preceding and for the period immediately preceding that our consular system needs improvement salaries should be substituted for fees and the proper classification grading and transfer of consular officers should be provided i am not prepared to say that a competitive system of examinations for appointment would work well but by law it should be provided that consuls should be familiar according to places for which they apply with the french german or spanish languages and should possess acquaintance with the resources of the united states the collection of objects of art contemplated in section 5586 of the revised statutes should be designated and established as a national gallery of art and the smithsonian institution should be authorized to accept any additions to said collection that may be received by gift bequest or devise it is desirable to enact a proper national quarantine law it is most undesirable that a state should on its own initiative enforce quarantine regulations which are in effect a restriction upon interstate and international commerce the question should properly be assumed by the government alone the of the national public health and service has repeatedly and convincingly set forth the need for such legislation i call your attention to the great extravagance in printing and binding government publications and especially to the fact that altogether too many of these publications are printed there is a constant tendency to increase their number and their volume it is an understatement to say that no appreciable harm would be caused by and substantial benefit would accrue from decreasing the amount of printing now done by at least probably the great majority of the government reports and the like now printed are never read at all and furthermore the printing of much of the material contained in many of the remaining ones serves no useful purpose whatever the attention of the congress should be especially given to the currency question and that the standing committees on the matter in the two houses charged with the duty take up the matter of our currency and see whether it is not possible to secure an agreement in the business world for bettering the system the committees should consider the question of the retirement of the greenbacks and the problem of securing in our currency such elasticity as is consistent with safety every silver dollar should be made by law redeemable in gold at the option of the holder i especially commend to your immediate attention the encouragement of our merchant marine by appropriate legislation the growing importance of the orient as a field for american exports drew from my predecessor president mckinley an urgent request for its special consideration by the congress in his message of 1898 he stated in this relation as showing the peculiar volume and value of our trade with china and the peculiarly favorable conditions which exist for their expansion in the normal course of trade i refer to the communication addressed to the speaker of the house of representatives by the secretary of the treasury on the 14th of last june with its accompanying letter of the secretary of state recommending an appropriation for a commission to study the industrial and commercial conditions in the chinese empire and to report as to the opportunities for and the obstacles to the enlargement of markets in china for the raw products and manufactures of the united states action was not taken thereon during the last session i cordially urge that the recommendation receive at your hands the consideration which its importance and timeliness merit in his annual message of 1889 he again called attention to this recommendation quoting it and stated further i now renew this recommendation as the importance of the subject has steadily grown since it was first submitted to you and no time should be lost in studying for ourselves the resources of this great field for american trade and enterprise the importance of securing proper information and data with a view to the enlargement of our trade with asia is undiminished our consular representatives in china have strongly urged a place for permanent display of american products in some prominent trade center of that empire under government control and management as an effective means of advancing our export trade therein i call the attention of the congress to the desirability of carrying out these suggestions in dealing with the questions of immigration and naturalization it is indispensable to keep certain facts ever before the minds of those who share in enacting the laws first and foremost let us remember that the question of being a good american has nothing whatever to do with a man birthplace any more than it has to do with his creed in every generation from the time this government was founded men of foreign birth have stood in the very foremost rank of good citizenship and that not merely in one but in every field of american activity while to try to draw a distinction between the man whose parents came to this country and the man whose ancestors came to it several generations back is a mere absurdity good americanism is a matter of heart of conscience of lofty aspiration of sound common sense but not of birthplace or of creed the medal of honor the highest prize to be won by those who serve in the army and the navy of the united states decorates men born here and it also decorates men born in great britain and ireland in germany in scandinavia in france and doubtless in other countries also in the field of statesmanship in the field of business in the field of philanthropic endeavor it is equally true that among the men of whom we are most proud as americans no distinction whatever can be drawn between those who themselves or whose parents came over in sailing ship or steamer from across the water and those whose ancestors stepped ashore into the wooded wilderness at plymouth or at the mouth of the hudson the delaware or the james nearly three centuries ago no of ours is entitled to any peculiar regard because of the way in which he worships his maker or because of the birthplace of himself or his parents nor should he be in any way discriminated against therefor each must stand on his worth as a man and each is entitled to be judged solely thereby there is no danger of having too many immigrants of the right kind it makes no difference from what country they come if they are sound in body and in mind and above all if they are of good character so that we can rest assured that their children and grandchildren will be worthy of our children and grandchildren then we should welcome them with cordial hospitality but the citizenship of this country should not be debased it is vital that we should keep high the standard of among our and therefore we should not admit masses of men whose standards of living and whose personal customs and habits are such that they tend to lower the level of the american and above all we should not admit any man of an unworthy type any man concerning whom we can say that he will himself be a bad citizen or that his children and grandchildren will detract from instead of adding to the sum of the good citizenship of the country similarly we should take the greatest care about naturalization fraudulent naturalization the naturalization of improper persons is a curse to our government and it is the affair of every honest voter wherever born to see that no fraudulent voting is allowed that no fraud in connection with naturalization is permitted in the past year the cases of false fraudulent and improper naturalization of aliens coming to the attention of the executive branches of the government have increased to an alarming degree extensive sales of forged certificates of naturalization have been discovered as well as many cases of naturalization secured by perjury and fraud and in addition instances have accumulated showing that many courts issue certificates of naturalization carelessly and upon insufficient evidence under the constitution it is in the power of the congress to establish a uniform rule of naturalization and numerous laws have from time to time been enacted for that purpose which have been supplemented in a few states by state laws having special application the federal statutes permit naturalization by any court of record in the united states having jurisdiction and a seal and clerk except the police court of the district of columbia and nearly all these courts exercise this important function it results that where so many courts of such varying grades have jurisdiction there is lack of uniformity in the rules applied in conferring naturalization some courts are strict and others lax an alien who may secure naturalization in one place might be denied it in another and the intent of the constitutional provision is in fact defeated furthermore the certificates of naturalization issued by the courts differ widely in wording and appearance and when they are brought into use in foreign countries are frequently subject to suspicion there should be a comprehensive revision of the naturalization laws the courts having power to naturalize should be definitely named by national authority the testimony upon which naturalization may be conferred should be definitely prescribed publication of impending naturalization applications should be required in advance of their hearing in court the form and wording of all certificates issued should be uniform throughout the country and the courts should be required to make returns to the secretary of state at stated periods of all naturalizations conferred not only are the laws relating to naturalization now defective but those relating to citizenship of the united states ought also to be made the subject of scientific inquiry with a view to probable further legislation by what acts expatriation may be assumed to have been accomplished how long an american citizen may reside abroad and receive the protection of our passport whether any degree of protection should be extended to one who has made the declaration of intention to become a citizen of the united states but has not secured naturalization are questions of serious import involving personal rights and often producing friction between this government and foreign governments yet upon these question our laws are silent i recommend that an examination be made into the subjects of citizenship expatriation and protection of americans abroad with a view to appropriate legislation the power of the government to protect the integrity of the elections of its own officials is inherent and has been recognized and affirmed by repeated declarations of the supreme court there is no enemy of free government more dangerous and none so insidious as the corruption of the electorate no one defends or excuses corruption and it would seem to follow that none would oppose vigorous measures to eradicate it i recommend the enactment of a law directed against bribery and corruption in federal elections the details of such a law may be safely left to the wise discretion of the congress but it should go as far as under the constitution it is possible to go and should include severe penalties against him who gives or receives a bribe intended to influence his act or opinion as an elector and provisions for the publication not only of the expenditures for nominations and elections of all candidates but also of all contributions received and expenditures made by political committees no subject is better worthy the attention of the congress than that portion of the report of the dealing with the long delays and the great obstruction to justice experienced in the cases of beavers green and gaynor and benson were these isolated and special cases i should not call your attention to them but the difficulties encountered as regards these men who have been indicted for criminal practices are not exceptional they are precisely similar in kind to what occurs again and again in the case of criminals who have sufficient means to enable them to take advantage of a system of procedure which has grown up in the federal courts and which amounts in effect to making the law easy of enforcement against the man who has no money and difficult of enforcement even to the point of sometimes securing immunity as regards the man who has money in criminal cases the writ of the united states should run throughout its borders the wheels of justice should not be clogged as they have been clogged in the cases above mentioned where it has proved absolutely impossible to bring the accused to the place appointed by the constitution for his trial of recent years there has been grave and increasing complaint of the difficulty of bringing to justice those criminals whose criminality instead of being against one person in the republic is against all persons in the republic because it is against the republic itself under any circumstance and from the very nature of the case it is often exceedingly difficult to secure proper punishment of those who have been guilty of wrongdoing against the government by the time the offender can be brought into court the popular wrath against him has generally subsided and there is in most instances very slight danger indeed of any prejudice existing in the minds of the jury against him at present the interests of the innocent man are amply safeguarded but the interests of the government that is the interests of honest administration that is the interests of the people are not recognized as they should be no subject better warrants the attention of the congress indeed no subject better warrants the attention of the bench and the bar throughout the united states alaska like all our territorial acquisitions has proved resourceful beyond the expectations of those who made the purchase it has become the home of many hardy industrious and thrifty american citizens towns of a permanent character have been built the extent of its wealth in minerals timber fisheries and agriculture while great is probably not comprehended yet in any just measure by our people we do know however that from a very small beginning its products have grown until they are a steady and material contribution to the wealth of the nation owing to the immensity of alaska and its location in the far north it is a difficult matter to provide many things essential to its growth and to the happiness and comfort of its people by private enterprise alone it should therefore receive reasonable aid from the government the government has already done excellent work for alaska in laying cables and building telegraph lines this work has been done in the most economical and efficient way by the signal corps of the army in some respects it has outgrown its present laws while in others those laws have been found to be inadequate in order to obtain information upon which i could rely i caused an official of the department of justice in whose judgment i have confidence to visit alaska during the past summer for the purpose of ascertaining how government is administered there and what legislation is actually needed at present a statement of the conditions found to exist together with some recommendations and the reasons therefor in which i strongly concur will be found in the annual report of the in some instances i feel that the legislation suggested is so imperatively needed that i am moved briefly to emphasize the proposals under the code of alaska as it now stands many purely administrative powers and duties including by far the most important devolve upon the district judges or upon the clerks of the district court acting under the direction of the judges while the governor upon whom these powers and duties should logically fall has nothing specific to do except to make annual reports issue thanksgiving day proclamations and appoint indian policemen and notaries public i believe it essential to good government in alaska and therefore recommend that the congress divest the district judges and the clerks of their courts of the administrative or executive functions that they now exercise and cast them upon the governor this would not be an innovation it would simply conform the government of alaska to fundamental principles making the governorship a real instead of a merely nominal office and leaving the judges free to give their entire attention to their judicial duties and at the same time removing them from a great deal of the strife that now embarrasses the judicial office in alaska i also recommend that the salaries of the district judges and district attorneys in alaska be increased so as to make them equal to those received by corresponding officers in the united states after deducting the difference in the cost of living that the district attorneys should be prohibited from engaging in private practice that united states commissioners be appointed by the governor of the territory instead of by the district judges and that a fixed salary be provided for them to take the place of the discredited fee system which should be abolished in all offices that a mounted constabulary be created to police the territory outside the limits of incorporated towns a vast section now wholly without police protection and that some provision be made to at least lessen the oppressive delays and costs that now attend the prosecution of appeals from the district court of alaska there should be a division of the existing judicial districts and an increase in the number of judges alaska should have a delegate in the congress where possible the congress should aid in the construction of needed wagon roads additional should be provided in my judgment it is especially important to aid in such manner as seems just and feasible in the construction of a trunk line of railway to connect the gulf of alaska with the yukon river through american territory this would be most beneficial to the development of the resources of the territory and to the comfort and welfare of its people salmon hatcheries should be established in many different streams so as to secure the preservation of this valuable food fish salmon fisheries and canneries should be prohibited on certain of the rivers where the mass of those indians dwell who live almost exclusively on fish the alaskan natives are kindly intelligent anxious to learn and willing to work those who have come under the influence of civilization even for a limited period have proved their capability of becoming citizens and ask only for the just enforcement of law and intelligent instruction and supervision others living in more remote regions primitive simple hunters and fisher folk who know only the life of the woods and the waters are daily being confronted with civilization with all of its complexities their country is being overrun by strangers the game slaughtered and driven away the streams depleted of fish and hitherto unknown and fatal diseases brought to them all of which combine to produce a state of abject poverty and want which must result in their extinction action in their interest is demanded by every consideration of justice and humanity the needs of these people are the abolition of the present fee system whereby the native is degraded imposed upon and taught the injustice of law the establishment of hospitals at central points so that contagious diseases that are brought to them continually by incoming whites may be localized and not allowed to become epidemic to spread death and destitution over great areas the development of the educational system in the form of practical training in such industries as will assure the indians under the changed conditions in which they will have to live the duties of the office of the governor should be extended to include the supervision of indian affairs with necessary assistants in different districts he should be provided with the means and the power to protect and advise the native people to furnish medical treatment in time of epidemics and to extend material relief in periods of famine and extreme destitution the alaskan natives should be given the right to acquire hold and dispose of property upon the same conditions as given other inhabitants and the privilege of citizenship should be given to such as may be able to meet certain definite requirements in hawaii congress should give the governor power to remove all the officials appointed under him the harbor of honolulu should be dredged the service should be empowered to study leprosy in the islands i ask special consideration for the report and recommendation of the governor of porto rico in treating of our foreign policy and of the attitude that this great nation should assume in the world at large it is absolutely necessary to consider the army and the navy and the congress through which the thought of the nation finds its expression should keep ever vividly in mind the fundamental fact that it is impossible to treat our foreign policy whether this policy takes shape in the effort to secure justice for others or justice for ourselves save as conditioned upon the attitude we are willing to take toward our army and especially toward our navy it is not merely unwise it is contemptible for a nation as for an individual to use language to proclaim its purposes or to take positions which are ridiculous if unsupported by potential force and then to refuse to provide this force if there is no intention of providing and of keeping the force necessary to back up a strong attitude then it is far better not to assume such an attitude the steady aim of this nation as of all enlightened nations should be to strive to bring ever nearer the day when there shall prevail throughout the world the peace of justice there are kinds of peace which are highly undesirable which are in the long run as destructive as any war tyrants