Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-12-05
PRESIDENT TO CONGRESS

i
but in the character of circulation; anG
of making all kinds of money inter.
chaageable, and, at the will of the
holder, convertible into the established
gold standard.
How to secure fair treatment alike
for labor and capital, how to hold in
check the unscrupulous man, whether
employer or employe, without weak:
ening individual initiative, without
hampering and cramping the industrial
development of the country, is prob
lem fraught with great difficulties and
one which is of the highest Importance
to solve on lines OF sanity and far
sighted common sense as we'll as de-
votion to the right. This is an era of
| federation and combination.
Organized capital and oragnized
| labor alike should remember that in
| the long run the interest of each must
be brought into harmony with the in.
terest of the general public; and the
conduct of each must conform to the
fundamental rules of obedience to the
law, of individual freedom and of JUS
tice and fair dealing toward all. Each
should remember that in addition to
power it must strive after the realiza-
tion of healthy, lofty and generous
ideals. Every employer. every wage
Garner, must be guaranteed his liberty
and his right to do as he likes with his
property or his labor so long as he
does not infringe upon the rights of
others.
1t is earnestly hoped that the secre-
tary of commerce may be created, with
seat in the cabinet. The rapid null
tiplication of questions affecting labor
and capital, the growth and complexity
of the organizations through which
both labor and capital now find ex-
preston, the steady tendency toward
the employment of capital in huge cor
porations, and the wonderful strides
this country toward leadership in
the international business world justify
an urgent demand Tor the creation of
Q Ich position.
I hope soon to submit to the senate
reciprocity treaty with Cuba. On May
20 last the United States kept its prom
Use to the island 10y formally vacating
Cuban soil and turning Cuba over to
those whom her own people had chosen
as the first officials of the new republic.
Cuba lies at our doors, and whatever
affects her for good or for i'll affects us
also. So much have our people felt
this that in the Platt amendment, we
definitely took the ground that Cuba
must hereafter have closer relations
with us than with any other power.
As civilization grows Warfare becomes
less and less the normal condition of
foreign relations. The last century has
seen marked diminution of wars be-
tween civilized powers; wars with un-
civilized powers are largely mere mat
tiers OF international police duty, essen
tial for the welfare of the world.
Whenever possible arbitration or some
similar method should be employed in
lieu of war to settle difficulties between
civilized nations, although as yet the
world has not progressed sufficiently to
render it po; sible or necessarily desira-
BILE to invoke arbitration in every case.
The congress has wisely provided
for building at once an isthmian canal,
if possible at Panama. The attorney
general reports that we can undou bted-
ly acquire good title from the French
Panama canal company. The work
should be carried out as a continuing
policy without regard to change OF ad-
mi i. tration; and it should De begun
under circumstances which will make
it matter of pride for all administra-
tions to continue the policy.
OF Porto Rico it is only necessary to
say that the prosperity of the island
and the wisdom with which it has been
governed have been such as to make it
serve as an example of all that is best
in irsu ar administration.
On July last peace and amnesty
were promulgated in the Philippine
islands. Some trouble has since from
time to time threatened with the Mo-
hammedan Moros, but with the late
insu1rectionary Filipinos the war has
entirely closed. Civil government has
now been introduced. Not only does
each Filipino enjoy such rights of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness as
he has never before known during the
recorded history of the islands, but the
people, taken as whole, now enjoy a
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 Japanese alone. Too much praise
cannot be given to the army for what
it 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 government in the ground
thus made ready for them.
The army has been reduced to the
minimum allowed by law. It is very
small for the size of the nation, and
most certainly should be kept at the
highest point of efficiency.
| A system of msneuvering our army
in bodies of some little size has been
begun and should be steadily continued.
| Without such maneuvers it is folly to
expect that in the event of hostilities
with any serious foe even small army
corps could be handled with advantage.
Our officers and enlisted men are
such that we can heartily take pride in
them, but they must be thoroughly
! trained, both as individuals and in the
mass. In the circumstances of modern
warfare the man must act far more on
his own individual responsibility thar
ever before and the high indiyidua]