The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1902-12-03

schedules as they are affected by the
changed and changing conditions. The
t1nhurried ard unbiased report Of this
commission would show what changes
should be made in the various schedules
and how far these changes could go with
out also changing the great prosperity
which this country is now enjoying, or up
setting its fixed economic policy.
1.-THE cases In which the tariff can pro-
duce a monopoly are so few as to constitute
an inconsiderable factor in the question;
but of course If On any case 1t be found that
a given rate Of duty does promote mo-
nopoly which works i'll. no proteetionist
would object to such reduction of the duty
as would equalize competition.
I'm my judgment, the tariff on anthracite
coal should be removed, and anthracite put
actually, where it now Is nominally, on
the free list This would have no effect at
all save in crises; but in crises 1t might pe
Of service to the people"
The president says there is much that
Is good in both associations of capital ana
of labor, that the one Is made necessary
because of the existence of the other. He
refers at some length to the good accom-
pltshed by the labor unions, and says that
while they have accomplished this good,
and though the general tendency OF such
organizations is for the betterment OF
American citizenship, yet they can accom-
plish evil. He says both organized capital
and organized labor must remember that
the interest of each must be brought into
harmony with the interest Of the general
public and says that so far as the consti-
tutional powers of the government touch
upon these subjects they should be along
these lines.
In connection with the subject of Cuba
the president says he hopes soon to lay pc
fore the senate a reciprocity treaty with
that republic, and urges that some refer
ha cptu he ell Nv lie toni c
Cuba lies at our doors, and whatever az
fects her for good or for Ill affects us also
So much have our people felt this that In
the Plat amendment we definitely took the
ground that Cuba must hereafter have
closer political relations with us than with
any other power. Thus in a sense Cuba
has become part of our international po-
littcal system. This makes 1t necessary
that In return she should be given some of
the benefits of becoming part of our eco.
nornic system. 1t Is, from Our own stanG"
point, short-sighted and mischievous pol
icy to fail to recognize this neee. More
over, it is unworthy of a mighty and gen.
erous nation, itself the greatest and most
successful republic in history, to refuse to
stretch out helping hand to young and
weak sister republic just entering upon Its
career of independence. We should al
ways fearlessly insist upon our rights In
the face OF the strong, and we should with
ah6A NO6iNS manu- 10 OuE eeHSLOdS dhAJ ~
the weak. urge the adoption of reciprocity
with Cuba not only because it is eminently
for our own interests to control the CUBAN
market and by every means to foster our
supremacy In the tropical lands and waters
south of US, but also because we, OF the
giant republic of the north, should make
all our sister nations of the American con-
tinent feel that whenever they will permit
1t we desire to show ourselves disinterest-
eddy and effectively their friend"
Congress is informed that the attorney
general has examined into the title of the
Panama company, and has decided that
that corporation can give to this country
title that will be above contention in
every way The president says he hopes
soon to see treaty with Colombia con-
Guided which will give to this nation the
right to construct the canal, an6 to exercise
such jurisdiction over the territory through
which it will extend as will be necessary
for our every legitimate purpose.
Of the conditions In the Philippines he
says in part:
"On July last, on the one hundred and
twenty-slxth anniversary of the declara-
ton of our independence peace and am
nesty were promulgated in the Philip
pine islands. Some trouble has since
from time to time threatened with
the Mohammedan Moros, but with the
late insurrectionary Fflipinos the war
mas chSlISly CGdSSu. SlVIl government
has now been introduced. Not only does
each Filipino enjoy such rights to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness as
tNhe has never before known during the
recorded history of the islands, but the
people taken as whole now enjoy
measure of self-government greater than
that granted to any other orientals by
any foreign power and greater than that
enjoyed by any other orientals under
their own governments, save the Japan
csc alone. We have not gone too far in
granting these rights of liberty and self
government; but we have certainly gone
to the limit that in the interests of the
Philippine people themselves it was wise
or just to go. To hurry matters, to go
faster than we are now going, would en-
tail calamity on the people of the is
lands. No policy ever entered into by
the American people has INDICATED it.
self in more signal manner than the pol
icy of holding the Philippines. The tri
umph of our arms, above all the tri-
umph of our laws and principles has
come sooner than We had any right to
expect. Too much praise cannot be
given to the army for what 1t has done
in the Philippines, both in warfare and
from an administrative standpoint in
preparing the way for civil government;
and similar credit belongs to the civil
authorities for the way in which they
| have planted the seeds of self-govern-
ment in the ground thus made ready for
them. The courage, the unfinching en-
durance, the high sol6ierly efficiency,
and the general kin6-heartedness and
humanity of our troops have been strik-
ingly manifested. There now remain only
some 1900 troops in the islands. All told,
over 100000 have been sent there. OF
course, there have been individual in
stances of wrongdoing among them.
They warred under fearful difficulties of
climate and surroundings; and under the
strain of the terrible provocations which
they continually receive from their foes,
occasional instances of cruel retaliation
occurred. Every effort has been made
to prevent such cruelties, and finally
these efforts have been completely sue
cessful. Every effort has also been made
to detect and punish the wrongdoers
After making all allowance for these
misdeeds, it remains true that few in
deed have been the instances in which
war has been waged by civilized power
against semi-civilized and barbarous
| forces where there has been so little
wrongGoing by the victors as in the Phil
| ippine islands. On the other hand, the
amount of difficult, important, and bene-
| ficent work which has been done is we'll
| nigh incalculable.
Taking the work OF the army and the
| civil authorities together, it may be ques-
| toned whether anywhere else in modern
| pie of real constructive craftsmanship
| than our people have given in the Philip
| pine ISLANDS. High praise should also be
| given those Filipinos. in the aggregate
very numerous, who have accepted the
new conditions and Joined with our repre-
sentatives to work with hearty good will
| for the welfare of the Islands
| Referring to the needs of the navy both
! in ships and in men the president says in
! part:
"* There should be no halt in the
work of building up the navy, providing
every year additional fighting craft. We
are very rich country, vast in extent of
| territory and great in population; coun-
| try, moreover, which has an army diminu-
! tive indeed when compared with that of
any other frst-class power. We have de-
| liberately made our own certain foreign
policies which demand the possession of a
| frst-class navy. The isthmian canal will
| greatly increase the efficiency of our navy
| if the navy is of sufficient size; but if we
have an inadequate navy, then the build
| ing of the canal would be merely giving a