The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 4, 1901, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1901 EXPANSION CAUSES NEED FOR A LARGER NAVY MONROE DOCTRINE MUST BE UPHELD BY SHIPS OF WAR Greater Naval Strength Is Now Re- quired Owing to New Responsibilitics. Continued From Page Two. ingly mischievous had it mot also been entirely ineflective. 1In accordance with a well-known sociological law the ignorant or reckless agi- tator has been the really effective friend of the evils which he has been nominally oppos- ing. In dealing with business interests, for the Government to undertake by crude and ill- considered legislation to do what may turn out to be bad would be to incuf the risk of such far-reaching national disaster that It would be preferable to undertake nothing at all. The men who demand the impossible or the unde- sirable serve as the allies of the forces With which they are nominally at war, for they hamper those who would endeavor to find out in rational fashion what the wrongs really are &nd to what extent and in what manner it is practicable to apply remedies. All this is true; and yet it is also true that there are real and grave eyils, one of the chief being over-capitalization because of its many baleful consequences; and a resolute end practical effort must be made to correct these evils, There is & widespread convietion in the minds of the American people that the great corporations known as trusts are in certain ©of their festures and tendencies hurtful to the general welfare. This springs from no €pirit of envy or uncharitableness, nor lack of pride in the great Industrial achievements that have placed this country at the head of the nations struggling for commercial supremacy. | It does mot rest upon a lack of intelligent ap- preciation of the necessity of meeting changing and changed conditions of trade with new methods, nor upon ignorance of the fact that combination of capital in the effort to ac- | complish great things is necessary when the worid's progress demands that great - things b done. It is based upon sincere conviction thet combination and concentration should be, not_prohibited, but supervised and within rea- sonable limits controlled; and in my judg- ment this conviction is right. It s no limitation upon property rights or freedom of contract to require that when men receive from Government the privilege of do- ing business under corporate form, which | frees them from individual responsibility, and enables them to call into their enterprises the capital of the public, they shall do so upon absolutely truthful representations as to the value of the property in which the capital is to be invested. Corporations engaged in inter- state commerce should be regulated if they are found to exercise a license working to the public injury. It should be as much the aim of those who seek for social betterment to rid | the business world of crimes of cunning as to | rid the entire bdy politic of crimes of vio- lence. Great corporations exist only because they are created and safeguarded by our in- stitutions; and it is therefore our right and our duty to see that they work in harmony with these institutions. The first essential in —————4 determining how to | deal with the great in- | dustrial _combinations | Publicity is the | | 1= knowledge of the | | only sure remedy which | the people | ean invoke. facts—publicity. In the | interest of the public the Government should { have the right to in- 4—————— 4 spect and examine the workings of the great rporations engaged in interstate business. Publicity 18 the only sure remedy which we | can mow invoke. What further remedies are needed in the way of governmental regulation, or taxation, can only be determined after pub- | licity has been obtained, by process of law, | and in the course of administration. The first | requisite is knowledge, full and complete— | knowledge which may be made public to the world. Artificial bodies, such as corporations and jolnt stock or other associations, depending | upon any statutory law for thelr existence or | privileges, should be subject to proper govern- mertal supervision, and full ana accuraté in- formation as to their operations should be made public regularly at reasonable intervals. The large corporations, commonly called | trusts, though organized in one State, always do business in many States, often doing very lLttle businese in the State where they are | incorporated. There is utter lack of uniform- ity ip the State Jaws about them: and as no State has any exclusive interest in or power over their acts, it has in practice proved im- possible to get adequate regulation through State action. Therefore .in the interest of the whole people, the nation should, without in- terfering with the power of the States in the matter itself, also assume power of super- vision and regulation over all corporations do- ing an interstate business. This is especlally true where the corporation derives a portion of its wealth from the existence of some mo- nopolistic element or tendency in its business. There would be mo hardship in such super- vision: banks are subject to it, and in their case it is now accepted as a simple matter of | course. Indeed, it is probable that super- vision of corporations by the National Govern- ment need not go so far as is now the case with the supervision exercised over them by | so conservative a State as Massachusetts, in arder to produce excellent results. + = OF COMMERCE ] AND INDUSTRIES Recommiendation That There Be a New Cabinet Officer to Supervise All Trade Conditions, Merchant Ma- rine and Whatever Con- cerns Labor. g +* When the constitution was adopted at the end of the eightenth century, no human wis- dom could foretell the sweeping changes, alike in_industrial and political conditions, which were to take place by the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time it was ac- cepted as a matter of course that the several States were the proper authorities to regulate 0 far as was then necessary, the compara- tively insignificant and strictly localized cor- porate bodies of the day. The conditions are now wholly different and wholly different ac- tion is looked for. I believe that a law can. ke framed which will- enable the National Gov- erpment to exercise control along the lines above indicated; profiting by the experience gained through thé pasage and administra- tion of the interstate commerce act. If, how- ever, the judgment of Congress is that it lacks the constitutional power to pass such an act, then a constitutional amendment should - be submitted to confer the power. There should be created a Cabinet