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* hy the cours? thus required by err own iniennsts. \ The natural mine ofvelcptrent fv a policy of reciprocity will 1 in e inflexion v.-'th those of our pro .n i.u. which no longer require nil of t:te ^upport once nccJc.i to criaMl/h upon a scuud basti?. er.J with the others where eiih-. r because c: n.t: . 1 or of economic causes v.e arc bv/oad lie reach of success:' 1 competition. 5 ask the attention of the Sonata to the reciprocity treaties laid uc:ore it by my predecessor. Merchant Marine. The condition of the American merchant marine is such as to cn.ll for immediate remedial action by the Congress. It is discreditable to us as a Nation that our merchant marine should be utterly insignificant in comparison to that of other nations which we overtop in other forms of business. We should not longer submit to conditions tinder which only a trifling portion of cu: great commerce is carried on our own ships. To remedy this state, of things would not merely serve to build up our shipping interests, but it would also result in benefit to all who are interested in the permanent establishment of a wider market for American * ' A onv products, and wouiu prov 1UO an ??>.? iiiary force for the N'avy. Ships work for their own countries just as iailroads work for their terminal poln.s. Shipping lines, if established to the principal countries with which we have dealings, would be of political as well as commercial benefit. From every standpoint it is unwise for the United States to continue to rely upon tie ships of competing nations for the distribution of our goods, it should be made advantageous to carry American goods in American-built ships. At present American snipping is trr.der certain great disadvantage s * when put in competition with the shipping of foreign countries. Many of the fast foreign steamships, at a spned of fourteen knots or above, are subsidized; Aid all our ships, sailing vessels ond steamers alike, cargo carries of slow speed and mail carriers of higi speed, have to meet the fact that the original cost of building American Bhips is greater than is the case abroad; that the wages paid American officers aud seamen are very much * * higher than tho'e paid the officers and veamen of foreign competing coun;ries; and that thr? standard of living on out ships is far superior to the standard of living on the ships of our commercial rivals. Our Government should take such actIon as will remedy these inequaiit?*s. The American merchant marine -*??-? u, -oo'n-ni to the ocean. SLwUiU UU icoiwjvu ??* ??? The Gold Standard. The Act of March 14. 1SOO, intended unequivocally to establish gold a3 the standard moaey and to maintain it a X?irity therewith all forms of money ^^^^nodittm in use with us. has been shown of oar Government bonds In the world's market, when compared with the price of similar oblibations issued by other nations, is a flattering tribute to our C public credit. This condition it is evitk-ntly desirable to maintain. In many respects the National Banktag Ijw furnishes sufficient liberty for - the proper exercise of the banking1 function; but there seems to be need of better safeguards against the de-' ranging influence of commercial crises ! and financial panics. Moreover, the currency of the country should b? j made responsive to the demands of our domestic trade and commercve. Trv collections from duties on iraand internal taxes continue to ? :*?. t J the ordinary expenditures of tr* llivernment. thank3 mainly to *he . .1 army expenditures. The utctr. care should Lc taken not to re dri the revenues so that there will be cry possibility of a deficit; but. after i prrc. ling against any such contingency. means shouid be adopted wa'rh | v}': lrini the revenues more nearly: within the limit of our actual needs. In ti>. : -oort to the Congress the Secre-! iary of the Treasury considers all -.hese questions at length. and I ask your at- ! tert.ua to the report and recomnien- j dations. ! call strict attention to the need of strict economy in expenditures.The fact ' thr: our national needs forbid us to be ' ni'gardly in providing whatever is ac-; tua'ly necessary 10 our weu-using, should make us doubly careful to luts>a:.ii our national resources, as each if is husbands his private resources, ay scrupulous avoidance of anything *lik" reckless or wasteful expenditure, only by avoidance o f spending money on what i3 needless or unjustfiable can wr legitimately l.eep our income to the pen: required to meet our needs that1 tire genuine. Interstate Commerce. In 1SS7 a measure was enacted for tbe> regulation of interstate railways, commonly known as the Interstate