Evening Star Newspaper, December 6, 1923, Page 4

4 COOLIDGE MESSAGE HINS WIDE PRASE President’s Courage and Di- rectness Approved, as Is Tax Cut Request. BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Nominated in South Dakota and with his platform now before the country, Calvin Coolidge is at length out in the open. Henceforward he is all but an officially and formally nvowed candldate for the republican presidential nomination in 1924. His friends. while preparing to “organize” stematicglly on his behalf, believe Mr. Coolidge has done. for the time being, all that it Is necessary to do. His message to Cougress—clear, crisp and courageous, as they view it —at once opens his campaign and supplies his platform. Time and the fates, they are persuaded, will do the rest. Although President dressed Conzress only day. it is pos: already to sum- marize Washi political _opinion of his message. The message, in print- ed form, has been fn private circula- tion throughout the Capital and the mewspaper offices of the country for a week. Opinion in Washington crys- tallized rapidly, and there has been mple time for 'outside opinion to fil- r through .from the four quarters of the republle. Coolidge ad- at noon to- President’s Courage Manifest. This article is an attempt to sum- marize comment upon Mr. Coolldge's messaga as members of Congress have supplied it. Their views express, in most cases, not only their own eactions,” but those of their con- stitusncles as well. There is a fair degree of unanimity on one point. That {s, that courage is written con- splcuously across the entire face of the President's pronouncement from beginning to end. He has not dodged. He has not minced his words. He has been uncommonly specific. He has not lumbered up his recommendations with verbose reasoning. His attitude on the bonus is the outstanding ex- ample of his unequivocal style. “But 1 do not favor the granting of a bonus,” the President savs at the end of his s agraphs on the subject of all. Mixed Emotions Evoked. If there ia ¢ aparative agreement that Mr. Coolidge has been coura- geous in his maiden address to Con- @ress, there is a similar consensus of bellef At the message will evol ive varicty of mixed emo- Iy’ commentators fing wd to laurels for liberalism. sctts men declare it is con- | not be the basis for attacks on the ior in literary merit gubernatorfal state Friends of tho world court are gratifled by his commending of it “to consideration of -the the favorabie Benate.” They find nd fault with the President for not voicing his favor with more fervor] They know that Mr. Coolidge is temiperamentally not a v fervid man. They are satisfied h the revelation that those are confounde wh im- after the President's ac- to office, voriferously pre. be would reject the world ivocacy of the polley, nt Hurding avowed In nce at San Fran- aseribed to influence of etartes Hughes and Hoover. In one passage of the world court recommendation Mr. Coolldge reproduces almost texfually argu- ments publicly usod by Mr. Hughes. Some well informed authoritles have Fone so s to suggest that Hughes would have left the cabinet had nolldee turned down the particular. “‘Harding policy” represented by the world court preposal. The price of Andrew W. Mellon's retention of the p of the Treasury is sald authorities to be the n iising rejection of the sol- diers' bonus by the administration, Tax and Farm Relief Paramount. Comment centers for the moment, and for some time is likely to center, on tWo primary phases of the President's message—taxation and agricultural re- Yef. Mr. Coolidge's adoption of the Mellon program was universally antici- pated. So was his stressing of tax re- duction as the paramount issue de- manding congressional action. Few au- Thorities on Capitol Hill expect the Coolidge-Mellon tax program to go through as the Secretary of the Treas. ury vecently promulgated it. But its basic purpose—reduction of taxes for all classes of the people—will not be serfously opposed. Every membar of Houee and Senate knows there is “dyn- amite” in hostility to the conferment of 0 _elementary & boon as cutting down tgxu. esh from “back home,” as Congress {s, it knows thers 1S 1o issue hefore the country assured in advance of such popularity as slashing of the come tax brackets and other federal imposts. The politician or the party that helps to frustrate that kind of leg- Jslation is asking for punishment, ana Westerners Not Pleased. There s little promise, at this writ- ing, that the President’s recommenda- tions on the subject of agricultural relief are destined to arouse enthus- lasm. Many western members of Congress call the message “waak” in that particular, because it holds out nothing novel In the ceae. Nobody expected the President to espouse any of the more radical or drastic suggestions for helping the farmer. especlally the distressed wheat growers of the northwest. hhe feature thought likely to appeal to the rural community more than any other is the assertion of Mr. Coolidga that “an entire reorganization of the rate structure for freight is nec- essary” in the transportatian uct. ‘The average farmer is inclinel to trace most of his troubles to high railroad rates on what he selis_and on what he has to buy. If the Cool- jdge message should usher in an era of lower freight rates, the farming country would think it mors prac- tical, direct and lasting . help than any of the suggestions regarding cu- operative marketing, War Finance Corporation grants in aid of exports of “fats and grains” or even cheap fertilizer. In high rallroad rates the farmer sees the alpha and omega of his distress, real and imaginary. Politicians _discuss the Coolidge message mainly from the standpoint of the “issues” which it.will glve to the President’s rivals, mainly Hiram Johnson. Johnson, of course, will seise promptly and vehemently upon the world court. and - the bonu “planks” In the Coolidge “platform. But with the President's ungualified divorcement of the court fecommien- dation from any entangling. connee- tion with the league of nations, and with miilions of uxnayor including ex-servica men, opposing the bonus, 3r. Coolidge's supporters arew illin to let Johnson make the most o, thoss "issuee.” {- (Cogyright, 1923.) _ \ \ PRESIDENT BREAKS SILENCE CONCISELY; Politicians * Call Message Economically Sound and Politically Unwise. BY DAVID LAWREN Tnlike any presidential message In recent years, crisp and to the point, devoid of long argument, full of specific recommendations, with posi- tive etatements, written more in the style of a national political platform than In the form of a speech or brief, the document read in person by Cal- vin Coolidge to both houses