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i < 5THE PRESIDE^ p Official Communication Read in ( BIS SUGGESTIONS ON LEGISLATION ; The Fresident Makes Strong Recom- , mentations Concerning Capital and 1 Labor. Poroian Affaire Armv and i Navy, Commerce and Other Subjects ] That Will Come 3efore Congress. i * ( Follc.-wing is the substance of the an- i Chal message of President Roosevelt. ; read in both Houses of Congress: To the Senate and House of Repre- , sHntatives: Th* Nation continues to enjoy note- ( O! thy prosperity. Such prosperity is j} of course primarily due to the high in- j, dividual average of our citizenship. ; trk^n together with our great natural , j resources; but an important factor i therein is tho working of our long- !' continued governmental policies. The 1 people have emphatically expressed j their approval of the principles under- ! lying these policies, and their desire ! that these principle* be kept substan- j tially unchanged, although of course applied in progressive spirit to meet j changing conditions. w/*w I IUN AVinl 1*0 1 tAIKMVAA GANCE. The enlargement of scope of the j functions of the National Government; required by our development as a na- 1 tion involves, of course, increase of . r*?-expense; and the period of prosperity ; thiough which the country is passing i justifies expenditures for permanent ; iraprovementments far greater than would be wise in hard times. Battle | ships and forts, public buildings, and , improved waterways are investments ; which should be made when we have . the money; but abundant revenues and j a large surplus always invite extrava- j gance, and constant care should be taken to guard against unnecessary in- : crease of the ordinary expenses of gov- j eminent The cost of doing Government' business should be regulated with the j same rigid scrutiny as the cost of; doing a private business. CAPITAL AND LABOR. In the vast ana complicated mechan- ; isoi of our modern civilized life the j dominant note is the note of industrial- | ism; and the relations of capital and ; labor, and especially of organized capif tal aDd organized labor, to each other ^ and to the public at large come second & in importance on y to the intimate j questions of family life. Our peculiar j form of government, with, its sharp division of authority between the Xa- j tion and the several States, has been 011 the whole far more advantageous to our development than a more strongly i centralized government. But it is un- ' doubtedly responsible for much of the . difficulty of meeting'with' adequate k~ (>idiunun ii;c ucvi piuy.uuis piwcuicu . by the total change in industrial condi- i tions en this continent during the last half century. In actual practice it has proved exceedingly difficult, and in many cases impossble, to get unanimity of wise action among the various States ( cn these subjects. Fioni the very nature at the case this is especially true of the laws affecting the employment of capital in huge masses With regard to labor the problem is no less Important, but it is simpler. ; As long as the States retain the primary contiol of the police power the circumstauces must be altogether extremfc which require interference by tho^deral authorities, whether iu the "^""STay of safeguarding the rights of j labor or in the way of seeing that wrong is not done by unruly persons ! who shield themselves behind the name j of labor. If there is resistance to the , Federal courts, interference with the I mails, or interstate commerce, or molestation.of Federal property, or if the v State authorities ,n some crisis which they are unable to face call for help, then the Federal Government may in- j t erf ere; but though such interference j may be caused by a condition of tilings arising out of trouble connected with seine question of labor, the interference itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach _ M a U n OI pruer?lor iu jvcrjj wmcr 15 a. pi i- 1 iut<7 duty and in a time of disorder I and violence all other questions sink into abeyance until order has been restored. In he District of Columbia and in the Te.ritories the Federal law covers the entire field of government: but the labor question is only acute in popular centers of commerce, manufactures. or mining. Nevertheless, both in the enactment ar<; rn the enforcement of law the Federal Government within its restricted sphere should set an example to the State governments, especially in a matter so vital as this effecting labor. I believe that under modern industrial conditions it is often necessary, and even where not necessary it Is yet olten wise, that there should be organ.zatioa of labor in "order better to secure the rights of the individual wage-worker. All encouragement should be given to any such organization. so long as it is conducted v.itb a due and decent regard for the lights of ethers. There are in this country some labor uuions which have habitually, and other labor unions which have often, been among the most effective agents in working for gooj citi?' ?r-V t >. unllftinir thrt eATl i t inn xr iisiuip aau