and oppressors have many times made a wilderness and called it peace many times peoples who were slothful or timid or shortsighted who had been enervated by ease or by luxury or misled by false teachings have shrunk in unmanly fashion from doing duty that was stern and that needed and have sought to hide from their own minds their shortcomings their ignoble motives by calling them love of peace the peace of tyrannous terror the peace of craven weakness the peace of injustice all these should be shunned as we shun unrighteous war the goal to set before us as a nation the goal which should be set before all mankind is the attainment of the peace of justice of the peace which comes when each nation is not merely in its own rights but scrupulously recognizes and performs its duty toward others generally peace tells for righteousness but if there is conflict between the two then our fealty is to the because of righteousness unrighteous wars are common and unrighteous peace is rare but both should be shunned the right of freedom and the responsibility for the exercise of that right can not be divorced one of our great poets has well and finely said that freedom is not a gift that tarries long in the hands of cowards neither does it tarry long in the hands of those too slothful too dishonest or too unintelligent to exercise it the eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty must be exercised sometimes to guard against outside foes although of course far more often to guard against our own selfish or thoughtless shortcomings if these truths are kept before us and only if they are so kept before us we shall have a clear idea of what our foreign policy in its larger aspects should be it is our duty to remember that a nation has no more right to do injustice to another nation strong or weak than an individual has to do injustice to another individual that the same moral law applies in one case as in the other but we must also remember that it is as much the duty of the nation to guard its own rights and its own interests as it is the duty of the individual so to do within the nation the individual has now delegated this right to the state that is to the representative of all the individuals and it is a maxim of the law that for every wrong there is a remedy but in international law we have not advanced by any means as far as we have advanced in municipal law there is as yet no judicial way of enforcing a right in international law when one nation wrongs another or wrongs many others there is no tribunal before which the wrongdoer can be brought either it is necessary supinely to acquiesce in the wrong and thus put a premium upon brutality and aggression or else it is necessary for the aggrieved nation valiantly to stand up for its rights until some method is devised by which there shall be a degree of international control over offending nations it would be a wicked thing for the most civilized powers for those with most sense of international obligations and with keenest and most generous appreciation of the difference between right and wrong to disarm if the great civilized nations of the present day should completely disarm the result would mean an immediate recrudescence of barbarism in one form or another under any circumstances a sufficient armament would have to be kept up to serve the purposes of international police and until international cohesion and the sense of international duties and rights are far more advanced than at present a nation desirous both of securing respect for itself and of doing good to others must have a force adequate for the work which it feels is allotted to it as its part of the general world duty therefore it follows that a just and nation should on the one hand endeavor by every means to aid in the development of the various movements which tend to provide substitutes for war which tend to render nations in their actions toward one another and indeed toward their own peoples more responsive to the general sentiment of humane and civilized mankind and on the other hand that it should keep prepared while scrupulously avoiding wrongdoing itself to repel any wrong and in exceptional cases to take action which in a more advanced stage of international relations would come under the head of the exercise of the international police a great free people owes it to itself and to all mankind not to sink into helplessness before the powers of evil we are in every way endeavoring to help on with cordial good will every movement which will tend to bring us into more friendly relations with the rest of mankind in pursuance of this policy i shall shortly lay before the senate treaties of arbitration with all powers which are willing to enter into these treaties with us it is not possible at this period of the world development to agree to arbitrate all matters but there are many matters of possible difference between us and other nations which can be thus arbitrated furthermore at the request of the interparliamentary union an eminent body composed of practical statesmen from all countries i have asked the powers to join with this government in a second hague conference at which it is hoped that the work already so happily begun at the hague may be carried some steps further toward completion this carries out the desire expressed by the first hague conference itself it is not true that the united states feels any land hunger or entertains any projects as regards the other nations of the western hemisphere save such as are for their welfare all that this country desires is to see the neighboring countries stable orderly and prosperous any country whose people conduct themselves well can count upon our hearty friendship if a nation shows that it knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters if it keeps order and pays its obligations it need fear no interference from the united states chronic wrongdoing or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society may in america as elsewhere ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation and in the western hemisphere the adherence of the united states to the monroe doctrine may force the united states however reluctantly in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence to the exercise of an international police power if every country washed by the caribbean sea would show the progress in stable and just civilization which with the aid of the platt amendment cuba has shown since our troops left the island and which so many of the republics in both americas are constantly and brilliantly showing all question of interference by this nation with their affairs would be at an end our interests and those of our southern neighbors are in reality identical they have great natural riches and if within their borders the reign of law and justice obtains prosperity is sure to come to them while they thus obey the primary laws of civilized society they may rest assured that they will be treated by us in a spirit of cordial and helpful sympathy we would interfere with them only in the last resort and then only if it became evident that their inability or unwillingness to do justice at home and abroad had violated the rights of the united states or had invited foreign aggression to the detriment of the entire body of american nations it is a mere truism to say that every nation whether in america or anywhere else which desires to maintain its freedom its independence must ultimately realize that the right of such independence can not be separated from the responsibility of making good use of it in asserting the monroe doctrine in taking such steps as we have taken in regard to cuba venezuela and panama and in endeavoring to circumscribe the theater of war in the far east and to secure the open door in china we have acted in our own interest as well as in the interest of humanity at large there are however cases in which while our own interests are not greatly involved strong appeal is made to our sympathies ordinarily it is very much wiser and more useful for us to concern ourselves with striving for our own moral and material betterment here at home than to concern ourselves with trying to better the condition of things in other nations we have plenty of sins of our own to war against and under ordinary circumstances we can do more for the general uplifting of humanity by striving with heart and soul to put a stop to civic corruption to brutal lawlessness and violent race prejudices here at home than by passing resolutions about wrongdoing elsewhere nevertheless there are occasional crimes committed on so vast a scale and of such peculiar horror as to make us doubt whether it is not our manifest duty to endeavor at least to show our disapproval of the deed and our sympathy with those who have suffered by it the cases must be extreme in which such a course is justifiable there must be no effort made to remove the mote from our brother eye if we refuse to remove the beam from our own but in extreme cases action may be justifiable and proper what form the action shall take must depend upon the circumstances of the case that is upon the degree of the atrocity and upon our power to remedy it the cases in which we could interfere by force of arms as we interfered to put a stop to intolerable conditions in cuba are necessarily very few yet it is not to be expected that a people like ours which in spite of certain very obvious shortcomings nevertheless as a whole shows by its consistent practice its belief in the principles of civil and religious liberty and of orderly freedom a people among whom even the worst crime like the crime of lynching is never more than sporadic so that individuals and not classes are molested in their fundamental rights it is inevitable that such a nation should desire eagerly to give expression to its horror on an occasion like that of the massacre of the jews in kishenef or when it witnesses such systematic and cruelty and oppression as the cruelty and oppression of which the armenians have been the victims and which have won for them the indignant pity of the civilized world even where it is not possible to secure in other nations the observance of the principles which we accept as axiomatic it is necessary for us firmly to insist upon the rights of our own citizens without regard to their creed or race without regard to whether they were born here or born abroad it has proved very difficult to secure from russia the right for our jewish to receive passports and travel through russian territory such conduct is not only unjust and irritating toward us but it is difficult to see its wisdom from russia standpoint no conceivable good is accomplished by it if an american jew or an american christian misbehaves himself in russia he can at once be driven out but the ordinary american jew like the ordinary american christian would behave just about as he behaves here that is behave as any good citizen ought to behave and where this is the case it is a wrong against which we are entitled to protest to refuse him his passport without regard to his conduct and character merely on racial and religious grounds in turkey our difficulties arise less from the way in which our citizens are sometimes treated than from the indignation inevitably excited in seeing such fearful misrule as has been witnessed both in armenia and macedonia the strong arm of the government in enforcing respect for its just rights in international matters is the navy of the united states i most earnestly recommend that there be no halt in the work of upbuilding the american navy there is no more patriotic duty before us a people than to keep the navy adequate to the needs of this country position we have undertaken to build the isthmian canal we have undertaken to secure for ourselves our just share in the trade of the orient we have undertaken to protect our citizens from proper treatment in foreign lands we continue steadily to insist on the application of the monroe doctrine to the western hemisphere unless our attitude in these and all similar matters is to be a mere boastful sham we can not afford to abandon our naval programme our voice is now potent for peace and is so potent because we are not afraid of war but our protestations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor deserve the slightest attention if we were impotent to make them good the war which now unfortunately rages in the far east has emphasized in striking fashion the new possibilities of naval warfare the lessons taught are both strategic and tactical and are political as well as military the experiences of the war have shown in conclusive fashion that while and torpedo destroyers are indispensable and fast lightly armed and armored cruisers very useful yet that the main reliance the main standby in any navy worthy the name must be the great battle ships heavily armored and heavily gunned not a russian or japanese battle ship has been sunk by a torpedo boat or by gunfire while among the less protected ships cruiser after cruiser has been destroyed whenever the hostile squadrons have gotten within range of one another weapons there will always be a large field of usefulness for cruisers especially of the more formidable type we need to increase the number of destroyers paying less heed to their having a knot or two extra speed than to their capacity to keep the seas for weeks and if necessary for months at a time it is wise to build submarine torpedo boats as under certain circumstances they might be very useful but most of all we need to continue building our fleet of battle ships or ships so powerfully armed that they can inflict the maximum of damage upon our opponents and so well protected that they can suffer a severe hammering in return without fatal impairment of their ability to fight and maneuver of course ample means must be provided for enabling the personnel of the navy to be brought to the highest point of efficiency our great fighting ships and torpedo boats must be ceaselessly trained and maneuvered in squadrons the officers and men can only learn their trade thoroughly by ceaseless practice on the high seas in the event of war it would be far better to have no ships at all than to have ships of a poor and ineffective type or ships which however good were yet manned by untrained and unskillful crews the best officers and men in a poor ship could do nothing against fairly good opponents and on the other hand a modern war ship is useless unless the officers and men aboard her have become adepts in their duties the marksmanship in our navy has improved in an extraordinary degree during the last three years and on the whole the types of our battleships are improving but much remains to be done sooner or later we shall have to provide for some method by which there will be promotions for merit as well as for seniority or else retirement all those who after a certain age have not advanced beyond a certain grade while no effort must be spared to make the service attractive to the enlisted men in order that they may be kept as long as possible in it reservation public schools should be provided wherever there are within the last three years the united states has set an example in disarmament where disarmament was proper by law our army is fixed at a maximum of one hundred thousand and a minimum of sixty thousand men when there was insurrection in the philippines we kept the army at the maximum peace came in the philippines and now our army has been reduced to the minimum at which it is possible to keep it with due regard to its efficiency the guns now mounted require thousand men if the coast fortifications are to be adequately manned relatively to the nation it is not now so large as the police force of new york or chicago relatively to the population of either city we need more officers there are not enough to perform the regular army work it is very important that the officers of the army should be accustomed to handle their men in masses as it is also important that the national guard of the several states should be accustomed to actual field maneuvering especially in connection with the regulars for this reason we are to be congratulated upon the success of the field maneuvers at manassas last fall maneuvers in which a larger number of regulars and national guard took part than was ever before assembled together in time of peace no other civilized nation has relatively to its population such a diminutive army as ours and while the army is so small we are not to be excused if we fail to keep it at a very high grade of proficiency it must be incessantly practiced the standard for the enlisted men should be kept very high while at the same time the service should be made as attractive as possible and the standard for the officers should be kept even higher which as regards the upper ranks can best be done by introducing some system of selection and rejection into the promotions we should be able in the event of some sudden emergency to put into the field one army corps which should be as a whole at least the equal of any body of troops of like number belonging to any other nation great progress has been made in protecting our coasts by adequate fortifications with sufficient guns we should however pay much more heed than at present to the development of an extensive system of floating mines for use in all our more important harbors these mines have been proved to be a most formidable safeguard against hostile fleets i earnestly call the attention of the congress to the need of amending the existing law relating to the award of congressional medals of honor in the navy so as to provide that they may be awarded to commissioned officers and warrant officers as well as to enlisted men these justly prized medals are given in the army alike to the officers and the enlisted men and it is most unjust that the commissioned officers and warrant officers of the navy should not in this respect have the same rights as their brethren in the army and as the enlisted men of the navy in the philippine islands there has been during the past year a continuation of the steady progress which has obtained ever since our troops definitely got the upper hand of the insurgents the philippine people or to speak more accurately the many tribes and even races sundered from one another more or less sharply who go to make up the people of the philippine islands contain many elements of good and some elements which we have a right to hope stand for progress at present they are utterly incapable of existing in independence at all or of building up a civilization of their own i firmly believe that we can help them to rise higher and higher in the scale of civilization and of capacity for and i most earnestly hope that in the end they will be able to stand if not entirely alone yet in some such relation to the united states as cuba now stands this end is not yet in sight and it may be indefinitely postponed if our people are foolish enough to turn the attention of the filipinos away from the problems of achieving moral and material prosperity of working for a stable orderly and just government and toward foolish and dangerous intrigues for a complete independence for which they are as yet totally unfit on the other hand our people must keep steadily before their minds the fact that the justification for our stay in the philippines must ultimately rest chiefly upon the good we are able to do in the islands i do not overlook the fact that in the development of our interests in the pacific ocean and along its coasts the philippines have played and will play an important part and that our interests have been served in more than one way by the possession of the islands but our chief reason for continuing to hold them must be that we ought in good faith to try to do our share of the world work and this particular piece of work has been imposed upon us by the results of the war with spain the problem presented to us in the philippine islands is akin to but not exactly like the problems presented to the other great civilized powers which have possessions in the orient there are points of resemblance in our work to the work which is being done by the british in india and egypt by the french in algiers by the dutch in java by the russians in turkestan by the japanese in formosa but more distinctly than any of these powers we are endeavoring to develop the natives themselves so that they shall take an share in their own government and as far as is prudent we are already admitting their representatives to a governmental equality with our own there are commissioners judges and governors in the islands who are filipinos and who have exactly the same share in the government of the islands as have their colleagues who are americans while in the lower ranks of course the great majority of the public servants are filipinos within two years we shall be trying the experiment of an elective lower house in the philippine legislature it may be that the filipinos will misuse this legislature and they certainly will misuse it if they are misled by foolish persons here at home into starting an agitation for their own independence or into any factious or improper action in such case they will do themselves no good and will stop for the time being all further effort to advance them and give them a greater share in their own government but if they act with wisdom and if they show that they are capable of electing a legislature which in its turn is capable of taking a sane and efficient part in the actual work of government they can rest assured that a full and increasing measure of recognition will be given them above all they should remember that their prime needs are moral and industrial not political it is a good thing to try the experiment of giving them a legislature but it is a far better thing to give them schools good roads railroads which will enable them to get their products to market honest courts an honest and efficient constabulary and all that tends to produce order peace fair dealing as between man and man and habits of intelligent industry and thrift if they are safeguarded against oppression and if their real wants material and spiritual are studied intelligently and in a spirit of friendly sympathy much more good will be done them than by any effort to give them political power though this effort may in its own proper time and place be proper enough meanwhile our own people should remember that there is need for the highest standard of conduct among the americans sent to the philippine islands not only among the public servants but among the private individuals who go to them it is because i feel this so deeply that in the administration of these islands i have positively refused to permit any discrimination whatsoever for political reasons and have insisted that in choosing the public servants consideration should be paid solely to the worth of the men chosen and to the needs of the islands there is no higher body of men in our public service than we have in the philippine islands under governor wright and his associates so far as possible these men should be given a free hand and their suggestions should receive the hearty backing both of the executive and of the congress there is need of a vigilant and disinterested support of our public servants in the philippines by good citizens here in the united states unfortunately hitherto those of our people here at home who have specially claimed to be the champions of the filipinos have in reality been their worst enemies this will continue to be the case as long as they strive to make the filipinos independent and stop all industrial development of the islands by crying out against the laws which would bring it on the ground that capitalists must not exploit the islands such proceedings are not only unwise but are most harmful to the filipinos who do not need independence at all but who do need good laws good public servants and the industrial development that can only come if the investment of american and foreign capital in the islands is favored in all legitimate ways every measure taken concerning the islands should be taken primarily with a view to their advantage we should certainly give them lower tariff rates on their exports to the united states if this is not done it will be a wrong to extend our shipping laws to them i earnestly hope for the immediate enactment into law of the legislation now pending to encourage american capital to seek investment in the islands in railroads in factories in plantations and in lumbering and mining
