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MESSAGE TO CONGRESS nt Deals witli Some New and Important Subjects and He Alio Recommends : -v jg Much Legislation '4'KT ASKS FOR INCOME AND Believes Scclt Legislation Is Consiitntional and That It InM Curb the Growth of Fortunes fo Dange*ous Prapsrtioas--Asks for Lisji la* tioa That Will Enable Govern sent to Appeal Criminal Cases in ProsecntioBS of the Trusts--Would Minimize Injunctions in Labor Troubles---H» Views on the Negro Question--Promises a Special 'Message on Panama Canal--Cuban Intervention, Currency ? form and Many Other Sibjecti Reviewed, ' * ••*&! WadiiiigtoB, DWe 1-fr^nt Roose- •*»lt's message to the second session of tbe Fifty -ninth congress deals with a number of new and imp'6?>tant subjects, efclef of which Is the government prose- Vcutlon of the trusts, the abuse of injunc­ tions In labor troubles, the negro ques­ tion, the preaching of class hatred between capital and labor, additional legis­ lation for the control of large corpora- . tlons. a federal inheritance and income tax law and currency reform. The message opens with a statement of what the last congress left unfinished, . and of this he says: 1 "I again recommend a law prohibiting •11 corporations from contributing to the expenses of any party. Such already past one house of con- individuals contribute as they v.. but let us prohibit in effective SMhlOn all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, ilrectlv or indirectly. "Another bill which has Just past one SOB* of the congress and which is ur- arsotiy necessary should be enacted into •WW is that conferring upon the govern- ,»snt the right Of appeal in criminal artiBS on questions of law. This right •Usls in many Of the states; it exists in District of Columbia by act of the J^sss. It is of course not proposed It in any case a verdict for the de- at on the merits should be set Recently in one district where government had indicted certain per- ' INM for conspiracy in connection with Mb&tes, the court sustained the defend- F»- demurrer; while in another jurls- 4fctkm ah indictment for conspiracy to Witlftl rebates has been sustained by ;,$£• Mart, convictions obtained under it, ':SAd two defendants sentenced to imprls- '4WSMMt. The two cases referred to may 'n real conflict with each other, .fltk It is unfortunate that there should *mm be an apparent conflict. At pres- there is no way by which the gov- an cause such a conflict, when . to be solved by an appeal to Oourt; and the wheels of justice without any real decision of ion. I can not too strongly passage of the bill in question, to pass will result in seriously , lg the government in its effort to obtain Justice, especially against Wealthy individuals or corporations who *0 wrong; and may also prevent the from obtaining justice for who are not themselves >iy to contest a case where t of an inferior court has them. 1 have specifically i recent decision by a district ving railway employees with- medy for violation of a certain so- labor statute. It seems an absurd- to permit a single district judge, " what may be the judgment of *nai majority of bis colleagues Pnesldeat Baowrdt. M tbe tench, to declare a law Miaonly •naeted by the congress to be "uncon­ stitutional," and then to deny to the government the right to have the su­ ite court definitely decide the ques- Evasion by Technicalities. "In connection with this matter, I would like to call attention to the very unsat­ isfactory state of our criminal law, re­ stating in large part from the hab't of setting aside the judgments of inferior courts on technicalities absolutely un­ connected with the merits of the case, and where there is no attempt to show- that there has been any failure of sub­ stantial justice. It would be well to en­ act a law providlng<something to the effect that: "No judgrhept shall be set aside or new trial granted in any cause, civil or crim­ inal, on the ground of misdirection of the Jury or the improper admission or re- Jectirfn of evidence. Or for error as to any Matter of pleading or procedure unless, in the opinion of the court to which the MpUcation is made, after an examina­ tion of the entire cause, it shall affirma­ tively appear that the error complained ©i has resulted in a miscarriage of Justice" o Injunctions. On the subject of the abolition of in­ junctions in labor disputes, he says; "In my last message Isuggested the en- act»ent of a law in connection with the Issuance of injunctions, attention hav- ; lag toeeri sharply drawn to the matter Wf tee demand that the right of apply- - IMB Injunctions in labor cases should be wjkoiiy abolished. It is at least doubtful t ^metlxer a law abolishing altogether the J>se Of Injunctions in such cases Would •fWand the test of the courts; in which of course the legislation would be »Ctive. Moreover, I believe it would '•Wrong altogether to prohibit the use Dictions. It is criminal to permit r with criminals to weaken our upholding the law; and if men lestfoy life or property by mob Mrs should be no impairment rer of the courts to deal with {"Hi the most summary and effective Ikeseifcle. But so far as possible the Iff' the power should be by some such law as I rovided vocated Improperly granted may do Irreparable wrong. Yet there are many Judges who assume a matter-of-fact course granting of a preliminary injunction to be the ordinary and proper judicial disposition of such cases: and there have undoubt­ edly been flagrant wrongs committed by judges in connection with labor dis­ putes even within the last few years, aitho I think much less often than in former years. Such judges by their un­ wise action immensely strengthen the hands of those who are striving entirely to do away with the power of injunction; and therefore such careless use of the injunctive process tends to threaten its very existence, for if the American peo­ ple ever become convinced that this process is habitually abused, whether in matters affecting labor or in matters af­ fecting corporations, it will be well-nigh impossible to prevent its abolition." The Negro Problem. The negro problem is given considera­ ble attention, after calling attention to the fact that no section of the country Is free from faults, and that no section has occasion to Jeer at the shortcomings of any other section, he turns to the sub­ ject of lynchings, and especially as ap­ plied to the negro of the south. He says the greatest existing cause for mob law is the perpetration by the blacks of the crime of rape, a crime which he terms even worse than murder. He quotes the admonitions to the white .people spoken by Gov. Candler, of Georgia, some years ago, and by Gov. Jelks, of Alabama, re­ cently, and then says; "Every colored man should realise that the worst enemy of his race is the negro criminal, and above sail the ne­ gro criminal who commits the dread­ ful crime of rape; and It should be felt as In the highest degree an offense against the whole country, and against the colored