ivi uu^ ?.uv w?.??v.v? t of these whose welfare should be clos est to our hearts 3ut when amy labor union seeks improper ends, or seeks to achieve proper ends by improper Kie3nc, all good citizens and more es-; futrtally all honorable public servants j must oppose the wrondoing as resolute- : Jy as they would oppose the wrongdoing o! any great corporation. Of course any violence, brutality, or corruption. should not for one moment be tolerated. Wage-workers have an entire right to organize and by all peaceful and honorable means to endeavor ' to persuade their fellows to join with them in organizations. They have a le? gal right, which according to circumstances. inay or may not be a moral xigbt, to refuse to work in company with men who decline to join their tuxaxcgalions. They uata under no cir \ IT'S MESSAGE; From The President is Congress umstances the right to commit vioenee upon those, whether capitalists r wage-workers, who refuse to support heir organizations, or who side with hose with whom they are at odd?; tor ( nob rule is intolerable in any form. EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY LAW. The wage-workers are peculiarly entitled to the protection and the enoourigeiuent of the law. From the very nature of their occupation railroad men. ior instance, are liable to be maimed in ioing the legitimate work of their profession. unless the railroad companies ire required by law to make ample provision for their safety. The Administration has been zealous in enforcing the existing law for this purpose. That law should be amended and strengthened. Wherever the National Government has power there should be a stringent employer's liability law. which should apply to the Government itself where the Government is an employer of labor. PREVENTION OF RAILROAD ACCIDENTS. The ever-increasing casualty list upon our railroads is a matter of grave public concern, and urgently calls for action by the Congress. In the matter of speed and comfort of railway travel our railroads give at least as good service as those of any other nation, and there is no reason why this service should not also be as sate as human ingenuity can make it. Many of our leading roads have been foremost in the adoption of the most approved safeguards for the protection of travelers and employees, yet the list of clearly avoidable accidents continues unduly large. The passage of a law requiring the adoptiou of a blocksignal system has been proposed to the Congress. I earnestly concur in that recommendation. and would also point out to the Congress the urgent need of legislation in the interest of the public satety lim-v iting the hours of labor for railroad employees in train service upon railroads enzaeed in interstate commerce, and providing that only trained and experienced persons be employed in positions of responsibility connected with the operation of traius. Of course nothing can ever prevent accidents caused by human weakness or misconduct; and there should be drastic punishment for any raliroaod employee, whether officer or man. who by issuance of wrong orders or by disobedience of orders causes disaster. The law of 1901. requiring interstate railroads to make monthly reports of all accidents to pasengers and employees cn duty, should also be amended so as to empower the Government to make a I-ersonal investigation, through proper officers, of all accidents involving loss of life which seem to require investigation. with a reqpirement that the result of such investigation be made public. UNIONS OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. There is no objection to employees of the Government forming or belonging to unions; but the Government can neither discriminate for nor discrimiuate against nonunion men who are in its employment, or who seek to be employed under it. Moreover, it is a very grave impropriety for Government employees to band themselves together for the purpose of extorting euipropei ly l-'gh salaries from the Government. Especially is this true of those within the classified service. The letter carriers, both municipal and rural, are as a whole an excellent body of public sei vaats. They should be amply paid. But tiieir payment must be obtained by arguing their claims fairly and honorably before the Congress, and not by banding together for the defeat of i those Congressmen who refuse to give piomises which they can not in conscience give. The Administration has already taken steps to prevent and 1 unish abuses of this* nature; but it will be wise for the Congress to supplement this action by legislation. BUREAU OF LABOR. Much can be done by the Government in labor matters merely by giving publicity to certain conditions. The Bureau of Labor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions. I shall shortly lay before you in a special mesage the full report of the investigation of the Bureau of Labor into the Colorado mining strike, as this is a a r.trike in which certain very evil forces, which are more or less at work everywhere under the conditions of modern industrialism, became startl;nglv prominent. It