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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN,
TL* Brill AY, lltCKMUKU K II-
PRES. ROOSEVELT WANTS STRINGENT DIVORCE LAWS;
OPPOSES DIVISION OF SCHOOL FUNDS FOR RACES
He Wishes Corpprations Prohib
ited From Contributing to
Campaign Expenses of
any. Party.
DESIRES THA T THE NA VY
BE KEPT IN GOODSHAPE
»
Proposes an Inheritance and Income Tax
Law-vThinks That Corporations
Should Be Under Some Sort
of Control.
Washington, Doc. 4.—President Roosevelt’s annual message
was read in both-houses of congress today. He used the simpli
fied spelling throughout. After calling attention to the fact that
the nation continues to enjoy unprecedented prosperity and stat
ing that “it is probable that only reckless speculation and disre
gard of legitimate business methods on the part of the business
world can materially mar this prosperity,” the president declares
that no congress in our time has done more good work fit impor
tance than the present congress. He calls the members’ attention
to the fact, however, that there ure several matters of importance
which congress left unfinished, and he asks that they be com
pleted before final adjournment.
HERE ARE THE'IMPORT AN! FEATURES
OF PRESIDENT ROOSEVELTS MESSAGE
Recommends a luw prohibiting all corporation* from contributing to the campaign expenses of any
party. -
Right of government to appeal in criminal cases on questions of law.
A law touching the matter cf court injunctions.
Opposes division of school funds as between the races.
WunUs eight-hour law put Into effect wherever possible. •
Km pi oyer shouhl.be held liable for Injury received by employee while at work in discharge of his duty.
Investigation should be made Into disputes between labor and capital for the public gooo. ' *
< government should be given power to better control corporations to prevent Injustice to public.
I’rgcs passage of Inheritance and Income tax law. -
Thinks that more attention should he given to technical and Industrial training in schools.
Htrexacs the fact that better and more stringent marriage end divorce laws arc needed.
Suggests the passage of a ship subsidy bill.
* Urges some sort of currency reform to prevent speculation.
Free trade in Philippines o r a lower tariff for the Islands Is urged.
Wants Poilo means admitted to citizenship.
Thinks government should help Hawaii.
Praises thrift and Industry shown in Alaska. .... ,
Demands that the Japanese *>n the Pacific coast be not discriminated against oy the local school autuor-
UkS Tell* of action taken as n result of the revolution in Puba and nay* United tSate*-will continue to oxerdre
plan of protectorate over the island until Cubans demonstrate the fact that they are capable of self-^overn-
,nCm * Calls attention to the good work done by Mr. Root at the Rio conference in convincing the South
American republics that the United States has no Idea, of acquitlng foreign territory.
Will tell of Ills Panama trip later.
Urges the ratification of tig; Moroccan treaty.
Pails attention to the slaughter of seals on Prlbllof Islands and suggests that the seals be exterminated
to save them from torture by poachers unless United States can have full control over the seal fisheries.
* Doesn't wont r. larger navy, but does want the present one kept up to a proper and efficient standard.
Wants target practice given attention In the schools that all citizens may become marksmen and fit for
duty should occasion nrl3e for a call for volunteers. * *
In part he says:
I again recommend aJaw prohibit
ing all corporations from contributing
to the campaign expenses of any par
ty. Such a bill has already passed ono
house of congress. Let Individuals con
tribute as they desire; but let us pro
hibit in effective fashion all corpora
tions from making contributions for
any political purpose, directly or in
directly.
Appeal in Criminal Cases.
Another bill which has Just passed
one house of the congress, and which
It Is urgently necessary should be en
acted lntc> law. is that conferring upon
the government the right of appeal lit
criminal cases on questions of law. This
light exists In many of the states; It
exists in the District of Columbia by
act of the congress.
I cannot too strongly urge the pass ,
age of the bill In question. A failure
to pass it will result In seriously ham
pering the government In Us effort-to
obtain Justice, especially against
weVthy' Individuals or corporations who
do wrong; and may also prevent the
government from obtaining Justice for
wage workers who are not themselves
able to effectively contest a case where
the Judgment of an Inferior court has
been against them.
The Importance of enacting Into law
the particular bill In question Is fur
ther Increased by tin* fact that the gov
ernment has now definitely begun a
policy of reporting tif the criminal law
in those trust and Interstate commerce
rates where such a course offers a rea
sonable chance of success.