Commerce Act. The cardinal provi.siors of that act were that railway ratrs. should be ju3t and reasonable t en;! that all shippers, localities, and commodities should be accorded equal treatment. A commission was created and i ndowed with what were supposed j to be the necessary power: to execute | the provisions of this act. j That law was largely an experiment., Experience has shown the wisdom t.f its purposes, but has also shown, possibly. that some of its requirements are wrong, certainly that tho means devised for the enforcement of its pro ?Js'ons are defective. Those who complain of the management of the railways allege that established rates aio -in-jint^inp.l tliif rebates and sim ilar devices are habitually resorted to: that these preferences are usually in fa"Oi- of the lar.ee shippers: that they drive out of business the small competitor: that while many rates are too low. many others are excessive: and th:U gross preferences are made, affecting both localities and commodities. I'pon the ether hand, the railassert that the law by its very le:m? tends to produce many of these iTrgai practices by depriving carriers of that right of concerted action which Uri-y claim is necessary to establish and maintain nondiscriminating rates. 'IL act should be ameotlvd. The lit.l-v.'.y is a public servant. Its rates ch'tciJ te just to and open to all shippc: alike. The government should * fthat within its juris.!: -run I t^is is s.i and should provide a s; edy. ' ^\pm. iv \ ami o'lective remedy ;> iii' ?nii. At the ?u:ne t'n.e it must . : l' f;: ~c:tcu That o;:r railways are ; ;!> > ait r. through which the . r.i* vial l:!i-l iood of this nation lio.vs. ivjthing cvK'.id t-? more foolish 'a n . the thiacTui* a: of logis'.ar.ca v.i. -h ! would i:n:i ..s-ariiv interfere with the j (leveiopntiAii and ojvmation of th.se commercial agencies. The subject .s cue of great importance and calls for tin* earnest attention of the Congress. Department of Agriculture. The Department cf Agriculture d urinethe past fifteen years has i utcadily broadened its work on cron| omic lines, and has accomplished results of real value in upbuilding doj mestic and foreign trade. It has gore into new fields until it is now in touch 1 with all sections of our country and ! with two of the island groups that I have lately come under our jurisdic| lion, whose people must look to agiT J culture as a livelihood. It is search' ing the world for grains, grasses, fruits, and vegetables specially fitted j for introduction into localities in the [ several States and Territories where j tbcjr may add materially to our rcr-ourcea. By scientific attention to soil i survey and possible new crops, to 1 hreedine of new varieties of plants. u? experimental shipments, to animal industry and applied chemistry, very | practical aid has been giveu our : farming and stock-growing interests. ; The products of the farm have taken ' an unprecedented place in our export I trade during the year that has just I closed. Our Insular Possessions. | In Hawaii our aim must be to do; velop the territory on the traditional | American lines. We do' not wish a region of large estates tilled by cheap labor; we wish a healthy j American community of men who themselves till the farms they own. All our legislation for the i3lan is I should le shaped with this end in I view; the well-being of the average home-maker must afford the true test of the healthy development of liic i islands. The land policy should as ' nearly as possible be modeled on our homestead system, i It Is a pleasure to say that it Is hardly more necessary to report ar to Porto Rico than as to any State cr territory within our continental limits. The island is thriving as never , before, and it is beiing administered efficiently and honestly. Its people are now enjoying liberty and order under the protection of the United ! states, ana upon mis ian ?c i-?u; grataiate them and ourselves. Their material welfare must he as care' fullv and jealouslv considered as the welfare of anv other portion of our country. We have given them the great gift of fM^ccess for their pro' ducts to the nWKets of the United States. I ask the^ittention of the ConL gress to the need of legislation concerning the public lands of Porto Tas" made toward putting the independent government of the island upon a firm footing that befofe the present session of the Congress closes this will be an accoiuElifiBed tact. Cuba will then start as her own mistress: and fo the beautiful Queen of the Antilles, as she unfol Is this new pago of her destiny, we extend our heartiest gieetings and good wishes. Elsewhere 1 have discussed the question of re ciproclty. In