is greatly to be wished that the Department of Commerce and Labor, through the Labor Bureau, should compile and arrange for the Congress a list of the labor laws of the various States, and should be given the means to investigate and report to the Congress upon the labor conditions in the manufacturing and mining regions throughout the country, both as to wages, as to hours of labor, as to the labor of women and children, and er to the effect in the various labor centers of immigration from abroad. In this' investigation especial attention should be paid to the conditions of child labor and child-labor legislation in the several States. CORPORATIONS. When we come to deal with great corporations the need for the Government to act directly is far greater than /??ea <*\P loKnr luvnnc^ frroaf nor IL IUC v.uoc vi ?uww?f vvvwmvv (9.vmb v?. porations can become such only by engaging in interstate commerce, and interstete commerce is peculiarly the field of the General Government. It is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses iu great corporations by State action. It is difficult to be patient with an argument that smch matters should be left to the States, because more than one State pursues the policy of creating on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that Slate at all, but in other States whose laws they ignore. The National Government alone can deal adequately with these great corporations. To try to deal with them in an intemperate, destructive. or demagogic spirit would, in all probability, mean that nothing whatever would be accomplished, and, with absolute certainty, that if anything were accomplished it would be of a j harmful nature. The America* people need to continue to show the very qualities that they have shown?that is, moderation, good sensr. the earnest desire to avoid doing any damage, and yet the quiet determination to proceed, step by step, without halt and without hurry, in elimnating or at least in minimizing whatever of mischief or of evil there is to interstate commerce in the conduct of great corporations. They are acting in no spirit of hostility to wealth, either individual or corporate. They ace not against the rich man anymore than against the poor man. On the contrary, they are friendly alike toward rich man and toward poor man. provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency toward his fellows. Great corporations are necessary. and only men of g'-eat and singular mental power can manage such corporations successfully, and such men must have great rewards. But these corporations should be managed with due regard to the interest of the public as a whole. Where this can be lioue under the present laws it must be done. Where these lawns come short others should be enacted to supplement them. Yet we must never forget the determining factor in every kind of work, of head or hand, must be the man's own good sense, courage, and kindliness. More important than any legislation is the gradual growth of a feeling of responsibility and forbearance pmong capitalists and wage-workers alike; a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others; a feeling of broad community of interest, not merely of capitalists among themselves, aud of wage-workers alike; a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others; a feeling of broad community of interest, not merely of capitalists among themselves, and of wage-workers among themselves, but of capitalists and wage-workers in their relations to each ether, and of both in their relations tc their fellows who with them make uf the body politic. There are many captains of industry, many labor leadens who realize this. BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS. The policy of the Bureau is to ac ccmplish the purposes of its creatioc by cooperation, not antagonism; bj making constructive legislation, not destructive prosecution, the immediate object of its inquiries; by conservative investigation of law and fact, and bj refusal to issue incomplete and hence recessarily inaccurate reports. Itf policy being thus one of open inquiry into, and not attack upon, business, th< Bureau has been able to gain not onl: the confidence, but, better still, the co operation of meu engaged in legitimate business. The Bureau offers to the Congresi the means of getting at the cost of pro duction of our various great staples o commerce. Of necessity the careful investlga tion of special corporations will affon i the Commissioner knowledge of certali business facts, the publication of whicl might be an improper infringement o private rights. The method of makini public the results of these investiga Cons affords, under the law. a mean: for the protection of private rights The Congress w ill have all facts ex cept such as would give to another cor poration information which would in jure the legitimate business of a com petitor and destroy the incentive fo individual superiority and thrift. The Bureau lias also made exl aus live examinations into the legal con dition under which corporate busines is carried on in the various