Granting ef New Trials,
i Of course, where the Judge can see
Ms way to Inflict the penalty of Im
prisonment tile deterrent effect of the
purislmtcnt on other offenders Is in
creased: but sufficiently heavy fines ac-
rbmpllsh much. Judge Holt, of the
Plow York district court. In a-recent
decision, admirably slated the need for
treating with Just severity offenders
of this kind.
• In connection with tills matter. I
would like to call attention to the very
unsatisfactory state o( out- criminal
law, resulting In large part from the
habit of setting aside the judgments of
Inferior court* *»n technicalities abso
lutely unconnected with the merits of
the case, and where there is not at
tempt to show that there has been any
faiima of substantial Justice. It would
be well to enact a law providing some
thing to the bfMdt that!
So Judgment shall be set aside or
new trial granted In any cause, civil
or criminal, on the ground of mis
direction of the Jury or the improper
admission or rejection of evidence, or
for error as to any matter of pleading
or procedure, unless. In the opinion of
the court to which the application is
made, ufter an examination of the en
tire cause, it shall affirmatively appear
that the error complained of has re
sulted In a miscarriage of Justice.
Regarding Injunctions.
In .my last message I suggested the
enactment of a luw in connection with
the issuance of injunctions, attention
having bean sharply drawn to the mat
ter by the demand that the right of
applving injunctions In labor cases
should be wholly abolished. It is ut
least doubtful whether a law abolish
ing altogether the use of Injunctions
In such cases would stand the test of
the Courts; in w hich case, of course, the
logintallon would be Ineffective. More,
over. I believe it would Ik* wrong al
together to prohibit the use of Injunc
tion#?
In this matter of Injunctions there
la lodged In the hands of the Judiciary
a necessary pow-er which Is nevertht-
careful in their decisions and anxiously
solicitous to do exact Justice than the
connci6u*neu8 that every act of theirs
is to be subjected to tlm intelligent
scrutiny and candid criticism of their
fellow-men. Such criticism Is bencil
clal in proportion as it is fair, dispas
sionate, discriminating and based on a
knowledge of sound legal principles.”
Continuing, the president says:
There is one consideration which
should be taken into account by the
good people who carry a sound propo
sition to nn excess in objecting to any
criticism of a judge's decision. The in
stinct of tlie American people as
whole is sound in this matter. They
will not subscribe to the doctrine that
any public servant Is to be above all
criticism.
(At this point President Roosevelt
comments on the subject of lynching.
His remurks in full on the question
will be found on the first page of this
Issue of The Georgian.)
Nsgross Should Learn Trade.
Just and temperate criticism wfien
necessary Is a safeguard against the
acceptance by the people as a whole of
that intemperate antagonism toward
the judiciary which must be combatted
by every right-thinking man. and
which, If It became widespread among
(lie people at large, would constitute
a dire menace to the republic.
The free public school, the chance
for each boy and girl to get a good
elementary education, lies at the foun
dation of our whole (Kdlttca! situation.
In every, community the poorest citi
zens. those who need the schools most,
would be deprivod of them if they only
received school facilities proportioned
to the taxes they paid. This Is ns true
of one portion of our country as the
oilier. It Is ns true for the negro ns for
the W'hlte man. Tbt white man. if lie
is wise, will decline to allow the ne
groes in a mass to,grow to manhood
and womanhood without education.
Of course the best type of education
for the colored man, taken as a whole,
Is such education ns is conferred tn
schools like Hampton and Tuskegee;
where the boys mid girls, the young
men mid young women, arc trained In
dustrially as well as in the ordinary
public school branches. The graduates
of these schools turn out well In the
great majority of cases, and hardly any
of them become criminals, while wlmt
little criminality there is never takes
the form of that brutal violence which
invites lynch law.
Great though the benefit of these
schools has been to the colored pupils
and to the colored i>eople. it may
the good that the honest reformer, the
true upholder of popular rights, has
painfully and laboriously achieved.
The man who debauches others In
order to obtain a high office stands on
an evil equality of corruption with the
man who debauches others for financial
profit.
