The San Francisco call., 1899-12-06
THE MESSAGE.

proposed financial legislation by Congress- The
President takes the view, which The Call has con-
stantly urged, that is the time for such egsla
ton He says the present situation is the most fit
ting time to make adequate provision to insure the
continuance of the gold standard that public conf
dence may be promoted in the ability and purpose Of
the Government 10 meet all OF its obligations in the
money recognized by the civilized world as the best
He admits that while, happily, not at
present compelled to resort 20 loans TO supply gold
II has been done in the past and may have to be done
in the future, and it behooves us, therefore pro-
vide the best means to meet the emergency when IL
arises, and the best means those which the
most certain and economical Those authorized
have neither the virtue OF drectness nor economy"
He then recommends the measures proposed for
financial reform, which have been so recently dis
cussed in detail in these columns Incident his dis
cussion Of finance occurs recommendation for ex-
tension OF the protective policy OF the Government 20
the restoration OF American shipping. The reasons
for such policy have accumulated during the past
year, in which less percentage of our commerce
was carried in American bottoms than ever before
His first reference to the change produced by the
Spanish war contains what may be inadvertence,
something intended be interpreted by what fol-
lows further In discussing our representation at
the Paris Exposition the message says: 81 am in
formed by Commissioner General that we shall
have in the American sections at Paris over 1000 e
hibitors, from every State in our country-a num-
Der ten times great as at Vienna in 1873 six times
as great at Paris in 1873 and four times as many
as at Paris in 1880 This statement does not include
exhibits from either Cuba, Porto Rico or Hawaii,
Tor which arrangements have been made"
The inclusion of Cuba with the other annexed pos
sessions If it stand unexplained will not tend to
DiaCate =
island The next reference to Cuba is TO the effect
that the withdrawal OF Spain from that island left it
held by the United States in trust for the inhabitants
with such government provided by the executive
pending the execution OF the pledge TO leave the gov
ernment and control OF the island its people, which
pledge must be sacredly kept" The President then
refers TO the ties which bind Cuba to us as OF singular
intimacy and strength and says that whether those
ties shall be organic conventional the destinies OF
Cuba are in some rightful form and manner ire
vocably linked with our own but how and how far
is for the future to determine in the ripeness OF
events. Alter saying that we must see TO it that
free Cuba is reality and not name other qualif-
cations follow to the effect that free Cuba must not
be "hasy experiment" loosely framed common
wealth face the vcissitudes which too often attend
states whose natural wealth and abundant resources
Offset by the incongruties OF their political organ
iNdtloi- -NOAitIe uOcS the message use the terms
seli-government or independence for Cuba. which
are the sacred pledge OF this Government, though
there IS vague mention OF a representative conven
ton to establish general system of independent
government for the island after long list of other
things have been accomplished.
While this part OF the message is tentative vague
and negative careful analysis discoses the weight
OF the Presidential Endorsement thrown in the scale
tor the retention OF the island by the United States
The conditions precedent to a representative con-
vention are such imply the adoption OF the
Fabian policy, OF waiting until the Cuban aspiration
for that independence which Congress declared was
already and OF right ought TO be theirs shall have
been extingushed in discouragement and delay. The
added recommendation that the products OF Cuba
shall have free to our markets to the extent
to which products OF other West Indian islands are
admitted free by reciprocity, is in line with such
analysis and will cause certain forebodings among
our agricultural and horticultural producers
The message puts military force in the Philip
pines at POSI- officers and 63,483 men; in Cuba at
334 officers and 1890 men; in Porto Rico at 81
officers and 1855 men, in Hawaii II officers and AKA
men, total army of Soo7I required in what are
farther referred to tur island possessions"
In reference the Philippines an overlooked fact
is recalled by the message 1t says that the treaty
OF Paris provided that the civil rights and political
status OF the native inhabitants OF the territory so
ceded TO the United States should be determined bv
the Congress OF the United States" It will be seen
that under this provision Congress is competent to
give qualified and progressive independence to the
people OF those islands; but the President proceed,
to apparently conclude the policy i this Government
IL long statement OF events in the islands: the
righteousness OF the OF conquest is asserted and
the President refrains from making any recommenda-
-tion to Congress, and indicate clearly that
it shall reserve abdicate its function of fixing the
civil rights and political OF the natives and
leave that in his hands. The celebrated agreement
with the Sultan of Sulu is handled gingerly. The
message admits that the Sultan acknowledges the
sovereignty OF the United States is paid salary of
500 month, and that the treaty provides that any
slave in the Sulus shall have the right to purchase
his freedom by paying his master the usual market
value" The President says: Il have ratified this
agreement, subject to the action OF Congress. and
with the reservation which have directed shall be
convened o the Sultan az TolO that ,.-..-..