States into all judicial decisions on the sub joct: and into the various systems o corporate taxation in use. I call specia attention to the report of the chief o the Bureau; and I earnestly ask tha Congress carefully consider the rcpor and recommendations of the Commis sioncr on this subject. AGRICULTURE. The Department of Agriculture ha grown into an educational iustitutioi with a faculty of two thousand special itts making research into all the scien ces of production. The Congress appro priates, directly, and indirectly, si: millions of dollars annually to carry o: this work. It reaches every State an< Territory in the Union and the island: o fthe sea lately come under our flag Cooperation is had with the State ex periment stations, and with many othe: institutions and individuals. The worlc is carefully searched for new varietiej of grains, fruits, grasses, vegetables trees, and shrubs, suitable to variou< localities in our country: and markec benefit to our producers has resulted. The activities of our age in lines o> irsearch have reached the tillers of th< soil and inspired them with ambitioi to know more of the principles thai govern the forces of nature with whicl they have to deal. Nearly half of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things from the soil Uutil a recent date little has been done to prepare these millions for their life work. In most lines of human activitj college-trained men are the leaders The farmer had no opportunity fo: special training until the Congress made provision for it forty years ago During these years progress has been made and teachers have been prepared, Over five thousand students are iu attendance at our State agricultural colleges. The Federal Government expends ten millions of dollars annually toward this education and for research in Washington and in the several States and Territories. The Department of Agriculture has given facilities for postgraduate work to five hundred young men during the last seven years, preparing them for advanced lines of work iu the Department and in the State institutions. PENSIONS. The veterans of the Civil War have a claim upon the nation such Sj^uo other body of our citizens possess. The Pension Bureau has never in its history been managed in a more satisfactory manner than is now the cose. JAMESTOWN TRI-CENTENNIAL. In 1907 there will be held at Hampton Roads the tricentennial celebration of the settlement at Jamestown. Virginia, with which the history of what has now become the United States really begins. I commend this to your favorable consideration. It is an event of prime historic significance in which all the people of the United States should feel, and should show, great and general .interest. POSTAL SERVICE. In the Postofllee Department the service has increased in efficiency, and conditions as to revenue and exii I penditure continue satisfactory. The j increase of revenue during the year v/as $9,358,181.10, or 6.9 per cent, the total receipts amounting to $143,382,624.34. The expenditures wore $152.C62.116.70. an increase of about 9 per cent over the previous year, being thus $8,979,492.36 in excess of the ; current revenue. Included in these expenditures was a total appropriation on' $12,956,637.35 for the continuation ; and extension of the rural free-deli vj ery service, which was an increase : of $4,902,237.35 over the amount expended for this purpose in the pre: ceding fiscal year. l>arge as this expenditure has been the beneficent re, suits attained in extending the free j distribution of mails to the residents of rural districts have justified the ; wisdom of the outlay. Statistics ibrousht down to the 1st of October. 1204. show that on that dace there were 27,138 rural routes established, serving approximately 12.000.000 of people in rural districts remote from postoflices, and that there were pending at that time 3,859 petitions for the establishment of new rural routes. Unquestionably some part of the general increase in receipts i3 due to the increased postal facilities which the rural service has afforded. The revenues have also been aided greatly by amendments in the classification of mail matter, and the curtailment of abuses of the second-class mailing : privilege. The average increase in the volume of mail matter for the period beginning with 1902 and ending June. 1905 (that portion for 1905 being estimated), is 40.47 per cent. , as compared with 2*46 per cent for the period immediately preceding, ! and 15.92 for the foor-year period imi mediately preceding that. EXTRAVAGANCE IN PRINTING. I I call your attention to the great [ extravagance in printing and binding 1 Government publications, and especi1 nllv to the fact that altogether too ( many of these publications are printed. There is a constant tendency to increase their number and their vol' ume. It is an understatement to say that no appreciable harm would be caused by. and substantial benefit would accure from, decreasing the 1 amount of printing now done by at r least one-half. Probably the great " majority of the Government reports ' and the like now