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Show law, Wiua auh a Jaw can be enforced only lii rfertly and unequally, and Its enforcement work at much hardship as good. I trongly advocate that instead of an unwise effort to prohibit all combination, theyti aball be substituted a Jaw' which shall combination permit whlrh are In the Interrat of the public, but shall at the aatne time give to acme agency In the national government full power of rent rid and auervision over them. The railways of the country should be put completely undr the Interstate commerce commission and removed front law. The the domain f the anti-trupower of the commission shot. I J be made thoroughgoing, so that it could exercise complete supervision and control over the Issue of securities as well as over the raising and lowering of rates As regards rates, at least, this power should be summary. . . . Kates must be made as low as Is compatible with giving proper returns to all ti e of the railroad. from the l.lghcst to the lowest, and pnqx-return to the sharchtdders, but they must not. for insUmc, to reduced in such fashion s to necessitate a cut In the wages of the employe or the abolition of the proper and legitimate profit of honest shareholders. Interest of the Wageworker. trust E at-mo- ot I ejrely DOCUMENT FROM CHIEF EXECU-TIVREAD IN CONGRESS. E st URGES CHANGES IN LAWS Present Currency System Declared Imperfect Control of Corporations the Province cf the National Government-Conduct of Labor Leaders Criticised For Postal Savings Banks. Washington. In his message to congress, read In both houses Tuesday. President Roosevelt makes Important suggestions as to what be considers necessary legislation. The president congratulates the nation on its present excellent financial standing, hut calls attention to the need of remedying defects in the currency system. He says: The financial standing of tha nation at the present time is excellent, and the financial management of the na- tion's Interests by the government during the last seven years has shown the moat aallsfactory results. But our currency system is Imperfect, and It la earnestly to be hoped that the currency commission will ha ahle to propose a thoroughly good system which will do away with the existing defects. During the period from July 1. 1901, to September SO. i:tS, there was an Increase In the amount of money In circulation of 1302,991. 399. The increase In the per capita during this period was $7.06. Within this tima there were aeveral occasions when It was necessary for the treasury department to coma to the relief of the money market by purchases or redemptions of United States bonds; by Increasing deposits In national banks; by stimulating additional Issues of national bank notes, and by facilitating Importations from abroad of gold. Our Imperfect currency system has made these proceedings necessary, and they were effective until tha monetary disturbance in the fall of 1907 immensely Increased the difficulty of ordinary methods of relief. By the middle of November the available working balance In the treasury' had been reduced to approximately IG.000,000. Clearing house associations throughout the country had been obliged to resort to the expedient of issuing clearing house certificates, to be used as money. In this emergency it was determined to invite subscriptions for $."0,000,000 Tanama canal bonds, and $100, 000, 000 three per cent, certificates of Indebtedness authorized by the act of June 13, 1898. It was proposed to redeposit in the national banks the proceeds of these issues, and to permit their use as a basis for additional circuThe lating notes of national banks. moral effect of this procedure was so great that it was necessary to issue only $24,631,930 of the Panama bonds and of the certificates of Indebtedness. During the period from July 1, 1901, to September 30, 1908, the balance between the net ordinary receipts and the net ordinary expenses of the government showed a surplus in the four years 1902, 1903, 1906, and 1907, and a deficit in the years 1904, 1905, 1908 and a fractional part of the fiscal year 1909. The net result was a surplus of $99, 2S3, 413.54. The financial operations of the government during this period, based upon these differences rebetween receipts and expenditures, sulted In a net reduction of the interest-bearin- g debt of the United States from 00 to notwithstanding that there had been two sales of Panama canal bonds amounting in the aggregate $987,141,040 $897,253,990, to $54,631,980, and an issue of three per cent, certificates of indebtedness under the act of June 13, 1898, amounting to $15,436,500. Refunding operations of the treasury department under the act of March 14, 1900, resulted in the conversion into two per cent, consols of 1930 of $200,309,400 bonds bearing higher rates of Interest. A decrease of $8,687,956 in the annual interest charge resulted from these operations. In short, during the seven years and three months there has been a net surplus of nearly one hundred millions of receipts over expenditures, a reduction debt by ninety of the interest-bearin- g millions, in spite of the extraordinary expense of tbe Panama canal, and a saving of nearlx nine millions on the annual Interest charge. n The message reiterates the views of the president that the control of great corporations, especially the railroads of the country, should be vested in the national government. He says: well-know- I believe that it is worse than folly to attempt to prohibit all combinations as is dpne bv the. Sherman anti rmt-loyt- r Turning to conditions affecting the suffer! in rotequme oi tbe custom of court Issuing temporary Injunction without notice to them, nd contempt f court In punishing them lni.