| Show I 1 aw mr I 1 0 1 resident 90 1 rbra U qu 3 U 1 I 1 8 H I 1 t 00 H R E ab L A N chief executive recommends passage of important Legisla legislation flon causes leading to the formation of the new republic of panama no obstruction now to the building of the isthmian canal venezuelan dispute a triumph for international arbitration extension of purposes of appropriation for enforcing trust and interstate commerce laws favored public land and postal frauds need for treaties making bribery extraditable relations of the government to capital and labor 9 rhe the president charges the columbian government with acting in bad faith in repudiating the treaty between that country and the united states precedents brought forward to explain the attitude of the state department in the recent crisis country has ilas been in an almost constant state of turmoil for many years the importance of preserving peace in the isthmus declared of paramount imports ice president rosevelt s message to the second session of the fifty eighth con cress Is substantially as follows t to ro the senate and house of represent talmes with a nation as with a man the most important things are those of the bouse house hold and therefore the country Is espe cape dally to be congratulated on what has been shed ta in the direction of pro riding viding for the exercise of supervision A over ever the great corporations and bombina eions of corporations engaged in inter t tate state commerce the congress has ere cre I 1 abed the department of commerce and labor including the bureau of co pora eions with for the first time authority to secure proper publicity of s such uch proceed ings of these great corporations as the public has the ight r to know it has pro vided for the expediting of suits tor for the enforcement of the federal anti trust law and by another law it has secured equal treatment to all producers in the transportation of their goods thus taking ft a long stride forward in making effective t the work of the interstate commerce V d commission department of commerce and labor the establishment of the department i YI of commerce and labor with the bureau yui ef of corporations marks a real rf 11 a avance in the direction of doing all that a 1 Is possible for the solution of the questions vitally affecting capitalists and wage 1 4 workers i functions of new department the preliminary work rork of the bureau t f of corporations in the department has hown shown the wisdom of its creation pub lacity in corporate affairs will tend to do way away with ignorance and will afford facts upon which intelligent action may t be taken systematic intelligent hinves i I 1 ti gatlon is already developing facts the I 1 knowledge of which is essential to a right understanding of the needs and duties of the business world the corporation which is honestly and fairly organized whose managers in the conduct of its business recognize their obligation to deal squarely with their stockholders their competitors and the public has nothing of to tear fear from such supervision the pur pose of this bureau Is not to embar embarrass rass or assail legitimate business but to aid 0 in bringing about a better industrial con flitton a condition under which there J hall shall be obedience to law and recognition I 1 of public obi gallon gation by all corporations f treat great or small the department of corn com merce and labor will be not the clearing house for information regarding i the business transactions of the nation but the executive arm of the government to aid in strengthening our domestic and A foreign markets in perfecting our trans por port atlon tation facilities in building up our I 1 merchant marine in preventing the en I 1 trance of undesirable immigrants in fill proving commercial and industrial condl eions and in bringing together zether to on corn 1 I non ground those necessary liec essary partners in industrial progress capital and labor commerce between the nations Is stead by fly growing in volume and the tendency tend enc et of the times la is toward closer trade rela eions constant watchfulness Is needed I 1 to secure to americans the chance to par to the best advantage in foreign k I 1 trade and we may confidently expect that the new department will justify the expectation of its creators by the exer I 1 else of this watchfulness as well as by the businesslike administration of such laws relating to our internal affairs as I 1 ire are In trusted to its care in enacting the laws above enumerated the pe congress ded on sane and con se native lines nothing revolutionary J 1 was attempted but a common sense and successful effort was made in the diorec tion of seeing that corporations are so bandied handled as to the public good the legislation was moderate it was characterized throughout by the idea that I 1 we were not attacking corporations but endeavoring to provide tor for doing away with any evil in them that we drew the 4 line one against misconduct not agal against ast wealth gladly recognizing the great good tone done by capitalists who alone or in conjunction with his fellows does his work along proper and legit mate lines I 1 the purpose of the leg station which pur pose will undoubtedly be fulfilled was to favor such a man when he does well and t to supervise his action only