The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-03
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.

The Message of the President is strik- ingly characteristic of its author. It is beyond question that the President writes with earnestness and vigor, consequently he presents the views of his party upon all matters discussed in his Message as strongly as their merits will permit. Fol lowing precedents, he calls the attention of the Congress to the most pressing de- mands of the several departments Of Government at the present time. He treats at some length and with unusual interest the necessities for strengthenins our Navy, and his recommenoa'iohs sbou,d receive the careful consideration of the Congress. There should be no hail in the work of building up the navy, pro- viding every year additional hsh'hhe craft" the message says. we are very rich country, vast in extent or terri- tory and great in population' country roreover which has an Army diminu- two indeed when compared with that or any other first-ciass power. we nave deliberately made our own foreign poh- cies which demand the possession or nrst-class navy. The isthmian canal VIII greatly increase the efficiency or our navy if the navy is of sufficient size; but |, we have an inadequate navy, then the building of the canal would be merey giving a hostage to any power or supe- rior strength. The Monroe Doctrlhe should be treated as the cardinal feature of American foreign policy; but 1t would | he worse than idle to assert 1t unless we | intend to back it up, and it can be backed up orly by a thoroughly good navy. A good navy is not a provocative or war. l It is the guaranty of peace"
 | It will be remembered that at the time "a Democratic President took office in | 1885 the United States did not have a single vessel of war that could keep the seas against a first-class vessel of any i'm portant power and that we seemed con- tent with the maintenance of a Navy De- partfnent simply as shabby ornament Ito the Government" and that it was through the wise and patriotic endeavor | of Democratic President and two Dem- ocratic Secretaries of the Navy, Messrs. l Whitney and Herbert, that our navy was raised to the condition of strength and efficiency which rendered the achieve
 ments at Manila and Santiago possible.
 Naturally. however, the questions of chief interest discussed in the message are
 the tariff and trusts. The Presidents posi-
 ton upon these questions is no stronger
 than that of his party and from a Dem-
 ocratic standpoint that position is inde-
 fensible. The principle of protection is
 obnoxious to every Democratic concep-
 ton of a tariff, but the President can sec
 no good in any tariff system which is not
 constructed upon the protective principle
 and he asserts that "the country has ac-
 quiesced in the wisdom of the protective tariff principle" History, however, does
 rot sustain kim in this assertion There
 never has been contest in the history
 of this country when the issue was fairly
 made up between a tariff for revenue
 only and a tariff for protection that a
 tariff for revenue only did not win; and
 if the issue is fairly and squarely made
 in 1904, 1t will win again.
 A proper tariff system is not complex
 A proper system of taxation Is simple
 but our system has been made complex
 for the purpose of preventing it from be.
 ing remedied. Its schedules have beer
 cunnirgly and ably devised for the very purpose of preventing changes and
 amendments but there are strong indica- : ticns now that the people will soon have the schedules revised and greatly simpli fiel upon the plain principle of tariff for revenue only.