officer, to be known s Secretary of Commerce and Industries, as provided in the bill introduced at the last mession of Congress. It should e bis provinge to deal. with commerce In its broadest sense: including among many other things whatever concerns labor and all mat- ters affecting the- great business corporations and ovr merchant marine. The course proposed is one phase of what should be-a comprehensive and far-reaching séheme of constructive statesmanship for the purpose of broadening our markets, securing our business interests on a safe basis and meking firm our new position in the Inter- national industrial ":hoda;l while serupulously safeguarding the ts ‘wage-worker ‘and capitalist, of investor and private citizen, 56 @s to secure equity as between man and man in this republic. ‘With the sole exception of the farming in- tereet, no one matter is of such vital moment to our whole people as the welfare of the wageworkers. If the farmer and the wage- worker are well off, it 1§ absolutely certain. that all others will be well off too. It {s there- fore a matter for hearty congratulatio) | out a perfect job. istrator should be-bent to secure the per- manency of this condition of things and its improvement wherever possible. Not only must our labor be protected by the tariff, but it should also be protected so far as possible from the presence in this country of any. labor- ers brought over by contract, or of those who, coming freely, yet represent a standard of living so depressed that they can undersell our men in the labor market and drag them to a lower level. I regard it as necessary, with this end in view, to re-enact immediatély tbe law excluding Chinese laborers and to strength- | en it wherever necessary in order to make its enforcement entirely effective, The National Govern- ment should demand the highest quality of service from f{ts em- ployes; and in return it should be a good em- Eight - hou rT law should| be enforced | andall labor- | ployer. If possible leg- ers protected. | islation should be | passed in connection 4————————4 with the interstate commerce law, which will render effective the efforts of different States to do away with the competition of con- vict contract labor in the open labor marKet. So far as practicable under the conditions of Government work, provision should be made to render the enforcement of the eight-hour law easy and certain. In all industries carried on directly or indirectly for the United States Government women and children should be protected from excessive hours of labor, from night work and from work under unsanitary conditions. The Government should provide in its contracts that all work should be done under ‘‘fair’” conditions, and In addition to setting a high standard should uphold, it by proper inspection, extending If necessary to the sub-contractors. The Government should for- bid all night work for women and children, as well as excessive overtime. For the District of Columbla a good factory law should be passed; and, as & powerful {ndirect aid to such laws* provision ghould be made to turn the inhabited alleys, the exist of which is a reproach to our Capital City, into minor streets, where the inhabitants can live under conditions_ favorable to health and morals. American wageworkers work with their heads as well as their hands. Moreover, they take a keen pride in what they are doing; so that, independent of the reward, they wish to turn This is the great secret of our success in competition Wwith the labor of foreign countries, The most vital prob- s Gl lem with which this country, and for that Great Z00d 18| matter the whole civ- accomplished | ilized world, has to by associa-| deal, is the problem tiomns of| which has for one side | workingmen. | the betterment of so- | | clal conditions, moral 4——————————+ and physical, in large citles, and for another side the effort to deal with that tangle of far- reaching questions which we group together when we speak of ‘labor.”” The chief factor in the success of each man—wageworker, far- mer, and capitalist allke—must ever be the sum total of his own individual qualities and abilitiee. Second only to this comes the power of acting in combination or association with others. Very great good has been and will be accomplished by assoclations or unions of wageworkers, when managed with forethought, and when they combine insistence upon their own rights with law-abiding respect for the rights of others. The display of these quali- ties in such bodles is a duty to the mation no less than to the associations themselves. Finally, there must also in many cases be ac- tion by the Government in order to safeguard the rights and interests of all. Under our con- stitution there is much more scope for such action by the State and the municipality than by the nation. But on points such as those touched on above the National Government can act. When ell is said and done, the rule of broth- erhood remains gs the indispensable prerequi- site to success iff the kind of national life for which we etrive. Each man must work for himself, and unless he so gorks no outside help can avail him; but each man must re- member also that he is indeed his brother's keeper. and that while no man who refuses to walk can be carried with advantage to him- self or any one else, ‘yet that each at times stumbles or halts, that each at times needs to have the helping hand outsretched to him. To he permanently effective, aid must always take the form of helping a man to help him- self; and we can all best help ourselves by joining together in the work that is of com- mon interest to all. Our present immigration laws are unsatis- factory. We need every homest and efficient immigrant fitted to become an American citi- zen, every immigrant who comes here to stay, who brings here a strong body, a stout heart, {a good head, and a resolute purpose to do his duty well in every way and to bring up his children as law-abiding and God-fearing mem- bers of the community. But there should be a comprehensive law enacted with the object of working a threefold improvement over, our present system. First, we shouid aim to ex- clude absolutely not only all persons who are known to be believers in anarchistic principles or members of anarchistic societies, but also all persons who are of a low moral tendency or of unmsavory reputation. This means that we should require a more thorough system of inspection abroad and a more rigid system of examination at our immigration ports, the former being especially necessary. The second object of 4————————4 a proper immigration 1 | law ouzht to be to se- Careful and| cure by a careful and mot perfunc-| not