There arc at this moment wealthy
reactionaries of such obtuse morality
that they regard the public servant who
prosecutes them when they violate the
law. or who seeks to make them bear
their proper share of the public bur
dens, as being even more objectionable
tlmn the violent agitator who hounds
on the mob to plunder tho rich.
Ths Eight-Hour Law.
I call your attention to the need of
passing the bill limiting the number of
hours of employment of railroad em
ployees. Indeed, so far ns It Is in my
power. It should be our aim, steadily
to reduce the number of hours of labor,
with as a goal, th • general Introduction
of nn eight-hour law. There nre In
dustries In which it is not possible that
the hours of labor should be reduced;
Just as there are communities not far
<-noug!i advanced for such a movement
to be for their good. On the Isthmus
of Panama, for instance, the condi
tions arc In every way so different
from Y/hnt they are here that an eight-
hour day would bo absurd; just as It
Is absurd so feran the Isthmus is con
cerned, where white labor cannot l>c
employed, to bother as to wliether the
necessary work Is done by alien black
men, or by alien yellow men.
Hut the wageworkers of the United
States are of so high a grade that alike
from iho merely industrial siundpolnt
and from the civic standpoint It should
be our object to do what we con In tho
direction of securing the general ob
servance of an eight-hour day. Until
recently the eight-hour law on our
federul statute books has been very
scantily observed. Now, however, large
ly through the Instrumentality of tho
bureau of labor. It is being rigidly en
forced. and I sbull speedily be able to
say Whether, or not there is need of
further legislation tn reference thereto:
for our purpose Is to sec It obeyed In
spirit no less than in letter. Half holi
days during summer should bo estab
lished for government employees; It is
as desirable for wageworkers who toll
with their bands as for salaried otll-
clnls whose labor is mental that there
should be a reasonable amount of holi
day.
The congress at Its last session wise
ly provided for a truant court for tho
District o£ Columbia; n marked stop in
advance on the path of properly caring
for children. Let me again urge that
the congress provide for a thorough In
vestigation of th«* conditions of child
labor nnd of the labor .of women In the
United States. *
The horrors Incident to the employ
ment or young children in factories or
at work anywhere arc a blot on our
civilisation. There Is, howaver, we law
on th* subject which should be enacted
immediately because there is no need
for nn investigation in reference there-
nnd the failure to enact It Is dis
creditable t«> tho national government.
A drastic anil thorough-going child la
bor law should be enacted for the Dis
trict of Columbia and territories*
Employers’ Liability.
Among the excellent laws which the
be questioned whether the benefit has I congress passed at the last session was
not been ut least us groat to the white I , ln employers* liability law. tt was a
people among whom these colored pu* I , na rked step in advance to get the reo-
Plls live after they graduate. lognltlon of employers* liability on the
Raps ths Agitators. statute books; but the law did not
Be-It remembered, furthermore, tliut I go far enough. It is a great soclul la
the individuals, who. whether from fol-! Justice Jo compel the fmptoyM
, # . . * .. or the family of the killed or disabled
ly. from II! temper, from greed for oi* J V | c u n , to bear the entire burden of
lice, or in it spirit of mere Uise damn- , _ inevitable sacrifice
gogy. indulge In the inflammatory anti 'Vomnensation for accidenth or deaths
Incendiary speeches nhd writings which 7n any In tftSEmtry to the
to »'«“*• '"■/""“‘"I to bring .bout ,‘XaI .Itb. n» unLr which* In-
J> nehlngs, not o»nl> thus' ******^I dustry is carried on, should be paid by
but -also tend by whftt criminologists. iiortiun ni the community for the
:r“K!° n „V SrrlS
the likelihood of a repetition of the | —ibat |s, by those who profit by the
ci line against which they arc Invelgn- ,n Uu , t ry. 'if the entire trade risk is
When the .nob I. composed of th. ^..“Cl nX^WtoVl"'
people of one race and the man lynched | ,. OH t of production and* assess
Is of another race, the men who In,” propoitlonately upon the consumers
their speeches and writings either ex- *, , * f . oin modltv It Is, therefore),
ouo o. ju.t'fy .he nct.on tend, of course., "fjj 1 ,,, my .Xdtttat the law should
to excite a bit to. IRC. fooling nnd to [ . 1.1. AH io. ..,.i-t, nf -I i rn it." nnon
state the reasons for their contentions.