of Con- gress today breaks a silence of four way of pana- | months and discloses tho program of the new President on which he will seek another four-year term. For several days the message has been in the hands of the leaders, whose comment ls, therefore, well known. What they will say for pub- leation does not always coincide with how they feel n private. But the differences of opinion are not, curlously enough, on the merit of Mr. Coolldge's arguments, but on the po- litical ‘wisdom thereof. Ome of the most interesting comments, for in- stance, comes from a prominent inde- pendent who speaks of the message as “economically sound, but political- 1y unsound.” Dixnpproves of Bomua. This observation is due to the fact that the President, first of ali, mak it clear that he does not favor grant- ing a bonus to the able-bodled ex- service men. Members of Congress have been committing themselves In personal pledges to vote for a bonus. To do 50 now means to break with the President, and the members now must choose between that or the hos- tility of the American Leglon. The politician thinks, naturally, that the bonus is more important than any- thing else just now. Mr. Coolidge be- lieves that tax reduction cannot be accomplished if a bonus is to be paid. The President uses the words “un- qualified approval” in referrin, plan of Secretary of the Mellon to reduce taxes. This mean that he will throw the support of the administration to that plan and fight against efforts to emasculate it. He has no hesitancy in saying that “a revision of surtaxes will not only provide additional money for capital investment, thus stimulating Industry and cmploying more labor, but wiil not greatly reduce the revenue from that “source. but may in the- future actually increase it.” Considered Ecomomically Sewnd. The struggle will not be over the reduction of lower incomes, but over the surtax rates. Mr. Coolidge's In- dorsement is considered economically sound, but the question raised by the politicians is whether the people will understand ft, and whether it will ground that the President favors the relief of the burdens of the higher incomes. Mr. Coolidge tried hard to satisty Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in writ- ing the planks on forelgn relations, and finally used the following sen- tence, which probably will open po- Htical sores anew: “Our country has definitely refused to adopt and ratify the covenaat of the league of nations. The incident #0 far as we are concerned Is closed.” Reters to 1920 Election. In answer to that, the critics are already saving that Mr, Coolidge must be referring to the election of 1920, which was the last time the league was under discussion in a national election. In that campalgn thirty. one leading republicans, including Charles Evans Hughes, now Secretary of State, announced that a vote for Harding was a vote for the league of nations’ with proper reservations and that a vote for Cox was a vote that would not lead to American entry Into the league, because his party was committed to reservations that would not be acceptable to the Senate. There is no way of telling how many republican votes were cast in the bellef that Mr. Harding would draft u program of American partici- pation in the league, with reserva. tions. That element In the republican ty hus, however, been active ever since and has been instrumental in committing the republican adminis. tration to the support of the interna- tional court created by the league. This, Mr. Coolidge speaks of as pra- senting “the only practical plan on which many nations have ever agreed, -though it'may not meet every de- sire, 1 therefore commend it to the favorable consideration of the Sena with the proposed reservations clea: indicating our refusal to adhere to the league of nations.” Plank Preserves Support. This plank s intdnded to preserve the support of tha groups in the re- publican party who favor the league and are inclined to be satisfied at present with membership In the world court, for they belleve that once this action 1s taken the same argument will apply to the league proper, for of it they say too that it represents the only practical plan on which so many nations have ever agreed—all except three or four countries in the whole world. They point also to the votes in the Senate, which always were more than two-thirds for the league with reservations. Had Mr. Wilson accepted the reservations the United States would now be in the league. The point fs that the record of the Senate on all votes favors the ‘|league with reservations. On this ground there will be am; controversy and some political wi, acres are saying Mr. Coolidge would bave d just as well had he omitted to define the country’s view on the le; ue of n‘llgnl - ere are others, on ther hand, who think Mr. Coolldge is really in- viting the democrats to make a straight-out issue of the league as he feels his position would prove a winner in the next elections an the same time tend to draw the reconcilable™ wh\f party closer to hi monthes. t “Ir- of the republican m in the next few Favors Ford Offer. Looking at the message still further from a political viewpoint, the toples relating to. the transportation act and Muscle Shoals have In them the ca- pacity for much argument and contro. versy. Mr. Coolidge comes out In favor of retalning the so-called earning clause of the transportation m whereby the rallroads are permit to earn a fixed per cent on their in- vestment, The western republicans, backed by farmer scntiment, want this changed, as they think it tends to keep freight rates at high levels and ties the hands of the Interstate Com- merce Commission In fizing rates. As for Muscle Shoals, Mr. Coolidge is aware that the making of cheaper fertilizer is a paramount issue with the farmers and has been one of the main sources of Henry Ford' strength. The adninistration stand ready to work out a plan for thy farmer whereby Muscle Shoals may be operated. Almost_in the same breath, how: ever, the President strikes out agal the radicals of the west who have been clamoring for government aid, He says: ' “No-complicated scheme of rellef, no plan for government fixing of prices, no resort to the publie Treasury will be of any permanent value in establishing agriculture, ‘On the whole the message is re- garded as a conservative statement of the nation’s duty toward various eco- nomic questions. 