Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-12-06
THE FIFTY.sEvENTH CONGRESS
Listens to the Presidents Message and Then
Adjourns as Mark of Respect to the Late
President Mckinley The Message Summer

ICED.
The Fifty seventh congress wa
opened at noon Monday. In accor
dance with caucus action David Is
Henderson of Iowa was elected speak
err of the house The senate transact
ed no business but adjourned for thu
day as a mark of respect to the mem
ory of the late Senator Kyle of Soutf
Dakota. The usual picturesque feat
ures of crowds and flowers and hand
shakings attended the opening. More
than 5000 bills have already been in
troduced in congress among which are
several designed to crush out anar
chism and others to regulate the
trusts. The present house is com
posed Of 365 members of whom 1913 are
Republicans and the rest Democrats.
The senate has 80 members of whom
nearly 60 are Republicans. There was
full attendance in both senate anc
house Tuesday. The president s mes
sage was read by the chief clerk in both
houses and was listened to with close
attention and deep interest. There
were two spontaneous outburstS of APP
plause, one where the president con-
cluded his eloquent denunciation OF
anarchy with the words, 1.-The Amerl-
can people are slow to wrath, but
when their wrath is once kindled II
burns like consuming flame;" the
other where he recommended the ex-
tension of the Chinese exclusion act.
A striking thing about the message is
that it seems to meet with approval
from Democrats as well as Republi-
Nf 10
tions. After the reading of the mes
sage, which required nearly 212 hours,
the senate adopted resolution direct
ing the appointment OF committee
to cooperate with like committee
from the house to consider by what
token of respect and affection congress
may express the sorrow of the nation
over the tragic death of the late Pres
ident Mckinley. The house also APP
pointed committee to consist of one
member from each state to join with
the senate in this matter, and then,
as further mark of respect, both
houses adjourned
President Roosevelt's message opens
with fine and appreciative tribute
to President Mckinley followed by an
earnest recommendation that congress
legislate against anarchists. They
should be kept out of this country
and if found here they should be
promptly deported to the country
whence they came; and far-reaching
provision should be made for the pun
ishment of those who stay" The
blow, he says, was aimed not at this
president, but at all presidents at
every symbol of government.
After careful and judicial discus
sion of trusts, he concludes that the
first essential in determining how to
deal with the great industrial combi-
nations is knowledge of the facts
publicity and says: I'm the interest
of the whole people the nation should,
without interfering with the power of
the states in the matter itself, also as
sumo power of supervision and regula-
ton over all corporations doing an in
terstate business. " In this connection
Mr.. Roosevelt urges the creation of
the office of secretary of commerce and
industries, to deal with commerce in
its broadest sense: including among
many other things whatever concerns
labor and all matters affecting the
great business corporations and our
merchant marine.
The message designates as unwise
any general tariff change at this time
and reciprocity is strongly urged as
far as it can safely be sought without
injury to our home industries, 1t
says that the the utmost care should
be taken that our revenues be kept up
beyond any possibility of deficit. 1t
considers questions directly affecting
wage earners, favoring Chinese exclu-
sion, an eight-hour system and a re-
vision of the immigration laws. The
upbuilding of the American merchant
marine is strongly urged though with
no mention of the subsidy scheme.
Forestry and irrigation of the arid
lands of the West are dwelt upon at
length.
The forests, he says, play a great
part in the creation and maintenance
of the national health.
Wise forest protection does not
mean the withdrawal of forest re-
sources, whether of wood, water or
grass, from contributing their full
share to the welfare of the people,
but, on the contrary, gives the assur-
ance of larger and more certain sup
plies The fundamental idea of for
estry is the perpetuation of forests by
use - Forest reserves should be added
to and protected.
The wise administration of the
forest reserves will be not less helpful
to the interests which depend on water
than to those which depend on wood
and grass. The water supply itself
depends upon the forest. In the arid
region it is water, not land, which
measures production. The western
half of the United States would sus-
tain a population greater than that of
our whole country today if the waters
that now run to waste were saved and
used for irrigation. The forest and
water problems are perhaps the most
vital internal questions of the United
States. Certain of the forest reserves
should also be made preserves for the
wild forest creatures "
The forests are natural reservoirs.
Irrigation works should be built by
the national government.
On the Indian Question the president
thinks 1.-The time has arrived when we
should definitely make up our minds
to recognize the Indian as an individ-
ual and not a member of a tribe. "
In regard to our attitude towards
the world he SAYS: Probably no
other great nation in the world is so
anxious for peace as we are. There is
not a single civilized power which has
whatever to fear from aggres
siveness on our part. All we want is
peace: and toward this end we wish
to be able to secure the same respect
for our rights from others which we