race In particular, for a colored man to fail to help the officers of the law in hunting down with all possible earnestness and seal every such infamous offender. Moreover, in my judgment, the crime of rape should always be punished with death, as is the case with murder; assault with In­ tent to commit rape should be made a capital crime, at least In the discretion of the court; and provision should be made by which the punishment may follow immediately upon the heels of the offense; while the trial should be so conducted that the victim need not be wantonly shamed while giving tes­ timony, and that the least possible publicity shall be given to the details. The members of the white race on the other hand should understand that every lynching represents by just so much a loosening of the bands of civ­ ilization; that the spirit of lynching inevitably throws into prominence in the community all the foul and evil creatures who dwell therein. No man can take part in the torture of a hu­ man being without having his own moral nature permanently lowered. Every lynching means Just so much moral deterioration in all the children who have any knowledge of it. and therefore Just so much additional trouble for the next generation of .Americans. "Let justice be both sure and swift; out let it be justice under the law, and not the wild and crooked savagery of a mob. Need for Negro Education. There Is another matter which baa direct bearing upon this matter of lynching and of the brutal crime which sometimes calls it forth and at other times merely furnishes the excuse for its existence. It is out of the question for our people as a whole permanently to rise by treading down any of their own number. Even those who them­ selves for the moment profit by such maltreatment of their fellows will in the long run also suffer. No more shortsighted policy can be imagined than, in the fancied interest of one Class, to prevent the education of an­ other class. The free public school, the chance for each boy or girl to get a .good elementary'education, lies at the foundation of our whole political situ­ ation. In every community the poor­ est citizens, those who need the schools most, would be deprived of them if they only received school facilities proportionately to the taxes they paid. This is as true of one portion of our country as of another. It is as true for the negro as for the white man. The white man, if he is wise, will de­ cline to allow the negroes in a mass to grow to manhood and womanhood without education. Unquestionably ed­ ucation such as Is obtained in our pub­ lic school^ does not do everything to­ wards making a man a good citizen; but it does much. The lowest and most brutal criminals, those for instance who commit the crime of rape, are in the great majority men who have had either no education or very litle; Just as they are almost invariably men who own no property; for the man who puts money by oult of his earnings, like the man who' acquires education is usually lifted above mere brutal criminality. Of course the best type of education for the colored man. ta­ ken as a whole, is such education as is conferred in schools like Hampton and Tuskegee; where the boys and girls, the young men and young wo­ men, are trained industrially as well as In the ordinary public school branches. The graduates of these schools turn out well in the great ma­ jority of cases, and hardly any of them 1 become criminals, while what little criminality there Is never takes the form of that brutal violence which in­ vites lynch law. Every graduate of these schools--and for the matter of that every oher colored man or wo­ man--who leads a life so useful and honorable as to win the good will and respect of those whites whose neigh­ bor he or she is, thereby helps the whole colored race as it can be helped in no other way; for next to the negro himself, the man who can do most to help the negro is his white neighbor who lives near him; and our steady effort should be to better the relations between the two. Great tho the bene­ fit of these schools has been to their colored pupils and to the colored peo­ ple, it may well be questioned whether the benefit has not been at least as great to the white people among whom these colored pupils live after tbev graduate." ^ matter of injunctions there is tn the hands of the judiciary a ry power which Is nevertheless to the possibility of grave abuse. S! power that should be exercised agtreme ca~e and should be sub- ijrithe jealoae scrutiny of all men, tarnation should be meted out to the Judge ^fho falls to use When necessary as to the judge it wantonly or oppressively, a Jud#e strong ->nough to be office will enju... any resort or intimidation, especially by no matter what his opinion the rights of the original quar- There must be no hesitation in With disorder. But there must be no such abuse of the in- nower as is implied in forbidding mdn to strive for their own bet- <|n peaceful and lawful ways; the injunction be used met-ely n« big corporation in carrying es for its own aggrandizement, remembered that a prelim- tton In a labor case, if 'Without adequate proof (even DID be found to support of law on which it Is ,y el ten settle the dispute parties; and therefore- if Capital and Labor, On the subject of capital and labor the president takes the agitators of class hatred to task and says "to preach hatred to the rich man, as such, to seek to mislead and Inflame to mad­ ness honest men whose lives are hard and who have not the kind of mental training which will permit them to ap­ preciate the danger In the doctrines preached is to commit a crime against the body politic and to be false to every worthy principle and tradition of Amer­ ican national life." Continuing on this subject he says: "The plain people who think--the mechanics, farmers, merchants work ers with head or hand, the men to whom American traditions are dear who love their country and try to act decently by their neighbors, owe it to themselves to remember that the most damaging blow that can be given pop­ ular government is to elect an un­ worthy and sinister agitator on a platform of violence and hypocrisy Whenever such an issue Is raised in this country nothing can be gained by flinching from It, for In such case dem­ ocracy is Itself on trial, popular s*lf- government under republican forms Is _ trial. The triumph of the - Just as evil a thing as the tri­ umph of the plutocracy, and to have escaped one danger avails nothing whatever if we sucuumb to the other. In^the end the honest man.whether rich or poor, who earns his own living and trtes to ^eal Justly by his fellows, has as much to fear from the' Insincere and unworthy demagog, promising much and performing nothing, or else performing nothing but evil, who Would set on the mob to plunder the rtch, as from the crafty cOrruptionist. Who, for his own ends, would permit the common people to be exploited by the very wealthy. If we ever let this government fall