-tni'a matter of fact. whrre. Ibry have no know trde of any proceed. v hafii.g labor OrsamieJ Inga. wbuh the untr unjust restraint com. resort to 1 1,1 from plan of procedure. by rmjdo) f-- r r 1 rrjH-ale- Injunction d Mut Regain. The power of Injunction great equitable remedy, which should on no But safeguard account be destroyed should be erected against ll abuse. In aubstanre. provision should be made rethat no Injunction or temporary straining order Issue otherwise than on ntice. except where Irreparable Injury would otherwise result; ami In such case a hearing on tne merits of the order should be had within a Mart fixed port. 1. and. If not then continued a her hearing, it should forthwith lapse IV. cislon should he rendered Immediat Iv. and the chance of delay mlnlmlx d In every way. Moreover. 1 believe that the procedure should be sharply defined and the judge require! minutely lo state the particulars !fh of his netlon and f his reasons therefor, so that Ihe congress can If It desires examine and Investigate the same. Harm Worked by Law. Pisciisfilng men ku ms necessary for the proper control of giant corporations operating In defiance of law, the 1 wageworker and the man of small means, tbe president says: Postal Pavings banks will make It easy for the poorest to keep their savpresident says: ings In absolute safety. The regulation Heat damage has been done by the of the national highways must be such and conflicting Interpretation manifold that they shall serve all people with m commerce law. Conthe interstate finances must Justice. equal Corporate be supervised so as to make It far safer trol over the great corporations doing than at present for the man of small Interstate business can be effective only means to Invest Ills money In stocks. If It la vested with fml power In an administrative dipnrtment. n branch of There must be prohibition of child lathe federal executive, cnrrjing out n women of u.mlnutlon shortbor, labor, law: It can never he effective If ening of hours of all mechanical labor; afederal divided responsibility is left In both stock watering should be prohibited, the states and the nation; it can never and stock gambling so far as Is possible discouraged. There should be a be effective If left In the hands of the to le decided by lawsuits. progressive Inheritance tax on large court courts hold a pinre of peculiar and The fortunes. Industrial education should he encouraged. As far as possible we deserved sanctity under our form of govshould lighten the burden of taxation ernment. Respect for the law la essenon the small man. There should no tial to the permnncnce of our Instituwith the tions; and respect for the law is largely longer be any paltering of of the conditioned upon respect for the courts, question taking care who, under our pres- vlt la an offense against the republic to wageworkers ent Industrial system, become killed, say anything which can weaken this recrippled, or worn out as part of the spect, save for the gravest reason and In the most carefully guarded manner. In no regular incidents of & given business. As those other nation In the world do the courts far as concerns who have been worn out. I call your wield such vast and power attention to the fact that definite a In the United States. All that Is necpensteps toward providing old-ag- e essary 2a that the courts aa a whole sions have been taken In many of our should exercise this power with the farsighted wisdom already shown by those private Industries. These may be Indefinitely extended . through voluntary Judges who scan the future while they association and contributory schemes, act In the present. or through the agency of savings Forest Preservation. banks, as under the Massachusetts The manifest necessity for fores! plan. preservation is pointed out as a duty Urgent Need of Reform. the present generation owes to its deOur present system, or rather no system, works dreadful wrong, and Is of scendants, and the president cites the benefit to only one class of people the case of China, where reckless de forlawyers. When a workman Is injured estation has resulted in creating deswhat he needs is not an expensive and doubtful lawsuit, but the certainty of erts, as an object lesson. relief through Immediate administraInland Waterways. No academic action. tive theory Immediate action by the present about freedom of contract" or constiof session tutional liberty to contract should be congress for the Improveto and this with interfere ment of our inland waterways the permitted similar movements. president declares to be imperative. I renew my recommendation that He recommends Ihe creation jf a perthe principle of the eight-hou- r day manent commission authorized to coshould as rapidly and as far as practicable be extended to the entire work ordinate the work of all the governbeing carried on by the government; the present law' should be amended to ment departments relating to waterembrace contracts on those public ways, and to frame and supervise the works which the present wording of execution cf a comprehensive plan. the act seems to exclude. Postal Savings Banks. I renew my recommendation made In Urging the immediate institution of a previous message that be granted during summer to all postal savings banks, the message In government employ . says: I again renew my recommendation Judges Too Poorly Paid. for postal savings banks, for depositCotipled with a eulogy of the juing savings with the security of the diciary of the nation the president government behind them. The object encourage thrift and economy in urges that, beginning with the su- is to wage-earnand person of modthe should the have preme court, judges erate means. It is believed that in the their salaries doubled. aggregate vast sums of money would be As was to be expected, the attitude brought Into circulation through the inof the postal savings assumed by certain labor leaders dur- strumentality banks. ing the recent election comes in for Parcel Post. bitter criticism. The president asThe of serts that demands made on congress the establishment of aadvisability post parcel for . legislation were unjust and im- service is thus dealt with: practical and could but work harm to In my last annual message I coms the cause of labor. While declaring mended postmaster-generalthe that our judicial system is sound and recommendation for an extension of the parcel post on the rural routes. The effective at core, the president says: establishment of a local