the case of Cuba, however. there are weighty reasons of morality and of national interest why the policy should be held to have a peculiar application*and I most earnestly ask your attention to the wis-| riom. indeed to the vital need, of providing for a substantial reduction in Via tariff Untinc on Pnlian imnorts into the United States. Cuba has in ! her constitution affirmed what wc j desired, that she should stand, in international matters, in closer and : more friendly relations with us than ; with any other power; and we are; bound by every consideration of honor j and expediency to pass commercial measures in the interest of her material well-being;. In the Philippines our problem is larger. They are very rich tropical islands, inhabited by many varying tribes, representing widely different stages of progress toward civilization. Our earnest effort is to help these people upward along the stonv an 1 difficult path that leads to self-government. We hope to make our administration of the islands honorable to our Nation by making it of the highest benefit to the Filipinos themselves; and as an earnest of what we intend to do. we point to what wc have done. Already a greater measure of material prosperity and of governmental honesty and efficiency has been attained in the Philippines than ever before in their history. It is no light task for a nation to achieve the temperamental qualities without which the institutions of free government are but an empty mockery. Our people are now successfully governing themselves, because for more than a thousand years they have been slowly fitting themselves, sometimes consciously sometimes unconsciously, toward this end. What has taken us thirty generations to achieve we cannot expect to see another race ?- ? 1;?l. A,.f V.iaoniidinllv I aevuixipiiou UUl Ul UUUU, when large portions of that race start very far behind the point which [ our ancestors had reached even thirty generations ago. In dealing with the I Philippine people we must show both j patience and strength, forbearance . and steadfast resolution. Our aim is high. We do not desire to do for the i islanders merely what has elsewhere been done for tropic people by even th best foreign governments. We hope to do for them what has never before ; been done for anv people of the I tropics?to make them fit for self; government after the fashion of the . reallv free nations. History mav safelv be challenged ! to show a siugle instance in v. hlch ! a masterful race such as ours, having j been forced by the exigencies of war ! to take possession of an alien land.1 has behaved to its inhabitants with the disinterested zeal for their pro gress that our people have shown In ] the Philippines. To leave the islands : at this time would mean that they ; would fall into a welter of murderons : anarchy. Such desertion of duty on ; our part would be a crime against > humanity. The character of Gov: ernor T/aft and of his associates and , subordinates is a proof, if such be needed, of the sincerity of our effort I to give the islanders a constantly in : creasing measure of soli ?ovt*rn:.unt. C'xai tly as fast as they show tht-nv ] seivt-- fit to exercise it. tin.-e ;!. ; civil : v.as establish:! no; an jini:.".' m has been iiir.;!: :a iiiv isiau:-. ivu.i any leftrciue to ? *> si?'eiatk-:i 01 political inliuente. to viM.hr .-.'jo t: .. . ii.,i iiirioc? n, :r..- iur.il ' aa.i tin1 lift ..s of ino service. ; in our an .iei> for the welfare un<i progress of i .e Philippines, it mny If that hero and there we have gone too rapidly in giving t.cora local scif.rov, eminent. It is 0:1 this side :hat our j error, if any. has been commitie-i. NV j competent observer, sincerely dei sirous oi' finding out the iaas and in1 fluenced only by a desire tor the v:c 1i fare of the natives, can assert that I we have not gone far enough. We have gone to the very verge cf safety in hastening the process. To have taken a single step farther or faster in advance would have been folly and weakness, and might well have been crime. We are extremely anxious ) that the natives shall show the po**| er of governing themselves. We are j anxious, first for their saltes, and { next, because it relieves us of a great j burden. There need not be the slight: est fear of our not continuing to give i them all the liberty for which they 1 are fit, I The only fear is lest in our over' anxiety we give them a degree of in' dependence for which they are i nfit, thereby inviting reaction and disi aster. As fast as there is any reasonI able hope that in a given district t'ne ' people can govern themselves, selfgovernment has been given in that j district. There is not a locality fitted