into the hands of men of either of these two classes, we shall show ourselves false to America's past. Moreover, the demagog and corrup- tionist often work hand in hand. There are at this moment wealthy reaction­ aries of such obtuse morality that they regard the public servant who prose­ cutes them when they violate the law, or' who seeks to make them bear their proper share of the public burdens, as being even more objectionable than the violent agitator who hounds on the mob to plunder the rich. There is nothing to choose between such a re­ actionary and such an agitator; funda- ' mentally they are alike in their selfish disregard of the rights of others; and It is natural that they should join in opposition, to any movement of which the aim Is fearlessly to do exact and even Justice to all." Railroad Employees* Hours. He asks for the passing of the bin Unfa iting the number of hours or employment of railroad employes, and classes the measure as a very moderate one. , He says the aim of all should be to steadily reduce the number of hours of labor, with as a goal the general in­ troduction of an eight-hour day, but In­ sists that on the Isthmus of Panama the conditions are so different from what they are here that the introduction of an eight-hour day on the canal would be absurd, and continues, "just about as ab­ surd as it is, so far as the isthmus is concerned, where white labor cannot be employed, to bother as to whether the work is done by alien black men or alien yellow men." Investigation of Disputes. He urges the enactment of a draitlc child labor law for the District of Co­ lumbia and the territories, and a -federal Investigation- of the subject of child and female labor throughout the country. He reviews the work of the commission appointed to investigate labor conditions in the coal fields of Pennsylvania in 1902, and refers to the wish of the commission "that the state and federal governments should provide the machinery for what may be called the compulsory Investiga­ tion of controversies between employers and employes when they arise." After referring to the fact that a bill has al­ ready been introduced to this end he says: "Many of these strikes and lockouts would not have occurred had the parties to the dispute been required to appear before an unprejudiced body representing the nation and, face to face, state the reasons for their contention. In most Instances the' dispute would doubtless be found to be due to a misunderstanding by each of the other's rights, aggravated by an unwillingness of either party to ac­ cept as true the statements of the other as to the justice or injustice of the mat­ ters in dispute. The exercise of a Ju­ dicial spirit by a disinterested body representing the federal government, such as would be provided by a commis­ sion on conciliation and arbitration would tend to create an atmosphere of friendliness and conciliation between con­ tending parties; and the giving each side an equal opportunity to present fully its case In the presence of the other would prevent many disputes from developing into serious strikes or lockouts, and in other cases, would enable the commis­ sion to persuade the opposing parties to come to terms. » "In this age of great corporate and la­ bor combinations, neither employers nor employees should be left completely at the mercy of the stronger party to a dis­ pute, regardless of the righteousness of their respective claims. The proposed measure would be in the line of securing recognition of the fact that in many strikes the public has Itself an interest which cannot wisely be disregarded; an interest not merely of general conven­ ience, for the question of a just and proper public policy must also be con­ sidered. In all legislation of this kind it Is well to advance cautiously, testing each step by the actual results; the step proposed can Surely be safely taken, for the decisions of the commission would not bind the parties in legal fashion, and yet would give a chance for public opin­ ion to exert its full force for the right." Control of Corporations. A considerable portion of the message is devoted to the subject of federal, con­ trol of corporations in what he refers to the passage at the last session of the rate, meat inspection and food laws, and says that all of these have already justi­ fied their enactment, but recommends the amendment of the meat inspection law so as to put dates on the labels of meat products, and also to place the cost of Inspection on the packers rather than on the government. Continuing on this subject of the control of corporations by the federal government he says: "It cannot too often be repeated that ex­ perience has conclusively shown the im­ possibility of securing by the actions of nearly half a hundred different state legislatures anything but ineffective chaos in the way of dealing with the great corporations which do not operate exclusively within the limits of any one state. In some method, whether by a national license law or in other fashion, we must exercise, and that at an early date, a far more complete control than at present over these great corpora­ tions--a control that will among other things prevent- the • evils of excessive overcapitalisation, aod that will compel the disclosures by each big corporation of Its stockholders and of Its properties and business, whether owned directly or thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations. This will tend to put a stop to the secur­ ing of Inordinate profits by favored individuals at the expense whether of the general public, the stockholders, or the wageworiters. Our effort should be not so much to prevent consolidation as such, but so to supervise and control it as to see that it results In no harm to the people. The reactionary or ultracon- servative apologists for the misuse of wealth assail the effprt to secure such control as a step toward socialism. As a matter of fact it is these reactionaries and ultraconservatlves who are them­ selves most potent In increasing socialis­ tic feeling. One of the most efficient methods of averting the consequences of a dangerous agitation, which is 80 per cent, wrong, is to remedy the 20 per cent, of evil as to' which the agitation is well founded. The best way to avert the very undesirable move for the governmental ownership of railways Is to secure by the government on behalf of the people as a whole such adequate control and regulation of the great Interstate com­ mon carriers as will do away with the evils which give rise to the agitation against them. So the proper antidote to the dangerous and wicked agitation against the men of wealth as such is to secure by proper legislation and execu­ tive action the abolition of the grave abuses which actually do obtain In con­ nection with the business use of wealth under our present system--or rather no system--of failure to exercise any ade­ quate contrdl at all. Some persons speak as if the exercise of such governmental control