nation continues enjoy noteworthy prosperity prosperity course primarily due high individual average citizenship taken together great natural resources important factor therein working governmental policies people emphatically expressed approval principles underlying policies desire principles kept substantially unchanged although course applied progressive spirit meet changing conditions enlargement scope functions national government required development nation involves course increase expense period prosperity country passing justifies expenditures permanent improvements far greater would wise hard times battle ships forts public buildings improved waterways investments made money abundant revenues large surplus always invite extravagance constant care taken guard unnecessary increase ordinary expenses government cost government business regulated rigid scrutiny cost private business vast complicated mechanism modern civilized life dominant note note industralism relations capital labor especially organized capital organized labor public large come second importance intimate questions family life peculiar form government sharp division authority nation several states whole far advantageous development strongly centralized government undoubtedly responsible much difficulty meeting adequate legislation new problems presented total change industrial conditions continent last half century actual practice proved exceedingly difficult many cases impossible get unanimity wise action among various states subjects nature case especially true laws affecting employment capital huge masses regard labor problem less important simpler long states retain primary control police power circumstances must altogether extreme require interference federal authorities whether way safeguarding rights labor way seeing wrong done unruly persons shield behind name labor resistance federal courts interference mails interstate commerce molestation federal property state authorities crisis unable face call help federal government may interfere though interference may caused condition things arising trouble connected question labor interference simply takes form restoring order without regard questions caused breach order keep order primary duty time disorder violence questions sink abeyance order restored district columbia territories federal law covers entire field government labor question acute populous centers commerce manufactures mining nevertheless enactment enforcement law federal government within restricted sphere set example state governments especially matter vital affecting labor believe modern industrial conditions often necessary even necessary yet often wise organization labor order better secure rights individual encouragement given organization long conducted due decent regard rights others country labor unions habitually labor unions often among effective agents working good citizenship uplifting condition whose welfare closest hearts labor union seeks improper ends seeks achieve proper ends improper means good citizens especially honorable public servants must oppose wrongdoing resolutely would oppose wrongdoing great corporation course violence brutality corruption one moment tolerated entire right organize peaceful honorable means endeavor persuade fellows join organizations legal right according circumstances may may moral right refuse work company men decline join organizations circumstances right commit violence upon whether capitalists refuse support organizations side odds mob rule intolerable form peculiarly entitled protection encouragement law nature occupation railroad men instance liable maimed legitimate work profession unless railroad companies required law make ample provision safety administration zealous enforcing existing law purpose law amended strengthened wherever national government power stringent employer liability law apply government government employer labor message congress second session urged passage employer liability law district columbia renew recommendation recommend congress appoint commission make comprehensive study employer liability view extending provisions great constitutional law employments within scope federal power government recognized heroism upon water bestows medals honor upon persons extreme heroic daring endangered lives saving endeavoring save lives perils sea waters united states jurisdiction upon american vessel recognition extended cover cases conspicuous bravery saving life private employments jurisdiction united states particularly land commerce nation casualty list upon railroads matter grave public concern urgently calls action congress matter speed comfort railway travel railroads give least good service nation reason service also safe human ingenuity make many leading roads foremost adoption approved safeguards protection travelers employees yet list clearly avoidable accidents continues unduly large passage law requiring adoption system proposed congress earnestly concur recommendation would also point congress urgent need legislation interest public safety limiting hours labor railroad employees train service upon railroads engaged interstate commerce providing trained experienced persons employed positions responsibility connected operation trains course nothing ever prevent accidents caused human weakness misconduct drastic punishment railroad employee whether officer man issuance wrong orders disobedience orders causes disaster law 1901 requiring interstate railroads make monthly reports accidents passengers employees duty also amended empower government make personal investigation proper officers accidents involving loss life seem require investigation requirement results investigation made public law amended act march 2 1903 proved beneficial railway employees order provisions may properly carried force inspectors provided appropriation largely increased service analogous service deals even important interests passed experimental stage demonstrated utility receive generous recognition congress objection employees government forming belonging unions government neither discriminate discriminate nonunion men employment seek employed moreover grave impropriety government employees band together purpose extorting improperly high salaries government especially true within classified service letter carriers municipal rural whole excellent body public servants amply paid payment must obtained arguing claims fairly honorably congress banding together defeat congressmen refuse give promises conscience give administration already taken steps prevent punish abuses nature wise congress supplement action legislation much done government labor matters merely giving publicity certain conditions bureau labor done excellent work kind many different directions shall shortly lay special message full report investigation bureau labor colorado mining strike strike certain evil forces less work everywhere conditions modern industrialism became startlingly prominent greatly wished department commerce labor labor bureau compile arrange congress list labor laws various states given means investigate report congress upon labor conditions manufacturing mining regions throughout country wages hours labor labor women children effect various labor centers immigration abroad investigation especial attention paid conditions child labor legislation several states investigation must necessarily take account many problems question child labor connected problems actually met cases states lack proper legislation one state matter child labor often renders excessively difficult establish protective restriction upon work another state industries worst tends drag better reason would well nation least endeavor secure comprehensive information conditions labor children different states investigation publication national government would tend toward securing approximately uniform legislation proper character among several states come deal great corporations need government act directly far greater case labor great corporations become engaging interstate commerce interstate commerce peculiarly field general government absurdity expect eliminate abuses great corporations state action difficult patient argument matters left states one state pursues policy creating easy terms corporations never operated within state states whose laws ignore national government alone deal adequately great corporations try deal intemperate destructive demagogic spirit would probability mean nothing whatever would accomplished absolute certainty anything accomplished would harmful nature american people need continue show qualities shown moderation good sense earnest desire avoid damage yet quiet determination proceed step step without halt without hurry eliminating least minimizing whatever mischief evil interstate commerce conduct great corporations acting spirit hostility wealth either individual corporate rich man poor man contrary friendly alike toward rich man toward poor man provided acts spirit justice decency toward fellows great corporations necessary men great singular mental power manage corporations successfully men must great rewards corporations managed due regard interest public whole done present laws must done laws come short others enacted supplement yet must never forget determining factor every kind work head hand must man good sense courage kindliness important legislation gradual growth feeling responsibility forbearance among capitalists alike feeling respect part man rights others feeling broad community interest merely capitalists among among capitalists relations relations fellows make body politic many captains industry many labor leaders realize recent speech president one great railroad systems employees system contains sound common sense rims part follows belief better serve better understand man well business meeting face face exchanging views realizing personal contact serve one interest mutual prosperity serious misunderstandings occur personal good exists opportunity personal explanation present early business life experience men affairs character make desire avoid creating like feeling resentment interests charge fortune ever place authority solicitous measure confidence part public employees shall hope may warranted fairness good fellowship intend shall prevail relationship feel disposed grant unreasonable requests spend money company unnecessarily without value received expect days mistakes disappearing complaint continually occur simply correct abuses may discovered better conditions fast reasonably may expected constantly striving varying success improvement desire convince force work right direction time making progress disposition come among asking good encouragement day gone corporation handled successfully defiance public even though unreasonable wrong public may led driven prefer go shape modify measure opinion rather swept bearings loss interests charge violent prejudice exists towards corporate activity capital today much founded reason apprehension large measure due personal traits arbitrary unreasonable incompetent offensive men positions authority accomplishment results indirection endeavor thwart intention expressed letter law people disregard rights others disposition withhold due force main strength inactivity result justified depending upon weakness claimant indisposition become involved litigation created sentiment harmful extreme disposition consider anything fair gives gain individual expense company corporations continue world work best fitted qualities representatives resulted present prejudice must relegated background corporations must come open see seen must take public confidence ask want prepared explain satisfactorily advantage accrue public given desires permitted exist may make money solely may effectively serve derive power publicity secrecy win hereafter laws construed intent letter otherwise public utilities owned operated public created even though service less efficient result less satisfactory financial standpoint bureau corporations made careful preliminary investigation many important corporations make special report beef industry policy bureau accomplish purposes creation antagonism making constructive legislation destructive prosecution immediate object inquiries conservative investigation law fact refusal issue incomplete hence necessarily inaccurate reports policy thus one open inquiry attack upon business bureau able gain confidence better still cooperation men engaged legitimate business bureau offers congress means getting cost production various great staples commerce necessity careful investigation special corporations afford commissioner knowledge certain business facts publication might improper infringement private rights method making public results investigations affords law means protection private rights congress facts except would give another corporation information would injure legitimate business competitor destroy incentive individual superiority thrift bureau also made exhaustive examinations legal condition corporate business carried various states judicial decisions subject various systems corporate taxation use call special attention report chief bureau earnestly ask congress carefully consider report recommendations commissioner subject business insurance vitally affects great mass people united states national local application involves multitude transactions among people different states american companies foreign governments urge congress carefully consider whether power bureau corporations constitutionally extended cover interstate transactions insurance else must strive keep highways commerce open equal terms necessary put complete stop rebates whether shipper railroad blame makes difference rebate must stopped abuses private car private systems must stopped legislation congress declares unlawful person corporation offer gram give solicit accept receive rebate concession discrimination respect transportation property interstate foreign commerce whereby property shall device whatever transported less rate named tariffs published carrier must enforced time enactment act regulate commerce remained mooted question whether act conferred upon interstate commerce commission power found challenged rate unreasonable declare thereafter prima facie reasonable maximum rate transportation dispute supreme court finally resolved question negative law stands commission simply possess bare power denounce particular rate unreasonable opinion present would undesirable impracticable finally clothe commission general authority fix railroad rates believe fair security shippers commission vested power given rate challenged full hearing found unreasonable decide subject judicial review shall reasonable rate take place ruling commission take effect immediately obtain unless reversed court review government must increasing degree supervise regulate workings railways engaged interstate commerce increased supervision alternative increase present evils one hand still radical policy judgment important legislative act needed regards regulation corporations act confer interstate commerce commission power revise rates regulations revised rate go effect stay effect unless court review reverses steamship companies engaged interstate commerce protected coastwise trade held strict observance interstate commerce act pursuing set plan make city washington example american municipalities several points kept mind legislators first place people country clearly understand amount industrial prosperity leadership international industrial competition way atone sapping vitality usually spoken working classes farmers mechanics skilled unskilled laborers small shop keepers make bulk population country upon generation generation country race depends rapid development wealth industrial leadership good thing goes hand hand improvement deterioration physical moral cities draining country districts unhealthy even dangerous symptoms modern life permit overcrowding cities certain european cities provided law population towns shall allowed exceed limited density given area increase density must continually pushed back broad zone around center town zone great avenues parks within statistics show terrible increase mortality especially infant mortality overcrowded tenements poorest families tenement houses live one room appears tenements average death rate number given cities home abroad twice tenement four times tenement eight times tenement consisting four rooms figures vary somewhat different cities approximate city given cases increase mortality especially infant mortality decrease number rooms used family consequent overcrowding startling slum exacts heavy total death dwell therein case merely great crowded slums high buildings new york chicago alley slums washington washington people afford ignore harm causes christian civilized community afford show lack concern youth community pay terrible penalty financial burden social degradation severe laws desirable married women work factories prime duty man work breadwinner prime duty woman mother housewife questions tariff finance sink utter insignificance compared tremendous vital importance trying shape conditions two duties man woman fulfilled reasonably favorable circumstances race plenty children children grow grow unhealthy body stunted vicious mind race decadent heaping wealth splendor momentary material prosperity avail degree offsets congress power legislation district columbia state legislatures various states problems incident highly complex modern industrial civilization manifold perplexing tendencies good evil far less sharply eccentuated city washington cities reason easier deal various phases problems washington district columbia government model municipal governments nation matters supervision housing poor creation small parks districts inhabited poor laws affecting labor laws providing taking care children truant laws providing schools vital matter taking care children much advantage could gained careful study accomplished states illinois colorado juvenile courts work juvenile court really work character building generally recognized young boys young girls go wrong treated criminals even necessarily needing reformation rather needing characters formed end tested developed system probation much admirable work done many commonwealths earnest men women made special study needs classes children furnish greatest number juvenile offenders therefore greatest number adult offenders aid profiting experiences different states cities matters would easy provide good code district columbia several considerations suggest need systematic investigation improvement housing conditions washington hidden residential alleys breeding grounds vice disease opened minor streets number years influential citizens joined district commissioners vain endeavor secure laws permitting condemnation insanitary dwellings local death rates especially preventable diseases unduly high suggest exceptional wholesomeness