I for self-government which has not reI eeived it. But it may well be that in j certain cases it will have to be withI drawn because the inhabitants show ! themselves unfit to exercise it: such i instances have already occurred. In I other words, there is not the slightest J chance of our failing to show a sufficiently humanitarian spirit. The dani ger comc3 in the opposite direction, j There are still troubles ahead in i the islands. The insurrection has lieI come an affair of local banditti ar.:l | marauders, who deserve no higher regard than the brigands of portions of the Old World. Encouragement. d're<-1 or indirect, to these insurreetos stands on the same footing as encourage meat to hostile Indians in the davs when wo still had Indian wars. Exactly as our aim is to give to'the Indian who remains peaceful the fullest and amplest consideration, auttc havo it understood that we will show j no weakness if he goc-s on the warj path, so we must make it evident, an i less we are false to our own traditions and to the demands of civiliani tion and humanity, that while we will I do everything in our power for the Filipino who is peaceful, we will take the sternest measures with the Filipino who follows the path of the In 6urrccto and the ladrone. The heartiest praise is due to Urge numbers of the natives of the Islands for their steadfast loyalty. The Maca > bebes have been conspicuous foi War be empowered to take some svatematic action In the way of aiding those of these men who are crippled in the service and the families of those who aje killed. The time has come when there ! should be additional legislation for! the Philippines. Nothing better can i be done for the islands than to introduce industrial enterprises. Nothing j would benefit them so much as throw-1 ins them open to industrial develop- j nient. The connection between idleness and mischief is proverbial, and , the opportunity . to do remunerative 1 work is one of the surest preventives nf war. Of course no business man will go into the Philippines uuless, It is to his interest to do so; and it is 1 immensely to the interest of the | islands that he should go in. It is therefore necessary that the Congress should pass laws by which tho resources of the Islands ran he de-, eloped; so that franchises (for limited terms of years) can be: granted to companies doing business in them, and every encouragement be , given to the incoming of btfsiness men of every kind. Not to permit this is to do a wrong to the Philippines. The franchises must he granted and the business per-1 mittcd only under regulations which ! will guarantee the islands against anv j kind of improper exploitation. Rut the : vast uatural wealth of the islands | must be developed, and the capital 1 willing 'to develop it must be given the opportunity. The field must be thrown open to individual enterprise, which has been the real factor in the development of every region o\cr which our flag has flown. It is urgent ly necessary iu cuaui Mmauic dealing with general transportation, mining, banking, eurtency. homesteads. and the use and ownership of the lands and timber. These laws will give free play to industrial enterprise; and the commercial deveiopjnent which will surely follow will afford to the people of the islan is the best proofs of the sincerity of our desire to aid them. I call your attention most earnestly j to the crying need of a cable to Hawaii and the Philippines, to be continued from the Philippines to points in Asia. We should not defer a day longer than necessary the construction of such a cable. It is demauded | not merely for commercial but for political and military considerations. nuttipr tho Coneress should imme diately provide for the construction of a government cable, or else un arrangement should be made by which like advantages to those accruing from a government cable may be secured to the government by contract with a private cable company. No single great material work which remains to be undertaken on this continent is of such consequence to the American people as the building of a canal across the Isthmus coni necring North and South America. I Its Importance to the Nation is by no means limited merely to its material effects upon our business prosperity; and yet with view to these effects upon our business prosperity; and yet with view to these effects alone it would be to the last degree important for us immediately to begin it. While its beneficial effects would perhaps be most marked upon tho Pacific Coast and the Gulf and South Atlantic States, it would also greatly benefit other sections. :t is emphatically a work which it is for the interest of the entire country to begin and complete as soon as possible; it is one of those great works which only a great nation ean uader tr!:e with prospects of success, and winch v.'isca done arc not oniy per!