In this ago of great corporate and
labor combination*, neither employers
nor employees should be left'complete-
ly at the mercy of the stronger party
to a dispute, regardless of the right
eousness 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 It
self an Interest which cannot wisely
be disregarded.
Withdrawal of Lands.
I have temporarily withdrawn from
settlement nil the lnnde which tho
genloglcul survey has Indicated as con
taining. or In all probability containing,
coal. The iiucstlon, however, can bo
properly settled only by legislation,
which In my Judgment should provide
for the withdrawal of these lands from
sale or from entry, save In certain
special circumstances. The ownership
would then remain In the United
States, which should not, however, at
tempt to work them, but permit them
to bo worked by private individuals
under a royalty system, the govern
ment keeping such control as to per
mit It to see that no excessive price
was charged consumers. It would, of
course, be as necessary to supervise
the rates charged by the common car
riers to transport the product as the
rates charged by those w ho mine It.
As to Corporation,.
The passage of the railway rale bill,
and only to a less degree the passage
of the pure food bill, and the provision
for Increasing and rendering more ef
fective nntlonal control over the beef
packing Industry, mark nn Important
udvunoe In the proper direction. In
my judgment It will In the end bo ad
visable In connection with the [lacking
house Inspection law to provide for
putting' a date on the label and for
charging the cost of Inspection to the
packer,. All these laws have already
justified their enactment. tin ring the
Inst live months the railroad* have
Shown Increased earnings mid some of
them unusual dividends; while during
the same period the mere taking effect
of tho law has produced an unprece
dented, a hitherto unheard of, .number
of voluntary reductions In freight nnd
fares by the railroads.
It must not bo supposed, however,
thnt with the passage of these laws It
will be possible to stop progress along
the line of increasing the power of the
national government over the use of
capital In Interstate commerce. For
example, there will ultimately be need
of enlarging the power* of the Inter
state commerce commission along sev
eral different lines, so as to give It a
larger and more efficient control over
the railroads.
Some Law Needed.
In some method, whether by a na
tional license fnw or In other fashion,
we must exercise, and that at an early
date, a far more complete control than
at presont over these great corporations
—a control that will among other
things prevent the evils of excesalvc
over-capitalization. and that will com
pel the disclosure by each big corpora
tion of Its stockholders und of Its prop
erties and business, w hether owned di
rectly or through subsidiary or affiliat
ed corporations. This will tend to put
a stop to the securing of Inordinate
profits by favored Individuals at the
expense w hether of the general public,
the stockholders or the wage workers.
Our effort will be not so much to pre
sumed to be adverse to the public In
terest. It Is unfortunate that our pres-
ent laws should forbid all combinations.
Instead of sharply discriminating be
tween those combinations which do
good and 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 has been
shown since by the Investigation of the
tobacco and sugar .trusts) ns to ths
Initiative of big ralfVoad*. Often rail
roads would like to combine for the
purpose of preventing a big shipper
from maintaining Improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and nt
the general public. Such a combina
tion, instead of being forbidden by law,
should be favored. In other words, It
should be permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these
agreements were sanctioned by the In
terstate commerce commission and
were published.
No Harm to Public.
With those two conditions complied
with. It Is Impossible to see what harm
sucli a combination could do to the
public gt large. It Is a public, evil to
have on the statute books a law Inca
pable of full enforcement because both
judges and juries realize that Its full
enforcement would destroy the business
of tho 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
wrong-doers. Such a result In turn
tends to throw the decent man and the
wilful wrong-doer Into does associa
tion, and In the end to drag down the
former .to the latter's level; for the man
who becomes a law-breaker. In one way
unhappily tends to lose al) respect for
law and <0 be willing to bleak It In
many ways. No more scathing con
demnation could be visited upon a' law
than Is contained In the words of the
Interstate commerce commission, when.
In commenting upon tho fact that tho
numerous Joint traffic associations do
technically violate the law. they say:
"The decision of the United States su
preme court In the Trans-Missouri case
and the Joint Traffic Association case
has produced no practical effect upon
the railway operations of the country.
Such associations, In fart, exist now
as they did before these decisions, and
with the same general effect. In jus
tice to all parties, we ought probably to
add that It Is difficult to see lion- our
Interstate railways could he operated
with due regard to the Interest of the
shipper and the railway without con
certed action of the kind afforded
through these associations.”