'I’BEV EVENING. STAR, WASHINGTON, D. Huge Tax Cut, Denialof Bonus, Entry in Modified (Continued from First Page.) the expense of the army of ocou- pation of over $355,000,000. Be- 8ldes this, the Mixed Claimy Com- mission have before them about '1.2.500 claims ?r Ar:;rlul;l‘ _cx«zl- ens, aggregating about $1.235,- 000,000. These claims have ai- ready been reduced by a recent decision, but there are valld claims 'reaching well toward $500,000,000, Our thousand clti- zens with credits due them of hundreds of miliions of dollars have no redress save in the action of our government. These are very substantial Interests, which it {s the duty of our government to protect as best it can. That course 1 propose to pursue. It {8 for these reasons that we have a direct intereat in the eco- nomic recovery of Europe. They are enlarged by our re for the stabillty of clvillzation and the welfare of humanity. That we are making rifices to that end none can deny. Our deferred interest alone amounts to & mil- lion dollars every day. But re- cently we oftered to ald with our advice and counsel. We have re- iterated our desire to sce France aid and Germany revived. “:o Biave proposed disurmament, Wo have carnestly sought to compose differences and restore peace. - We shall persevere in well-doing, not by force, but by reasan. Foreign Papers Transmitted. Under the law the papers per~ taining to foreign relations to be prlm—z are transmitted as a part of this message. Other volumes of these papers will follow, Reorganised Foreign Service. The foreign service of our gov- ernment needs to be reorganized and improved. Recites Fiscal Condition. Our main problems are domestio problems. Financlal stability is the first requisite of sound gov- ernment. We tannot escape the effect of world conditions. We cannot avoid the inevitable re- sults of the economic disorders which have reached all nations. But we shall diminish their harm to us In proportion as we con- tinue to restore our government finances to a securd and endurable position. This we can and must do. Upon that firm foundation rests the only hope of progre and prosperity. From that source must come reilef for the people. This {s belng accomplished by a drastic but orderly retrenchmen which is bringing our expens within our means. The origin of this has been the determination of the American people, the main support has been the courage of those In authority, and the effec- tive method has been the budget system. The result has involved real sacrifice by department heads, but it has been made without flinching. This system is & law of the Congre: It represents your will. It must be maintained and ought to be strengthened by the example of your observance. ‘Without a budget system there can be no fixed responsibility and no constructive, scientific economy. Han Cut Expenditures. This great concentration of efs fort by the administration and Congress has brought the expendi- tures, exclusive of the self-sup- porting Post Office Department, down to $3,000,000,000. It is possi- ble in consequence to make a large reduction in the taxes of the people, which is the sole object of all curtailment. This is greated at greater length in the budget message, and a proposed plan h been presented in detail In a stat ment by the Becretary of the Treasury, which has my unquali- fled approval. 1 especially com- mend a decrease on earned incomes and further abolition of admission, message and nuisance taxes. The amusement and educational value of moving pictures ought not to be taxed. Diminishing charges against moderate Incomes from investment will afford immense reltef, while a revision of the sur- taxes will not only provide addi- tional money for capital invest- ment, thus stimulating industry and cmploying more labor, but wiil not greatly reduce the revenue from that source, and may in the future actually Increase It. Being opposed to war taxes in time of peace, I am not In favor of excess-profits taxes. A very great service could be rendered through immediate enactment of legisiation relieving the people of some of the burden of taxation. To reduce war taxes is to give every home a better chance. For seven years the people have borne with uncomplaining courage the tremendous burden of nationa! and local taxation. These must both be reduced. The taxes of the nation muet be reduced now as much as prudence will permit, and expenditures must be reduced ac- cordingly. High _taxes reach everywhere and burden every- body. They bear most heavily upon the . They diminish in- dustry and commerce. They make agriculture unprofitable. They in- crease the rates on transportation. They are a charge on cvery neces- sary of life. Of all services which the Congress can render to the country, T have no hesitation in declaring this one to be para- mount. To neglect it, to postpone it, to obstruct it by unsound pro- posals s to become unworthy of public confidence and untrue to public trust. The country wants this measure to have the right of way o all othe! Another reform which is ur- gent in our fiscal system the bolition of the right to'{ssue tax- empt securities. The existing: stem not only permits a large amount of the wealth of the na- tion to escape Its just burdenm, but acts as a continual stimulant to municipal extravagance. This should be prohibited by oconstitu- tional amendment. All the wealth o the nation ought to contribute its fair share to the expenses of the nation, Tariff Law Praised. .The present tariff law has accom- g)ll-hea its two main objects. It s secured an abundant revenue lAlld been productive of an abound- ng try has had’'a very large export and import trade. A constant re- vision of the tariff by the Congre: is disturbing and harmful. Th present law contains an elastic provision authorising the Presi- dent to increase or decrease prei nt schedules not in excess of 5 per_centum to meet the difference n cost of production at home and abroad. This does not, to my mind, l'lrrln! a rewriting of the whole but does mean, and will be - 20 administered, that whensver the required investigation shows that inequalities of sufficlent impor- tance exist in any achedule the power to change them should and - ‘will be applied.” Touches on Shipping. The entire well being of our country is dependent upon trans- portation by sea and land. Our government during the War ac- quired a large merchant fleet, which should be transferred as soon as possible to private owners ship and operation under condi- ‘lolll ‘which would secure two re- ults: First and of prime impor- tance, adequate means for nation- 1 defence; second, adequate ervice to American commerce. Until lhlpfllns condltions are auch that our fleet can be disposed’ of advantageousl. ditions. 