/?. 'ct.it r.s in the nations r.vi:<:ia ; in: rest.-. m>.: stan.lin; iaoaum uts tt ! : ton:, m tivc ability. I i am .'I: i to ho a'.lo to ann-ouiiec | to yon that onr negotiations on iWf ; \.y;? Gr?*at iiii.ian. ton.i:r a | on : .:h sivlc? in a spirit of fri.-n lii i I.- .-i. an i mutual jrooJ wi.l and re ppcet. have :? nl.v.i in my hein;^ all' to lay before the Senate a treat: \vfci< h if ratified will enable us to t o I r in preparations for an Isthmin: I '-"-'t ->r rsn time mifl wllioh S I i cos to this Nation e very tight that i I has e ver asko;! in connection w:tl the canal, la this treaty, the oM Ciay ton-Viulwer treaty, so long recognizee as inadequate to supply the base t'oi the construction and maintenance o a necessarily American ship canal, i: abrogated. It specifically provides that the United States alone shall dc the work of building and assume th< responsibility of safeguarding the canal and shall regelate its neuira use by all nations on terms of equality without the guaranty or interfereun of any outside nation from any quar ter. The signed treaty will at onoc be laid before the Senate, and if ap proved the Congress can then proceec to give effect to the advantages i secures us by providing for the build ie.g of the canal. Our Navy. The true end of every groat anc ! free people should be 6elf-respectini i peac; and this Nation most arncstl; ! desires sincere and cordial frieadshi] j with all others. Over the entire wo :?1 of recent years, wars between th< | great civilized powers have becom< less and less frequent. Wars with bar ' barous o; semi-barbarous people: I com? in an entirely different category ! b ing merely a most regrettable bu necessary inter national police dut: which must he performed for the sak< | o.' the welfare of mankind. Peace cai j only be kept with certainty whev { both sides wish to keep it; but mor< ' m.H mnm fVio rivi1i?.pil nennles rtre re alizing the wicked folly of war and ari attaining that condition of just an: . intelligent regard for the rights o others which will in the end. as w hope and believe, make world-wid '! peace possible. The peace conferenla: The Hague gave definite oxprcs , I s:on to this hope and belief an' ,! marked a stride toward their attair 1 ment. . i This same peace conference a< , quiesred in onr statement of the Mot , roe Doctrine as compatible with th . purposes and aims of the conference . | The Monroe Doctrine should be th I cardinal feature of the foreign noli?; .; of all the nations of the two Americas I; as it is of the United States. Jus .. seventy-eight years have passed sine j President Monroe in his annual ir.es >j sage announced that "The America . i continents are henceforth not to b i considered as subjects for futar , ' colonization by any European power. . In other words, the Monroe Doctrin '; is a declaration that there must be n ! j territorial aggrandizement by an I non-American power at we expens soil. It Is In no wise intended a3 hostile to any nation In the Old World. Still less is it intended to give cover to any aggression by one New World power at the expense cf any other. It is simply a step, and a long step, toward assuring the universal peace of the world by securing the possibility of permanent peace on this hemisphere. During the past century other influences have established the permanence and independence of the smaller states of Europe. Through the Monroe Doctrine we hope to be able to safeguard like independence and secure like permanence for the lesser among the New World nations. This doctrine has nothing to do with the commercial relations of anv American power, save that it in truth allows each of them to form such as it desires. In other words, it is really a guaranty of the commercial independence of the Americas. We do not ask under this doctrine for anv exclusive commercial dealings with any other American state. We do not guarantee anv state against punishment if it misconducts itself, provided that punishment does not take the form r? the acquisition of territory by any non-American power. Our attitude in Cuba is a sufficient guaranty of our own good faith. We have not the slightest desire to secure any territory at the expense of anv of our neighbors. We wish to work -.2It. ? V 1 ,1 eko oil of 1 Willi IL1UIU UUU'I 1U Iiaiiu, r.; luak Mil kjl us may be uplifted together, and we rejoice over the good fortune of anv of them, we gladlv hail their material prosperity and political stability, and | are concerned and alarmed