This means that as the law as con
strueil by the supreme court It Is such
that the business of the country cannot
be conducted without breaking it.
Insists That Japanese Not be
Discriminated Against by
School Authorities of
Any City.
URGES TECHNICAL
TRAINING IN SCHOOLS
Tells Congress That United States Must
Look After Cuba Until Islanders
Are Able to Govern
Themselves..
I feel that In the near future our na
tlonal - legislators should enpet a luw
providing for a'gradualed Inheritance
tax by which a steadily Increasing rato
of duty should be put upon all moneys
or other valuables coming by gift, be
quest, or devise to any Individual or
corporation. It may be well to make
the tax heavy in proportion il* the In
dividual 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 by any one Individual after a cer.
tain point has been reached. It Is most
desirable to encourage thrift nhd am
bition, anil u potent source of thrift
and ambition Is the desire on the part
of the bread-winner to leave his chil
dren well off. This object can be at
tained by making the law very small
on moderate amounts of property left;
because the prime object should be to
put a constantly Increasing burden on
tho Inheritance of those swollen for
tunes which It Is certainly of no benefit
to this country to perpetuate.
Industrial Education.
It Is not possible for the national
government to lake the lead In techni
cal industrial education, to see that the
public school system of this country
develops on all Its technical, Industrial,
scientific nnd commercial sides. This
must be left primarily to the several
states. Nevertheless, the national gov
ernment has control of the schools o
the District of Columbia, und It should
see thnt these schools promote and en.
courage the fullest development of the
scholars In both commercial and Indus
trial training. Tho commercial train
ing should In one of Its branches deal
with foreign trade. The industrial
training Is even more Important.
If boy* and girls arc trained merely
In literary accomplishments, to tho
total exclusion of Industrial, manual,
nnd technical training, the tendency Is
to unfit them for Industrial work and
to make them reluctant to go Into It,
or unfitted to do well if they do go Into
This Is a tendency which should be
strenuously combatted.
8ubjoct of Agriculture,
There are no other persons whose
recommend that you give careful and
early consideration to this subject, and
If you find the opinion of the Inter
state commerce commission Justified,
that you amend the Inw so as to ob
late the evil disclosed.
Inheritance Income Tax,
The question of taxation Is difficult
In any country, but It Is especially dif
ficult in oura with Its Federal system of
government. Home taxes should on
every ground be levied In a small dis
trict for use In that district. Thus, the
taxation of real estate Is peculiarly one
for the Immediate locality in which the
vent consolidation as such, but so to real estate Is found. Again, there is no
supervise nnd control It as to see tlmt I more legitimate tax for any state than
It results In no harm to the people. *" *— *■—-w-— —— 1 *•••
less suWect to the I )f, s*iV»ilIt>- of grave |,y 11 U , prominence they give to the
abut*. It s * power that should be hideous deed they undoubtedly tend to
exercised with extreme core and should ^
be suble t to tho Jealous scrutiny of all
men: ami condemnation should bo
meted out as much to the Judge who
fulls to use li boldly when necessary
s# to the Judge who uses It wantonly
or oppressively.
! the employer.
investigation of Disputes.
Criticism ef Judges.
But there mast likewise be uo such
abuse of the Injunctive power os Is Im
plied In forbidding laboring men to
Kttlvfe for tlislr - - *-
to lose sight of the abominable am
the criminal himself, and In addition, j necm^ Vhow that during the twen-
ty years from January I, IS8I. to Do-
s.xu.. kmisv UHUPUUICU,: t..,u I*' comber .11. 1»0«. there were struct* ur-
excite n other brutal and depraved im-1 f ?, „'- M g establishments, and
IttPAsi lliAiivltla nr ciiiiinilltliiv It Sivtfi _ .. *7 . ... .1 - .... . t
peaceful a mi lawful ways; nor must the
Injunction be used merely to aid some
*ti£ corporation in carrying out schemes
for its own agfianUIxeracnt. The best
judges have ever been foremost to dis
claim any Immunity from criticism.
The president quotes Judge W. II.
Taft, when a United States circuit
judge, eleven years ago, in Ut5, on the
subject as saying:
**Tho opportunity freely and publicly
to criticize judicial action is of vastly
i.»c*:e iuiitortame to tho body politic
tTm'u f • Immunity of courts and judge''
rcrtu ttnjt)*t aspersion* and attack,
oihltig lends iuo*e w render Judge'
hires thoughts of committing It. Swift
relentless and orderly punishment un
der the law Is tt\c only way by which
criminality of this type can perma
nently be suppressed.