1t will economically as such plans as may under these con- be Sperated P ssible under g: devised from 8. to_ time b; the Ship) We must have Pas mmumh'la. nnl: m:o:” nr:u!:‘- rosperity. Under it the coun- - ments, and w. all have to pay the cost of | ervice, come to resume in ay the opening of our waterways, the con trol of flood waters of the Missi sippl and the Colorado rivers, the improvement of th from the Great Lakes toward the Gulf of Mexico and the develop- ment of the great power and nav! gation project .of the Bt. Law- Tence river, for which efforts are now being made to secure the nec- essary treaty with Canada. These projects can not all be undertaken at once, but all should have the immediate consideration of the Congress and be adopted as fast as plans can be matured and the necessary funds become avail- able. This is not incompatible with economy, for their natufe does not require so much a public expenditure as a capital invest- ment which will be reproductiv &5 evidenced by the marked | crease in revenue from the Panama canal. Upon these projects de- pend much future industrial and agricultural progress. They rep- resent the protection of large areas from flood and the addition of a great amount of cheap power and cheap freight by use of navi- gation, chief of which is the pringing of ocean-going ships to the Great Lakes. Another problem of allled char- acter s the superpower develop- ment of the northeastern states, consideration of which is proceed- ing under the ditection of the De- partment of Commerce by joint gouference with the local authori- ea. Defends Rallroads. Criticism of the rallroad law has Dbeen directed, fiist, to the section laying down’ the rule by which rutes are fixed, and providing for payment to the government and use of excess earnings; second, to the method for the adjustment of w!{‘o scales; and third, to the :l‘:l‘ ority permitting consolld: It has been erroneously assumed that the act undertakes to guar- antec rallroad earnings. The law requires that rates should be just and reasonable. That has alwa been the rule under which rates have been fixed. To make a rate does not yleld a fair return results in confiscation, and confis- Ccatory rates are of course uncon- stitutional. Unless the govern- ment adheres to the rule of mak- ing & rate that will yleld a fair return, it must abandon rate mak- ing aliogether. The new and im- fortant feature of that part of the aw s the recapture and redis- tribution of excess rates. The constitutionality of th!s method is now before the Supreme Court for adjudication. Their decision should be awalited before attempt- ing further legislation on this subject. Furthermore, the im- portance of this feature will not be Ereat If consolidation goes tnto effect. The aettlement of ratiroad labor disputes s a matter of grave pub- lic concern. The Labor Board was established to protect the public in_tho enjoyment of continuous service by attempting to insure Justice between the companies and thelr emploves. It has been a great help, but {s not altogether satisfactory to the public, the em- ployes, or the companies. If a substantial agreement can be reached among the groups inter- ested, there should be no hesita- tion in enacting such agreement into law. If it is not reached, t Labor Board may very well be left for the present to protect the pub- lic welfare. The law for consolidation Is not sufficlently effective to be expe- ditious. Additional legislation is needed giving authority for volun- tary consolidations, both regional and route, and providing govern- ment machinery to aid and stimu- late such action, always ject to the approval of Interstate Commerce Commis- sion. This should authorize the commission to appoint committees for each proposed group, repre- senting the public and the com- ponent roads, with power to ne- gotlate with individual security holders for an exchange of their securities for those of the consoli- dation on such terms and condi- tlons as the commission may pre- scribe for avolding any confisca- tion and preserving fair values. Should this permissive consolida- tion prove ineffective after a lim- ited period, the authority of the government will have to be direct- 1y involed. Consolidation appears to be the only feasible method for the main- tenance of an adequate system of transportation with an oppor- tunity so to adjust frelght rates as to meet such temporary condi- tlons as now prevall in some agricultural sections. Competent authorities agree that an entire reorganization of the rate struc- ture for freight is necessary. This should be ordered at once by the Congress. A Department of Justice. As no revision of the laws of the United States has been made since 1878, & commission or committee should be created to undertake this work. The judicial council reports that two more district judges are needed In the southern district of New York, one in the northern district of Georgia, and two more circuit judges in the circuit court of appeals of the elghth circuit. Legislation should be considered for this purpose. It {g desirable to expedite the hesring and disposal of cases. A commission of federal judges and lawyers should be created to rec- ommend legislation by which the procedure in the federal trial courts may be simplified and regu- Tated by rul of court, rather than by statute; such rules to be submitted to the Congress and to be In force until annulled or modi- fied, by the Congress. The § preme Court needs legislation ~e- vising and simplifying the laws governing review by that court, and enlarging the classes of cases of too_little public importance to be subject to review. Such re. forms would expedite ghe trans- actien of the busineds of the courts. The administration of ustice is Ilkely to fail if it be ong delayed. Work for Priseners. The natiorial government has never given adequate attention to its prison problems. It ought to rovide employment In such 'orms of production as can be used by the government, though not sold to the public in competi- tion with private business, for all prisoners who can be placed at ‘work, and for which they should receive a reasonable .compensa- tion. available for their de- pendents. Two independent reformatorie; are needed; one for. the segre tion of women and another the segregation of young men serving their first sentence. The administration of justice would be facilitated greatly by including in the bureau of in- vestigation of the Department of Justice a division of .criminal identification, where there would be _collected this information, ‘which is now {ndispensable in the suppression of crime. Treaty With Britatn. ‘The proh: the Constitution .requires the Congress and the President to rovide adequate laws to prevent rtu violation. It {s my duty to en- force lllqch 'IIYLNFOP (hltubur- pose a treaty is being negotiated ‘with \Great Britain’ with fespect to the right of search of havering: vessels. To prevent smuggling, the