would do away with the freedom of individual initiative and dwarf indi­ vidual effort. This Is not a fact. It would be a veritable calamity to fall to put a premium upon individual initiative. Individual capacity and effort; upon the energy, character and foresight which It is so important to encourage in the individual. But as a matter of fact the deadening and degrading effect of pure socialism, and especially of its extreme form communism, and the destruction of individual character which they would bring about, are In part achieved by the wholly unregulated competition which results In a single Individual or corpor­ ation rising at the expense of all others until his or Its rise effectually checks all competition and reduces former competi­ tors to a position of utter inferiority and subordination. "In enacting and enforcing such legis­ lation as this congress already has to,its credit, we are working on a coherent plan, with the steady endeavor to secure the needed reform by the joint action of the moderate men, the plain men who do not wish anything hysterical or dangerous, but who do intend to deal In resolute commonsense fashion with the real and great evils of the present system. The reactionaries and the vio­ lent extremists show symptoms of Join­ ing hands against us. Both assert, for instance, that if logical, we should so to government ownership of railroads and the like; the reactionaries, because on such an Issue they think the people would stand with them, while the ex­ tremists care rather to preach discontent and agitation than to achieve solid re­ sults. As a matter of fact, our position as remote from that of the bourbon Jl . " Coi ion of of our and lf*T sucfe complete prevention age to the body pontic. is not vainly " but to secure --- _ - , control and supervision of the com] tions as to prevent their mjwrtng the public, or existing In such form as Inev­ itably to threaten injury--for the mere fact that a combination has secured practically complete control of a neces­ sary of life would under sny circum­ stances show that such combination was to be presumed to be adverse to the pub­ lic Interest. It is unfortunate that our present laws should forbid all combina­ tions, instead of sharply discriminating between those combinations which do evil. Rebates, for instance, are as often due to the pressure of big shippers (as was shown in the investigation Of the Standard Oil company and as has been shown since by the investigation of the tobacco and sugar trusts) as to the initi­ ative of big railroads. Often railroads would like to combine for the purpose of preventing a big shipper from maintain­ ing improper advantages at the expense of small shippers and of the general pub­ lic. Such a combination, instead of being forbidden by law, should be favored. In other word?, it should be permitted to ti»iIroadd to make agreements, provided these agreements were sanctioned by the Interstate commerce commission and were published. With these two condi­ tions complied vith it is impossible to see what harm such a combination could do to the public at large. It is a public evil to have on the statute books a law incapable of full enforcement because both Judges and Juries realize that its full enforcement would destroy the busi­ ness of the country; for the result is to make decent railroad men violators of the law against their will, and to put a premium on the behavior of the wilful wrongdoers. Such a result In turn tends to throw the decent man and the wilful wrongdoer into close association, and in the end to drag down the former to the latter's level: for the man who becomes a lawbreaker in one way unhappily tends to lose all respect for law and to be willing to break It in many ways. No more scathing condemnation could be visited upon a law than is contained In the words of the Interstate commerce commission when. In commenting upon the fact that the numerous joint traffic associations do technically violate, the law, they s».y: "The decision of the United States supreme court in the Transmlssisslppl case and the Joint Traffic association case has produced no practical eff«ct upon the railway - opera­ tions of the country. Such associations. In facft, exist now as they did before these decisions, and with the same gen­ eral effect. In justice to all parties, we ought probably to add that it is difficult to see how our Interstate railways could be operated with due regard to the Inter­ est of the shipper and the railway without concerted action of the kind af­ forded thru these associations." This means that the law as construed by* the supreme court is such that the business of the country cannot be con­ ducted w thout breaking it. I recommend that you give careful and early consider­ ation to this subject, and if you find the opinion of the interstate commerce com­ mission Justified, tbat you amend the law so as to obviate the evil disclosed. Inheritance and Income Tax. It was expected ' that. the president^ would refer In some way to his belled In the necessity for the curbing of enor­ mous fortunes, and he has done so by recommending legislation for both in­ come and an inheritance tax. He be­ lieves the government should Impose raduated Inheritance" tax, and, if possl- ivs: I am well aware that such a subject grai ble. a graduated income tax. He says: as tfiis needs long and careful study in order that the people may become famil­ iar with what is proposed to be done, may clearly see the necessity of proceed­ ing with wisdom and self-restraint, and may make up their minds just how far they are willing to go In the matter; while only trained legislators can work out the project in necessary detail. But I feel that in the near future our nation­ al legislators should enact a law provid­ ing for a graduated inheritance tax by Which a steadily increasing rate of duty should be put upon all moneys or other valuables coming by gift, bequest, or devise to any individual or corporation. It may be well to make the tax heavy in proportion as the individual benefited is remote of kin. In any event, in my judgment the pro rata of the tax should increase very heavily with the increase of the amount left to any one Individual after a certain point has been reached. It Is most desirable to encourage thrift and ambition, and a potent source of thrift and ambition is the desire on the nvt of the breadwinner to leave his chil­ dren well off. This object can be attained by making the tax very small on moder­ ate amounts of property left; because the prime object shduld be to put a con­ stantly Increasing burden on the inher­ itance of those swollen fortunes which It Is certainly of no benefit to this coun­ try to perpetuate. There can. be no question of the eth­ ical propriety of the government thus de­ termining the conditions upon which any gift or Inheritance should be received. Exactly how far the inheritance tax would, as an incident, have the effect of limiting the transmission by devise or gift