if anv if them fall into industrial or political j chaos. We do not wish to see any Old ! World military power grow up on this ! continent, or to be compelled to bei come a military power ourselves. The peoples of the Americas can pros! per best if left to work out their own : salvation in their own way. The work of upbuilding the Navy I must be steadily continued. No one I point of our poiicy. foreign or demcsi tic, is more important than this to the | honor and material welfare, and above j all to the peace, of our Nation in the future. Whether we desire it or not. we must henceforth recognize that we have international duties no less than [ international rignis. r-ven ir our nas were hauled down in the Philippines and Porto Rico, even if we decided not to build the Ithmian Canal, we should need a thoroughly trained Navy of adequate size, or else be prepared definitely and for all time to abandon the idea that our Nation i3 among thosa whose sons go dawn to the sea in shins. Unless our commerce is always to be carried in foreign bottoms, we must have war craft to protect it. Inasmuch, however, as the American people have no thought of abandoning the path upon which they have entered, and especially in view of the fact that the building of the Isthmian Canal is fast becoming one of the matters which the whole people are united in demanding. it is imperative that our Navy should be put and kept in the high; est state of efficiency, and should be ! made to answer to our growing needs. J So far from being in any way a provoi cation to war. an adequate and highly . trained navy is the best guaranty against war. the cheapest and most efj fective" peace insurance. The cost of building and maintaining such a navy j represents the very lightest premium for Insuring peace which this Nation can possibly pay. Probably no other great nation In the 11 world is so anxious for peace as we i are. There is not a single civilized 1 i power which has anything whatever to M tear from ayurcss.vnc.-s on our part. | A!! v.e want ii, peace; and toward t't.s ; j end wo wish to be cb> to secure iho i j same respect for our ri; hts from otln rs > ' | which we are eager and anxious to . tend to their rights in return, i.o insure . fair treatment to its commercially. and to guarantee the safety of the Amcti. can people. i ! The Mr.nrrj Dnctrirrc. 0::r poopls intends to abide by the { l Monroe Doctrine and to insist upon it i as the one sure means or securing t'w * reace of the Western Hemisphere. The 1 Navy off ns us the only means of nia*; : ing our insistence upon the Monroe ^ Doctrine anything hut a subject of ck' rision to whatever nation choos.-s to * disregard it. We desire the peace which , conies as of right to the junt man i armed: not the peace granted cn terms 1 of ignominy to the craven and the r weakling. 2 It is not possible to improve a navy - after war breaks out.'The shi?3 must i be built and the men trained long in i- advance. 1 While awarding the fullest honor to t the men who actually commanded and * manned the ships which destroyed the Spanish sea forces in the Philippines and in Cuba, we must not forget that ' an equal meed of praise belongs to 3 those without whom neither blow eouid have been struck. / The Naval Militia forces are State j organizations, and are trained for coast 5 service, and in event of war they will - constitute the inner lino of defense, s They should receive hearty eneourage. meat from the General Government. t But in addition we should at oire y j provide for a National Naval Reserve ? I organized and trained under the dirccn tion of the Navy Department, and sube feet to the call of the Chief Executive 0 whenever war becomes imminent. It !* should he a real auxiliary to the naval rj s -going peace establishment, and offer j- material to be drawn cn at ones for c manning our shlp3 in time of war. It e should b? composed of graduates of the e Naval Academy, graduates of the N.v i. val Militia, officers and crews of roast1 line steamers, longshore schooner^ t- fishing vessels, and steam yachts, together with the coast population about t* such centers as life-saving stations and i* light-houses. e! The American people must either - [ build and maintain an adequate navy 0 ' or else make up their minds definitely [ to accept a secondary posrt'.on in inten5' national affairs, not merely in political, c but in commercial, matters. It has been . well said that there i3 no surer way of n courting national disaster than to be e "opulent, aggressive, and unarmed;' e It is not necessary to increase our " Army beyond its prose size at this e time.