washington better sections offset bad conditions poorer neighborhoods special commission housing health conditions national capital would bring reformation existing evils would also formulate appropriate building code protect city mammoth brick tenements evils threaten develop cities nation capital made model municipalities ideal appeals patriotic citizens everywhere special commission might map organize city future development lines civic social service major recent park commission planned arrangement streets parks mortifying remember washington compulsory school attendance law careful inquiries indicate habitual absence school twenty per cent children ages eight fourteen must evident consider problems neglected child life benefits compulsory education cities one urgent needs national capital law requiring school attendance children law enforced attendance agents directed board education public play grounds necessary means development wholesome citizenship modern cities important work inaugurated voluntary efforts taken extended congressional appropriation funds sufficient equip maintain numerous convenient small play grounds upon land secured without purchase rental also desirable small vacant places purchased reserved play grounds densely settled sections city public open spaces destined soon built solidly needs met immediately meet would entail expenses corresponding saving could made stopping building streets levelling ground purposes largely speculative outlying parts city certain offenders whose criminality takes shape brutality cruelty towards weak need special type punishment example inadequately punished imprisonment imprisonment may often mean nothing may hunger want wife children victims brutality probably form corporal punishment would adequate way meeting kind crime department agriculture grown educational institution faculty two thousand specialists making research sciences production congress appropriates directly indirectly six millions dollars annually carry work reaches every state territory union islands sea lately come flag state experiment stations many institutions individuals world carefully searched new varieties grains fruits grasses vegetables trees shrubs suitable various localities country marked benefit producers resulted activities age lines research reached tillers soil inspired ambition know principles govern forces nature deal nearly half people country devote energies growing things soil recent date little done prepare millions life work lines human activity men leaders farmer opportunity special training congress made provision forty years ago years progress made teachers prepared five thousand students attendance state agricultural colleges federal government expends ten millions dollars annually toward education research washington several states territories department agriculture given facilities work five hundred young men last seven years preparing advance lines work department state institutions facts concerning meteorology relations plant animal life systematically inquired temperature moisture controlling factors agricultural operations seasons cyclones caribbean sea paths forecasted increasing accuracy cold winds come north anticipated times intensity told farmers gardeners fruiterers southern localities sell two hundred fifty million dollars worth animals animal products foreign countries every year addition supplying people cheaply abundantly nation able provide people successful manufacturing depends primarily cheap food accounts considerable extent growth direction department agriculture careful inspection meats guards health people gives clean bills health deserving exports prepared deal promptly imported diseases animals maintain excellence flocks herds respect annual census live stock nation sell abroad six hundred million dollars worth plants products every year strenuous efforts made import foreign countries grains suitable varying localities seven years ago bought rice helping rice growers gulf coast secure seeds orient suited conditions giving adequate protection supply home demand export islands caribbean sea countries wheat grains imported countries lands west southwest grown crops light precipitation resulting extensive addition cropping area territory irrigated ten million bushels macaroni wheat grown experimental importations last year fruits suitable soils climates imported countries old world fig turkey almond spain date algeria mango india helping fruit growers get crops european markets studying methods preservation refrigeration packing handling quite successful helping hop growers importing varieties ripen earlier later kinds raising thereby lengthening harvesting season cotton crop country threatened root rot bollworm boll weevil pathologists find immune varieties resist root disease bollworm dealt boll weevil serious menace cotton crop central american insect become acclimated texas done great damage scientist department agriculture found weevil home guatemala kept check ant brought cotton fields observation hoped may serve good purpose soils country getting attention farmer standpoint interesting results following duplicates soils grow wrapper tobacco sumatra filler tobacco cuba question time large amounts paid countries paid people reclamation alkali lands progressing give object lessons people methods worthless lands may made productive insect friends enemies farmer getting attention enemy san jose scale found near great wall china cleaning orchards insect imported turkey helped establish industry california amounts fifty one hundred tons dried figs annually extending pacific coast parasitic fly south africa keeping subjection black scale worst pest orange lemon industry california careful preliminary work done towards producing silk mulberry distributed large numbers eggs imported distributed improved reels imported europe last year two expert reelers brought washington reel crop cocoons teach art people system department agriculture brought closer accuracy every year two hundred fifty thousand reporters selected people eight vocations life arrangements european countries interchange estimates people may know nearly possible must compete two half years elapsed since passage reclamation act rapid progress made surveys examinations opportunities reclamation thirteen states three territories arid west construction already begun largest important irrigation works plans completed works utilize funds available operations carried reclamation service corps engineers selected competitive examinations corps includes experienced consulting constructing engineers well various experts mechanical legal matters composed largely men spent lives practical affairs connected irrigation larger problems solved remains execute care economy thoroughness work laid important details carefully considered boards consulting engineers selected thorough knowledge practical experience project taken ground competent men viewed standpoint creation prosperous homes promptly refunding treasury cost construction reclamation act found remarkably complete effective broad provisions wide range undertakings possible time economy guaranteed fact funds must ultimately returned used cardinal principle policy administration reserves use whatever interferes use resources avoided every possible means resources must used way make permanent forest policy government subject vivid public interest throughout west people united states general forest reserves extreme value present well future welfare western states powerfully affect use disposal public lands special importance preserve water supply supply timber domestic purposes promote settlement reclamation act indeed essential welfare every one great interests west forest reserves created two principal purposes first preserve water supply important use principal users water thus preserved irrigation ranchers settlers cities towns municipal water supplies first importance users furnishers water power users water domestic manufacturing mining purposes directly dependent upon forest reserves second reason forest reserves created preserve timber supply various classes wood users among important settlers reclamation act acts cheap accessible supply timber domestic uses absolutely necessary miners prospectors serious danger losing timber supply fire export lumber companies timber lands adjacent mines pass private ownership lumbermen transportation companies builders commercial interests general although wisdom creating forest reserves nearly everywhere heartily recognized yet localities misunderstanding complaint following statement therefore desirable forest reserve policy successful full support people west safely case imposed upon neither accept views whose interest forest temporary anxious reap sown move away leaving desolation behind contrary everywhere always interest permanent settler permanent business man man stake country must considered must decide making forest reserves within railroad limits hereafter past three years managed prevent issue act june 4 1897 base exchange lieu selection usually called scrip cases forest reserves within areas covered land grants appear essential prosperity settlers miners others government lands within proposed forest reserves recent past withdrawn sale entry pending completion negotiations owners land grants prevent creation scrip formerly custom make forest reserves without first getting definite detailed information character land timber within boundaries method action often resulted badly chosen boundaries consequent injustice settlers others therefore administration adopted present method first withdrawing land disposal followed careful examination ground preparation detailed maps descriptions forest reserve created repeatedly called attention confusion exists government forest matters work scattered among three independent organizations united states one great nations forest work government concentrated one department consonance plainest dictates good administration common sense present arrangement bad every point view merely mention prove terminated repeatedly recommended forest work government concentrated department agriculture larger part work already done practically trained foresters government employed chiefly washington comprehensive knowledge problems reserves acquired ground problems relating growth soil already gathered sciences auxiliary forestry hand prompt effective reasons decisive added great organizations citizens whose interests affected national live stock association national wool growers association american mining congress national irrigation congress national board trade uniformly emphatically repeatedly expressed favor placing government forest work department agriculture peculiar adaptation department true also forest services nearly great nations world respective departments agriculture two smaller nations one colony department interior result long varied experience agrees fully requirements good administration case creation forest service department agriculture important results first better handling forest work single head vast indispensable experience department matters pertaining forest reserves forestry general forms production soil easily rapidly accessible second reserves handled point view man field instead man office easily widely useful people west case hitherto third within comparatively short time reserves become important continually rapidly increasing appropriations necessary proper care exceedingly important interest nation offset returns national forests similar circumstances forest possessions great nations form important source revenue governments every administrative officer concerned convinced necessity proposed consolidation forest work department agriculture urged former messages commend early favorable consideration congress interests nation large west particular suffered greatly delay call attention congress report recommendation commission public lands forwarded second session present congress commission prosecuted investigations actively past season second report advanced stage preparation connection work forest reserves desire urge upon congress importance authorizing president set aside certain portions reserves public lands game refuges preservation bison wapiti large beasts abundant woods mountains great plains tending toward extinction every support given authorities yellowstone park successful efforts preserving large creatures therein little expense portions public domain regions wholly unsuited agricultural settlement could similarly utilized owe future generations keep alive noble beautiful creatures presence add distinctive character american wilderness limits yellowstone park extended southwards canyon colorado made national park system include yosemite many possible groves giant trees california veterans civil war claim upon nation body citizens possess pension bureau never history managed satisfactory manner case progress indians toward civilization though rapid perhaps could hoped view circumstances within past year many tribes shown degree greater ever appreciation necessity work changed attitude part due policy recently pursued reducing amount subsistence indians thus forcing sheer necessity work livelihood policy though severe useful one exercised judgment full understanding conditions exist community intended near indian reservations usually little demand labor indians earn living work furnished outside always preferable must furnished government practical instruction kind would years result forming habits regular industry would render indian producer would effect great reduction cost maintenance commonly declared slow advance indians due unsatisfactory character men appointed take immediate charge extent true standard employees indian service shows great improvement bygone years actual corruption flagrant dishonesty rare exception nevertheless fact salaries paid indian agents large enough attract best men field work achieve satisfactory results official charge indian tribe possess high qualifications required manager large business exceptional cases possible secure men type positions much better service however might obtained holding places practicable get best done bringing constantly closer touch superior officers agent content draw salary giving return least possible equivalent effort service may proper treatment suggestion encouragement persistent urging stimulated greater effort induced take active personal interest work existing conditions indian agent distant west may wholly touch office indian bureau may well feel one takes personal interest efforts certain routine duties way reports accounts required one may intelligently consult matters vital work except long delay man would greatly encouraged aided personal contact one whose interest indian affairs whose authority indian bureau greater contact would certain arouse constantly increase interest takes work distance separates agents workers field indian office washington chief obstacle indian progress whatever shall closely unite two branches indian service shall enable heartily effectively increased efficiency work betterment race whose improvement indian bureau established appointment field assistant commissioner indian affairs would certain insure good end official possessed requisite energy deep interest work would efficient factor bringing closer relationship direct union effort bureau washington agents field branches thus secured indian bureau would measure fuller ever lift savage toward constitute man 1907 held hampton roads tricentennial celebration settlement jamestown virginia history become united states really begins commend favorable consideration event prime historic significance people united states feel show great general interest department service increased efficiency conditions revenue expenditure continue satisfactory increase revenue year per cent total receipts amounting expenditures increase 9 per cent previous year thus excess current revenue included expenditures total appropriation continuation extension rural service increase amount expended purpose preceding fiscal year large expenditure beneficent results attained extending free distribution mails residents rural districts justified wisdom outlay statistics brought 1st october 1904 show date rural routes established serving approximately people rural districts remote pending time petitions establishment new rural routes unquestionably part general increase receipts due increased postal facilities rural service afforded revenues also aided greatly amendments classification mail matter curtailment abuses mailing privilege average increase volume mail matter period beginning 1902 ending june 1905 portion 1905 estimated per cent compared per cent period immediately preceding period immediately preceding consular system needs improvement salaries substituted fees proper classification grading transfer consular officers provided prepared say competitive system examinations appointment would work well law provided consuls familiar according places apply french german spanish languages possess acquaintance resources united states collection objects art contemplated section 5586 revised statutes designated established national gallery art smithsonian institution authorized accept additions said collection may received gift bequest devise desirable enact proper national quarantine law undesirable state initiative enforce quarantine regulations effect restriction upon interstate international commerce question properly assumed government alone national public health service repeatedly convincingly set forth need legislation call attention great extravagance printing binding government publications especially fact altogether many publications printed constant tendency increase number volume understatement say appreciable harm would caused substantial benefit would accrue decreasing amount printing done least probably great majority government reports like printed never read furthermore printing much material contained many remaining ones serves useful purpose whatever attention congress especially given currency question standing committees matter two houses charged duty take matter currency see whether possible secure agreement business world bettering system committees consider question retirement greenbacks problem securing currency elasticity consistent safety every silver dollar made law redeemable gold option holder especially commend immediate attention encouragement merchant marine appropriate legislation growing importance orient field american exports drew predecessor president mckinley urgent request special consideration congress message 1898 stated relation showing peculiar volume value trade china peculiarly favorable conditions exist expansion normal course trade refer communication addressed speaker house representatives secretary treasury 14th last june accompanying letter secretary state recommending appropriation commission study industrial commercial conditions chinese empire report opportunities obstacles enlargement markets china raw products manufactures united states action taken thereon last session cordially urge recommendation receive hands consideration importance timeliness merit annual message 1889 called attention recommendation quoting stated renew recommendation importance subject steadily grown since first submitted time lost studying resources great field american trade enterprise importance securing proper information data view enlargement trade asia undiminished consular representatives china strongly urged place permanent display american products prominent trade center empire government control management effective means advancing export trade therein call attention congress desirability carrying suggestions dealing questions immigration naturalization indispensable keep certain facts ever minds share enacting laws first foremost let us remember question good american nothing whatever man birthplace creed every generation time government founded men foreign birth stood foremost rank good citizenship merely one every field american activity try draw distinction man whose parents came country man whose ancestors came several generations back mere absurdity good americanism matter heart conscience lofty aspiration sound common sense birthplace creed medal honor highest prize serve army navy united states decorates men born also decorates men born great britain ireland germany scandinavia france doubtless countries also field statesmanship field business field philanthropic endeavor equally true among men proud americans distinction whatever drawn whose parents came sailing ship steamer across water whose ancestors stepped ashore wooded wilderness plymouth mouth hudson delaware james nearly three centuries ago entitled peculiar regard way worships maker birthplace parents way discriminated therefor must stand worth man entitled judged solely thereby danger many immigrants right kind makes difference country come sound body mind good character rest assured children grandchildren worthy children grandchildren welcome cordial hospitality citizenship country debased vital keep high standard among therefore admit masses men whose standards living whose personal customs habits tend lower level american admit man unworthy type man concerning say bad citizen children grandchildren detract instead adding sum good citizenship country similarly take greatest care naturalization fraudulent naturalization naturalization improper persons curse government affair every honest voter wherever born see fraudulent voting allowed fraud connection naturalization permitted past year cases false fraudulent improper naturalization aliens coming attention executive branches government increased alarming degree extensive sales