The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-23

lhH tRESlDENITS ADDRESS.
President Roosevelt then continued as
follows:
The events Of the last few years have
forced the American Republic 10 take
larger position In the world than ever be.
fore and therefore more than ever before t.
concern herself with questions Of policy
which affect her interests beyond her own
borders. AS people weAn now have duties
and opportunities In the tropic seas and
the lands south of us as well as IN those
OF che farthcst EGat aud much depends
upon the way !alwhlch we meet these
duties, the way lin which we take ad.
vantage of thesei opportunities.
WELFARE OF WEST INDIES.
From the days OF Monroe, Clay and
the younger Adams. we, as a people, have
always lookedl with interest upon the West
Indies and the isthmus connecting the two
Americas, feeding that anything happening
In those regions must be OF concern TO
our welfare There is now ampler reason
than ever before for this feeling. The out
come of the Spanish war put usEin posses.
sion of Porto Rico and brought us into
peculiar touch with Cuba, while the sue
cessful negotiation Of the Hay> Pannce
treaty at last cleared the way flor .the con.
struction Of the tsthman canal Porto
Rico, It is pleasure to say, may now
serve as m example of the best methods
Of administering our insuiar possessions.
So excellent have been the effects OF our
administration and Legislation concerning
this island that their very excellence hns
resulted In their being almost forgotten
by those at bone. There is hnrdly rim.
nile Of f1i1iiTN
and so. as 10 apt 10 BE- our way, we do nat
think OF it at all Vet It is we'll worth
while 10 think Of II aud II is pleasant TO
learn by an experlents which teaches us
what ia follow instegd Of what to avoid.
First and foremost In Porto Rico we have
consistently striven to get the very best
men TO administer the affairs Of the is.
land. 1t is desirable throughout our pus.
lie service TO secure a high standard OF
efficiency and integrity But after all, here
at home VIC always have in our own hands
the remedy for ANY failure ia proside such
qualities. In a Ear on island, thugs are
different There, wrong doing Isl more easy
snd those who suffer from 1t are more
| helpless white there Is less efficient
/ check In the way OF that public opinion TO
| which public men are sensitive In conse-
J
! Is beyond all other kinds Of ndmlnistro
| tion in our country, the one in which the
| highest stendard must he demanded. In
making appointments to ths insular scry.
| Ice, 1t IS necessary to disregard any 1ues.
tioa Of mere party expeder,cy and to look
Mt the matter solely from the standnoint
or the honor Of orr own nation and Of the
welfare of the island Itself. rhts has been
~,
men who represent our government. in
| Porto Rico. In consequences all tAr.erfcnn.
should feel a real pride In She way in
which their cnmpatriots whoSare rosponsl
bic for the government of theSisland have
administered II. Moreover. In shaping the
government Of the slandt we havs acted
with good sense IS well asa WITH good raitn
We have not been frightened or mlsled
into giving the people of the island a
form Of government unyuHable to them,
and while providing that Ehey should gov.
crntthemseiyes far as POSSIBLE. We have
mott hesitatcd IN their owr interest to kee,
the power OF shaping their destiny.
RECIPROCITY WITH CUBA.
TN Cuba thu problem was larger, more
complicated and more, difficult. Here.
again, We kept our promise absolutely.
After having delivered tho ,island from Its
oppressors. We refused to vurn It loose of
hand with the certainty ttat IT would sink
into chaos and savaeery. Far over three
years we administered Ats government Oh
plane higher than itsever had had anrn.
the -four centuries slime the Spaniards arst
landed on It's shore. We brought moral
and physical cleanliness into the govern
ment. We stamped out yellow fever-ln
itself an tnesHmable service both TO the
Cuban people and 10 the people of our own
Southern States We established school
system, We made life and property secure,
80 that industry could again begin 10 thrive
Then, when we had laid deep and broad
the foundations upon which civil liberty
and national Independence must rest, we
turned the island over 70 the hands Of
those whom the people had chosen as the
founders of'the now republic. 1t is a re-
public with which our own great rcpublle
must ever be closely knit by the ti,s OF
common interests aud common aspirations
Cuba must always be peculiarly related 10
rs in international politics. She must In
International affairs be 10 a degree part
Of our political system. In return she must
have peculiar relations With us economical.
~ She must be IN sense part OF our eco
monte system. We expect her 20 accept
political attitude toward Us which we thiIk
wisest both for her and US In return we
must lie prepared to put her In an economic
position as regards our tariff system, which
viii give her some measure OF the pros
perIty which we enjoy. We can not, IN MY
Judgment. avoid taking this attitude II we