printed arc never ! read at all, and furthermore the print* r ing of much of the material contained 5 in many of the remaining ones serves ] no useful purpose whatever. ? CURRENCY. r The attention of Congress should be - especially given to the currency ques? tion, and that the standing committees on the matter in the two Houses i charged with the duty, take up the - | matter of our currency and see whethf er it is not possible to secure an 1 agreement in the business world for - bettering the system; the committees 1! should consider the question of the i retirement of the greenbacks and me i problem of securing in our currency f such elasticity as is consistent with I safety. Every silver dollar should be - made by law redeemable in gold at s the option of the holder. ' | MERCHANT MARINE. [ | I especially commend to your at. ' tention the encouragement of our mer_ ; chant marine by appropriate legisla~r I tion, ORIENTAL MARKETS. The growing importance of the Ori" ent as a field for American exports . ; drew from my predecessor. President i McKinley, an urgent request for its , special consideration by the Con, ' gi"ess. In his message of 1S9S hr j stated: t "In this relation, as showing the t peculiar volume and value of our trade _ with China and the peculiarly favora ble conditions which exist for their expansion in the normal course of ^ trade. I refe rto the communication j ^dressed to the Speaker of the . | House of Representatives by rhe Sec. I retary of the Treasury ?u the 11th of . last Juue. with its accompanying .'C^ter t of the Secretary of State, recommend j j ing an appropriation for a commission j j to study the industrial and commerI /vol />nnditinn< in fhp fthinpso Emnlre ! and to report as to the opportunities i for and the obstacles to the enlarger ment of markets in China for the raw 1 ; products and manufactures of the } | United States. Action was not taken ' thereon during the last session. I j! cordially urge that the recommendaj | tion receive at your bands the con, sideration which its importance and t I timeliness merit." ? I PROTECTION OF ELECTIONS. 1 i The power of the government to c J protect the integrity of the elections 1 of its own officials is inherent and has 1 i been recognized and affirmed by re" peated declarations of the Supreme j Court. There is no enemy of free : government more dangerous and none ; ' so insidious as the corruptiou of the i electorate. No one defends or excuses ; | corruption, and it would seem to fol ! !o?v that none would oppose vigorous '' measures to eradicate it. I recom mend the enactment of a law directed 1 against bribery and corruption in Fed eral elections. The details of such a law may be safely left to the wise " discretion of the Congress, but it | should go as far as under the Constitution it is possible to go, and 1 should include severe penalties 1 against him who gives or receives a bribe intended to influence bis act or opinion as an elector; and provissions for the publication not only of the avnonHilnrea for nrvminarions and elections of all candidates, but also of all contributions received and expenditures made by political committees. ( ALASKA. 1 The message makes a number of suggestions on Alaska. the treatment of the natives and other matters affecting the welfare of the territory, i It is also recommended that Alaska j be given a delegate in Congress. THE INDIANS. It is recommended that better treatment be accorded these wards of the nation, and that every encouragement possible be extended them to oecome more industrious and self-supporting. CONSULAR SERVICE.' It is recommended that the consular service be raised to the highest degree of efficiency by selecting men who are familiar with trade conditions and who know something of the language | of the country to which they are aei credited. I / ? mm* CITY OF WASHINGTON, |l The President recommends that the -J eity be thoroughly cleaned up, so that it be made in fact a perfect American city, free from contagioii3 and , evil influences. *3 THE ARMY. Within the last three years the ; United States has set an example in : disarmament where disarmament was proper. By law our Army is ftxed at r? a maximum of one hundred thousand ! and a minimum of sixty thousand men. When there was insurrection in the Philippines we kept the army at the maximum. Peace came in the Philippines. and now our Army has been reduced to the minimum at which it is Txvxsihtc trt keen it with due regard to ! its efficiency. The guns now mounted require twenty-eight thousand men. if the coast fortifications are to be adequately manned. Relatively to the Nation, it is not now so large as the police force of New York or Chicago relatively to the population of either ciey. We need more officers; there are not enough to perform, the regular anny work. It is very important that the officers of the Army should be accustomed to handle their raenVn o masses, as it is also important that tft^ ti National Guard of the several States if should be accustomed to actual field r maneuvering, especially in connection It with the regulars. For