-But It is necessary t? keep it at 0 the highest point of efficiency. The iny dividual units, who as officers and pne listed men compose this Army, are, we ptiJlH lUUU1 JblliUll ItJbOlillVlWfrtal'il'f 1 efficient as those of any other army In | tbe entire world. It is our duty to see that their training is of a? kind to Insure the highest possible expression of power to these unify-when acting in combination. t The condtiions of modern war are such as to make an infinitely heavier demand than ever before upon the individual character and capacity of the officer and the enlisted man, and to make it far more difficult for men tc act togetVr with effect. At present the fighting must be don? in extended order, which means that each man must act for himself and at the same time act in combination v/ith others : with whom he is no longer in the old; fashioned clbow-to-elbow touch. Under I cinH'tinnr. .1 T^v: ir>f>n nt thf? hi'l'j est excellence are w-^th more then many men without skill which is only found as i-.^teSfUr of special training applied to men of exceptional physique and morale. But nowadays the most valuable fighting man and the most difficult to perfect is the rifieman who is also a skillful an 1 daring rider. A great debt is owing from the public to the men of the Army and Navy. Th y should be so treated as to enable them to reach the highest point of efficiency, so that they may be able to respond Instantly to any demand made upon them to sustain the interests of the Nation and the honor of the flag. The individual American enlisted man is probably on the whole a more formidable fighting man than the regular of any other army. Every consideration should be shown him, and in return the highest standard of usefulness should be exacted from him. It is well worth while for the Congress to consider whether the pay of enlisted men upon second and subsequent enlistments should not be increased to correspond with the increased value of the veteran j soldier. Volunteer Soldiery. No other citizen deserve so well of I the Republic as the veterans, the surl trivnra of those who saved the Union. | They did the one deed which if left itnI done would have meant that ail else | in otir history went for nothing. But i for their steadfast prowess in the greatest crisi3 of our history, all our ; annals would b? meaningless, an:! our : great experiment in popular freedom and self-government a gloomy failure. 1 Moreover, they not only left us a united ' Nation, but they left us also as a heri! tage the memory of the mighty deeds by which the Nation was kept united. We are now indeed one Nation, one in fact as well as in name; we are united in our devation to the flag which is the ! symbol of national greatness and uni; ty; and the very completeness of our | union enables us all. in every part of i the country, to glory in the valor i shown alike by the sons of the North ' and the sons of the South in the times that tried men's souls. Civil Service. The merit system of making appointments is in its essence a? democratic and American as the common school i system itself. It simply means that in ! clerical and other positions where the duties are entirely non-political, ail applicants should have a fair field and no favor, each standing on hf.3 merits a3 he is able to show them by practical test. Written competitive examinations offer the only available means in many cases for applying thi3 system. In other cases, as where laborers are employed, a system of registration un dcubtodly can b? c^RsfiKRH Thc-re are, oc cauice. j>;a 03 v/licXHHH written competitive < .21i tiat i o net rp-./.u ]. and c;!:.l'crs by means an in 1 where political r.u imperfect means of The Consoler The set :'nvi"'AHHOi c-d in is '^BBB5IBBHBiH?Ki i ti shown many cou a ization mended 10 your bills providing for a :w have la vecent'ycar3hBh^DH ted to the Congress. Ih^HflSH^^HER upon the just principle R S rr.ents to the service nho^KgJ^flHBHE only after a practical tes; RSESHHHH rant's fitness, that pr ^uoti^HSBN^HBR be governed by trustv.'orlhRSjHSHGRj tability. and zeal in the por^^raj^NHHRj duty, and that the tcnure^HRHflMR hould not bo unaffected bj^BSMBBHua considerations. ^HH|H8 St. Louis Exposition. ^Rflj^RJR 1 bespeak the most cordial from the Congress and the poopb^^^^R the St. Louis Expos tion to Commem^RR rate the One Hundredth Anniversar^^^B of the Louisiana purchase. This purchase was the greatest instance of expansion in our history. It definitely ^R decided that we we;e to become a great Hg continental republic, by far the fore-^^B mcbt pswer in the Western Hemis^RBj phcrc. It is one of three or four ?th?