Capital and Labor.
In dealing with both labor and
lal. with the questions effecting
corporations und trades unions,
betterment ia i?“* »»»““ Important to
I03.«»< employer* were thrown'out
employment. During the same period
there were l.aor, lockouts, involving
nearly 10,000 establishments, throwing
over one million people out of employ
ment. These strikes ami lockouts In
ind r.,pl- • yolved an estimated loss to employees '
ln .?. lK, '.y«r l*"7,0«.,u..o and to employers of | fmnbtnntl n^good
The best way to avert the very un
desirable move of the governmental
ownership of railways Is to secure by
the government on behalf of the people
as a whole such adequate control nnd
regulation of tho great Interstate com
mon carriers as will do away with tho
evils which give rise to agitation
against them. Ho the proper antidote
to the dangerous ami wicked ngltatlon
against the men of wealth as such I* to
secure by proper legislation und execu
tive action tltc 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 control at nil. Home persons
sisaik as If the exercise of such gov
ernmental control would do away with
the freedom of Individual Initiative and
dwarf Individual effort. This Is not a
fact.
We hold that the government should
not conduct the business of the nation,
but that It should exercise such super-
vision ns will Insure Its being conduct
ed In the interest of the nation. Our
ulm Is. so far as may be, to secure, for
all decent. Iiord-wovktng men. equality
of opportunity and equality of burden.
Regarding Rebates.
Tbe nclual working of our laws has
shown that the effort to prohibit all
or bad. Is noxious
effective. (’omblnatlon
ber than aught else, and that
flnito harm done by preachers
discontent. These arc the n„ ,„u*, ..... ............ .... ,,,
seek to excite a violent clnss hatred \ suffering endured by the wive* and I Iswsime.
against all men of wealth. : children of employees whose |>ay stop- wmilil ‘‘‘* ";“V‘m*n,Vt vainlvTo nrevent
Moreover, while such preuchln- ami |H? d when their work .lopped, or the I''but we need Is no* t ainly^to pt*sant
such agitation may give a livelihood disastrous rfTcc. »f the strike nr lock- «N combination, but to »*eure such
nnd certain notqftety to some of those out ui>on the business of employers, or rigorous und Cb*Ur®* ®nd su-
wiio take part In It. and may result In the Increase In the coat of products' pervbdon of 1 .T TA,(V*
the temporary imlltlcal success of oth- and til* Inconvenience and loss to the; prevent their Injuring the Public. 01
era. In the long run. every such move- public. - existing In such torin n> InsvRnbly to
mont will HUkt IhII or ©ls<» will »»r>- Many of flics© strikes un«l lockout* fbreaten injur>the lucre fact that
vokc « violent tear Hon. which will it* would not bn vo «*«•»• urml Imd tho ]>urt- I «i combination ha* secured practically
self result not merely In undoing tin- ties to the dispute been required to ap- {complete control or a necessary or tire
inlscblef wrought by the demagogne P*»r before an unprejudiced body rep- uoqM under any circumstance* show
und Alu agitator, but a!«v iu undoing; rocn'.lns H*** "Mbm, and, face to fate
a tax on the franchises conferred by
thnt state upon street railroads anti
similar corporations which operate
wholly within the state boundaries,
sometimes in one nnd sometimes in
several municipalities or other minor
divisions of the ktate. But there nre
many kinds of taxes which can only be
levied by the general government so »»s
to produce the. best results, because
among other reasons, the attempt io
Impose them in one particular state too
often results marely in driving the cor
poration or Individual affected to some
other locality or other state. The na
tional government has long derived Its
chief revenue from a tariff on Imports
end from an internal or excise tax.
In addition to these there is every rea
son why, when next our system of tax
ation Is revised, the national govern
ment should impose a graduated In
come tax. The man 6f greet wealth
owes a peculiar oblfgatton to the state,
because he derives special advantages
from the, mere existence of govern-
Not only should ho recognize
welfare is ns vital as tho welfare of
the tillers of the soil, the farmers.
