, 1901-12-03

ZOO vast for privat" effu.I. Nur ca.
be best accomplished by the inIiyfdua
states actin" alone. The government
should construct and maintain tines,
reservoirs rs it docs other public works
Where their purpose is To- regulate I'll,
flow of streams. the water should h,
turned freely into the channels in til,
dry season to take the same cuurS,
unde the same laws ms the uatula
flow.
The reclamation of til" unsettled nrid
public lands presents II different prob
lem. Here It is not enough TO rcgular,
the flow of streams. The object Of tn,
to settlers who will build homes upur
1t. To accomplish this object water
must be brought within their reach.
The pioneer settlers on the arid pub,
lie domain chose their homes alon.
streams from which they could Them.
sclveS divert the water to reclaim their
holdings. Such opportunities ar" pra,.
ticaiiy gone. There remain. however,
vast areas If public land which can he
made available for homestead settle
ment. but only by reservoirs and main
line canals impraCticable for private
enterprise. These irrigation works
should he built by the national govern.
ment. The lands reclaimed by them
should be reserved by the government
for actual. settlers. ana the cost of con-
struction should. so far as possible. he
repaid by the land reclaimed. The dis
tributiOn of the water, the division Of
the streams among irri%ators. should
be left to til" settlers themselves in
conformity with state laws and with
out interference with those laws or
with vested rights.
The declaration is made that in the
arid states the only right to water
which should he recognized is that of
use. The president says thai the doe
trine of private ownership of water
apart from land cannot prevail without
causing wruu".
InsnIar Problems.
Insular questions are next treated.
In Hawaii our aim must he to develop
the territory on the traditional Amer
lean lines. Porto Rico is declared To- be
thriving rs never uufOrr. The HttCn-
ton of is called 10 the need of
legislation concerning the iSlpUd'S pub
lie lands. In Cuba ii is stated that
much progress has been made to ward
putting the independent government ~:
the island upon Il firm footing. and it is
declared that Independence will be an
accomplished fact. The president
adds:
Elsewhere have discussed the ques-
ton of reciprocity. In the case of Gu
ba, however. there are weighty reasons
of morality and of national interest
why the policy should he held 10 have
a peculiar application. and | most ear
nestly ask your attention to the wis
dom, indeed to he vital need. of pro-
viding for a substantial reduction in
the tariff duties on Cuban imports into
the United States.
In dealing with the Philippine peo-
pie we must show both patience and
strength. forbearance and ~stealfast res
olution. Our aim is high. We do mol
desire to do for the islanders merely
what has elsewhere beer done for tr0p-
ic peoples by ever the best foreign
governments. We hope to do for them
what has never before been done for
any people OF the ~tropics-to make
them fit for self government after the
fashion of the really free nations.
The only fear is lest in our overanN
iGty wn piyn fhnm a Iayra, af indie
pendcnce for which they are unit,
thereby inviting reaction and disaster.
AS fast rs there is any reasonable hope
that in a given district the people can
govern themselves self government
has been given in that district. There
Is not a locality fitted for self govern
ment which has not received it. But it
may well be that in certain cases II
will have TO be withdrawn because the
inhabitants show themselves unit to
exercise it: sucn instances have already
occurred. In other words. there is not
the slightest Chance Of u stling To
show a sufficiently humanitarian spirit.
The danger comes in the opposite direc-
ton.
T%roublea Ahead Yet.
There are still troubles ahead in the
islands. The Instruction has become
an affair of local banditti and maraud
ers. who deserve no higher regard
than the brigandS Of portions of tn"
old world. Encouragement. direct OF
indirect. TO these insurrcctOs stands or
the same footing as encouragement to
l....I. 80. L., III. 40 so. ,EI,at, w..
still had Indian wars.
The president declares that the time
has come for additional legislation fol
the Philippines. He says:
1t is necessary that the congress
should pass laws by which the re-
sources Of the islands can be developed,
so that franchises 0or limited terms of
years. can be granted to companies do.
ing business in them and every encour-
accment be given to the incoming of
business men of every kind. 1t is ur-
gently necessary TO enact suitable laws
dealing with general transportation,
mining. banking, currency. hnmcstcpdS
and the use and ownership of the lands
and timber. These laws will give free
play to industrial enterprise. and the
commercial development which Will
surely follow will afford 10 the people
Of the islands the best proofs Of the
sincerity of our desire to and them.
The Cable and the Canal.
I call your attention most earnestly
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 n day longer than
necessary the construction of such a
40 hla Ii L. l~unnnnlnl NOT mGrnlY for