coast rd should be grea 1y strengthened and a supply of swift power boats should be pro- ¢ major: sources of produc~ tive body. ftion amendment to prohibition in » of, the C, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1923. World Court, Asked tion should be rigidly regulated, and every effort should be made to suppress interstate traffic. With this action on the paft of the national government, and the co-operation which 1is usually rendered by municipal and state Authorities, prohibition should be made effectiv Free . govern- ment has no greater menace than disrespectfor authority .and eon tinual violation of law, It is the duty of a citizen not only to ob- serve the law but to let it be known that he is opposed to its violation. Negro’s Rights Defeaded. Numbered among our popula- tion are some 12,000,000 colored people. Under our Constitution their rights are just as sacred as those of any other citizen. It is both a public and a private duty to protect those rights. The Con- gress ought to exercise all its powers of prevention and punish- ment against the hldeous crime of lynching. of which the negroes are by no means the sole suffer- ors, but for which they furnish & majority of the victims Already a considerable sum is appropriated to give the negroes vocational training in agricul ture. “About half a million dol- lars is recommended for medical courses at Howard University to help contribute to the education of 500 colored doctors needed vach year. On account of the mi- gration of large numbers into In- dustrial centers it has been pro- posed that a commission be created, composed of members from both races, to formulate a better pollcy for mutual under- standing and confidence. Such an_effort is to be com- mended. Every one would rejolce in the accompiishment of the re- sults which it seeks. But it fs well to recognize that these diffi- cultles are to a large extent local problems which must be worked out by the mutual forbearance and human kindness of each com- munity. Such a method gives much more promise of a real rem- edy than outside interference. Civil Service Recommendations. The maintenance and extension of the classified civil service is exceedingly important. There are nearly 550,000 persons in the executive civil service, drawing about $700,000,000 of yearly com- pensation. Four-fifths of these are in the classifled scrvice. This method of selection of the em- ployes of the United States is especlally desirable for the Post Office Department. The Clvil Service Commission has recommended that postmasters at first, second and third class offices be classified. Such action, accompanied by a repeal of the four-year torm of office, would un- doubtedly be an improvement. I also recommend that the field force for prohibition enforcement be brought within the classified civil service without covering in the present membership. The best method for selecting public serv- ants i{s the merit s . Public Buildings Policy. Many of the departments in ‘Washington need better housing facilities. Some are so crowded that their work is impeded; others are 8o scattered that they lose their identity. While 1 do not favor at this time a general pub- lic building law, I believe it is now necessary, in accordance with plans Iready sanctioned for a unified 'and orderly system for the development of this city, to begin the carrying out of those plans by authorizing the erection of three or four buildings most urgently needed by an annual ap- propriation of $5,000,000. Regulatory Legislation. Co-operation with other mari- time powers s necessary for com- plete protecilon of our coast waters from pollution. Plans for this are under way, but await cer- tain experiments for refuse dis- posal. Meantime laws prohibiting spreading oil and ofl refuse from vessels in our own territorial waters would be most helpful against this menace and should be speedily enacted. Laws should be passed regu- lating aviation. Revision is needed of the laws regulating radio interference. egisiation and regulations es- tablishing load lines to provide safe loading of vessels leaving our ports are necessary and re- codification of our navigataion laws is vital. Revision of procedure of the Federal Trade Commission will ®ive more constructive purpose to this department. If our Alaskan fisheries are to be saved from destruction there must be further legisiation de- claring & general policy and dele- gating the authority to make rules and regulations to an administra- Army and Navy. For several years we have been decreasing the personnel of the Army and Navy and reducing their power to the danger point. Fur- ther reductione should not be made. The Army 1s & guarantee of the security of our citizens at home; the Navy {8 & guarantee of the security of our citizens abroad. Both of these services should be strengthened rather than weak- ened. ‘Additional planes are needed for the Army and additional sub- marines for the Navy. The de- fenses of Panama must be perfect- ed. We want no more competi- tive armaments. We want no more war. But we want no weak- ness_that -Invites imposition. A people who neglect their national defense are putting in Jeopardy their national honor. Insular Posssaions. Conditions In the insular posses- sions on the whole have been good. Their business has been reviving. They are being admin- istered according to law. That effort has the full support of the administration. Such recom- mendations as may come from thelr people or their governments should have the most considerate attention. Education and Welfare. Our national government is not doing as much as it legitimately can_do to promote the welfare of the people. Our enormous ma- terial wealth, our institutions, our whole form of soclety, can- not be considered fully successful until their benefits reach the merit of every Individual. Thi is not & suggestion that the gov- ernment should, or could, assume for the peopl the inevitable burdens sof existence. There is no method by which we can either be relieved of the results of our own folly or be gusranteed a successful life. - There is an inescapable per- sonal responsibility for the de- velopment of character, of indus- try, of thrift and of self-control. These do not come from the gov- roment, but from - the people themselyes, But-the government can and should always be ex- ressive of steadfast' determina- on, always vigilant, to maintain conditions under which these vir- fues aré most likely to develop and secure recogmition and ward. This is the American llcy. D‘l’ll 6 in accordance with this rinciple that we have enacted Piws tor the protection of the public health and have adopted reotic drugs and ing liquors. ~For pur- ol