merely perfunctory 1 tory educa-| educational test some tional test is| intelligent capacity to } requirement. | appreciate American institutions and act .0—-——‘ sanely as American citizens. This would not keep out all anarchists, for many of them belong to the intelligent criminal class, But it would do what is also in point, that is, tend to decrease the sum of ignorance, s6 potent in producing the envy, suspicion, malignant pas- sion, and hatred of order, out of which anar- chistic sentiment ineviably springs. Finally, all persons should be excluded who are below @ certain standard of economic fitness to enter our industrial field as competitors with Ameri- can labor. There should be proper proof of per- sonal capacity to earn an Amerlcan living and enough money to insure a decent start under American conditions. This would stop. the in- flux of cheap labor, and the resulting compe- tition which gives rise to so much of bitterness in American industrial life; and it would dry up the springs of the pestilential soctal condi- tions in our great cities, where anarchistic organizations have their greatest possibility of growth. Both the educational and economic tests in a wise immigration law should be designed to protect and elevate the general bedy politic and social. A very close supervision should be exercised over the steamship companies which mainly bring over the immigrants, and they should be held to a strict accountability for any infraction of the law. * = — NOT A GENERAL TARIFF CHANGE Sweeping Revisions Are Apt to' Produce. Condi- tions Closely Approaching Panic in the Work. of Finance and Commerce. There is general fesce: 1 present t;rll"l}':u'm as nfl:wnaln;eoll:xw:rhe fln: requisite to our prosperity is the continuity and stability of this economic policy. Nothing could be more unwise than to disturb the business interests of the country by any general t change at this time, M':I’l. al ; &3 certainty are exactly what we most wish to avoid In the interest of our commercial and material well-being. Our experience in the past Shown that sweeplng revisions of the tarift produce conditions closely - Ppanic in the business world. Yfl?m t has are Ang PRESIDENT URGES STRONGER CHINESE EXCLUSION LAW workers. than ever befors. PeE only possible, but eminently desirable, to com- bine with the stabllity of our economic system a supplementary system of reciprocal benefit and obligation with other nations. Such reci- procity is an incident and result of the firm establishment and préservation of our present economic policy. It was specially provided for in the present tariff law. Reaiprodity . must be needed. is maintained, | and that reclpl;oclly blt 4—————-—————+¢ sought for° so far as can safely be done without injury to‘our home industries. ~Just how far this is must be determined according to the individual case, remembering always that every application of our tariff policy to meet our shifting national needs must be con- ditfoned uvon the cardinal fact that the duties must never be rediiced below the polnt that will cover the difference between the labor cost here and abroad. The well-being of the wage- worker is a prime consideration of our entire policy of economic legislation. Subject to this proviso of the proper protec- tion necessary to our industrial well-being at home, the principle of reciprocity must com- mand our hearty support. The phenomenal growth of our export trade emphasizes the ur- gency of the need for wider markets and for a liberal policy in dealing with foreign nations. Whatever is merely petty and vexatious in the way of trade restrictions should be avoided. The customers to whom we dispose of our sur- plus products in the long run, directly or indi- rectly, purchase those surplus products by giv- ing us something in return. Thelr ability to purchase our products should as far as pos- sible be secured by so arranging our tariff as o enable us to take from them those products which wé can use without harm to our own industries and labor, or the use of which will be of marked benefit to us. It js most important that we should main- tain the high level of our present prosperity We have now reached the point in the devel- opment of our interests where we are not only able to supply our own markets but to pro- duce a constantly growing surplus for which we must find markets abroad. To secure these markets we can utilige existing duties in any case where they are no longer needed for the purpose of protection, or in any case where the article is not produced here and the duty is no longer necessary for revenue, as giving us something to offer in exchange for what we ask. The cordial relations with other nations which are so desirable will naturally be pro- moted by the course thus required by our own_interests. The natural line of development for a pol- icy of reciprocity will be in connection with those of our productions which no longer re- of protection. +— treated - as- the hand- 1 maiden- of protection. |R e e 1 p rocity | Our first duty Is-to see | must. be| that . the . protection treated asthe | granted by the tariff in [ h n ndmaiden | every case where it is | quire all of the support once needed to estab-- lish thsm upon a sound basls, and with those others where either because of natural or of economic causes we are beyond the reach of successful competition. I ask the attention of the Semate to the reciprocity treaties laid before it by my prede- cessor. The condition of the American merchant mariie is such as to call for immedite reme- dial action by the Congress. It is discredit- able to us as a nation that our merchant marine skould be utterly insignificant in com- parison to that of other nations Which w2 overtop in other forms of business. We should not longer submit to conditions under which only a trifling portion of our great commerce is carried in our own ships. To remedy (Lis state of things would not merely serve to build up our shipping interests, but it would ‘also result in benefit to all who are interested in the permanent establishment of a wider mar- ket for American products, and would pro- vide an auxiliary force for the navy. Ships work for their own countries just as railroads work for their terminal points. Shipp'rg lines, if established to the principal countries with which we have dealings, would be of political as well as commercial benefit. From every standpoint it is unwise for the United States to continue to rely upon the ships of competing nations for the distribution of our goods. It should be made advantageous to carry American goods in American-built ships. 