forged certificates naturalization discovered well many cases naturalization secured perjury fraud addition instances accumulated showing many courts issue certificates naturalization carelessly upon insufficient evidence constitution power congress establish uniform rule naturalization numerous laws time time enacted purpose supplemented states state laws special application federal statutes permit naturalization court record united states jurisdiction seal clerk except police court district columbia nearly courts exercise important function results many courts varying grades jurisdiction lack uniformity rules applied conferring naturalization courts strict others lax alien may secure naturalization one place might denied another intent constitutional provision fact defeated furthermore certificates naturalization issued courts differ widely wording appearance brought use foreign countries frequently subject suspicion comprehensive revision naturalization laws courts power naturalize definitely named national authority testimony upon naturalization may conferred definitely prescribed publication impending naturalization applications required advance hearing court form wording certificates issued uniform throughout country courts required make returns secretary state stated periods naturalizations conferred laws relating naturalization defective relating citizenship united states ought also made subject scientific inquiry view probable legislation acts expatriation may assumed accomplished long american citizen may reside abroad receive protection passport whether degree protection extended one made declaration intention become citizen united states secured naturalization questions serious import involving personal rights often producing friction government foreign governments yet upon question laws silent recommend examination made subjects citizenship expatriation protection americans abroad view appropriate legislation power government protect integrity elections officials inherent recognized affirmed repeated declarations supreme court enemy free government dangerous none insidious corruption electorate one defends excuses corruption would seem follow none would oppose vigorous measures eradicate recommend enactment law directed bribery corruption federal elections details law may safely left wise discretion congress go far constitution possible go include severe penalties gives receives bribe intended influence act opinion elector provisions publication expenditures nominations elections candidates also contributions received expenditures made political committees subject better worthy attention congress portion report dealing long delays great obstruction justice experienced cases beavers green gaynor benson isolated special cases call attention difficulties encountered regards men indicted criminal practices exceptional precisely similar kind occurs case criminals sufficient means enable take advantage system procedure grown federal courts amounts effect making law easy enforcement man money difficult enforcement even point sometimes securing immunity regards man money criminal cases writ united states run throughout borders wheels justice clogged clogged cases mentioned proved absolutely impossible bring accused place appointed constitution trial recent years grave increasing complaint difficulty bringing justice criminals whose criminality instead one person republic persons republic republic circumstance nature case often exceedingly difficult secure proper punishment guilty wrongdoing government time offender brought court popular wrath generally subsided instances slight danger indeed prejudice existing minds jury present interests innocent man amply safeguarded interests government interests honest administration interests people recognized subject better warrants attention congress indeed subject better warrants attention bench bar throughout united states alaska like territorial acquisitions proved resourceful beyond expectations made purchase become home many hardy industrious thrifty american citizens towns permanent character built extent wealth minerals timber fisheries agriculture great probably comprehended yet measure people know however small beginning products grown steady material contribution wealth nation owing immensity alaska location far north difficult matter provide many things essential growth happiness comfort people private enterprise alone therefore receive reasonable aid government government already done excellent work alaska laying cables building telegraph lines work done economical efficient way signal corps army respects outgrown present laws others laws found inadequate order obtain information upon could rely caused official department justice whose judgment confidence visit alaska past summer purpose ascertaining government administered legislation actually needed present statement conditions found exist together recommendations reasons therefor strongly concur found annual report instances feel legislation suggested imperatively needed moved briefly emphasize proposals code alaska stands many purely administrative powers duties including far important devolve upon district judges upon clerks district court acting direction judges governor upon powers duties logically fall nothing specific except make annual reports issue thanksgiving day proclamations appoint indian policemen notaries public believe essential good government alaska therefore recommend congress divest district judges clerks courts administrative executive functions exercise cast upon governor would innovation would simply conform government alaska fundamental principles making governorship real instead merely nominal office leaving judges free give entire attention judicial duties time removing great deal strife embarrasses judicial office alaska also recommend salaries district judges district attorneys alaska increased make equal received corresponding officers united states deducting difference cost living district attorneys prohibited engaging private practice united states commissioners appointed governor territory instead district judges fixed salary provided take place discredited fee system abolished offices mounted constabulary created police territory outside limits incorporated towns vast section wholly without police protection provision made least lessen oppressive delays costs attend prosecution appeals district court alaska division existing judicial districts increase number judges alaska delegate congress possible congress aid construction needed wagon roads additional provided judgment especially important aid manner seems feasible construction trunk line railway connect gulf alaska yukon river american territory would beneficial development resources territory comfort welfare people salmon hatcheries established many different streams secure preservation valuable food fish salmon fisheries canneries prohibited certain rivers mass indians dwell live almost exclusively fish alaskan natives kindly intelligent anxious learn willing work come influence civilization even limited period proved capability becoming citizens ask enforcement law intelligent instruction supervision others living remote regions primitive simple hunters fisher folk know life woods waters daily confronted civilization complexities country overrun strangers game slaughtered driven away streams depleted fish hitherto unknown fatal diseases brought combine produce state abject poverty want must result extinction action interest demanded every consideration justice humanity needs people abolition present fee system whereby native degraded imposed upon taught injustice law establishment hospitals central points contagious diseases brought continually incoming whites may localized allowed become epidemic spread death destitution great areas development educational system form practical training industries assure indians changed conditions live duties office governor extended include supervision indian affairs necessary assistants different districts provided means power protect advise native people furnish medical treatment time epidemics extend material relief periods famine extreme destitution alaskan natives given right acquire hold dispose property upon conditions given inhabitants privilege citizenship given may able meet certain definite requirements hawaii congress give governor power remove officials appointed harbor honolulu dredged service empowered study leprosy islands ask special consideration report recommendation governor porto rico treating foreign policy attitude great nation assume world large absolutely necessary consider army navy congress thought nation finds expression keep ever vividly mind fundamental fact impossible treat foreign policy whether policy takes shape effort secure justice others justice save conditioned upon attitude willing take toward army especially toward navy merely unwise contemptible nation individual use language proclaim purposes take positions ridiculous unsupported potential force refuse provide force intention providing keeping force necessary back strong attitude far better assume attitude steady aim nation enlightened nations strive bring ever nearer day shall prevail throughout world peace justice kinds peace highly undesirable long run destructive war tyrants oppressors many times made wilderness called peace many times peoples slothful timid shortsighted enervated ease luxury misled false teachings shrunk unmanly fashion duty stern needed sought hide minds shortcomings ignoble motives calling love peace peace tyrannous terror peace craven weakness peace injustice shunned shun unrighteous war goal set us nation goal set mankind attainment peace justice peace comes nation merely rights scrupulously recognizes performs duty toward others generally peace tells righteousness conflict two fealty righteousness unrighteous wars common unrighteous peace rare shunned right freedom responsibility exercise right divorced one great poets well finely said freedom gift tarries long hands cowards neither tarry long hands slothful dishonest unintelligent exercise eternal vigilance price liberty must exercised sometimes guard outside foes although course far often guard selfish thoughtless shortcomings truths kept us kept us shall clear idea foreign policy larger aspects duty remember nation right injustice another nation strong weak individual injustice another individual moral law applies one case must also remember much duty nation guard rights interests duty individual within nation individual delegated right state representative individuals maxim law every wrong remedy international law advanced means far advanced municipal law yet judicial way enforcing right international law one nation wrongs another wrongs many others tribunal wrongdoer brought either necessary supinely acquiesce wrong thus put premium upon brutality aggression else necessary aggrieved nation valiantly stand rights method devised shall degree international control offending nations would wicked thing civilized powers sense international obligations keenest generous appreciation difference right wrong disarm great civilized nations present day completely disarm result would mean immediate recrudescence barbarism one form another circumstances sufficient armament would kept serve purposes international police international cohesion sense international duties rights far advanced present nation desirous securing respect good others must force adequate work feels allotted part general world duty therefore follows nation one hand endeavor every means aid development various movements tend provide substitutes war tend render nations actions toward one another indeed toward peoples responsive general sentiment humane civilized mankind hand keep prepared scrupulously avoiding wrongdoing repel wrong exceptional cases take action advanced stage international relations would come head exercise international police great free people owes mankind sink helplessness powers evil every way endeavoring help cordial good every movement tend bring us friendly relations rest mankind pursuance policy shall shortly lay senate treaties arbitration powers willing enter treaties us possible period world development agree arbitrate matters many matters possible difference us nations thus arbitrated furthermore request interparliamentary union eminent body composed practical statesmen countries asked powers join government second hague conference hoped work already happily begun hague may carried steps toward completion carries desire expressed first hague conference true united states feels land hunger entertains projects regards nations western hemisphere save welfare country desires see neighboring countries stable orderly prosperous country whose people conduct well count upon hearty friendship nation shows knows act reasonable efficiency decency social political matters keeps order pays obligations need fear interference united states chronic wrongdoing impotence results general loosening ties civilized society may america elsewhere ultimately require intervention civilized nation western hemisphere adherence united states monroe doctrine may force united states however reluctantly flagrant cases wrongdoing impotence exercise international police power every country washed caribbean sea would show progress stable civilization aid platt amendment cuba shown since troops left island many republics americas constantly brilliantly showing question interference nation affairs would end interests southern neighbors reality identical great natural riches within borders reign law justice obtains prosperity sure come thus obey primary laws civilized society may rest assured treated us spirit cordial helpful sympathy would interfere last resort became evident inability unwillingness justice home abroad violated rights united states invited foreign aggression detriment entire body american nations mere truism say every nation whether america anywhere else desires maintain freedom independence must ultimately realize right independence separated responsibility making good use asserting monroe doctrine taking steps taken regard cuba venezuela panama endeavoring circumscribe theater war far east secure open door china acted interest well interest humanity large however cases interests greatly involved strong appeal made sympathies ordinarily much wiser useful us concern striving moral material betterment home concern trying better condition things nations plenty sins war ordinary circumstances general uplifting humanity striving heart soul put stop civic corruption brutal lawlessness violent race prejudices home passing resolutions wrongdoing elsewhere nevertheless occasional crimes committed vast scale peculiar horror make us doubt whether manifest duty endeavor least show disapproval deed sympathy suffered cases must extreme course justifiable must effort made remove mote brother eye refuse remove beam extreme cases action may justifiable proper form action shall take must depend upon circumstances case upon degree atrocity upon power remedy cases could interfere force arms interfered put stop intolerable conditions cuba necessarily yet expected people like spite certain obvious shortcomings nevertheless whole shows consistent practice belief principles civil religious liberty orderly freedom people among even worst crime like crime lynching never sporadic individuals classes molested fundamental rights inevitable nation desire eagerly give expression horror occasion like massacre jews kishenef witnesses systematic cruelty oppression cruelty oppression armenians victims indignant pity civilized world even possible secure nations observance principles accept axiomatic necessary us firmly insist upon rights citizens without regard creed race without regard whether born born abroad proved difficult secure russia right jewish receive passports travel russian territory conduct unjust irritating toward us difficult see wisdom russia standpoint conceivable good accomplished american jew american christian misbehaves russia driven ordinary american jew like ordinary american christian would behave behaves behave good citizen ought behave case wrong entitled protest refuse passport without regard conduct character merely racial religious grounds turkey difficulties arise less way citizens sometimes treated indignation inevitably excited seeing fearful misrule witnessed armenia macedonia strong arm government enforcing respect rights international matters navy united states earnestly recommend halt work upbuilding american navy patriotic duty us people keep navy adequate needs country position undertaken build isthmian canal undertaken secure share trade orient undertaken protect citizens proper treatment foreign lands continue steadily insist application monroe doctrine western hemisphere unless attitude similar matters mere boastful sham afford abandon naval programme voice potent peace potent afraid war protestations upon behalf peace would neither receive deserve slightest attention impotent make good war unfortunately rages far east emphasized striking fashion new possibilities naval warfare lessons taught strategic tactical political well military experiences war shown conclusive fashion torpedo destroyers indispensable fast lightly armed armored cruisers useful yet main reliance main standby navy worthy name must great battle ships heavily armored heavily gunned russian japanese battle ship sunk torpedo boat gunfire among less protected ships cruiser cruiser destroyed whenever hostile squadrons gotten within range one another weapons always large field usefulness cruisers especially formidable type need increase number destroyers paying less heed knot two extra speed capacity keep seas weeks necessary months time wise build submarine torpedo boats certain circumstances might useful need continue building fleet battle ships ships powerfully armed inflict maximum damage upon opponents well protected suffer severe hammering return without fatal impairment ability fight maneuver course ample means must provided enabling personnel navy brought highest point efficiency great fighting ships torpedo boats must ceaselessly trained maneuvered squadrons officers men learn trade thoroughly ceaseless practice high seas event war would far better ships ships poor ineffective type ships however good yet manned untrained unskillful crews best officers men poor ship could nothing fairly good opponents hand modern war ship useless unless officers men aboard become adepts duties marksmanship navy improved extraordinary degree last three years whole types battleships improving much remains done sooner later shall provide method promotions merit well seniority else retirement certain age advanced beyond certain grade effort must spared make service attractive enlisted men order may kept long possible reservation public schools provided wherever within last three years united states set example disarmament disarmament proper law army fixed maximum one hundred thousand minimum sixty thousand men insurrection philippines kept army maximum peace came philippines army reduced minimum possible keep due regard efficiency guns mounted require thousand men coast fortifications adequately manned relatively nation large police force new york chicago relatively population either city need officers enough perform regular army work important officers army accustomed handle men masses also important national guard several states accustomed actual field maneuvering especially connection regulars reason congratulated upon success field maneuvers manassas last fall maneuvers larger number regulars national guard took part ever assembled together time peace civilized nation relatively population diminutive army army small excused fail keep high grade proficiency must incessantly practiced standard enlisted men kept high time service made attractive possible standard officers kept even higher regards upper ranks best done introducing system selection rejection promotions able event sudden emergency put field one army corps whole least equal body troops like number belonging nation great progress made protecting coasts adequate fortifications sufficient guns however pay much heed present development extensive system floating mines use important harbors mines proved formidable safeguard hostile fleets earnestly call attention congress need amending existing law relating award congressional medals honor navy provide may awarded commissioned officers warrant officers well enlisted men justly prized medals given army alike officers enlisted men unjust commissioned officers warrant officers navy respect rights brethren army enlisted men navy philippine islands past year continuation steady progress obtained ever since troops definitely got upper hand insurgents philippine people speak accurately many tribes even races sundered one another less sharply go make people philippine islands contain many elements good elements right hope stand progress present utterly incapable existing independence building civilization firmly believe help rise higher higher scale civilization capacity earnestly hope end able stand entirely alone yet relation united states cuba stands end yet sight may indefinitely postponed people foolish enough turn attention filipinos away problems achieving moral material prosperity working stable orderly government toward foolish dangerous intrigues complete independence yet totally unfit hand people must keep steadily minds fact justification stay philippines must ultimately rest chiefly upon good able islands overlook fact development interests pacific ocean along coasts philippines played play important part interests served one way possession islands chief reason continuing hold must ought good faith try share world work particular piece work imposed upon us results war spain problem presented us philippine islands akin exactly like problems presented great civilized powers possessions orient points resemblance work work done british india egypt french algiers dutch java russians turkestan japanese formosa distinctly powers endeavoring develop natives shall take share government far prudent already admitting representatives governmental equality commissioners judges governors islands filipinos exactly share government islands colleagues americans lower ranks course great majority public servants filipinos within two years shall trying experiment elective lower house philippine legislature may filipinos misuse legislature certainly misuse misled foolish persons home starting agitation independence factious improper action case good stop time effort advance give greater share government act wisdom show capable electing legislature turn capable taking sane efficient part actual work government rest assured full increasing measure recognition given remember prime needs moral industrial political good thing try experiment giving legislature far better thing give schools good roads railroads enable get products market honest courts honest efficient constabulary tends produce order peace fair dealing man man habits intelligent industry thrift safeguarded oppression real wants material spiritual studied intelligently spirit friendly sympathy much good done effort give political power though effort may proper time place proper enough meanwhile people remember need highest standard conduct among americans sent philippine islands among public servants among private individuals go feel deeply administration islands positively refused permit discrimination whatsoever political reasons insisted choosing public servants consideration paid solely worth men chosen needs islands higher body men public service philippine islands governor wright associates far possible men given free hand suggestions receive hearty backing executive congress need vigilant disinterested support public servants philippines good citizens united states unfortunately hitherto people home specially claimed champions filipinos reality worst enemies continue case long strive make filipinos independent stop industrial development islands crying laws would bring ground capitalists must exploit islands proceedings unwise harmful filipinos need independence need good laws good public servants industrial development come investment american foreign capital islands favored legitimate ways every measure taken concerning islands taken primarily view advantage certainly give lower tariff rates exports united states done wrong extend shipping laws earnestly hope immediate enactment law legislation pending encourage american capital seek investment islands railroads factories plantations lumbering mining