of national uniformity we ought' to provide. by constitu- tiopal amendment and appropriate ll‘hllllobn for ‘I ‘Hml:l(!on of lsbor, and in cases S xclustve Jurisdiction x Wovernment nimum wage law for women. =hlo.h would undoubtedly find sufficlent power of enforcement in the influence of public opinlon. ! Having in mind that education 1s pecullarly & local problem, and that it should: always be pur- sued with the lar choice by students and parents, v the: federal govern: mefit might ‘well ‘give the benefit of its counsel- and encouragment 1y in thid direction. If doubts the need of con- this purpose. It is r¥ to consider_the appalling figures of flliteracy rep- resenting & condition which does not vary much in all parts of the Unfon. "I @ not favor the mak- ing of appropriations ‘from the national asury to be expended directly on local education, but I do consider it a fundamental re- quirement .of national activity which, accompanied by allled sdbjects of welfare, is worthy of a separate department and a place In the cabinet. The' hu- manitarian side of government should not be repressed, but should be cultivated. s Mere Intelligence, however, is not enough. Enlightenment must be accompanied by that moral power which is the product of the home and of religion. Real education and true welfare for the people rest inevitably on this foundation, which the government can ap- prove and commend, but which the people themselves must create. Immigration Restricti American institutions rest solely on good citizenship. They were created by people who had & background pof self-govern- ment. New arrivals should be limited to our capacity to ab- sorb them (nto the ranks of good citizenshlp. America must be kept American. For this pur- pose, it is necessary to continue & policy of restricted immigra- tion. It would be well to make such immigration of a selective nature with some inspection at the source, and based either on a prior census or upon the record of naturalization. Either method would insure the admission of those with the largest capacity and best intention of becoming citizen am convinced that our present economic and social conditions warrant a limitation of those to be admitted. We should find additional safety in & law requiring the immediate registration of all aliens. Tho who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to_settle in America. No more important duty falls on the government of the United States than the adequate care of its veterans. Those suftering dis- abilities incurred in the service must have sufficlent hospital re- llef and compensation. Their de- pendents must be supported. Re- abilitation and vocational train- ing must be completed All of this service must be clean, must be prompt and effective, and it must be administered in a spirit of the broadest and deepest hu- man sympathy. If investigation reveals any present defects of ad- ministration or need of legisl: tion, orders will be given for the immediate correction of adminls- tration, and recommendations for legislation should be given the highest preference. At present there are 9,500 va- s be muthorized at once receive and care for, without ho the veterans of all wars ch care, whenever there nt beds, and that imme- diate steps be taken to enlarge new hospitals to serve The American Legion will pre- sent to the Congress a legislative program too extensive for de- talled discussion here. It is a carefully matured plan. While some of it 1 do not favor, with much of it T am in hearty ac- cord, and I recommend that & most painstaking effort be made to provide remedies for any de- fects in the administration of the present laws which their experi- ence has revealed. The attitude of the government toward these proposals should be one of gene- rosity, But I do not favor the granting of a bonus. Opposes U. S. Mine Control. The cost of coal has become un- bearably high. It places a great burden on our industrial and do- mestic life. The public welfare requires a_reduction in the price of fuel.” With the enormous de- posits in existence, faflure to sup- ply ought not to be tolerated. Those responsible. for the condi- tlons in this industry should un- dertake its reform "and free it from any charge of profiteering. The report of the Coal Commis- slon will be before the Congress. It comprises all the facts. It re resents the mature deliberatio and conclusions of the best talent nd experience that ever made a ational survey of the production nd distribution of fuel. I do not favor government. ownership or operation of cosl mines. The need is for action under private ownership _that will secure greater continuity of production and greater public protection. The federal government probably has no peace-time authority to regulate wages, prices.or profits in coal at the mines or among dealers, but by ascertaining and publishing facts it can exercise reat Influence. &7 he source of the diffculty in the bituminous coal flelds is_the intermittence of operation which causes great waste of both capital and labor. That part-of the re- port dealing ‘with this problem has much significance, and is suggestive of necessary reme- dies. By amending the car rules, by encouraging greater unity ol ownership, and possibly by per- mitting common selling agents for limited districts on condition that they accept adequate regula- tions and guarantee that competi- tion between districts be unlimit- ed, distribution, storage and cor- tinuity ought to be improved. Discusses Strike Rellef. The supply of coal must be constant. In case of its prospec- tive interruption, the President should have authority to appoint a commission empowered to deal with whatever emergency situa- tion might arise, to uld concllfa- tion and voluntary arbitration, to adjust any existing or threatened controversy between the employer and the employe when collective h.rnlnln?gcu- and by control- ling distribution to prevent profit- eering in this vital necessity. This legislation is exceedingly urgent, and essential to the exercise of national authority for the protec- tion of the people. Those who undertake the responsibility of management or employment in this industry do so with the full knowledge that the public inte: est is paramount, and that to fail through any motive of self- ishness in its service is such a betrayal of duty as warrants un compromising action by the gov- - ‘ernment. Reorganization Under Way. A special joint committee has been appointed to work out ‘a plan for a reorganization of the different departments and bureaus. of the government more sclentific and economical than the present system. With the exception of the consolidetion of the Navy rummt- and some mi- nor detalls, the plan has the gen- seral safction of the President and the cabinet. It {s important that reorganization be enacted into law at the present session. dusiness of the country h: an extraordinary revival. Looked atasa vhohi the nation is in the enjoyment .of . remarkable . pros- t freedom of ‘ar andy perity. Industry and commerce are thriving. For the most part agriculture is successful, eleyen staples having risen in vaiue from about $5,300,000.000 two years #80 to about $7,000,000,000 for the current .year. 