3 ¢ At present American shipping is under cer- tain great disadvantages when put in com- petition with the shipping of foreign couu- tries. Many of the fast foreign steamships, at o speed of fourteen knots or above, are sub- sidized; and all our ships, salling vessels and steamers alike, cargo carriers of slow speed and mail carriers of high speed, have to meet the fact that the original cost of bullding American ships is greater than is the case abroad; that the wages pald American of- ficers and seamen are very much higher than those paid the officers and seamen of foreign competing countries; and that the standard of living on our ships is far superior to the standard of living on the ships of our com- mercial rivale. Our Government should take such action as will remedy these inequalities, The American merchant marine should be restored to the ocean. o GOLD STANDARD IS SATISFACTORY National Banking Law Is All Right, but There Is Need of Better - Safe- i guards Against the De- rangmg Influence of Cri- ses and Panics. — L The act of March 14, 1900, intended unequivo- cally to establish gold as the etandard money. and to maintain at a parity . therewith ail forms of money medium in use with us, has been shown to be timely and judicious. The price of our Government bonds in the worll's market, when compared with the price of sim- ilar obligations issued by other nations, is a flattering tribute to our public credit. = 7This condition it is evidently. desirable to maintain. In many respects the national banking law furnishes. sufficient libefty for the proper ex- ‘ercise of the banking function; but there seems to be need of better safeguards against ‘the deranging influence of commercial crizes and financial panics. Moréover, the currency. of the country should be made responsive te the demands of our domestic trade and com- merce. . The collections from duties on imports and internal taxes continue to exceed the ordi-- nary expenditures of the Government, thanks mainly to the reduced army expenditures. The utmost care should be taken not to reduce the revenues so that-there will be any possibility of a deficit; but after providing against any such contingency, means should be adopted which will bring the revenues more nearly within the limit of our actual needs. In his report to the Congress the Secretary of the Treasury considers all these questions ai length, and I ask your attention to the report and recommendations. I call special attention to the need of strict economy in expenditurés. The fact that our national needs forbld us to be niggardly in providing whatever is actually .necessary to our well-being should make us doubly. caretul to husband our national resources as each of us husbands his private = resources, by scrupulous avoldance of anything like waste- ful or reckless expenditure. Only by avoid- ance of spending money on Wwhat is needlcss or uajustifiable can we legitimately keep our income to the point required to meet our needs that are genuine. . —_— SUFERVISION : OF RAILWAYS Interstate Commerce Act Ought to Be Aménded So . That Rdtes Should Be. Just to and Open to All Shippers Alike. S P S - In 1887 a measure ‘was enacted for the regu- lation of interstate railways, commonly known as the interstate commerce act. The cardinal provisions of that-act were that rallway rates should be just and reasonable and that. all shippers, localities and commodities should be accorded equal treatment. A eommission was created and endowed with what were sup- posed to be the necessary powers to execute the provisions of this act. That law was largely an experiment. Expe- rience has shown the wisdom of its purposes but has also shown, possibly, that some of it requirements are wrong, certainly that the means devised for the enforcement of its pro- visions are defective. Those who complain of the management of the railways allege that established rates are not maintained; that re- bates and similar devices are habitually re- Sorted to; that these preferences are usually In favor of the large shipper; that they drive out of business the smaller competitor; that while many rates are too low, many others are excessive; and that gross preferences are made, affecting both localities and commodi- tles. Upon the other hand, the raflways as- sezt that the law by its very terms tends to produce many of these illegal practices by de- priving carriers of that right of concerted ac- tion which they clalm is necessary to estab- lish and maintain non-discriminating rates. The act should be amended. The railway is a public servant. TIts rates should be just to and open to all shippers alike. The Govern- ment should see to it that within its juris- diction this is =0 and should provide a speedy, inexpensive and effective remedy to that end At the same time it must not be forgotten that our rallways are the arterfes through which the commerclal lifeblood of this nation flows. Nothing could be more foolish than the enactment of legislation which would unnec- essarily Interfere with the development and operation of these commercial agencies. The subject is one of great importance and calls for the earnest attention of Congress. * — GOVERNMENT AID FOR AGRICULTURE Preservation of Forests Is Required and-the Fed-ral Officers Should Assist in, Reclamation of Arid Lands by Building Reser- Toirs. +- 5 The Department of Agriculture during the past fifteen years has steadily broadened its work on economic lines, and has accomplished results of real value in_ upbuilding domestic and forelgn trade. It has gone into new flelds until it is now in touch with all sec- tions of our country and with two of the igland groups that have lately come under our jurisdiction, whose people must look to agriculture as a livelihood. Tt Is searching the world for grains, grasses, fruits and vege- tables specially fitted for introduction into lo- calities in the several States and Territories where they may add materially to our re- sources. By scientific attention to sofl survey and possible new crops, to breeding of new varleties of plants, to experimental shipments, to animal Industry and applied chemistry, very practieal ald has been given our farming and stock-growing Interests. The products of the farm have taken an unprecedented place In our export trade during the year that has Just closed. Public opinfon throughout the United States has moved steadily-toward a just appreciation of the value of forests, whether planted or of natural growth. The great part played by them in the creation and malntenance of the national wealth Is now more fully realized than ever befure. Wise forest protee- —————-—————4 tion does not mean the | withdrawal of forest Proetical uses | resources, whether