^RH landmarks in our history?the g.vR turning points in cur development. is eminently fitting that all our peopRBK should jo n with heartiest good will^^^SI commemorating it. and the citizens^^^Rl St. Louis, of Missouri, of all the lRHHM cent region, arc entitled to every^BSHHl in making the celebration a notewo^Bjffll event In our annais. 'Vo e?.rn^^^^H| hope that foreign nations will appr^^^BH ate the deep interest cur country in this Exposition, and cur vietv^^^^H its importance from every standpo^HHH and that they will participate In sut^HKB in* its succ'ss. Th? National Gove^JSBS ment should be represented by a V^MS and complete set of exhibits. jSEMfii The Charleston Exposition. HH The people of Charleston, with energy and civic spirit, arc carr^H^HQ on an Exposition which will cont^^HMB throughout most of the present seifl^RHM of the Ccnsrress. I heartily roccmn^BHHB this Exposition to the good will of people. It deserves all the encoura^HH ment that can he given it. The ma^UEBfl gcrs of the Charleston Exposition requested the cabinet oUlcers to .flfflH thereat the Gove-nment exvvN v^RSKX have been at Buffalo, promising to ^HRH the necessary expenses. I have ta^Hnflg the responsibility of directing that t^^RHj bo done, for I feel that it is due WW Charleston to help her in her praise-^W| worthy effort. In my opinion ths W management .should not be reqnlred to pay all these expenses. I earnestly recommend that the Congress appropriate. at once the small -sum necessary fcr H this purpose. W ' v&rrTmmmmmmU&P The remarkable growth of the pos- < tal service is shown In the fact that its revenues have doubled and Its ex- J penditures have nearly doubled \si\hin twelve years. Its progressive development coinpels constantly increasing outlay, but in this period of business energy and prosperity its receipts grow so much faster than its expenses that the annual deficit has been steadily reduced from $11,411,779 In 1S37 to S3.923.727 in 190.1. Among the racent postal advances the success of -ural free delivery wherever established has been so marked that, and actual experience has made Its benefits so plain that the demand for Its extension is general and urgent. It is just that the great agricultural population should share in the improvement of the service. The number of rural routes now in operation is C,0C9, practlcai'y all established within three years, and there are 6,000 applications awaiting action. It Is expected that the number in operation, at the > close of the current fiscal year will reach S.COO. The mail will then be daily carried to the doors of 5,700.000 of our people who have heretofore been dependent upon distant offices, and onethird of all that portion of the country which is adapted to it will be covered by this kind of service. Owing to the rapid growth of our . power and our interests on the Pacific, whatever h?npens in China mnst be of the keenest National concern to us. The genral terms of the settlement of the questions growing out of the antiforeign uprising in China of 1900, having been formulated in a Joint note addressed to China by the represents tives of the inj ircd powers in uecem ber last, were piozr.ptly accepted by the ' Chinese Govern nent. After protracted conferences the plenipotentiaries of the ^ several powers were able to sign a final . protocol with the Chinese plenipoten- ? tiaries on the 7th of last September, i setting forth the measures taken by China in compliance with the demands of the joint note, and expressing their satisfaction therewith. It will be laid ^ before the Congress, with a report of the plenipotentiary cn behalf cf the J United States, Mr. William Woodvilie Rockhill, to whom high praise is due for the tact, good judgment, and energy he has displayed in performing an exceptionally difficult and delicate task. Conclusion. The death of Queen Victoria caused y the people of the United States deep ? * and heartfelt sorrow, to which the j Government gave full expression. "" When President McKinley died, our Nation in turn rece.ved from every quarter of the British Empire expressions nf erief and sympathy no less sin cere. The death of the Empress Dowager Frederick of Germany also aroused the genuine svinpatl of the American people; and thte sympathy was cordi- j ally reciprocated by German when the I President was assassinated. Indeed, ^ from every quarter of the civilized 4 world we received, at the time of the J President's death, assurance of such ^ gilef and regard as to touch the hearts of our people. In tfce midst of our affliction we reverently thank the Almighty that we are at peace with the nations of mankind; and we firmly intend that our policy shall be such as to continue unbroken these international tell lions of mutual respect and good will. THEODORE ROOSEVELT,