nation continue enjoy noteworthy prosperity prosperity course primarily due high individual average citizenship take together great natural resource important factor therein work governmental policy people emphatically express approval principle underlie policy desire principle keep substantially unchanged although course apply progressive spirit meet change condition enlargement scope function national government require development nation involve course increase expense period prosperity country pass justifies expenditures permanent improvement far great would wise hard time battle ship fort public building improve waterway investment make money abundant revenue large surplus always invite extravagance constant care take guard unnecessary increase ordinary expense government cost government business regulate rigid scrutiny cost private business vast complicate mechanism modern civilize life dominant note note industralism relation capital labor especially organized capital organize labor public large come second importance intimate question family life peculiar form government sharp division authority nation several state whole far advantageous development strongly centralized government undoubtedly responsible much difficulty meeting adequate legislation new problem present total change industrial condition continent last half century actual practice prove exceedingly difficult many case impossible get unanimity wise action among various state subject nature case especially true law affect employment capital huge mass regard labor problem less important simpler long state retain primary control police power circumstance must altogether extreme require interference federal authority whether way safeguard right labor way see wrong do unruly person shield behind name labor resistance federal court interference mail interstate commerce molestation federal property state authority crisis unable face call help federal government may interfere though interference may cause condition thing arise trouble connect question labor interference simply take form restore order without regard question cause breach order keep order primary duty time disorder violence question sink abeyance order restore district columbia territories federal law cover entire field government labor question acute populous center commerce manufacture mine nevertheless enactment enforcement law federal government within restrict sphere set example state government especially matter vital affect labor believe modern industrial condition often necessary even necessary yet often wise organization labor order well secure right individual encouragement give organization long conduct due decent regard right others country labor union habitually labor union often among effective agent work good citizenship uplifting condition whose welfare close heart labor union seek improper end seek achieve proper end improper mean good citizen especially honorable public servant must oppose wrongdoing resolutely would oppose wrongdoing great corporation course violence brutality corruption one moment tolerate entire right organize peaceful honorable mean endeavor persuade fellow join organization legal right accord circumstance may may moral right refuse work company men decline join organization circumstance right commit violence upon whether capitalist refuse support organization side odds mob rule intolerable form peculiarly entitle protection encouragement law nature occupation railroad men instance liable maimed legitimate work profession unless railroad company require law make ample provision safety administration zealous enforce exist law purpose law amend strengthen wherever national government power stringent employer liability law apply government government employer labor message congress second session urge passage employer liability law district columbia renew recommendation recommend congress appoint commission make comprehensive study employer liability view extend provision great constitutional law employment within scope federal power government recognize heroism upon water bestows medal honor upon person extreme heroic dare endanger life save endeavor save life peril sea water united state jurisdiction upon american vessel recognition extend cover case conspicuous bravery save life private employment jurisdiction united state particularly land commerce nation casualty list upon railroad matter grave public concern urgently call action congress matter speed comfort railway travel railroad give least good service nation reason service also safe human ingenuity make many lead road foremost adoption approve safeguard protection traveler employee yet list clearly avoidable accident continue unduly large passage law require adoption system propose congress earnestly concur recommendation would also point congress urgent need legislation interest public safety limiting hour labor railroad employee train service upon railroad engage interstate commerce providing train experienced person employ position responsibility connect operation train course nothing ever prevent accident cause human weakness misconduct drastic punishment railroad employee whether officer man issuance wrong order disobedience order cause disaster law 1901 require interstate railroad make monthly report accident passenger employee duty also amend empower government make personal investigation proper officer accident involve loss life seem require investigation requirement result investigation make public law amend act march 2 1903 prove beneficial railway employee order provision may properly carry force inspector provide appropriation largely increased service analogous service deal even important interest pass experimental stage demonstrate utility receive generous recognition congress objection employee government form belong unions government neither discriminate discriminate nonunion men employment seek employ moreover grave impropriety government employee band together purpose extort improperly high salary government especially true within classified service letter carrier municipal rural whole excellent body public servant amply pay payment must obtain argue claim fairly honorably congress band together defeat congressman refuse give promise conscience give administration already take step prevent punish abuse nature wise congress supplement action legislation much do government labor matter merely give publicity certain condition bureau labor do excellent work kind many different direction shall shortly lay special message full report investigation bureau labor colorado mining strike strike certain evil force less work everywhere condition modern industrialism become startlingly prominent greatly wish department commerce labor labor bureau compile arrange congress list labor law various state give mean investigate report congress upon labor condition manufacture mining region throughout country wage hour labor labor woman child effect various labor center immigration abroad investigation especial attention pay condition child labor legislation several state investigation must necessarily take account many problem question child labor connect problem actually meet case state lack proper legislation one state matter child labor often render excessively difficult establish protective restriction upon work another state industry worst tends drag good reason would well nation least endeavor secure comprehensive information condition labor child different state investigation publication national government would tend toward secure approximately uniform legislation proper character among several state come deal great corporation need government act directly far great case labor great corporation become engaging interstate commerce interstate commerce peculiarly field general government absurdity expect eliminate abuse great corporation state action difficult patient argument matter leave state one state pursues policy create easy term corporation never operate within state state whose law ignore national government alone deal adequately great corporation try deal intemperate destructive demagogic spirit would probability mean nothing whatever would accomplish absolute certainty anything accomplish would harmful nature american people need continue show quality show moderation good sense earnest desire avoid damage yet quiet determination proceed step step without halt without hurry eliminate least minimize whatever mischief evil interstate commerce conduct great corporation act spirit hostility wealth either individual corporate rich man poor man contrary friendly alike toward rich man toward poor man provide act spirit justice decency toward fellows great corporation necessary men great singular mental power manage corporation successfully men must great reward corporation manage due regard interest public whole do present law must do law come short others enact supplement yet must never forget determine factor every kind work head hand must man good sense courage kindliness important legislation gradual growth feel responsibility forbearance among capitalist alike feel respect part man right others feel broad community interest merely capitalists among among capitalist relation relation fellow make body politic many captain industry many labor leader realize recent speech president one great railroad system employee system contain sound common sense rim part follow belief well serve good understand man well business meeting face face exchange view realize personal contact serve one interest mutual prosperity serious misunderstanding occur personal good exists opportunity personal explanation present early business life experience men affair character make desire avoid create like feel resentment interest charge fortune ever place authority solicitous measure confidence part public employee shall hope may warrant fairness good fellowship intend shall prevail relationship feel dispose grant unreasonable request spend money company unnecessarily without value receive expect day mistake disappear complaint continually occur simply correct abuse may discover good condition fast reasonably may expect constantly strive vary success improvement desire convince force work right direction time make progress disposition come among ask good encouragement day go corporation handle successfully defiance public even though unreasonable wrong public may lead driven prefer go shape modify measure opinion rather swept bearing loss interest charge violent prejudice exist towards corporate activity capital today much found reason apprehension large measure due personal trait arbitrary unreasonable incompetent offensive men position authority accomplishment result indirection endeavor thwart intention express letter law people disregard right others disposition withhold due force main strength inactivity result justify depend upon weakness claimant indisposition become involve litigation create sentiment harmful extreme disposition consider anything fair give gain individual expense company corporation continue world work best fit quality representative result present prejudice must relegate background corporation must come open see see must take public confidence ask want prepared explain satisfactorily advantage accrue public give desire permit exist may make money solely may effectively serve derive power publicity secrecy win hereafter law construe intent letter otherwise public utility own operated public create even though service less efficient result less satisfactory financial standpoint bureau corporation make careful preliminary investigation many important corporation make special report beef industry policy bureau accomplish purpose creation antagonism make constructive legislation destructive prosecution immediate object inquiry conservative investigation law fact refusal issue incomplete hence necessarily inaccurate report policy thus one open inquiry attack upon business bureau able gain confidence well still cooperation men engage legitimate business bureau offer congress mean get cost production various great staple commerce necessity careful investigation special corporation afford commissioner knowledge certain business fact publication might improper infringement private right method make public result investigation afford law mean protection private right congress fact except would give another corporation information would injure legitimate business competitor destroy incentive individual superiority thrift bureau also make exhaustive examination legal condition corporate business carry various state judicial decision subject various system corporate taxation use call special attention report chief bureau earnestly ask congress carefully consider report recommendation commissioner subject business insurance vitally affect great mass people united state national local application involve multitude transaction among people different state american company foreign government urge congress carefully consider whether power bureau corporation constitutionally extend cover interstate transaction insurance else must strive keep highway commerce open equal term necessary put complete stop rebate whether shipper railroad blame make difference rebate must stop abuse private car private system must stop legislation congress declare unlawful person corporation offer gram give solicit accept receive rebate concession discrimination respect transportation property interstate foreign commerce whereby property shall device whatever transport less rate name tariff publish carrier must enforce time enactment act regulate commerce remain mooted question whether act confer upon interstate commerce commission power find challenged rate unreasonable declare thereafter prima facie reasonable maximum rate transportation dispute supreme court finally resolve question negative law stand commission simply possess bare power denounce particular rate unreasonable opinion present would undesirable impracticable finally clothe commission general authority fix railroad rate believe fair security shipper commission vest power give rate challenge full hearing find unreasonable decide subject judicial review shall reasonable rate take place rule commission take effect immediately obtain unless reversed court review government must increase degree supervise regulate working railway engage interstate commerce increase supervision alternative increase present evils one hand still radical policy judgment important legislative act need regard regulation corporation act confer interstate commerce commission power revise rate regulation revise rate go effect stay effect unless court review reverse steamship company engage interstate commerce protect coastwise trade hold strict observance interstate commerce act pursue set plan make city washington example american municipality several point keep mind legislator first place people country clearly understand amount industrial prosperity leadership international industrial competition way atone sap vitality usually speak work class farmer mechanic skilled unskilled laborer small shop keeper make bulk population country upon generation generation country race depend rapid development wealth industrial leadership good thing go hand hand improvement deterioration physical moral city drain country district unhealthy even dangerous symptom modern life permit overcrowd city certain european city provide law population town shall allow exceed limited density give area increase density must continually push back broad zone around center town zone great avenue park within statistic show terrible increase mortality especially infant mortality overcrowd tenement poor family tenement house live one room appear tenements average death rate number give city home abroad twice tenement four time tenement eight time tenement consist four room figure vary somewhat different city approximate city give case increase mortality especially infant mortality decrease number room use family consequent overcrowd startle slum exacts heavy total death dwell therein case merely great crowd slum high building new york chicago alley slum washington washington people afford ignore harm cause christian civilize community afford show lack concern youth community pay terrible penalty financial burden social degradation severe law desirable married woman work factory prime duty man work breadwinner prime duty woman mother housewife question tariff finance sink utter insignificance compare tremendous vital importance try shape condition two duty man woman fulfil reasonably favorable circumstance race plenty child child grow grow unhealthy body stunt vicious mind race decadent heap wealth splendor momentary material prosperity avail degree offset congress power legislation district columbia state legislatures various state problem incident highly complex modern industrial civilization manifold perplexing tendency good evil far less sharply eccentuated city washington city reason easy deal various phase problem washington district columbia government model municipal government nation matter supervision housing poor creation small park district inhabit poor law affect labor law provide take care child truant law provide school vital matter take care child much advantage could gain careful study accomplish state illinois colorado juvenile court work juvenile court really work character build generally recognize young boy young girl go wrong treat criminal even necessarily need reformation rather need character form end test developed system probation much admirable work do many commonwealth earnest men woman make special study need class child furnish great number juvenile offender therefore great number adult offender aid profit experience different state city matter would easy provide good code district columbia several consideration suggest need systematic investigation improvement housing condition washington hide residential alley breed ground vice disease open minor street number year influential citizen join district commissioner vain endeavor secure law permit condemnation insanitary dwelling local death rate especially preventable disease unduly high suggest exceptional wholesomeness washington well section offset bad condition poorer neighborhood special commission housing health condition national capital would bring reformation exist evil would also formulate appropriate building code protect city mammoth brick tenement evils threaten develop city nation capital make model municipality ideal appeal patriotic citizen everywhere special commission might map organize city future development line civic social service major recent park commission plan arrangement street park mortify remember washington compulsory school attendance law careful inquiry indicate habitual absence school twenty per cent child age eight fourteen must evident consider problem neglect child life benefit compulsory education