of of the na-| wood, water or grass, tional forest| from contributing their reserves duly | full share to the wel- | demonstrated| fare of the peovle, but, on the contrary, gives the assurance of larger and more cer- tain supplies. The fundamental idea of for- estry is the perpetuation of forests by use. ‘Forest protection is not an end of Itself; it 18 a means to increase and sustain the re- sources of our country and the industries which depend upon them. The preservation of our forests is an imperative business neces- sity. We have come to see clearly that what- ever destroys the forest, except to make way for agriculture, threatens our well being. The practical usefulness of the national for- est reserves to the mining, grazing, irrigation and other interests of the regions in which the reserves lie has led to a widespread demand by the people of the West for their protection and extension. The forest reserves will inevit- ably be of still greater use in the future than in the past. Additions should be made to them whenever practicable, and their useful- ness should be increased by a thoroughly busi- ness-like management. At present the protection of the forest re- sorves rests with the General Land Office, the mapping and description of their timber with the United States Geological Survey, and the Dprepatation of plans for their conservative use with the Burean of Forestry, which is also charged with the geperal advancement of prac- tical forestry in thelUnited States. These va- rioug functions should be united in the Bureau of Forestry, to which they properly belong. The present diffusion of responsibility is bad from every standpoint. It prevents that effec- tive co-overation between the Government and- the men who utilize the resources of thc re- serves, without which the interests of both must suffer. The sclentific bureaus generally should be put under the Department of Agri- culture. The t should have by law the power of transf lands for Torest Tescrves Lo the ITH the sole exception of the farming interest, no one matter is of such vital moment to our whole people as ' h: welfarz of the wage- If the farmer and the wageworker are well off it is absolutely certain that all others will be well of’, too. It is, therefore, a matter for hearty congratulation that, on the whole, wages are higher to-day in the United States than ever before in our history, and far higher than in any other country. The standard of living is a'so higher Every efiort of legislator and administrator should b= bent to secure the permanency of this condition of thin¢s and its improve- ment wherever possib’e, Not only must our laborbe protected by the tariif, but it should also be protected, so far as it is possible, from ths presence in this country of any laborers brought over by contract, or of those who, ! coming frzely, yet represent a standard of living so depressed that they can undersell our men in the labor market and drag them to a lower fevel. regard it as neczssary, with this end in view, to re-enact immzdiately the Iaw excluding Chinese laborers and to strengthen it wherever necessary in order to make its enforcement entirely effective.””—F. om P.esident Rooseve:r’s Message. . A Aolheiatle SR S R AR S ture. He already has such power in the case of lands needed by the Departments off War and the Navy. The wise administration of the forest reserves Will be not less helpful to the interests which depend on water than to those which depend on wood and grass. The water supply itself depends upon the forest. In the arid reglon it is water, not land, which measures produc- tion. The western half of the United States would ‘sustain a population greater than that of .our whole country to-day if the waters that now run to waste were saved and used for ir- rigation. The forest and water problems are perhaps the most vital internal questions of the United States at the present time. Certain of the forest 4—————————4 reserves should also be made preserves for the Provision| wild forest creature: should be| made to pro- All of the reserves should be better. pro- tect wild| tectedfrom fires. Many creatures. i of them need special protection because of ~—————4 the great injury done by livestock, above all by sheep. The increase in deer, elk and other animals in the Yellowstone Park shows what may be expected when other mountain forests are properly protected by law and properly guarded. Some of these areas have been so de- nuded of surface vegetation by overgrazing that the ground breeding birds, including srouse and quail, and many mammals, includ- ing deer, have been exterminated or driven away. At the same time the water-storing ca- pacity of the surface has been decreased or destroyed, thus promoting floods in times of rain and diminishing the flow of streams be- tween rains. In cases where natural conditions have been restored for a few years vegetation has again carpeted the ground. birds and deer are com- ing back, and hundreds of persons, especlally from the immediate neighborhood, come each summer to enjoy the privilege of camping. Some at least of the forest reserves should afford perpetual protection to the native fauna and flora, safe havens of refuge to our rapidly diminishing wild animals of the larger kinds ana free camping grounds for the ever-increas- ing numbers of men and women who have Iearned to find rest, health and recreation in the splendid forests and flower-clad meadows of our mountains. The forest reserves should be set apart forever for the nse and benefit of our people as a whole and not sacrificed to the chort-sighted greed of a few. The forests are natural reservoirs. By re- straining the streams in flood and replenishing them in drought they make nossible the use of waters otherwise wasted. They prevent the sofl from washing. and so protect the storage reservolrs from filling up with sflt. Forest con- servation is therefore an essentfal condition of water conservation. The forests alone cannot. however, fully rez- ulate and conserve the waters of the arld re- glon. Great storage works are necessary to €qualize the flow of streams and to save the flood waters. Thelr construction has been con- clusively shown to be an undertaking too vast for private effort. Dlished by the individual States acting alon Far-reachine interstate problems are involved: #nd the resources of single States would often be inadequate. Tt is’properly a-national func- tion. at least In some of its features. It is as right for the national Government to make the streams and rivers of the artd region useful by engineering works for water storage as to make useful the rivers and the harbors of the +| humid region by enzineer'ng warks of another kind. The storing of the floods in reservoirs at the head waters of our rivers is but an enlarge- ment of our present policy of river control, un- der which Jevees are built on the lower reachss of the same streams. The Government should construct and main- tain these reservoirs as it does dther public works. Where their purpose is to rezulate the flow of streams the water should be turned freely into the channels in the dry season to take the same course under the same laws as the natural flow. The reclamation of 4————————4 the unsettled arid pub- | lic lands presents a ITrrigation! different nroblem. Here | works =hould| it is not enwmgh to | bhe built by regulate .the flow of | the natiomal! streams. The object | Government. | of the Government is | to' dispose of the land — to settlers who will build homes upon it. To aceomnlish this . object water must be bronght within their reach. The pioneer settlers on the arid public do- main chose thelr homes along streams frdhm which they could themselves divert the water to reclaim their holdin=s. Such opportunities are practically gone. There remain. however, vast areas of public land which can be mada available for homestead settlement, but only by reservoirs and main-line canals impracti- cable for private enterprise. These irrigation works should be bullt by the national Govern- ment. The lands reclaimed by them should be reserved by the Government for actual settlers, and the cost of comstruction should be so far as possible repaid by the land reclaimed. The distribution of the water, the division of the streams among irrigators. should be left to the settlers themselves in conformity with State laws and without interference with those laws or with vested rights. The polley of the national Government should be to aid irriga- tion In the several States and Territories in such manner as will enable the people in the local communities to help themselves. and as will stimulate needed reforms in the State laws and regulations governing irrigation. The reclamation and settlement of the arid lands will enrich every portion of our country, just as the settlement of the Ohlo and Mis- sissippi valleys brought prosperity to the At- lantic States, The increased demand for man- ufactured articles will stimulate industrial pro- i duction, while wider home markets and the trade of Asia will consume the larger food supplies and effectually prevent Western com. petition with Eastern agriculture. Indeed, the products of irrigation will be consumed chiefly in upbullding local centers of mining and other industries, which would otherwise not come into existence at ail. Our people as a whole will profit, for successful home-miaking is but another name for the upbuflding of the nation. The necessary foun- dation has already been laid for the in- auguration of the pol- icy just described. It would be unwise to be- Ein by doing too much, for a great deal will doubtless be learned, both as to what can and what cannot be safely attempted, by the early efforts, - which of necessity be partly experimental in character. At the very beginning the Gov- ernment should make clear, beyond shadow of doubt, its intention pursue this policy on lines of the broadest public interest. No reser- voir or canal should ever be built to satisty selfish personal or local interests; but only in accordance with the advice of trained experts, after long investigation has shown the locality Where all the conditions combine to make the ‘work most needed and fraught with the great- est usefulness to the community as a whole. There should be no-extravagance, and the be- llevers in the need of irrigation will most benefit thelr cause by seaing to it that it is free from the least taint of excessive or reck- less expenditure of the public moneys. Whatever the nation does for tHe extension of irrigation should harmonize with and tend to improve the condition of those now living on irrigated land. We are not at the starting Many million acres of arid land have been re- claimed. use as ' point of this development. Over two hundred Department of Agricul- milllons of private capital has already been ARIY IS LARGE ENOUGH FOR ALL ITS REQUIREMENTS ‘But Greater State of Efficiency Is "Desired by the Chief Executive. Bt expended In the construction of irrigation works lI'Arse many million acres of arid land l:clllmnedA A Ligh degree of enterprise and abllity has been shown In the work itself, but as Mmuck cannot be sald In reference to the laws relat- ing thereto. The security and value of the homes created depend largely on the stability of titles to water, but the majority of lbfi" rest on the uncertain foundation of court e cisions rendered in ordinary suits at law. a few creditable exceptions the arid States have fafled to provide for the certain and just atvision of streams in times of scarcity. Lax and uncertain laws have made it dossible to establish rights to water in excess of actual uses or necessities and many streams have al- ready passed into private ownership or & com- trol equivalent to ownership. ‘Whoever controls a stream practically con- trols the land it renders productive, and the doctrine of private ownership of water apart from land cannot prevail without causing en- during wrong. The recognition of such owner- ship, which has been permitted to grow up In the arid regions, should give way to a more enlightened and larger recognition of the rights of the public in the control and disvosal of the public water supplies. Laws founded upon conditions obtaining in humid regions, where water is too abundant to justify hoarding it, have no proper application in a dry country. In the arid States the 4—————————4 only right to water | which should be recog- Developments| nized s that of use. of the past| In irrigation this right justify exten-| should attach to the sion of Gov-| land reclaimed and be ernment aid.