of the enormous fortunes in question ft Is not necessary at present to discuss. It is wise that progress in this direction should be gradual. At first a permanent national inheritance tax, while it might be more substantial than any such tax has hitherto been, need not approximate, either in amount or in the 'a""" increase by graduation, to tax should ulti su&h a timately be. Inheritance Tax Constitutional. "This species of tax has again and again been imposed, altho only temporarily, by the national government It was first Imposed by the act of July <, 1797, when the makers of the Constitution were alive and at the head of affairs. It was a graduated tax; tho small in amount, the rate was increased with the amount left to any Individual, exceptions being made in the case of certain close kin, A similar tax was again imposed by the act of July 1, 1862; a minimum sum of $1,000 in personal property being excepted from taxation, the tax then becoming progressive according to the remoteness of kin. The war-revenue act of June 13, 1898, provided for an inheritance tax on any sum exceeding the value of $10,000, the rate of tax Increasing both in accord­ ance with the amounts left and in ac­ cordance with the legatee's remoteness of kin. The supreme court has held that the succession tax Imposed at the time of the civil war was not a direct tax but an Impose of excise which was both con­ stitutional and valid. More recently the court. In an opinion delivered by Mr. Justice White, which contained an ex­ ceedingly able and elaborate discussion of the powers of the congress to impose death duties, sustained the constitution­ ality of the Inheritance tax feature ot the war-revenue act of 1S98. Is Income Tax ConstitutionalT "In Its incidents, and apart from the main purpose of raising revenue, an income tax stands on an entirely differ­ ent footing from an Inheritance tax, be­ cause it involves no question of the per­ petuation of fortunes swollen to an uri-1 healthy size. The question is in its essence a question of the proper adjust­ ment of burdens to benefits. As the law now stands it li undoubtedly diffi­ cult to devise a national income tax which shall be constitutional. But whether it is absolutely impossible is an­ other question; and if possible It Is moat certainly desirable. The first purely in­ come tax law was past by the congress in 1861, but the most important law deal­ ing with the subject was that of 1884. This the court held to be unconstitu­ tional. "The question is undoubtedly very In­ tricate, delicate, and troublesome. The decision of the court was only reached by one majority. It is the law of the land, and. of course, is excepted as such and loyally obeyed by all good cltizeM, Nevertheless, the hesitation evidently felt by the court as a whole in coming to a conclusion, when considered to-... . - B|| • gether with the previous ^decisions on the subject, may perhaps indicate the possibility of devising a constitutional income-tax law which shall substan­ tially acotpmplish the results aimed at. The difficulty of amending the con­ stitution is so great that only real ne­ cessity can Justify a resort thereto. Every effort should be made in dealing with this subject, as with the subject of the proper control by the national government over the use of corporate wealth in Interstate business, to devise legislation which without stich action shall attain the desired end;*but if this falls, there will ultimately be no al­ ternative to a constitutional amend­ ment." He makes a strong plea for technical and Industrial education for the masses, and while the federal government can do but little In this line, he asks that schools of this character be established in the District of Columbia as an ex­ ample to the various states. Agricultural Int'ereets. He appeals for every encouragement that the congress can give to the agri­ cultural Interests of the country. He points to the good that Is being done by Qf jp-ange organiza- must cooperate In the Improvement of the farmer's condition. He must have the ohance to be educated is reactionary as from that of the imprac­ ticable or sinister visionary. We hold that the government should not conduct the business of the nation, but that it should exercise such supervision as will Insure its being conducted In the inter­ est of the nation. Our win is, so far as may be, to secure, for^all decent, hard­ working men. equality 6f opportunity and equality of burden- Combinations Ara 'llacessaryw . "Ths actual working of, our laws has shown tbat the effort tOy^t^dbit all eem> . - , . great is^espoelally been pointed Observers most competent W (Mas prac- - - -* our n that education must seek to train »ple ai judgment on the irobWSriii try life. All studs " cwn try Tife. All students how realise that education must seek to train the executive powers of young people and to confer more' real significance upon the phrase "dignity of labor," and to pre­ pare the pupils, *o that in addition to each developing In the highest degree his Individual capacity for work, they may together help create a right public opinion, and show in many ways Social and cooperative spirit. Organisation has become necessary In the business world; and it has accomplished much for good in the world of labor. It is no less neces­ sary for farmers. Such a movement as the grange movement is good in itself and Is capable of a well-nigh Infinite fur­ ther extension for good so long as it Is kept to its own legitimate busfciess. The benefits to be derived by the association of farmers for mutual advantage are partly economic and partly socfological. "Moreover, while in the long tt*n volun­ tary effort will prove more efficacious than government assistance, while the farmers must primarily do most for themselves, yet the government can also do mftch. The department of agriculture has broken new ground In many direc­ tions, and year by year it finds how it can Improve Its methods and develop fresh usefulness. Its constant effort Is to give the governmental assistance in the most effective way; that is, thru as­ sociations of farmers rather than to or thru individual farmers. It is also striv­ ing to coordinate its work with the agri­ cultural departments of the several states, and so far as its own work is educational, to coordinate it with the work of other educactlonal authorities. Agricultural education Is necessarily based upon general education, but our agricultural educational institutions are wisely specializing themselves, making their course relate to the actual teaching of the agricultural and kindred sciences to young country people or young city people who wish to live in the country. "Great progress has already been made among farmers by the creation of farmers' Institutes, of dairy associa­ tions. of breeders' associations, horti­ cultural associations, and the like. A striking example of how the govern­ ment and the farmers can cooperate Is shown in connection with the menace offered to the