Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-12-06
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
What the Chief Magistrate Says
on Important Subjects.
THE TRUSTS AND RECIPROCITY


Washington, Dec. S.-The president
in his message to congress says:
The congress assemblies this year
under the shadow of a great calamity.
On the 9Th of September President
Mckinley was shot by an anarchist
while attending the Pan-American ex-
position at Buffalo and died in that
city on the 14th of that month. He
continued with a eulogy of Mr.. Nc
Kinley, then turns to the subject of
anarchy, denouncing its doctrines and
preachers.
Business conditions he finds highly
satisfactory. He says the old laws
and the old customs which had almost
the binding force of law were once
quite sufficient to regulate the &C
emulation and distribution of wealth.
Snice the industrial changes which
have so enormously increased the pro
ductive power Of mankind they are no
longer sufficient. The growth of cities
has gone on beyond comparison faster
than the growth of the country, and
the upbuilding of the great industrial
centers has meant startling increase
not merely in the aggregate of wealth,
but in the number of very large indi.
vidual and especially of very large
corporate fortunes. The creation of
these great corporate fortunes has not
been due to the tariff nor to any other
governmental action, but to natural
causes in the business world, operat-
ing in other countries as they operate
in our own. Corporations engaged in
interstate commerce should be regu.
lated if they are found to exercise Z
license working to the public injury
1t should be as much the aim of those
who seek for social betterment to
rid the business world of crimes o
cunning as to rid the entire body poll.
tic of crimes or violence.
The first essential in determining
how to deal with the great industrial
combinations is knowledge of the facts
publicity. In the interest of the pub
lie the government should have the
right to inspect and examine the work
ings of the great corporations engage,
in interstate business. Publicity is the
only sure remedy which we can now
invoke. The first requisite is knowl
edge, full and knowledge
which may be made public.
The president declares that he re
CARDS it necessary to re-enact the Chi
nese exclusion law. In regard to labor
he says that the government should
provide in it's contracts that all wOrl
should be done under fair conditions
| and that all night work should be for
| hidden for women and children as vel
| as excessive overtime. Very grea
good has been and will be accom-
/ plished by associations or unions o
wageworkers when managed will
forethought and when they cOmDim
insistence upon their own rights witt
law abiding respect for the rights o
others. The display of these qualitie
in such bodies is duty to the natiol
no less than to the associations them
selves.
He asserts that the immigration
laws are unsatisfactory and that
law should be enacted to keep GU
not only anarchists, but persons of
low moral tendency or of unsavor
reputation and those who are below
certain standard of economic fl mes
to enter our industrial field as con
petitors with American labor.
The president declares that nothin
could be more unwise than to distur
| s-,Ao IF tho nn1rnfr
by any general tariff change at thi
time. Reciprocity must be treated a
the handmaiden of protection. On
first duty is to see that the protectio
granted by the tariff in every cas-
where it is needed is maintained, an
that reciprocity be sought for so fs
as it can safely be done without i
Jury to our home industries. Just no
far this is must be determined a
cOrding TO the individual case, r
Numbering always that every app
cation of our tafiff policy to meet OF
shifting national needs must be co
ditioned upon the cardinal fact thi
the duties must never be reduced b
low that point that will cover the d
ference between the labor cost he
and abroad.
The condition of the American me
chant marine is such as to call for il
mediate remedial action by the co
gress. It is discreditable to us as
nation that our merchant maril
should be utterly insignificant in col
parisOn to that of other nations viii,
we overtop in ether forms of bushes
We should no longer submit to &C
ditions under which only a triflil
portion of our great commerce is CT
ried in our own ships. The Americi
merchant marine should be restor
to the ocean.
The forests are natural reservoir
By restraining the streams in flo
and replenishing them in drought tn
make possible the use of waters otht
wise wasted. They prevent the s.
from washing and so protect the ST.
age reservoirs from filling up wi
silt. Forest conservation is, thereto
an essential condition of water cons,
walton. The forests alone cannot, no
waters of the arid region. Great st,
age works are necessary to equal
the flow of streams and to save I
flood waters. Their construction
been conclusively shown to be an l
dertaking too vast for private effo
The government should construct a
maintain these reservoirs as it d.
other public works.
Fnsular questions are next treat
IN Hawaii our aim must be to deve
The territory on the traditional AMI
can lines. Porto Rico is declared to
thriving as never before. The att
lion of congress is called to the neeC
legislation concerning the islands p
lie lands. In Cuba it is stated t
much progress has been made tow
putting the independent government
the island upon firm footing, and
declared that independence will be
accomplished fact.
The president declares that the t
has come for additional legislation
the Philippines. He says: 1t is
gently necessary to enact suitable Ii
dealing with general transported
mining. banking, currency, homeste
and the use and ownership of the la
and timber. These laws will give
play to industrial enterprise, and
commercial development which
surely follow will afford to the pei