parcel post on There are certain decisions by various rural routes would be to the mutual courts which have been exceedingly detbenefit of the farmer and the country rimental to the rights of storekeeper, and it is desirable that the This is true of all decisions that decide routes, serving more than 15,000,000 that men are, by the constitution, guar- people, should be utilized to the fullest anteed their liberty to contract to enter practicable extent. a dangerous occupation, or to work an Education. undesirable or improper number of hours, with the important subject Dealing or to work In unhealthy surroundings; of education, the president says: and therefore cannot recover damages when maimed in that occupation, and With the limited means hitherto procannot be forbidden to work what the vided, the bureau of e ducation has rendered efficient service, but the conlegislature decides is an excessive number of hours, or to carry on the work gress has neglected to adequately supunder conditions which the legislature ply the bureau with means to meet the decides to be unhealthy. educational growth of the country. There is also, I think, ground for the I earnestly recommend that this unbelief that substantial Injustice Is often fortunate state of affairs as regards far-reachi- half-holida- ys wage-worke- rs er much-discusse- d wage-worker- s. ftieo be reme(h national educational died by adrquale appropriation. This recommendation I urgd by Ihe r of our common school- nnl great elate uui v eriti and the leading educator, who all unite In requesting favoratde consideration and by the congress upon Ihia subject, The pr sidnt joint out lb necesarl-msity of l ticr otpanlzailon of jn ve pre-tentati- - ann m bureaus tC8HtuIMo for tko public r ,.1I health, and iitc tin Ju soldiers home undir Iho of the war department. On the question cf statehood th president says: advocate the Immediate admission of Mate ThI M ould - done at the pre nt semoon of the rergre. The people of Ihe I wo have made it evident by tlnur vet. thtt they will not come In as one state. The only alternative I to admit them a two, and 1 truM that thi will U done without dchtv. I New Mexico and Arizona a l- ter-ritor- h- Foreign Policy. foreign policy Is base tbit right must be don between nations precis ly a In tween Individual, and In our netlon for th hit ten years we have In this matter W proven our faith by our have behavid. and are behaving, toward other nations, as In private life an honorable, man would behave towards hi fellows. 1 take this opportunity publl ly tq stale my appreciation of the wny In which in J.'pin, in Austrajia, in New V.i aland, and in ell Ihe slates of Smith America, the battle fleet has been ren Us practice voyage nrnunA ceived the world. The American government can not too strongly express Its appreciation of the abounding and gtn ruui hospitality shown our ships In cvry port they visited Panama Canal Being Rushed. The work on the Panama canal is being done with a speed, efficiency and rntire devotion to duty, which make it a mood for all work of the kind. Th men on the isthmus, from Uol. (iodhals and his felloir commissioners thiough the entire list of employes who nr faithfully doing their duty, have won Ihtlr right to the ungrudging respect and gratitude of the American people. 1 again recommend the extension of the ocean mall act of 1891 so that satisfactory American ocean mall lines to Booth America. Asia, the Philippines, and Australasia may be established. Should Develop Hawaii. I call particular attention to the Territory of Hawaii. The Importance of those Islands Is apparent, and the need of Improving their condition and developing their resources Is urgent. Progress In the Philippines. Country Thi nation' on Ihe theory ld Real progress toward being made In the Philippine Islands. nt Is I trust that within a generation the time will arrive when the Filipino can decide for themselves whether It I well for them to become Independent, or to continue under the protection of a strong and disinterested power, able to guarantee to the Islands order at home and protection from foreign Invasion. The president urges that national parks adjacent to national forests be placed under the control of the forest service of the agricultural department; he also points out the benefits derived from pure food legislation. The National Guard. Urging continued efforts to in- crease the efficiency of the National Guard the president continues: Now that the' organized militia, th National Guard, has been incorporated with the army as a part of the nallonal forces, it behooves the government to do every reasonable thing in its power to perfect its efficiency. It should be assisted in its Instruction and oilier-wis- e aided more liberally than h reto-for- e. The continuous services of many well-traine- d essential regular officers will bo A this connection. now bill is before the pending congress creating a number of extra officers in the army, which If passed, as it ought to be, will enable more officers to be trained as Instructors of National Guard and assigned to that duty. In case of war It will be of th utmost Importance to have a large number of trained officers to use for turning raw levies into good troops. For More War Vessels. The navy is the last subject dealt with. In that connection the president says: I approve the recommendations of board for the inthe general crease of the navy, calling especial to the need of addiattention In tional destroyers and colliers, and above all, of the four battleships. able to complete as soon It is desir- as possible a squadron of eight battleships of the best type. existing I most earnestly recommend that the general board be by law turned Into a. general staff. There is literally no excuse whatever for continuing the present bureau organization of the navy. The navy should be treated as a purely military organization, and everything should ' be subordinated to the one object of se-- curing military efficiency. A system of promotion by merit, either by selection or by exclusion, or by processes, should be introduced. both . |