cotton growers of the southern states by the advance of the boll weevil. The department is dofng all it can to organize the farmers in the threatened districts, just as it has been doing all it can to organize them In aid of Its work to eradicate the cat­ tle fever tick in the south. The depart­ ment can and will cooperate with all such associations, and it must have their help if its own work is to be done in the most efficient style." He urges the extension of the irriga­ tion and forest preservation system, and asks for an appropriation for building m memorial theater at Arlington. Marriage and Divorce. As a means of bringing about national regulation of marriage and divorce he suggests a constitutional amendment, and says it Is not safe to leave these ques­ tions to be dealt with by the various states. Continuing on this subject he says: When home ties are loosened; when men and women cease to regard a worthy family life, with all its duties fully performed, and all its responsi­ bilities lived up to, as the life best worth living; then evil days for the commonwealth are at hand. There are regions in our land, and classes of our population, where the birth rate has sunk below the death rate. > Surely it should need no demonstration to show that wilful sterility is, from the standpoint of the nation, from me standpoint of the human race, the one sin for which the penalty is national death, race death; a sin for which there is no Atonement; a sin which is the more dreadful exactly in propor­ tion as the men and women guilty thereof are In other respects, in char­ acter, and bodily and mental powers, those whom for the sake of the state it wo\jld be well to see the fathers andl mothers of many healthy children, well brought Up in homes made happy by their presence. No man. no woman, can shirk the primary duties of life, whether for love of ease and pleasure, or for any other cause, and retain hiB or her self-respect. The president asks for the enactment into law of a shipping bill that will place American interests on the seas on a par with those of other countries, and urges especially that something be done that will establish direct steamship commu­ nication with South American ports. Currency Reform. Amendments to the present currency laws are asked for, and after showing that present laws are Inadequate because of the wide fluctuation of Interest charges, he says: "The mere statement of these facts shows that our present system is seri­ ously defective. There is need of a change. Unfortunately, however, many of the proposed changes must be ruled from consideration because they are complicated, are not easy of compre­ hension, and tend to disturb existing rfghts and interests. We must also rule out any plan which would ma­ terially impair the value of the United States two per cent, bonds now pledged to secure circulation, the issue of which was made under conditions pe­ culiarly creditable to the treasury. I do not press any special plan. Various plans have recently been proposed by expert committees of bankers. Among the plans which are possibly feasible 'and which certainly should receive your consideration Is that repeatedly brought to your attention by the pres­ ent secretary of the treasury, the es­ sential features of which have been approved by many prominent bankers and business m4n. According to this plan national banks should be per­ mitted to issue a specified proportion of their capital in notes of a given kind, the issue to be taxed at so high a rate as to drive the notes back when not wanted in legitimate trade. This plan would not permit the issue of currency to give banks additional profits, but to meet the emergency pre­ sented by times of stringency. Need, of Automatic System. "I do not say that this Is the right system. I only advance it to empha­ size _my belief that there is need for the adoption of some system which shall be automatic and open to all sound banks, so as to avoid all pos­ sibility of discrimination and favorit­ ism. Such a plan would tend to pre­ vent the spasms of high money and speculation which now obtain in the New York market; for at present there is too much currency at certain seasons of the year, and its accumu­ lation at New York tempts bankers to lend it at low rates for speculative Purposes; Whereas at other times when he crops are bing moved there is urgent need for a large but temporary increase in the currency supply. It must never be forgotten that this question concerns business men gen­ erally quite as much as bankers; es­ pecially Is this true of stockmen, farmers and business men in the west; for at present at certain seasons of the year the difference in interest rates between the east and the west is from six to ten per cent., whereas in Canada the corresponding difference is but two per cent. Any plan must, of course, guard the interests of west­ ern and southern bankers as carefully as it guards the interests of New York or Chicago bankers; and must be drawn from the standpoints of the farmer and the merchant no less than from the standpoints of the city banker and the country banker. The law should be -amended so as to ed by the secretary of the treasury as he treats funds obtained under the In­ ternal revenue laws. There should be a considerable increase in bills of small denominations. Permission should be given banks, if necessary under settled restrictions, to retire their circulation to a larger amount than $3,000,000 a month." He again asks for free trade with this country for the Philippines and In the same connection reviews the work done by this country in the islands, and says "if we have erred In the Philippines it has been In proceeding too rapidly in the direotion of granting a large meas­ ure of self-government. American citizenship should be con­ ferred on the citizens of Porto Rico. The harbor of San Juan In Porto Rico should be dredged and Improved. The expenses of the federal court of Porto Rico should be met from the federal treasury. The administration of the af­ fairs of Porto Rico,' together with those of the Philippines, Hawaii and our other insular possessions, should all be direct­ ed under one executive department; by preference the department of state or the department of war. Naturalization of Japs. President Roosevelt ssores San Fran­ cisco and other Pacific coast cities for their treatment ot the Japanese, and soakee the following recommendations: »• extend 03 "" the saiae pqMuro of lusttWkftd treatment which we expept to receive In return. It is only a very small body our^itlsens that act badly. Where the federal government has power if will deal summarily with any such. Where the several states have power I earnestly ask that they also deal wisely and promptly with Such con­ duct, or else this small body of wrong­ doers may bring shame upon the great mass of their innocent and right- thinking fellow#--{hat Is, upon OUT nation as a whole. Good manner* should be an mternattbnal no less than an individual