Several factors must co-operate in
the Improvement of the farmer’s con
dition. Ho must have the chance to
bo educated In the widest possible
sense—in tho sense which keeps ever
In view the Intlmute relationship be
tween the theory of education and the
facts of life.
Great progress has already been made
among farmers by the creation of fann
ers’ Institutes, of dairy associations, of
breeders’ associations, horticultural as
sociations am! the like. A striking ex
ample of how the government and the
farmers cun co-operate Is shown In
connection with the menace offered to
the cotton growers of the Southern
states by tho advance of the boll weevil.
The department Is doing all Tt can to
organize the farmers In the threatened
districts, just ns It has been doing alt it
can to organize them in uld of Its work
to eradicate the cattle fever tlcflc In the
South.
Forsst Preservation.
Much Is now being done for the states
of the Rocky mountains and great plains
through the development of the nution-
al policy of irrigation nnd forest pres-
creation; no government policy for the
betterment of our internal conditions
has been more fruitful of good than
this. The forests of the White moun
tains and southern Appalachian' re
gions should also be preserved: and
they cannot be unless the people of the
states In which they lie, through their
representstIves in the congress, secure
vigorous action by the national gov
ernment.
Memorial Amphitheater.
I invite the attention of the congress
to the estimate bf the secretary of wur
for nn appropriation to'enable him to
begin the preliminary work for the
construction of a memorial amphithea
ter at Arlington.
' Marriage and Divorce.
I am well aware of how difficult it Is
to pass a constitutional amendment.
Nevertheless, In my Judgment the whole
question of marriage und divorce should
be relegate^ to the authority of the
national congresb. At present the wide
differences in the laws of the different
states on tills subject result in scan
dals and abuses; and surely there is
nothing so vitally essential to the wel
fare of the nation, nothing around
•! his obi igation'i n the way‘he ‘leaffshial hmle
dally life and In the way he earn* aitd i {,T ,h , 0 A„'t. 1 ' *“ f 1’ aM t lP 11 m
spends hi* inotie;.-, but It should also !* ti! .Ll from evert-
reeegntzed by th* way in which he tmys ,,T!l5 t fj!2 , , 1KC i^ 0 SiJ.,Vp,iHr c {2.
for the protection the sl.te gives Mm.' .^^" u.e tt^uld eonfer on t^
On the one hand It I* desirable that lie fo^es. the un er ot to deal
should assume hi* full and proper share j rad , n „ d emdcntly wlth nolsqfamy
h.n!r e |j >U l l iroliihfi t n«*nn , tiss l s l ?s >l | < lisf l> h > i I an<1 •h 1 " * houl ‘ 1 •** done whether or not
hand ft Is quite ns necessary that In mnt-i’iuxc and divorce arc dealt with
this kind of taxation, where the men. ^"f, jSfthersafe nor proper m leave
who P a >\ butAjUi® I tbe question op polygamy to be dealt
there should be vfear recognition of the j W |th by the several state*, fewer to
dagger of inaugurating- any such sj's- j de(l | with it should ho t-onferred on tile
tem save in a spirit of entire- Justice national government,
and moderation. 'Vhenevcr we. as a When home tics are loosened: when
l>cop!e, undertake to remodel our luxu- ! m en and women cease lo regard family
tlon system along the lines suggested. ||f e , with ah Its duties fully performed.
we must make It c!eu>- beyond per-
n,!venture that our aim Is to distribute
the burden of supporting the govern,
ment more equitably titan at present:
that wr Intend to treat rich man and
poor men on a basis of Absolute equali
ty. nnd that we recant It as equally
fatal to true demo*’raw to do or permit
Injustice to the one as to do or permit
the standpoint of tile human race, th*
ono sin for which the penalty is nntlonal
death, rare death: a sin for which there
in no atonement; a sin which Is the
more dreadful exactly In proportion as
the men nnd women guilty thereof are
Iu other respects, tn character and bod.
Ily und mental powers, those whom for
tho sake of the slate it would be well
to see the father* and mothers of many
healthy children, well brought up in
homes made happy by- their presence.
No man. no woman, can shirk the pri
mary duties of life, whether for love of
ease and pleasure, or for any other
cause,, nnd retain Ills or her self-re
spect.
, American Shipping.