'But range cattle are still 'Jow in price, and some sections of the wheat area, no- tably Minnesota, North Dakota, and on west, have many cases of actual distress. With his products not selling on & parity with the prodycts of industry, every sound remedy that can be devised should be applied for the relief of the farmer. He represents a charaoter, a type of citizenship, and a public necessity that must be preserved and afforded every facility for re- gaining prosperity. Urges Cheap Fertilizer. The distress s wost acute among those wholly dependent upon one crop. Wheat acreage was greatly expanded and has not yet been sufficiently reduced. A large amount {s ralsed for ex- port, which has to meet the com- peition in the world market of arge amounts rafsed on land much cheaper and much more productive. No_complicated scheme of re- lief, no plan for government fix- ing’ of prices, no resort to the public Treasury will be of any permanent value in establishing agriculture. Bimple and direct methods put into operation by the farmer himself are the only real sources for restoration. Indirectly the farmer must be relieved by a reduction of na- tional and local taxation. ¥ must be assisted by the reorgani- zation of the freight-rate struc- ture which could reduce charges on his production. To make this fully effective there ought to be railroad consolidations. Cheaper tertilizers must be provided. Backs Co-Operatives. He must have organization. His customer with whom he exchanges products of the farm for those of industry is organized, labor is or- ganized, business Is organized, and there {8 no way for agriculture to meet this unless it, too, is organ- ized.” The acreage of wheat is too large. Unless we can meet the world market at a profit_we must stop raising for export. Organiza- tion would help to redirce acreage. Systems of co-operative market- ing created by the farmers them- sclves, supervised by competent management, without doubt would be of assistance, but they cannot wholly solve the problem. Our agricultural schools ought to have thorough courses in the theory of organization and ‘co-operative marketing. Diversification _is Those farmere who raise their living on their land are not greatly in distress. Such loans as are wisely needed to assist buying stock and other materials to start in this direction should be financed through a government agency as a temporary and emergency ex- pedient. The remaining difficulty is the disposition of exportable wheat. I do not favor the permanent in- terference of the government in this problem. That probably would increase the trouble by in- creasing production. But it seems feasible to provide government aesistance to exports, and author- ity should be given the War Finance Corporation to grant, in its discretion, the most liberal terms of payment for fats and grains exported for the direct benefit of the farm. ‘Wanted Muscle Shoals. The government is undertaking to develop = greal water-power project known as Muscle Shoal on which {t has expended many million dollars. The work s stiil going on. Subject to the right to Tetake in time of war, I recom- mend that this property with a location for auxillary steam plant and rights of-way be sold. This Would end the present burden of expense and should return to the Treasury the largest price possible to_secure. While the price is an important element, there is another consid- eration even more compelling. The agriculture of the nation needs a greater supply and lower cost of fertilizer. This is now imported in largs quantities. The best infor- mation I can secure indicates that present methods of power prod: tion would not be able profitabl to meet the price at which these imports can be sold. To obtain a supply from this water power would require long and costly ex- perimentation to perfect a proc- ess for cheap production. Other- wise our purpose would fail com- pletely. It seems desirable, there- fore, in order to protect and pro- moté the public welfare, to have adequate covenants that such ex- perimentation be made and carried on to success. The great advan- tage of low-priced nitrates must be secured for the direct benefit of the farmers and the indirect bene- fit of the public in time of peace, and of the government in time of war. If this main object be ac- complished,. the amount of money received for the property is not'a primary or major consideration. Such a solution will involve com- piicated negotiatigne. and there is no authority for that purpose. I therefore recommend that the Congress appoint a small joint dommittae to consider. ofters, con- duct negotiations and report defl- nite recommendations. Reclamation Needs. By reason of many contributing causes oocupants of our reclama- tion projects are in financial diffi- culties, which In some cases are acute, Relief should be granted by definite authority of law empower- ing_the Secretary of the Interior in his discretion to suspend, re- adjust and reassess all charges nst water users. This whole tion is being considered by ex- rts. You will have the advan- necessary. f-n of the facts and conclusions _ which they may develon. Thiw sit- uation, involving a government in- vestmént of more than $136,000.- 000, and affecting more than 50,000 water users, is serious. While re- “Lief which is necessary should be granted, yet contracts with the government which can be met should be met. The established general policy of 'these projects should not-be abandoned for any private control. y Backs Highways and Foreats. Highways _ and _ reforestation should continue to have the inter- est and support of the govern- ment. Every one is anxfous for 00d highw 1 have made a iberal proposal in the budget for the continuing payment. to the states by the federal government of its share for this pecessary pub- lle tmprovement. No expenditure of public; money ‘contributes so much to the national wezlth as for building good roads. 