attribute. I ask fai» treatment for the JapAhese as I would ask fair treatment for Germans or Englishmen, Frenchmen, Russians oi Italians. I ask it as due to bttmanlty and civilization. I ask it as due to ourselves because we must act up­ rightly toward all men. "I recommend to the congress that an act be passed specifically provdlng for the naturalization of Japanese who come here intending to become American cit­ izens. One or the great embarrassments attending the performance of our in­ ternational obligations is the fact that the statutes of the United States gov­ ernment are entirely Inadequate. They fail to give to the national government sufficiently ample power, through United States courts and by the use of the army and navy, to protect aliens in the rights secured to them under solemn treaties which are the law of the land. I therefore earnestly recommend that the criminal and civil statutes of the United States t>e so amended and ad-led to as .to enable the president, ^acting for the United States government, which is responsible in our international rela­ tions, to enforce the rights of aliens un­ der treaties. Even as the law now is something can be done by the federal government toward this end, and In the matter now before me affecting the Jap­ anese, everything that it is In my poorer to do will be done, and all of the forces, military and civil, of the United States which I may lawfully employ will be so employed. There should, however, be no particle of doubt as to the power of the national government completely to perform and enforce its own obligations to other nations. The mob of a single city may at any time perform acts of lawless violence against some class of foreigners which would plunge us into war. The city by itself would be power­ less to make defense against the for­ eign power thus assaulted, and if Inde­ pendent of this government it would never venture to perform or permit the performance of the acts complained of. The entire power and.the whole duty to protect the offending city or the offend­ ing community lies in the hands of the United States government. It is un­ thinkable that we should continue a pol­ icy under which a given locality may be allowed to commit a crime against a friendly nation, and the United States government limited, not to preventing the commission of the crime, but, in the last resort, to defending the people who have committed it against the conse­ quences of their own wrongdoing." Cuban Intervention. The rebellion in Cuba and the Inci­ dents leading up to the establishment of the provisional government is reviewed, and the president says: "When the election has been held and the new government Inaugurated In peaceful and orderly fashion of the provi­ sional government will come to an end. I take this opportunity Qf expressing upon behalf of the American people, with all possible solemnity, our most earnest hope that the people ef Cuba will realize the imperative need of pre­ serving justice and keeping order In the island. The United States wishes noth­ ing of Cuba except that It shall prosper morally and materially, and wishes noth­ ing of the Cubans save that they shall be able to preserve order among them­ selves and therefore to preserve their independence. If the elections become a farce, and if the Insurrectionary habit becomes confirmed in the island, It is ab­ solutely out of the question that the island should continue Independent; and the United States, which has assumed the sporsorship before the civilized world for Cuba's career as a nation, would again have to intervene and to see that the government was managed in such orderly fashion as to secure the safety of life and property. The path to be trodden by those who exeTcis# self-gov­ ernment is always hard, and we should have every charity and patience with the Cubans as they tread this difficult parth. I have the utmostjsympathy with, and regard for, them; but I most earnestly adjure them solemnly to weigh their re­ sponsibilities and to see that when their new government is started it shall run smoothly, and with freedom from fla­ grant denial of right on the one hand, and from Insurrectionary disturbances on the other." Considerable space is devoted to the international conference of American re­ publics and the visit of Secretary Root to South America, and points to the fact that our efforts in behalf of the nations of that country are appreciated by them. On the subject of the Panama canal hs promises a special message in the near future. Second Hague Conference. In my last message I advised you that the emperor of Russia had taken the ini­ tiative in bringing about a second peace conference at The Hague. Under the guidance of Russia the arrangement of the preliminaries for such a conference has been progressing during the past year. Progress has necessarily . befen slow, owing to the great number of coun­ tries to be consulted upon every question that has arisen. It is a matter of sat­ isfaction that all of the American re­ publics have now. for the first time, been invited to join in the proposed confer­ ence. The close connection between the sub­ jects to be taken up by the Red Cross conference held at Geneva last summer, and the subjects which naturally would come before The Hague conference, made It apparent that it was desirable to have the work of the Red Cross conference completed and considered by the different powers before the meeting at The Hague. The Red Cross conference ended its la­ bors on the 6th day of July, and the re­ vised and amended convention, which wfti signed by the American delegates, wall be promptly laid before the seriate. By the special and highly appreciated courtesy or the governments of Russia and the Netherlands, a proposal to call The Hague conference together at a time which would conflict with the conference of the American republics at Rio de Janeiro in August was laid aside. No other date has yet been suggested. A tentative program for the conference has been proposed by the government of Russia, and the Subjects which it enumer­ ates are undergoing careful examination and consideration in preparation for the conference. The Army and Navy. The message closes with a plea foe the maintenance of the navy at its pres­ ent standard, to do which he says would mean the building of one battleship each year. Of the present efficiency of the army and navy he says: "The readiness and efficiency of both the army and navy in dealing with the re- •cent sudden crisis in Cuba illustrates afresh their value to the nation. This readiness and efficiency would have been very much less had it not been for the existence of the general staff in the army and the general board in the navy; both are essential to the proper development and use of our military forces afloat and ashore. The troops that were sent to Cuba were handled flawlessly. It was the swiftest mobilisation and dispatch of troops over sea ever accomplished by <verjunent. The expedition