this reason we i are to be congratulated upon the sue- A cess of the field maneuvers at Manas- b sas last fall, maneuvers in which a >< larger number of Regulars and Ntt- u tional Guard took part than was ever I before assembled together In time of p peace. No other civihted nation has, >1 relatively to its population, such a 1 diminutive Army as ours; and while ti the army is so small we are not to be li excused if we fail to keep it at a very d high grade of proficiency. It must be a incessantly practiced; the standard for 1 the enlisted men should be kept very li high, while at the same time the ser- u vice should be made as attractive as 11| possible; and the standard for the offi- 11 cers should be kept even higher? k which, as regards the upper ranks, < can best be done by introducing some J system of selection and rejection into > the promotions. We shall be able, in i the event of some sudden emergency, * to put into the field one first-class * army corps, which should be. as a [ (MWaIA Oi lane# tKo nmial fV 9T1V 1 of troops of like number belonging to a any other nation. ;] Great progress has been made la ? protecting our coasts by adequate J fortifications with sufficient guns. We should, however, pay much more heed 1 than at present to the development of > an extensive system of floating mines 1 for use in all our more important bar- ? bors. These mines have been proved to ' be a most formidable safeguard against * hostile fleets. 1 THE NAVY. The strong arm of the Government i in enforcing respect for its just rights " in international matters is the Navy I of the I'nited States. ^ most earnest- : ly recommend that there be no halt in j> the work of upbuilding the American | ' Navy. There is no more patriotic duty i i before us as a people than to keep the J ' Navy adequate to the needs of this ; j country's position. We have undertak- j' en to build the Isthmian Canal. We ;! have undertaken to secure for our- i selves our just share in the trade of the Orient. We have undertaken to ; protect our c'tizens from improper i treatment in foreign lands. We con- : tinue steadily to insist on the applica- i tion of the >K>nroe JXvwiiw to xnejl Western Jv-mispflere. Vnless our atU- j tude in these and all similar matters is to be a mere boastful sham we can j not afford to abandon our naval pro- [ gramme. Our voice i3 now potent for peace, and it is so potent because we | are not afraid of war. But our protestations upon behalf of peace would neither receive nor deserve the slightest attention if we were impotent to | I make them good. | HOWAII AND PORTO RICO. '1 The Alaskan natives should be given the J'Sht t0 acquire, hold, and dispose 01 property upon the sani^ conations as give? Other Inhabitants; fifia the privilege of cJf^onshlp should be given to such as may o? able to meet certain definite requlreriNjjW. In Hawaii Congress should give the gor! ernor power to remove all the officials I appointed under him. The harbor of j ! Honolulu should be dredged. The Ma- ] rine Hospital Service should be em- , | powered to study leprosy in the islands. | I ask special consideration for the re- , ! port and recommendations of the gov- j : ernor of l\>rto Rico. . THE PHILI PPINES. In the Philippine Islands there has been during the past year a continua- J tion of the steady progress which has j obtained ever since our troops definitely got the upper band of the insurgents^ ; Th? Philinnino nennle or. to sneak I I . more accurately, the many tribes. and j 1 even races, sundered from one another more or less sharply, who go to make . up people of the Philippine Islands, contain many elements of good, and some elements which we have a right | ! to hope stand for progress. At present ' j they are utterly incapable of existing j in independence at all or of building 1 j up a civilization of their own. I firmly j < ; believe that we can help them to rise J ] I higher and higher in the scale of clvill- t I zation and of capacity for self-govern- j i ment, and I most earnestly hope that 1 in the end they will be able to stand. , j If not entirely alone, yet in some such relation to the United States as Cuba I now stands. This end 13 not yet in . sight, and it may be indefinitely postponed if our people are foolish enough to turn the attention of the Filipinos away from the problem of acbieviug I , moral and material prosperity, or work' ing for a stable, orderly, and just govl ernment, and toward foolish and dan- | ; gerous intrigues for a complete indeI pendence for which they are as yet Every measure taken concerning the ; islands should be taken primarily with a view to their advantage. We should cretainly give them lower tariff rates i : on their exports to the United States; 1 i if thi3 is not done it will be a wrong I to extend our shipping laws to them, i I earnestly hope for the immediate en- ? i ! actment into law of the legislation i 1 now pending to encourage American | capital to seek investment in the Islands in railroads, in factories, in planj tatlons, and in lumbering and miaiag. ( , THEODORE ROOSEVELT. The White House, Dec. 