city one urgent need national capital law require school attendance child law enforce attendance agent direct board education public play ground necessary mean development wholesome citizenship modern city important work inaugurate voluntary effort take extended congressional appropriation fund sufficient equip maintain numerous convenient small play ground upon land secure without purchase rental also desirable small vacant place purchase reserve play ground densely settle section city public open space destine soon build solidly need met immediately meet would entail expense correspond saving could make stop build street level ground purpose largely speculative outlying part city certain offender whose criminality take shape brutality cruelty towards weak need special type punishment example inadequately punish imprisonment imprisonment may often mean nothing may hunger want wife child victim brutality probably form corporal punishment would adequate way meeting kind crime department agriculture grow educational institution faculty two thousand specialist make research science production congress appropriate directly indirectly six million dollar annually carry work reach every state territory union islands sea lately come flag state experiment station many institution individual world carefully search new variety grain fruit grass vegetable tree shrubs suitable various locality country mark benefit producer result activity age line research reach tiller soil inspire ambition know principle govern force nature deal nearly half people country devote energy grow thing soil recent date little do prepare million life work line human activity men leader farmer opportunity special training congress make provision forty year ago year progress make teacher prepared five thousand student attendance state agricultural college federal government expends ten million dollar annually toward education research washington several state territory department agriculture give facility work five hundred young men last seven year prepare advance line work department state institution fact concern meteorology relation plant animal life systematically inquired temperature moisture control factor agricultural operation season cyclone caribbean sea path forecast increase accuracy cold wind come north anticipate time intensity tell farmer gardener fruiterer southern locality sell two hundred fifty million dollar worth animal animal product foreign country every year addition supply people cheaply abundantly nation able provide people successful manufacture depend primarily cheap food account considerable extent growth direction department agriculture careful inspection meat guard health people give clean bill health deserve export prepare deal promptly import disease animal maintain excellence flock herd respect annual census live stock nation sell abroad six hundred million dollar worth plant product every year strenuous effort make import foreign country grain suitable vary locality seven year ago buy rice help rice grower gulf coast secure seed orient suited condition give adequate protection supply home demand export island caribbean sea country wheat grain import country land west southwest grown crop light precipitation result extensive addition crop area territory irrigate ten million bushel macaroni wheat grown experimental importation last year fruit suitable soil climate import country old world fig turkey almond spain date algeria mango india help fruit grower get crops european market study method preservation refrigeration pack handle quite successful help hop grower import variety ripen earlier later kinds raise thereby lengthen harvest season cotton crop country threaten root rot bollworm boll weevil pathologist find immune variety resist root disease bollworm dealt boll weevil serious menace cotton crop central american insect become acclimate texas do great damage scientist department agriculture find weevil home guatemala keep check ant bring cotton field observation hop may serve good purpose soil country get attention farmer standpoint interesting result follow duplicate soil grow wrapper tobacco sumatra filler tobacco cuba question time large amount pay country pay people reclamation alkali land progress give object lesson people method worthless land may make productive insect friend enemy farmer get attention enemy san jose scale find near great wall china cleaning orchard insect import turkey help establish industry california amount fifty one hundred ton dry fig annually extend pacific coast parasitic fly south africa keep subjection black scale bad pest orange lemon industry california careful preliminary work do towards produce silk mulberry distribute large number egg import distribute improved reel import europe last year two expert reeler bring washington reel crop cocoon teach art people system department agriculture bring close accuracy every year two hundred fifty thousand reporter select people eight vocation life arrangement european country interchange estimate people may know nearly possible must compete two half year elapse since passage reclamation act rapid progress make survey examination opportunity reclamation thirteen state three territory arid west construction already begin large important irrigation work plan complete work utilize fund available operation carry reclamation service corp engineer select competitive examination corps include experienced consult construct engineer well various expert mechanical legal matter compose largely men spend life practical affair connect irrigation large problem solve remain execute care economy thoroughness work lay important detail carefully consider board consult engineer select thorough knowledge practical experience project take ground competent men view standpoint creation prosperous home promptly refund treasury cost construction reclamation act find remarkably complete effective broad provision wide range undertaking possible time economy guarantee fact fund must ultimately return use cardinal principle policy administration reserve use whatever interferes use resource avoid every possible mean resource must use way make permanent forest policy government subject vivid public interest throughout west people united state general forest reserve extreme value present well future welfare western state powerfully affect use disposal public land special importance preserve water supply supply timber domestic purpose promote settlement reclamation act indeed essential welfare every one great interest west forest reserve create two principal purpose first preserve water supply important use principal user water thus preserve irrigation rancher settler city towns municipal water supply first importance user furnishers water power user water domestic manufacturing mining purpose directly dependent upon forest reserve second reason forest reserve create preserve timber supply various class wood user among important settler reclamation act act cheap accessible supply timber domestic us absolutely necessary miner prospector serious danger lose timber supply fire export lumber company timber lands adjacent mine pass private ownership lumberman transportation company builders commercial interest general although wisdom create forest reserve nearly everywhere heartily recognize yet locality misunderstand complaint follow statement therefore desirable forest reserve policy successful full support people west safely case impose upon neither accept view whose interest forest temporary anxious reap sow move away leave desolation behind contrary everywhere always interest permanent settler permanent business man man stake country must consider must decide make forest reserve within railroad limit hereafter past three year manage prevent issue act june 4 1897 base exchange lieu selection usually call scrip case forest reserve within area cover land grant appear essential prosperity settler miner others government land within propose forest reserve recent past withdrawn sale entry pending completion negotiation owner land grant prevent creation scrip formerly custom make forest reserve without first get definite detail information character land timber within boundary method action often result badly choose boundary consequent injustice settler others therefore administration adopt present method first withdraw land disposal follow careful examination ground preparation detail map description forest reserve create repeatedly call attention confusion exist government forest matter work scatter among three independent organization unite state one great nation forest work government concentrate one department consonance plainest dictate good administration common sense present arrangement bad every point view merely mention prove terminate repeatedly recommend forest work government concentrate department agriculture large part work already do practically trained forester government employ chiefly washington comprehensive knowledge problem reserve acquire ground problem relate growth soil already gather science auxiliary forestry hand prompt effective reason decisive add great organization citizen whose interest affect national live stock association national wool grower association american mining congress national irrigation congress national board trade uniformly emphatically repeatedly express favor place government forest work department agriculture peculiar adaptation department true also forest service nearly great nation world respective department agriculture two small nation one colony department interior result long vary experience agrees fully requirement good administration case creation forest service department agriculture important result first good handle forest work single head vast indispensable experience department matter pertain forest reserve forestry general form production soil easily rapidly accessible second reserve handle point view man field instead man office easily widely useful people west case hitherto third within comparatively short time reserve become important continually rapidly increase appropriation necessary proper care exceedingly important interest nation offset return national forest similar circumstance forest possession great nation form important source revenue government every administrative officer concern convinced necessity propose consolidation forest work department agriculture urge former message commend early favorable consideration congress interest nation large west particular suffer greatly delay call attention congress report recommendation commission public land forwarded second session present congress commission prosecute investigation actively past season second report advance stage preparation connection work forest reserve desire urge upon congress importance authorize president set aside certain portion reserve public land game refuges preservation bison wapiti large beast abundant wood mountains great plain tend toward extinction every support give authority yellowstone park successful effort preserve large creature therein little expense portion public domain region wholly unsuited agricultural settlement could similarly utilized owe future generation keep alive noble beautiful creature presence add distinctive character american wilderness limit yellowstone park extend southward canyon colorado make national park system include yosemite many possible grove giant tree california veteran civil war claim upon nation body citizens possess pension bureau never history manage satisfactory manner case progress indian toward civilization though rapid perhaps could hop view circumstance within past year many tribe show degree great ever appreciation necessity work change attitude part due policy recently pursue reduce amount subsistence indians thus force sheer necessity work livelihood policy though severe useful one exercise judgment full understanding condition exist community intend near indian reservation usually little demand labor indian earn live work furnish outside always preferable must furnish government practical instruction kind would year result form habit regular industry would render indian producer would effect great reduction cost maintenance commonly declare slow advance indian due unsatisfactory character men appoint take immediate charge extent true standard employee indian service show great improvement bygone year actual corruption flagrant dishonesty rare exception nevertheless fact salary pay indian agent large enough attract best men field work achieve satisfactory result official charge indian tribe possess high qualification require manager large business exceptional case possible secure men type position much good service however might obtain hold place practicable get best do bring constantly closer touch superior officer agent content draw salary give return least possible equivalent effort service may proper treatment suggestion encouragement persistent urge stimulate great effort induce take active personal interest work exist condition indian agent distant west may wholly touch office indian bureau may well feel one take personal interest effort certain routine duty way report account require one may intelligently consult matter vital work except long delay man would greatly encourage aid personal contact one whose interest indian affair whose authority indian bureau great contact would certain arouse constantly increase interest take work distance separate agent worker field indian office washington chief obstacle indian progress whatever shall closely unite two branch indian service shall enable heartily effectively increased efficiency work betterment race whose improvement indian bureau establish appointment field assistant commissioner indian affair would certain insure good end official possess requisite energy deep interest work would efficient factor bring close relationship direct union effort bureau washington agent field branch thus secure indian bureau would measure fuller ever lift savage toward constitute man 1907 hold hampton road tricentennial celebration settlement jamestown virginia history become united state really begin commend favorable consideration event prime historic significance people united state feel show great general interest department service increase efficiency condition revenue expenditure continue satisfactory increase revenue year per cent total receipt amount expenditure increase 9 per cent previous year thus excess current revenue include expenditure total appropriation continuation extension rural service increase amount expend purpose precede fiscal year large expenditure beneficent result attain extend free distribution mail resident rural district justified wisdom outlay statistic bring 1st october 1904 show date rural route establish serve approximately people rural district remote pending time petition establishment new rural route unquestionably part general increase receipt due increase postal facility rural service afford revenue also aid greatly amendment classification mail matter curtailment abuse mail privilege average increase volume mail matter period begin 1902 end june 1905 portion 1905 estimate per cent compare per cent period immediately preceding period immediately precede consular system need improvement salary substitute fee proper classification grade transfer consular officer provide prepared say competitive system examination appointment would work well law provide consul familiar accord place apply french german spanish language possess acquaintance resource united state collection object art contemplate section 5586 revise statute designate establish national gallery art smithsonian institution authorize accept addition say collection may receive gift bequest devise desirable enact proper national quarantine law undesirable state initiative enforce quarantine regulation effect restriction upon interstate international commerce question properly assumed government alone national public health service repeatedly convincingly set forth need legislation call attention great extravagance print binding government publication especially fact altogether many publication print constant tendency increase number volume understatement say appreciable harm would cause substantial benefit would accrue decrease amount print do least probably great majority government report like print never read furthermore print much material contain many remain one serf useful purpose whatever attention congress especially give currency question stand committee matter two house charge duty take matter currency see whether possible secure agreement business world better system committee consider question retirement greenback problem secure currency elasticity consistent safety every silver dollar make law redeemable gold option holder especially commend immediate attention encouragement merchant marine appropriate legislation grow importance orient field american export draw predecessor president mckinley urgent request special consideration congress message 1898 stated relation show peculiar volume value trade china peculiarly favorable condition exist expansion normal course trade refer communication address speaker house representative secretary treasury 14th last june accompany letter secretary state recommend appropriation commission study industrial commercial condition chinese empire report opportunity obstacles enlargement market china raw product manufacture united state action take thereon last session cordially urge recommendation receive hand consideration importance timeliness merit annual message 1889 call attention recommendation quote state renew recommendation importance subject steadily grow since first submit time lose studying resource great field american trade enterprise importance secure proper information data view enlargement trade asia undiminished consular representative china strongly urged place permanent display american product prominent trade center empire government control management effective mean advance export trade therein call attention congress desirability carry suggestion deal question immigration naturalization indispensable keep certain fact ever mind share enact law first foremost let u remember question good american nothing whatever man birthplace creed every generation time government found men foreign birth stand foremost rank good citizenship merely one every field american activity try draw distinction man whose parent come country man whose ancestor come several generation back mere absurdity good americanism matter heart conscience lofty aspiration sound common sense birthplace creed medal honor high prize serve army navy united state decorate men bear also decorate men bear great britain ireland germany scandinavia france doubtless country also field statesmanship field business field philanthropic endeavor equally true among men proud american distinction whatever draw whose parent come sail ship steamer across water whose ancestor step ashore wooded wilderness plymouth mouth hudson delaware james nearly three century ago entitle peculiar regard way worship maker birthplace parent way discriminate therefor must stand worth man entitle judge solely thereby danger many immigrant right kind make difference country come sound body mind good character rest assure child grandchild worthy child grandchildren welcome cordial hospitality citizenship country debase vital keep high standard among therefore admit mass men whose standard live whose personal custom habit tend low level american admit man unworthy type man concern say bad citizen child grandchild detract instead add sum good citizenship country similarly take great care naturalization fraudulent naturalization naturalization improper person curse government affair every honest voter wherever bear see fraudulent voting allow fraud connection naturalization permit past year case false fraudulent improper naturalization alien come attention executive branches government increase alarm degree extensive sale forge certificate naturalization discover well many case naturalization secured perjury fraud addition instance accumulate show many court issue certificate naturalization carelessly upon insufficient evidence constitution power congress establish uniform rule naturalization numerous law time time enact purpose supplement state state law special application federal statute permit naturalization court record unite state jurisdiction seal clerk except police court district columbia nearly court exercise important function result many court vary grade jurisdiction lack uniformity rule apply confer naturalization court strict others lax alien may secure naturalization one place might deny another intent constitutional provision fact defeat furthermore certificate naturalization issue court differ widely word appearance bring use foreign country frequently subject suspicion comprehensive revision naturalization law court power naturalize definitely name national authority testimony upon naturalization may confer definitely prescribe publication impend naturalization application require advance hearing court form word certificate issue uniform throughout country court require make return secretary state state period naturalization confer law relate naturalization defective relate citizenship united state ought also make subject scientific inquiry view probable legislation act expatriation may assume accomplished long american citizen may reside abroad receive protection passport whether degree protection extend one make declaration intention become citizen united state secure naturalization question serious import involve personal right often produce friction government foreign government yet upon question law silent recommend examination make subject citizenship expatriation