landed itely equipped and ready for im­ mediate service, several of its organisa­ tions hardly remaining in Havana over night before splitting up Into detach­ ments and going to their several posts. It was a fine demonstration of the valor and efficiency of the general staff. Sim­ ilarly, it was owing in large part to the general board that the navy was able at the outset to meet the Cuban crisis with sufch Instant efficiency; ship after ship appearing on the shortest notice at any threatened point, while the marine corps In particular performed indispens­ able service. The army and navy war colleges are of incalculable value to the two services, and they cooperate with constantly increasing efficiency and im­ portance. "The congress has most wisely provided for a national board for the promotion of rifle practise. Excelltgot results have our »0ve complete lia does l&r army t war we y to vol- \ese volun- [W to shoot; ting edge, himself In the line of already come from not go far enough. Is so small that in should have to trust unteere; and in such e teers should already kn . for If a soldier has the and ability to take care the open, his efficiency on battle Is almost directly proportionate to excellence in marksmanship. We should establish shooting galleries In all the large public and military schools, should maintain national target ranges in differ­ ent parts of the country, and should In every way encourage the formation of rifle clubs thruout all parts of the land. The little republic of Switzerland offers us an excellent example in all matters connected with building up an efficient "^HE&lDOBB ROOSKVUI/T.* HAPPENINGS OF INTEREST fttOM f" <• * ove* THE *TAf& " BURQLAR8 SCARED AWAY Brave Act ef Cashier "mrtti DIIMI fie--d Bank of Medora front Robbery by / jt Gang of Bandits* Win Uatfe fH Their Escape. J; Medora.~A boMrattem&t to rob xtJi* Bank of Medora was foiled by the presence of mind of jamea F. Rood- house, cashier of the institution, who aroused the tows by sounding the vil- btKft fire bell. The burglars, fright­ ened by the alarm, made a hasty re­ treat, leaving, their toots on the floor In front of the vault door and a charge of nitroglycerin ready to be set off. Three men are believed to have teen in the plot. They made their ear cape. The bank was entered through, the front door, which the burglars pried open with tools stolen Irom the y blacksmith-shop of A. a Patton. Guests of the National hotel, directly acrosa the street, were the first to cover an attempt waa being made t» rob the bank. Cashier Roodhouse, who is also * guest of the hotel, was awakened. He left by way of a rear door and ran around the block , to ring the village fire bell, wjhich is less than half a block from the scene qf the attempt­ ed burglary. With the first sound of the gong he was made the target ot several bullets from the revolvers of the watchers, but they went wild and the plucky cashier continued to ring the bell. The shots also served as ft *<ignel to the burglar inside the bank* the three men escaping. >V\ AFTER BULGARIAN BLACK HAND. Chicago Vice „ Consul Investigation t 1?;^ Blackmailing of Danville Greeks. • < '/ . Danville.--Convinced that in the a** rest of the two alleged Bulgarian army captains, Ahanus Orastus andl Chris Cartif, on charges of trying ta obtain money from Greeks of Danville and Terre Haute by threats of vio» lence to their families here and rela>- ^3 tives in Bulgaria, an organization : similar to the Italian "Black Hand** ^s£'\ has been uncovered, prominent Greek* are assisting the authorities in trying - to run the leaders down. Cablegram* 1^'. from Vitolio, Monastir, in western |V Turkey, state that the two men are- unknown there. It is believed they : are acting for the Bulgarian commit* , ^ tee having its headquarters in Sofia. VK*" Greek vice consuls from St. Louis and, Chicago have been here investigatiiqu ^ . Bank Officers Choeen. Springfield.T--Col. Jamea R. B. Van Cleave, of south Fourth street, has 5^',?Sl been elected president of the nenly organized Lincoln bank of Spring­ field, and Albert H. Rahkin of Jack­ sonville has been elected cashier. The directors of the t&Btitution have elect­ ed other officers as follows. Vice- presidents, Alfred Booth, Chafes M. Woods and Henry A. DIrksen; secre­ tary, A. L. Bowen; assistant secret tary, Albert H. Rankin. , Col. Van Cleave formerly was state superintendent of insurance and since coming to Springfield from Chicago to take charge of that department ten years ago, has made this city hie home. " Illinois Publisher* Meet. Peoria.--Newspaper publishers *pt- Illinois met and organized the Illinois Daily Newspaper association with the following officers: President, Edgar E. Bartl^tt, Rockford; vice-president. H. M. Pindell, Peorfaj secretary, A. C. Lindstrum, Galesburg; treasurer, W. W. Miller, Quincy; directors, John H. Harrison, Danville; H. E. Baldwin, Joliet; H. P. Dorwln, Springfield. *. The principal topic under discue- sion was on railroad transportation, and It was the sense of the meeting that the publishers stand together and work for a general contract favoring, strtking balance with the railroads tfk the close of the year. Mr: I-..R 'f Yates to Address Y. M. C. A. Decatur.--Ex-Gov. Richard will be one of a dozen or more promi­ nent men who will speak in Sunday afternoon meetings at the Y. M. C. A., this winter, iir. Yates is a personal friend of Secretary W. E. Edmonds of the Decatur association and will make the talk in response to an In­ vitation sent him by the Decatur man. The date has not yet been set but wlU probably be some Sunday in the near future. - Risks Life In Rescue. Chicago.--John Juerntle, 276® Hofjli ton avenue, risked his life to save Stanley Haporowski, a switchman em­ ployed by the Baltimore and Ohio railway. Haporowski was coupling cars at South Chicago when he fell under the wheels of a freight train. Juerntle sprang to the rescue and dragged the mau off the track In time to save his life, k f s ̂ ̂ F'" 10) Girl Forger Sent fo Jottilt. Galesburg.--Irma Jacobs, alias Elsie Jacobs, alias Florence Scott, a student of music at the University of Iowa, was sentenced to an indeterminate term In Joliet prison by Judge Grler for pass­ ing forged checks tor fl,000 on the First National bank and attempting to pass another on a Monmouth bank. She blamed the affair on Harry Lowe, of Chicago, who, she said, forced her to do his bidding. Still she could not give Lowe's street address. Her own Attorneys regard the story as ^ i. 1 'it-.'-/. ill Preiehcr f« Declared frwsrife. ' * ' Bloomington. -- The Rev. wtlbw Hayes, was adjudged Insane and con­ veyed to the Jacksonville asylum. He was stricken with apoplexy following a six y*ar pastorate in Wisconsin, ft portion of his duties being to preach, once a week to an epileptic institution • _ r*y ••• Wortun Dies In Store^f I; ewanee.--Mrs, Harry Fetrow, of Princeton, III., who was visiting here, was attacked by heart diseas^u .whilf on the street and died in a stopfc *