5, 130 L ' . L, . _ V w . FIERY TRAGEDY imily Murdered and Bodies WereDiifnari tft DiiiMia* UUillbU IU UtUIUID? Xl'MtED IN THE BEAR! OF T8WN marred Remains of Mr. B. B. Hughes, Hi* Wife and Two Daughters Found in the Smoking Ruins of Their Horn* in the Center of Trenton, S. C*? A Bullet Through the Man's Head and the Skulls of the Women Crush> ed?Robbery the Supposed Motive-* Governor Hey ward Offers a Reward. Augusta, Special.?A special to The ircnicle from Edgefield says: "The most hideous of all human bor>rs occurred at Trenton Thursday ght, equal in horror to the Stateaboro lair, if the general accepted theory be ue that the victims were first murired before the house was fired. At ' o'clock this morning the residence of r. B. B. Hughes, centrally located ia e town, was discovered on firs. Neigh>rs rushed to the scene, but the lire id progressed so far that entrance to ie house was impossible. At once ia- * liry was made as to the. whereabouts , r the inmates, it being thought that ley had made their escape in their ight clothes. As soon as the fire had ed down sufficiently, & fearful scene iet the eyes of the beholders. There iy the charred and almost unrealizable bodies of the entire family, coasting of Mr. Hughes, his wife, Eva, ad two young daughters, Emmie, ged 19. and Hattie, 14 years of age. Ir. Hughes' body lay just below where as situated the door leading from his 3om to the hall, with a bullet hole 3rough the upper part of his head. A istol with one empty chamber lay ear by. Part of his charred clothes rere on his person, showing that he as dressed at the time he met death, tie body of his wife was oa the bed 1 prings, while those of the young ladies ere similarly situated. The skulls at bese three were crushed as if hit with vi.,?t inotnimpnf Theie u Rxe or Buuic utuui f v. uru? odies when found occupied a most na- t ural position, with nothing to indicate struggle, showing that they had bees truck and done to death, while asleep, 'he news spread like wildfire and sooa he entire surrounding country was on he scene. "Under the direction of Soliciote 'hurmond, a coroner's jury was imtaneled, but as yet no testimony ha* >een taken, it ^>eing thought best to .wait further developments. It was said hree tracks were discovered ieadin# rom the field up to the redr of the ^ louse. The county blood hounds were ecured and put on the train, but thii .Sort has availed nothing. The horroa s veiled in mystery. Every external 1 ividence goes to show that the family vere all killed before the house waa ired. One theory Is the house was en.ered for the purpose of robbery; thai lpon.being discovered, the robbers ac* . ompiished the murders and fired th? louse. Excitement runs high, butjnothng rash will be done. Upon the request )f Solicitor Thurmond, Governor Heyward has offered a reward for the opprehension of th? guilty ^ Japs Prepared to Sp?nd the Winter General Oku'3 Headquarters, Fusan, By Cable.?Delayed in Trans mission.)?In the villages near th? actual Japanese line houses are be ing repaired and built, scores of welli - 4* nro being dug, villages are oet ug w nuded of trees;, aiul quantities of fua are being prepared. Every indicatioc points to the intention t<? rgmajn is the preseilt Jine during fh5 winter*: The cold weather J? pot affecting thi Japanese, although the temperaton has already fallen to a few degrew below zero. There are few sick men Bank Robbed. Enid, Okla., Special.?The Farmer# State Bank, of Lambert, has been rob bed by three men, who dynamited the? safe, obtaining $3,000 as their booty While two robbers were inside, thi third guarded them, holding thi horses. The robbers escaped, making for Hie Gloss mountains. A posse fc ill. oursuit. No More Assaults. Tokio, By Cable.?In t/isabling tin Russian fleet at Port Arthur, preclud ing the possibility of its being ablt -??? ^ to reeatoree me niusuu flc (Baltic) squadron, the Japanesi have accomplished the main object <* the desperate assaults against the fortress which they have been makinj for the past three months. There b now a strong probability that, whil? ^ continuing the siego they will avow, losses of the magnitude already at tending their efforts, and instead o assaulting, will reiy on starving ot? the garrison until it is finally cap tured. Reward Offered. Macon. Ga., Special.?A roward o $300 and expenacs has been offerei for the capture of Maro 3. Potter, tfci defaulting and fugitive, cashier of th? bank at Davisboro, Ga., where he fc alleged to be more than $20,000 shor In his accounts. The reward is offerei by the officials of the bank. Potter is only 22 years o;a, weiga 200 pounds and lias light hair ant blue eyes. He is very popular, am his friends express surprise at hfc action. New Japanese Fortifications. ' Washington, Special.?Mr. Grlsoanj the American minister tt Tokio. cabled the State Department that | I Fisher, the American vice consul^BHg Nagasaki, reports that all ship^^^^l nas been warned to keep 20 away from Pescadores, an the west coast of Formosa. an jfl B it is reported that fcrri" :..>:B B being constructed at Seoul. B B ,.^fl I