protection american abroad view appropriate legislation power government protect integrity election official inherent recognize affirm repeat declaration supreme court enemy free government dangerous none insidious corruption electorate one defend excuse corruption would seem follow none would oppose vigorous measure eradicate recommend enactment law direct bribery corruption federal election detail law may safely leave wise discretion congress go far constitution possible go include severe penalty give receives bribe intend influence act opinion elector provision publication expenditures nomination election candidate also contribution receive expenditure make political committee subject good worthy attention congress portion report deal long delay great obstruction justice experience case beaver green gaynor benson isolate special case call attention difficulty encounter regard men indict criminal practice exceptional precisely similar kind occur case criminal sufficient mean enable take advantage system procedure grow federal court amount effect make law easy enforcement man money difficult enforcement even point sometimes secure immunity regard man money criminal case writ united state run throughout border wheel justice clog clogged case mention prove absolutely impossible bring accuse place appoint constitution trial recent year grave increase complaint difficulty bring justice criminal whose criminality instead one person republic person republic republic circumstance nature case often exceedingly difficult secure proper punishment guilty wrongdoing government time offender bring court popular wrath generally subside instance slight danger indeed prejudice exist mind jury present interest innocent man amply safeguard interest government interest honest administration interest people recognize subject good warrant attention congress indeed subject good warrant attention bench bar throughout united state alaska like territorial acquisition prove resourceful beyond expectation make purchase become home many hardy industrious thrifty american citizen towns permanent character build extent wealth mineral timber fishery agriculture great probably comprehend yet measure people know however small beginning product grow steady material contribution wealth nation owe immensity alaska location far north difficult matter provide many thing essential growth happiness comfort people private enterprise alone therefore receive reasonable aid government government already do excellent work alaska lay cable build telegraph line work do economical efficient way signal corp army respect outgrown present law others law find inadequate order obtain information upon could rely cause official department justice whose judgment confidence visit alaska past summer purpose ascertain government administer legislation actually need present statement condition find exist together recommendation reason therefor strongly concur find annual report instance feel legislation suggest imperatively need move briefly emphasize proposal code alaska stand many purely administrative power duty include far important devolve upon district judge upon clerk district court act direction judge governor upon power duty logically fall nothing specific except make annual report issue thanksgiving day proclamation appoint indian policeman notary public believe essential good government alaska therefore recommend congress divest district judge clerk court administrative executive function exercise cast upon governor would innovation would simply conform government alaska fundamental principle make governorship real instead merely nominal office leave judge free give entire attention judicial duty time remove great deal strife embarrass judicial office alaska also recommend salary district judge district attorney alaska increase make equal receive corresponding officer united state deduct difference cost living district attorney prohibit engage private practice unite state commissioner appoint governor territory instead district judge fix salary provide take place discredit fee system abolish office mount constabulary create police territory outside limit incorporate town vast section wholly without police protection provision make least lessen oppressive delay cost attend prosecution appeal district court alaska division exist judicial district increase number judge alaska delegate congress possible congress aid construction need wagon road additional provide judgment especially important aid manner seem feasible construction trunk line railway connect gulf alaska yukon river american territory would beneficial development resource territory comfort welfare people salmon hatchery establish many different stream secure preservation valuable food fish salmon fishery cannery prohibit certain river mass indian dwell live almost exclusively fish alaskan native kindly intelligent anxious learn willing work come influence civilization even limit period prove capability become citizen ask enforcement law intelligent instruction supervision others live remote region primitive simple hunter fisher folk know life wood water daily confront civilization complexity country overrun stranger game slaughter driven away streams deplete fish hitherto unknown fatal disease bring combine produce state abject poverty want must result extinction action interest demand every consideration justice humanity need people abolition present fee system whereby native degrade impose upon taught injustice law establishment hospital central point contagious disease bring continually incoming white may localize allow become epidemic spread death destitution great area development educational system form practical training industry assure indian change condition live duty office governor extend include supervision indian affair necessary assistant different district provide mean power protect advise native people furnish medical treatment time epidemic extend material relief period famine extreme destitution alaskan native give right acquire hold dispose property upon condition give inhabitant privilege citizenship give may able meet certain definite requirement hawaii congress give governor power remove official appoint harbor honolulu dredge service empower study leprosy island ask special consideration report recommendation governor porto rico treat foreign policy attitude great nation assume world large absolutely necessary consider army navy congress think nation find expression keep ever vividly mind fundamental fact impossible treat foreign policy whether policy take shape effort secure justice others justice save condition upon attitude willing take toward army especially toward navy merely unwise contemptible nation individual use language proclaim purpose take position ridiculous unsupported potential force refuse provide force intention provide keep force necessary back strong attitude far well assume attitude steady aim nation enlighten nation strive bring ever nearer day shall prevail throughout world peace justice kind peace highly undesirable long run destructive war tyrant oppressor many time make wilderness call peace many time people slothful timid shortsighted enervated ease luxury mislead false teaching shrink unmanly fashion duty stern need sought hide mind shortcoming ignoble motif call love peace peace tyrannous terror peace craven weakness peace injustice shun shun unrighteous war goal set u nation goal set mankind attainment peace justice peace come nation merely right scrupulously recognize performs duty toward others generally peace tell righteousness conflict two fealty righteousness unrighteous war common unrighteous peace rare shun right freedom responsibility exercise right divorce one great poet well finely say freedom gift tarries long hand coward neither tarry long hand slothful dishonest unintelligent exercise eternal vigilance price liberty must exercise sometimes guard outside foe although course far often guard selfish thoughtless shortcoming truth keep u keep u shall clear idea foreign policy large aspect duty remember nation right injustice another nation strong weak individual injustice another individual moral law apply one case must also remember much duty nation guard right interest duty individual within nation individual delegate right state representative individual maxim law every wrong remedy international law advance mean far advance municipal law yet judicial way enforce right international law one nation wrong another wrong many others tribunal wrongdoer bring either necessary supinely acquiesce wrong thus put premium upon brutality aggression else necessary aggrieve nation valiantly stand right method devise shall degree international control offend nation would wicked thing civilized power sense international obligation keenest generous appreciation difference right wrong disarm great civilize nation present day completely disarm result would mean immediate recrudescence barbarism one form another circumstance sufficient armament would keep serve purpose international police international cohesion sense international duty right far advanced present nation desirous secure respect good others must force adequate work feel allot part general world duty therefore follow nation one hand endeavor every mean aid development various movement tend provide substitute war tend render nation action toward one another indeed toward people responsive general sentiment humane civilize mankind hand keep prepared scrupulously avoid wrongdoing repel wrong exceptional case take action advance stage international relation would come head exercise international police great free people owe mankind sink helplessness power evil every way endeavor help cordial good every movement tend bring u friendly relation rest mankind pursuance policy shall shortly lay senate treaty arbitration power willing enter treaty u possible period world development agree arbitrate matter many matter possible difference u nation thus arbitrate furthermore request interparliamentary union eminent body compose practical statesman country ask power join government second hague conference hop work already happily begin hague may carry step toward completion carry desire express first hague conference true united state feel land hunger entertain project regard nation western hemisphere save welfare country desire see neighboring country stable orderly prosperous country whose people conduct well count upon hearty friendship nation show know act reasonable efficiency decency social political matter keep order pay obligation need fear interference united state chronic wrongdoing impotence result general loosen tie civilize society may america elsewhere ultimately require intervention civilize nation western hemisphere adherence united state monroe doctrine may force united state however reluctantly flagrant case wrongdoing impotence exercise international police power every country wash caribbean sea would show progress stable civilization aid platt amendment cuba show since troop leave island many republic americas constantly brilliantly show question interference nation affair would end interest southern neighbor reality identical great natural rich within border reign law justice obtain prosperity sure come thus obey primary law civilize society may rest assure treated u spirit cordial helpful sympathy would interfere last resort become evident inability unwillingness justice home abroad violate right unite state invite foreign aggression detriment entire body american nation mere truism say every nation whether america anywhere else desire maintain freedom independence must ultimately realize right independence separate responsibility make good use assert monroe doctrine take step take regard cuba venezuela panama endeavor circumscribe theater war far east secure open door china act interest well interest humanity large however case interest greatly involve strong appeal make sympathy ordinarily much wiser useful u concern strive moral material betterment home concern try good condition thing nation plenty sin war ordinary circumstance general uplifting humanity strive heart soul put stop civic corruption brutal lawlessness violent race prejudice home passing resolution wrongdoing elsewhere nevertheless occasional crime commit vast scale peculiar horror make u doubt whether manifest duty endeavor least show disapproval deed sympathy suffer case must extreme course justifiable must effort make remove mote brother eye refuse remove beam extreme case action may justifiable proper form action shall take must depend upon circumstance case upon degree atrocity upon power remedy case could interfere force arm interfere put stop intolerable condition cuba necessarily yet expect people like spite certain obvious shortcoming nevertheless whole show consistent practice belief principle civil religious liberty orderly freedom people among even bad crime like crime lynch never sporadic individual class molest fundamental right inevitable nation desire eagerly give expression horror occasion like massacre jew kishenef witness systematic cruelty oppression cruelty oppression armenians victim indignant pity civilize world even possible secure nation observance principle accept axiomatic necessary u firmly insist upon right citizen without regard creed race without regard whether born bear abroad prove difficult secure russia right jewish receive passport travel russian territory conduct unjust irritate toward u difficult see wisdom russia standpoint conceivable good accomplish american jew american christian misbehaves russia driven ordinary american jew like ordinary american christian would behave behaves behave good citizen ought behave case wrong entitle protest refuse passport without regard conduct character merely racial religious ground turkey difficulty arise less way citizen sometimes treated indignation inevitably excite see fearful misrule witness armenia macedonia strong arm government enforce respect right international matter navy united state earnestly recommend halt work upbuilding american navy patriotic duty u people keep navy adequate need country position undertaken build isthmian canal undertaken secure share trade orient undertaken protect citizen proper treatment foreign land continue steadily insist application monroe doctrine western hemisphere unless attitude similar matter mere boastful sham afford abandon naval programme voice potent peace potent afraid war protestation upon behalf peace would neither receive deserve slight attention impotent make good war unfortunately rag far east emphasized strike fashion new possibility naval warfare lesson teach strategic tactical political well military experience war show conclusive fashion torpedo destroyer indispensable fast lightly arm armored cruiser useful yet main reliance main standby navy worthy name must great battle ship heavily armor heavily gun russian japanese battle ship sunk torpedo boat gunfire among less protected ship cruiser cruiser destroy whenever hostile squadron get within range one another weapon always large field usefulness cruiser especially formidable type need increase number destroyer pay less heed knot two extra speed capacity keep seas week necessary month time wise build submarine torpedo boat certain circumstance might useful need continue build fleet battle ship ship powerfully arm inflict maximum damage upon opponent well protect suffer severe hammer return without fatal impairment ability fight maneuver course ample mean must provide enable personnel navy bring high point efficiency great fight ship torpedo boat must ceaselessly train maneuvered squadron officer men learn trade thoroughly ceaseless practice high seas event war would far well ship ship poor ineffective type ship however good yet man untrained unskillful crew best officer men poor ship could nothing fairly good opponent hand modern war ship useless unless officer men aboard become adepts duty marksmanship navy improve extraordinary degree last three year whole type battleships improve much remain do sooner later shall provide method promotion merit well seniority else retirement certain age advance beyond certain grade effort must spar make service attractive enlist men order may keep long possible reservation public school provide wherever within last three year united state set example disarmament disarmament proper law army fix maximum one hundred thousand minimum sixty thousand men insurrection philippine keep army maximum peace come philippine army reduce minimum possible keep due regard efficiency gun mount require thousand men coast fortification adequately man relatively nation large police force new york chicago relatively population either city need officer enough perform regular army work important officer army accustom handle men mass also important national guard several state accustom actual field maneuver especially connection regular reason congratulate upon success field maneuver manassas last fall maneuver large number regular national guard take part ever assemble together time peace civilize nation relatively population diminutive army army small excuse fail keep high grade proficiency must incessantly practice standard enlist men keep high time service make attractive possible standard officer keep even high regard upper rank best do introducing system selection rejection promotion able event sudden emergency put field one army corp whole least equal body troop like number belong nation great progress make protect coast adequate fortification sufficient gun however pay much heed present development extensive system float mine use important harbor mine prove formidable safeguard hostile fleet earnestly call attention congress need amend exist law relate award congressional medal honor navy provide may award commissioned officer warrant officer well enlist men justly prize medal give army alike officer enlist men unjust commission officer warrant officer navy respect right brethren army enlist men navy philippine island past year continuation steady progress obtain ever since troop definitely get upper hand insurgent philippine people speak accurately many tribe even race sunder one another less sharply go make people philippine island contain many element good element right hope stand progress present utterly incapable exist independence building civilization firmly believe help rise high high scale civilization capacity earnestly hope end able stand entirely alone yet relation united state cuba stand end yet sight may indefinitely postponed people foolish enough turn attention filipino away problem achieve moral material prosperity work stable orderly government toward foolish dangerous intrigue complete independence yet totally unfit hand people must keep steadily mind fact justification stay philippine must ultimately rest chiefly upon good able island overlook fact development interest pacific ocean along coast philippine play play important part interest serve one way possession island chief reason continue hold must ought good faith try share world work particular piece work impose upon u result war spain problem present u philippine island akin exactly like problem present great civilized power possession orient point resemblance work work do british india egypt french algiers dutch java russian turkestan japanese formosa distinctly power endeavor develop natives shall take share government far prudent already admit representative governmental equality commissioner judge governor island filipinos exactly share government island colleague american low rank course great majority public servant filipinos within two year shall try experiment elective low house philippine legislature may filipinos misuse legislature certainly misuse mislead foolish person home start agitation independence factious improper action case good stop time effort advance give great share government act wisdom show capable electing legislature turn capable take sane efficient part actual work government rest assure full increase measure recognition give remember prime need moral industrial political good thing try experiment give legislature far well thing give school good road railroad enable get product market honest court honest efficient constabulary tends produce order peace fair deal man man habit intelligent industry thrift safeguard oppression real want material spiritual study intelligently spirit friendly sympathy much good do effort give political power though effort may proper time place proper enough meanwhile people remember need high standard conduct among american send philippine island among public servant among private individual go feel deeply administration islands positively refused permit discrimination whatsoever political reason insist choose public servant consideration pay solely worth men choose need islands high body men public service philippine island governor wright associate far possible men give free hand suggestion receive hearty backing executive congress need vigilant disinterested support public servant philippine good citizen united state unfortunately hitherto people home specially claim champion filipinos reality bad enemy continue case long strive make filipinos independent stop industrial development island cry law would bring ground capitalist must exploit island proceeding unwise harmful filipino need independence need good law good public servant industrial development come investment american foreign capital island favor legitimate way every measure take concern island take primarily view advantage certainly give low tariff rate export united state do wrong extend ship law earnestly hope immediate enactment law legislation pending encourage american capital seek investment island railroad factory plantation lumber mining