5 Reforestation has an importance far above the attention it usually secures. ecial commitiee of the Senate 18 investiguting this need, and 1 shall welcome a con- structive policy based on their re- port, * Must Maintaln Place. It is 100 years since our country announced the Monroe doctrine, This principle has been ever since, and is now, one of the main foun- dationa_of our foreign relations. It m be maintained. But in maintaining It wé must notbe for- etful _that & great change has faken place, ~We ate no longer & weak nation, thinking mainly of defense, dreading, foreign imposi- tion. We are great and powerful. New powers bring new responsi- ilities. Sr‘u‘m ourselves. Added to that, our duty now is to help give sta- bility to’the world: We: " want ilem, -~ We want that Vvisfon id . which lifts men and natlons above . Coolidge PRAISES COOLIDGE: CIVIL SERVICE PLEA Head of Reform League Urges Congress Act to Extend Merit System. President Coolidge's recommenda-" tions for the extension of the civil service, In his annual address to Con- gress today, were praised by William Dudley Foulke, president of the Na- tional Civil Service Reform League, in Washington to attend the forty-third annual convention of the league. . Foulke sald: “In his declaration regarding the civil service the President follows his custom of saying much in few words The competitive system, he declares, Is espectally desirable fn the Post Of- fice Department. This is most truc. Here is its weakest point, for in post- masterships and among the rural free dellvery carriers the lists of eligibles, in epite of the efforts of the Civil Service Commission, have been so ma- nipulated by politiclans, with the c operation of the department itself, that the classification is little more than a formality. This can be reme- died by the President directing that the head of the list shall be appointed. an order which will prevent theso places from continuing to be the spoils of politics. It is to be hoped that he will enortly issue such an or- er. “He recommends the classification of presidential postmasters and the repeal of the four-year term. This s excel- lent, and deserves the support of every patriotic citizen. Equally. necessary is his recommendation that the fleld serv- fee for prohibition enforcement be clas- sified without ‘covering in' that pic- turesque and varlegated crew of mis- creants appointed as political plunder, who now flll so many of the places in that unit. This, too, is admirable, as well as his final declaration, ‘The best method for selecting_public servants is the merit system.' We all say, Amen! “There “are also other places that #hould be embraced in his general state- ment that the extension of the classified service is exceedingly Important. Amon, these are deputy collectors of interna revenue, employes of the farm loan service, that of the reserve banking sys- tem, and many others which Congress specifically excepted. The President should be given power to classify them all. The message s excellent upon this whole subject. But will Congress, some of whose members seem to derive thelr political nutriment from office peddling, adopt these wise recommendationa? Who shall say? The credit of the re- publican party, as well as the welfare of the country, depends largely upon Congress carrying cut ih good faith and all sincerity “the President's earnest desires.” POSTAL FLYER IS HURT, MUCH MAIL BURNED 800 Pounds Destroyed When Pilot Is Forced Down and Plane Bursts in Flames. By the Associated Press. TOLEDO, Ohio, December 6.—H. C. Brown, Chicago pilot, was burned when his mail plane burst into flames as he was making a forced landing at'Castalia, Ohio, near Sandusky, this morning. He was piloting govern- ment plane No. 318 and was on the way from Cleveland to Chicago. Three hundred pounds of mail wera destroyed in the forced landing of the air mail plane {n Ohio, according to advices received by Carl Egge, superintendent of the air mail service Mr. Egge stated that according to his information, Pilot Brown suffered 2 broken ieg and burns, but was not seriously hurt. The pilot was taken to & Sandusky hospital. The cause o€ the forced landing was not known ere. HUGE CUT IN TAXES; DENIAL OF BONUS, URGED IN MESSAGE (Continued from First Page.) tion by the government will follow any betrayal of duty. to the public by_the industry, The President left no doabt'as to his intention to do all in his power to see that the American overscas mers chant marine i{s to be maintained, both as & measure of national defense and as an ald to American commeroce. The government, he indicated, would meet the situation until such time as the ships can be traneferred “ad- vantageously” to private American i~ terests. For months friends and opponents aliks of President Coolidge have waited to learn what the policles of his_administration are to be. He made it a consistent rule not to d cuss his policies prior to his addre to Congress, with this exception said at the outset of his incumbency as President that he ‘Intended to “carry on” with the Harding policies. His address today bere out this etatement. In no important respect does his statement to' the Congress differ from the position taken by his Predecessor, except so far as changed conditions have made it possible to be more. explicit, as in connection with the 'proposed réduction of taxes, It is recognized that the President's address to Congress today is and must be the platform on which he will seek the nomination of the republican party, it he does seek it. There ars parts of it which his opponents for the nomination will undoubtedly seize upon. His stand on the soldiers' bonus and on the World Court, clear~ {1y enunciated, will be a signal to Sen- ator Hiram Johnson of California, an open contender for the honor. PLAGUE IN STAMBOUL. CONSTANTINOPLE, December §.— Many cases of plague have appeared At Stamboul. These are virtues by reason of their own merit. But they must not be cloistered; they must not be impractical; they must not be ineffective. The world s had enough of the curse of hatred and selfishness, ot destruction and war. It has had enough of the wrongful use of ma- terial power. For the healing of themselves. Our duty then was to the nations there must be good will and_charity, confidence and peace. The. time’ has come for a more practical use of moral power, and more rellance upon the prin- ciple that right makes its own might. Our suthority among the nations must be represented by justice and mercy. It s necessary not only to have faith. but to make sacrifices for our faith. The pir- {tual forces of thé.world make all its final detérminatioms. It is with these voices that America should &peak.. Whenever:they declarg a righteous purpose there need be-no oubt . that, they will be heard. merica has taken her place in the world as & republic—f? e, “inde- rnflanl‘ powerful. The b serve ce that can be rendered to hu- manity is the assurance that this