The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-04

TO the mass of the people and will tend
decidedly strengthen the hold which
he has secured on the fancy, if not on
the Judgment, of those who follow man
ual callings and are organized into labor
unions throughout the country.
AS in this case, so with reference to
Cuba his out-ard-out declaration in favor
of extending the highest measure of ia
vor to the young republic in connection
with the free interchange of commodities
between Cuba and the United States will
strike responsive chord in the breasts
of the American masses who believe in
going to generous lengths in giving to
Cuba all the advantages she can receive
from the friendship of the United States
and from her close proximity to our
shores. There certainly is no suspicion
in this message of any disposition on the
part of the national executive to share
in the plans of leading Republican poll
ticians to force on Cuba the alternative
of annexation.
Civil service reformers, like the rest
of the world, will doubtless be disposed
to dismiss the Presidents views on the
merit system as being couched in sus-
piciously-like terms to those adopted by
every man in his situation since the civil
service law came to be regarded as
serious factor in the system Of admins
trative appointment There certainly is
no trace there OF the militant civil serv-
ice. reformer.
It is notable that while President Roose-
velt tells the country with apparent unre-
straint that the forthcoming proposed
treaty with England on the subject of the
trans-isthmians canal grants us all we
ever sought, he is careful not to couch
his message on that subject in such
which expression has been so generally
given whether the proposed treaty OPP
crates to give us control of the water
way in case of our being at war with
any other nation. If we are to treat the
waters of the canal as neutral both in
peace and war alike there is little doubt
that the country will refuse to give its
approval to that measure, or that the
senate will act favorably upon it.
There are, happily, features of President
Roosevelt's message to which all Ameri-
cans can give their approval besides
those already specified. Everything It
contains on the subject of forestry ana
irrigation, as well as on the subject of
the Indians, shows that in the considera-
ton Of these subjects he cast aside every
any but the broadcast and most states
manlike solution of the difficulties in
volved
President Roosevelt in his message
takes his position squarely as SUSTAIN
ing all the disputed policies of his party.
His message, consciously or unconscious
ly, brings him nearer to acceptance by
his party leaders as his own probable
successor. He is careful TO avoid party
offense in any direction. He meets all
the requirements of the partisan poll
teal situation in his treatment Of the
tariff policy of his party, of reciprocity,
of steamship subsidies, of the civil serv-
ice, of the trans -isthnian canal, of the
Philippines and of the administration of
the affairs of the army and navy depart
ments. In word, he fully vindicates
the prediction OF the st. Paul Clio b e,
made at the very outset of his admins
tration, that Democrats have no reason
whatever to place any dependence on his
party political mistakes.