Let mo once again call the attention
of the congress to two subjects con
cerning which I have frequently before
communicated with them. One Is the
question of developing American ship
ping. I trust that n law embodying in
imbalance iho views, or a major part of
tlie views, expressed in the report on
this subject laid before the lieu:,, nt
its last session will ho passed. It will,
of course, benefit primarily our sea
board states, sucli as Maine, Louisiana
and Washington: hut what benefits
part of our people in tlie end benefits
all: Just ns government aid to irriga
tion nnd forestry in the West Is really
of benefit, not only to the Rocky
mountain stntes, but to all our country.
If It provo Impracticable to enact a law
for the encouragement of shipping gen
erally, then at least provision should be
made fgr better communication with
South America, notable for fast mall
lines to the chief South American
ports. It Is discreditable to us that
our business peoples: for lack of direct
communication in the shape of dines
of steamers with South America, ahould
In that groat sister continent be nt a
disadvantage compared to the business
people of Europe,
Currency Reform.
I especially rail your attention to th*
second subject, the condition of our
currency laws. Tho national bank act
has ably served a great purpose in
aiding the enormous business develop
ment of the country; and within ten
years there lias been an increase in cir
culation per capita from $31.41 to
$33.08. For several years evidence has
been accumulating that addltlannl leg
islation is needed. Tlie recurrence of
each crop season emphasises the de
fects of the present laws. There must
soon he a revision of them, because to
leave them ns they are means to incur
liability of business disaster.
Since your body adjourned there has
been a fluctuation In the Interest on
call money from 3 per cent to $0 per
cent: and the fluctuation was even
greater during tho preceding six
months. The seoreary of the treasury
had to step In and by wise action put
a stop to tlie most violent period of
oscillation. Even worse than such
fluctuation Is the advance in commer
cial rates nnd tho uncertainty felt in
the sufficiency of credit even nt high
rates. All commercial Interests suffer
during eacli crop period. Excessive
rates for call money In New York at
tract money from the interior bank*
Into the speculative field: this depletes
the fund that would otherwise be avail,
able for commercial uses: and commer
cial bniTowei-M nro forced to pay abnor
mal rates, so that each fall a tax, (n
the shape of Increased Interest charges,
is placed on tlie whole commerce of ilia
country.
System Is Defsctiv*.
The mere statement of these fact*
shows that our present system Is se
riously defective. There Is need or a
change. Unfortunately, however, many
of tlie proposed changes must be ruled
Iron! consideration liecuusc they are
complicated, are not easy of compre
hension, nnd tend to disturb -existing
rights nnd Interests. We must also'
rule out any plan which would mate-
lally Impair.the value of. the United
Htntes 3 per cent bonds now pledged
to secure circulation, the issue of which
was made under conditions itcculiarly
creditable to tlie treasury. I do not
press any especial n’an. Various plana
have been proposed by expert commit
tees of iKinkers.
Among the plans which are possibly
feasible and which certainly should re
ceive your consideration Is tliet re
peatedly brought to your attention by
tlie present secretary of the treasury,
the essential features of which Imve
been approved by many prominent
bankers and business men. According
to Ibis plan national hanks should be
permitted to Issue a specified propor
tion of thclt capital In notes of a given
kind, the Ionic to lie tsxed at so high a
rate ns to drive the notea bark when
no! wnnred in legitimate trade. This
plan would not permit the issue, of cur
rency to give additional profits, but to
moor the emergency presented by times
of stringency.
1 do not nuy that this Is the right
syatem. I only advance It to empha
sise my belief that there Is need for
the adoption of some system which
shall is* automatic tun! open to all
that such combination was to be pre- iniostle* to the other,
hlllty of discrimination nrid favotli
Such a plan would tend to prevent the
and all Ita’responalbmtles'llvctl up to, j sposm- of high moniy and speculation
as tlie life best worth living, then evil which now obtain In Ute New York
days for the commonwealth nre utimniket: for at present there Is loo
hand. There are regions in our land, i much currency nt certain seasons of
ami classes of out' population, where i the year, and Its accumulation at New
the birtli rate tuts sunk below the death j Yogk t-mpls hrftikera to lend It at low'
rate. j rates lor speculative purposes, whereas,
Hurely If should need rr>t demonstra- : ■
tlon to show that wflful sterility is, 1
lulu the standpoint of the nation, ffoiu Continued on Pag* Five,