| inseparable therefrom. Granting perpetual __—i water rights to others than users, without compensation to the public, is open to all the objections which apply to giving away per- petual franchises to the public utilities-of citles. A few of the Western States have al- ready recognized this and have incorporated in their constitutions the doctrine of perpetual State ownership of water. The benefits which have followed the unaid- ed development of the past justify the nation’s aid and co-operation in the more difficult and important work yet to be accomplished. Laws so vitally affecting homes as those which con- trol the water supply will only be effective when they have the sanction of the irrigators; reforms can only be finai and satisfactory when they come through the enlightenment of the Ppeople most concerned. The larger development which national ald Insures should, however, awaken in every ariqd State the determination to make its irrigation system equal in justice and effectiveness that of any country in the civilized world. Nothing could be more unwise than for isolated communities to continue to learn everything experimentally instead of profiting by what is already known elsewhere. We are dealing with a new and momentous question in the pregnant years while institu- tions are forming, and what we do will affect not only the present but future generations, Our aim should be not simply to reclaim the largest area of land and provide homes fcr the largest number of pecple, but to create for this new industry the best possible soclal and !ndustrial conditions; and this requires that we not only understand the existing situation, but avsil curselves of the best experience of the time in the solution of its problems. A careful study should be made, both by the nation and the States, of the irrigation laws 2nd conditions here and abroad. Ultimately it will_probably be necessary for the nation to co-operate with the several arid States in pro- portion as these States by their legislatton and ;h‘]mlnl!(rfluun show themselves fit to receive t. In Hawall our aim must be to develop the Territory on the traditional American lines. We do not wish a region of large estates tilled by cheap labor; we wish a healthy American community of ‘men who themselves till the farms they own. All our legislation for the islands should be shaped with this end in view: the well-being of the average home-maker must afford the true test of the healthy de- velopment of the islands. The land policy shauld as nearly as possible be modeled on our homestead system. It is a pleasure to say that it is hardly more necessary to report as to Porto Rico than as to any State or Territory within our continental limits. The island is thriving as never before, and it is being administered efficiently and honestly. Its people are now enjoying [iber: and order under the protection of the Unite States, and upon this fact we congratula: them and ourselves. Their material welfare must be as carefully and jealously considered as the welfare of any other portion of our country. We have given them the great gift of free access for their products to the mar- Kets of the United States. I ask the atten- tion of the Congress to the need of legislation concerning the public lands of Porto Rico. In Cuba such progress 4——————————4 has been made toward utting the end- Cubat wATl No| L s Sy able to start| ent government of the island upon a firm foot- as her own| ing that before the | mistress in present session of the | short time. | Congress closes this I | will be an accom- f ohal 4 plished fact. Cuba will then start as her own mistress; and to the beautiful Queen of the Antilles, as she unfolds this new page of her destiny, we extend our ‘heartlest greetings and g0od wishes. Elsewhere I have discussed the question of reciprocity. In the case of Cuba, however, there are wejéhty reasons of moral. ity and of national interest why the policy should be held to have a peculiar application, and T most earnestly ask your attention to the wisdom, indeed to the vital need, of pfotid- ing for a substantial reduction In thé tariff duties on Cuban imports into the United States. Cuba has in her constitution affirmed what we desired, that she should stand, in in- ternational matters, in closer and more friend- ly relations’ with us than with any other power; and we are bound by every consideration of honor and expediency to pass commercial measures in the Interest of her material well- being. In the Philippines our problem is larger. They are very rich troplcal islands, Inhabited by many varying tribes, representing widely different stages of progress toward civilization. Our earnest effort is to help these people up- ward along the stony and difficult path that leads to self-government. We hope to make our administration of the islands honorable to our nation by making it of the highest beneft to the Filipinos themselves; and as am earnest of what we intend to do, we point t we have done. Already a greater measure of material prosperity and of governmental hon- esty and efficlency has been attained in the Philippines than ever before In their history. It is no lght _task 4————————4 for a nation to achieve the temperamental Patienece, | strength, for- bearance and resolution to be desired. qualities without which the institutions of free government are but an empty mockery. Our people are now sue- cesstully themselves, because for more than a thousand years they have been slowly fitting themselves, sometimes fously. sometimes unconscious- ly, toward this end. What has taken us thirty generations to achleve, we cannot expect to see another race accomplish out of hand, es- pecially when large portions of that race start vary far behind the point which our ancestors had reached even thirty generations ago. In dealing with the Philippine people we must show both patience and wirength, forbearance and steadfast resolution. Our aim is high. We do not desire to do for the islanders merely ‘what has elsewhere been done for tropic peo- ples by even the best foreign governments. We hope to do for them what has never before been done for any people of the tropics—to make them ft for self-government, alfter the fashion of the really free nations. History may safely be chaiienged to show a single instance in which a masterful race such az ours, having been forced by the exigencles of war to take possession of an allen land, has behaved to its inhabitants with the dis. Interested zeal for their progress that our peo- ple have shown in the Philippines. To leave the fslands at this time would mean that they would fall into a welter of murderous an- archy. Such desertion of duty on our pare would be a crime against humanity. ‘The character of Governor Taft and of his asso. ciates and subordinates is u proof, if such be needed, of the sincerity of our effort ta give the islanders a constantly increasinz measure of self-government exactly as tast as they show themselves fit to exercise it Since the civil government was established 1 | I | i | what | governing | | flag has flown. not an appointment has been made in the islands with any reference to considerations of political influence, or to aught else sa the fitness of the man and the needs of service. In our anxiety for the welfare and of the Philippines it may be that here and there we have gone too rapidly In giving them local seif-government. It