to prevent him from doing ill publicity can do no 1 harm to the honest corporation the 14 enly corporation that hat has cause to dread it Is I 1 the corporation which shrinks from I 1 the to light and about the welfare of such corporations we need not be oversensitive the work of the department of corn com I 1 merce and labor has been conditioned upon this theory of securing fair treat cent alike for labor and for capital I 1 cap tal and labor I 1 the consistent policy of the national government tov emment EO so far as it has the power Is I 1 to hold in check the unscrupulous man I 1 N whether employer or employed but to re tusa fuse to weaken indi bidual initiative or 4 to hamper or cramp tl 1 e industrial devel i 1 of the country we recognize that this Is an era of freedom and corn com in which great capitalistic cor po rations and labor unions have become factors of tremendous importance in all 4 industrial centers hearty recognition Is civen given the tar far reaching beneficent work which has bee accomplish ed through both corporations and unions and the line as between different corporations as between different unions is drawn as it Is between different individuals that I 1 Is it Is drawn on co duct duet the effort be ing to treat both organized and organ org led labor alike asking nothing tai sai e the interest of each shall be brought into harmo y with the interest of the general public and that the the conduct of each shall conform to the fundamental rules bt bf obedience to law of individual freedom and of bastice and ta far deal ng towards all either corpora lew ion tion labor union or india dual diere 6 4 lv gares the law or acts to in a spirit ot of arbi arary and tyrannous interference with the rights of others whether corpora eions or ind visuals then where the federal government has jurisdiction it will see to it that the misconduct Is stopped paying not the slightest heed to the position or power of the corporation the union or the individual but only to one vital fact that Is the question cheth er or not the conduct of the individual or aggregate of individuals Is in ac corrance cor dance with the law of the land every man must be guaranteed his I 1 berty and his right to do as he likes with his prop erty or his labor so long as he does not infringe the rights ot of others no man Is aboe above the law and no man is below it nor do we ask any man a permission when we require him to obey at obedience to the law Is demanded as a right not asked as a favor receipts and expend tures from all sources exclusive of the pos tal service the receipts of the govern ment tor for the last fiscal bear ear aggregated the expenditures for the same period were ma the surplus tor for the fiscal year being 54 the indications are that the surplus tor for the present fiscal year wll will be very small it if indeed there be any surplus from july to november the receipts from customs were approximately nine million dollars less than the receipts from the same source for a corresponding portion of last year should this decrease continue at the same ratio throughout the fiscal year the surplus would be reduced by approximately thirty million dollars should the revenue from customs suffer much further decrease during the fiscal year the surplus would vanish A large surplus Is certainly undesirable two 5 ears ago the war taxes were taken off with the express intention of equalizing the government receipts and expenditures and though the first year thereafter sti I 1 showed a surplus it now seems likely that a substantial equality of revenue and arid expenditure will be attained such being the case it Is of great moment both to exercise care and economy in ampro privations and to scan sharply any change in our fiscal revenue system which may reduce our income the need of strict economy in our expenditures Is ampha sized by the fact that we can not afford to be parsimonious in providing tor for what Is essential to our national well being careful economy wherever poes poss ble will a one prevent our income from tall fail ng below the point required in order to meet our genuine needs needs of financial situation the integrity of our currency Is 1 beyond question and under present conditions it would be unwise and unnecessary to at tempt a reconstruction of our entire mon detary system the same liberty sl be granted the secretary of the treasury to deposit customs receipts as Is granted him in the deposit of receipts from other sources in my message of dec 2 1902 I 1 called attention to certain needs of the financial situation and I 1 again ask the consideration of the congress tor for these questions gold and silver standard during the last sess bess on of the congress at the suggestion of a joint note from the a of mexico and the imperial government of cl ina and in harmony bar mony with an act of the congress appropriate ing 25 to pay the expenses thereof ereon a commission was appointed to confer with the principal european countries in the hope that some plan might be devised whereby a fixed rate of exchange could be assured between the gold standard countries and the silver standard coun tries this commission has filed its pre report which has been z made nade public I 1 deem it important that the commission be continued and that a sum of money