is on this side that our error, If any, has been committed. No competent observer, sincerely desirous of find- ing out the facts and influenced only by a desire for the welfare of the natives, can as- sert that we have not gome far emough. We have gone to the very verge of safety im has- tening the process. To have taken a single step farther or faster in advance would have been folly and weakness, and might well have been crime. We are extremely anxious that the natives shall show the power of governing themselves. We are anxious, first for their sakes, and next because It relieves us of a great burden. There need not be the slightest fear of our not continuing to give them all the liberty for which they are fit. The only fear is lest in -our overanxiety we | give them a degree of independence for which they are unfit, thereby inviting reaction and disaster. As fast as there is any reasonable hope that in a given district the people can govern themselves self- government has been given in that district. There is not a locality fitted for seli-govern- ment which has not received it. But it may well be that in certain cases it will have to be withdrawn because the inhabitants show themseives unfit to exercise it; such instances have already occurred. In other words, there is not the slightest chance of our failing to show a sufficiently humanitarian spirit. T’ danger comes in the cpposite direction. There are still troubles ahead in the isl 3 The Insurrection has become an affair of loeal banditt{ and marauders, who deserve no higher regard than the brigands of portions of the Old World. Encouragement, direct.or indirect, to these insurrectors stands on the same foot- ing as encouragement to hostile Indlans in the days when we still had Inalan wars. Exact- Iy as our aim is to give to the Indlan who re- mains peaceful the fullest and amplest con- sideration, but to have it understood that we will show no weakness it ne goes on the war- path, so we must make it evident, unless we are false to our own traditions and to the demands of civilization and humanity, ‘hat while we will do everything In our power for the Filipino who is peaceful, we will take the sternest measures with the Filipino who fol- lows the path of the msurrecto and the ladrone. The heartlest praise is due to large numbers of the natives of the islands for their steadi: loyalty. The Macabebes have been conspi ous for their courage and devotion to the 1l I"recommend that the Secretary of War empowered to take some systematic action in the way of alding those of these men who are crippled in the service and the families of those who are killed. The time has come when there should be additional legislation for the Philippines. Nothing better can be dome for the islanls than to introduce industrial enterprises. Noth- ing would benefit them so much as throwing them open to industrial development. The con nection between Idlemess and mischief is pro verbial, and the opportunity to do remunera , tive work is one of the surest preventives of war._Of course no business man will go i=to the Philippines unless it .s o his interest to do so; and it is immensely to the interest of the islands that he should go in. It is there fore necessary that the Congress should pass laws by which the resources of the islands can be developed; so that framchises (for limited terms of years) can be granted to companies doing business in them, and every encourage- ment be given to the incoming of business men of every kind. Not to permit this is to do & wrong to the Philippines. The franchises must be grante and the business permitted only under regu- lations which will guarantee the Islands against any kind.of improper exploitation. Buc the vast natural wealth of the islands m: be developed, and the capital willing to de- velop it must be given the opportunity. The fleld must be thrown open to individual enter- prise, which has been the real factor in the development of every region over which our It is urgently necessary to en- act suitable laws dealing with general trans- portation, mining, banking, currency, hom.- steads, and the use and ownership of the lands and timber. These laws will give free play to industrial enterprise: and the commereial development which will surely follow will a- ford to the people of the islands the best proofs of the sincerity of our desire to aid them. +* Storms are in prospect in & 0 vermment of the Phil- ippines. NEED OF CABLE TO THE ORIENT Nt ‘a Doy Shoald. ‘B B Wasted in the Comstruc- tion of the Cable Line to Hawaii and the Far Phil- ippines. s —_—-:--—mmm s I call your attention most earnestly to the crying need of a cable to Hawail and the Philippines, to be continued from the Philip- pines to points in Asia. We should mot defer & day longer than necessary the comstruction of such a cable. It is demanded not merely for commercial but for political and military considerations. FEither the Congress should immedtately pro- vide for the construction of a Government cable or else an arrangement should be made by which like advantages to those accrhing from a Government cable may be secured to the Government by contract with a private cable company. T WORK ON cANAL | MUST PROCEED United - States Has an Op- portunity to Do the Build- ing and Assume Resporsi- bility for Safeguarding the Waterway Through the Isthmus. o R T SR A, 3 4 No single great material work which re- mains to be undertaken on this continent is of such consequence to the American people as the bullding of a canal across the Isthmus connecting North and South Amerfca. Its im- portance to the nation is by mo means limited merely to its material effects upon our busi- ness prosperity: and yet with view to these effects alome It would be to the last degree im- portant for us to immediately begin it. While its beneficial effects would perhaps be most marked upon the Pacific Coast and the gult and South Atlantic States, it would also great- 1y benefit other sections. It is eMphatically a work which it is for the interest of the entire country to begin and complete as soon as possible: it is one of those great works which only a great nation can undertake with prospects of success. and which when done are not only permanent assets in the nation’s material interests, but standing monuments to its constructive ability. T am glad to be able to announcs to you that our nmegotiations on this subject with Great Britain. conducted on both sides ink s silrit of friendliness and mutual good will respect, have resulted in my being able to Iay before the Senate a treaty which If rati- fled will enable us to begin preparations for Continued on Page Five. . .