be appropriated sufficient to pay the expenses of its further labors labor B with regards to the improvement ot of the american merchant marine the president recommends that the con gress direct the secretary of the navy the postmaster general and the secretary of commerce and labor as soc with such a representation from the senate and house of representatives senta tives as the congress in its als Is dom may designate to serve as a corn com mission tor for the purpose ot of investigate Invest igat ing and reporting to the congress at its next session what legislation Is desirable or necessary for the develop ment of the american Ame merchant ma rine and american commerce and in ci dentally of a national ocean mall mail service of adequate auxiliary naval cruisers and navel reserves on the subject ot of immigration the message calls attention to the report of a committee of new york citizens of high standing arthur v lee X frankel eugene A philbin thomas W hynes and ralph which deals with the whole situation at length and concludes with certain recommendations tor for adminis and legislative action it 3 now receiving the attention of the secretary of commerce and labor the message continues ant trust laws on the subject of the antitrust mea measures which have been dealt with by the congress the president says in my last annual message in connection with the subject of the due regula ton t on of combinations of capital which are or may become injurious to the public I 1 recommended a special tion for or the better enforcement of the i akl W LL jui dul fal aa T ily J cwi F anti trust law as it now stands to be expended under the direction of the at torney general accord angly by the leg Islat isla lve tive executive and jud caal ampro privation pria tion atlon act of february 25 1903 22 stat the congress appropriated tor for the pu vose of enforcing the various federal trust and interstate commerce laws the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to be expended under the diorec tion of the attorney general in the em of special counsel and agents in the department of justice to conduct proceedings and ons under sa d laws laves n the courts ot of the united states I 1 now recommend as a matter of the ut most importance and urgency the exten slon sion of the purposes of df this tion so that it may be aval ab e under the d edtion of the attorney general and until used tor for the due enforcement of the laws of the united states in general and especially of the civil and criminal laws la w relating to public lands and the laws re relating lating to postal crimes and offenses and the subject ot of natural izat on recent in vest igat ons oils have shown a deplorable s state tate of 0 affairs in these three matters of vital concern by various frauds and by forgeries and perjuries thousands of acres of the pub io to domain embracing lands ands of d efferent character and extend ing ing through var ous sections of the coun try have been d acquired it is hardly necessary to urge the import ance of recovering these d acquin stolen from the people and of 0 promptly and duly punishing the of fenders postal frauds I 1 speak in another part of this messa message ge of the widespread crimes by which the sacred right of citizenship Is falsely as sorted and that inestimable heritage perverted to base ends by similar means mean that is through frauds forgeries and and perjuries and by shameless bri briberies berles the laws re abing to the proper conduct of the public service in general and to the due administration of the Post postoffice office department have been notoriously vio and many indictments have been found and the consequent prosecutions are in course of hearing or on the eve thereof for the reasons thus indicated and so that the government may be pre pared to enforce promptly and with the greatest effect the due penalties for such violations of law and to this end may be furnished with sufficient instrumentally all ali ties and competent legal assistance tor for the investigations and trials which will be necessary at many different points of the country I 1 urge upon the congress the necessity of making the said ampro privation pria atlon tion available for immediate use tor for all such purposes to be expended under the direction of the attorney general needs for treat es be making bribery extraditable steps have been taken by the state department looking to the making of bribery an extraditable offense with noth tor for eign powers the need of more effective effect ly treaties covering this crime Is manifest the exposures and prosecutions t of of facial corruption in st louis mo and other cities and states have resulted in a number of givers and takers of bribes becoming fugitives in foreign lands abrib ery has not been included in extradition treaties heretofore as the necessity for it has not arisen 11 athle h le there may hae hav e been as much official corruption in former years there has been more developed and brought to I 1 in the lin mediate past than in the preceding century of our country gilsto s 1 isto y it sl be the policy of the united states to leave no place on earth where a corrupt man fleeing from this country can lest in peace there Is no rea on why bribery sl el not be included in all treaties as table the recent |
