The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-02-28
MESSAGE TO THE SENATE.
URGENT NECESSITY OF PHILIP
 PINE LEGISLATION
Strongly Set Forth by President Rooss- veit-A Cable from Governor Taft Showing the Imminent Danger of De- iay-eonditions fin the Island Rapidly Growing from Bad to Worse.

AsoAh Dau OTBe.
 washington, Feb. 27-The president iate this afternoon sent the following message to the sen1te in view of the delay in that body of Nction on pending Philippine legislation:>
 T have just received. cable from Governor Taft which runs s..> follows:
 Necessity for passage of house tar III blll most urgent. The conditions of productive Industry and business con slderabiy worse than in November, the date Of last report, and growing worse each month. Some revival in sugar; tobacco prices due to expectation of tarln law. The interests of Filipinos in sugar and tobacco extensive, and fail- ure of bill will be blow in face of these interests. Number of tobacco factories Will have to close and many sugar ha- ciendas will be put up for sale at sacrlhce, if the bill will not pass. Gus toms receipts have fallen off this month one-third, showing decrease of purchas- Ing power of islands. General business stagnant. All political parties, includ- Ing labor unions, most strenuous in pe- tltlon for tariff bill. Effeces of the fail- ure very discouraging.'
 'sice-Governor Luke Wright en- dorses in the strongest manner all that governor Taft has said, and states that ne has the gravest apprehension as to the damage that may come to the is- lands if there is not substantial re- auction in4the tariff levied against Phil ippine goods coming into the United States. I very earnestly ask that this tnrs of congress, and that the relief prayed for be granted.
 As congress knowss series of ca- lamities have befallen the Philippine people. Just as they were emerging from nearly. six years of devastating warfare, with the accompanying de- struetion of property and the breaking up of the bonds of social order and the habits of peaceful industry, there oc- cured an epidemic of rinderpest which destroyed 90 per cent. of the caraboos, the Filipino cattle, leaving the people without draft animals to till the landss or to aid in the ordinary work of farm and village life, The extent of the dis aster can be seen from the fact that the surviving caraboos have increased over 2 ten-fold in value. At the same time%a peculiar Oriental horse disease became epidemic, further crippling transporta- ton. The rice crop, already reduced by various causes, to but fourth of it's ordinary size, has been damaged by To- custs, so that the price of rice has near 1y doubled.
 Under these circumstances there is imminent danger of famine in the is- Snr10 Se- rf ously appropriating three millions of dollars to meet the immediate needs, but the indispensable and pre- eminent need is the resurrection of productive industry from the prostration into which 1t has been thrown by the causes above enumerated. I ask action in the tariff matter, not merely from the standpoint of wise governmental policy, but as a measure of humanity in re- sponse to an appeal to which this great people should not close it's ears. We have assumed responsibilities towards the Philippines which we are in honor bound to fulfill. We have the specific duty of taking every measure in our power to see to their prosperity. The first and most important step in this direction has been accomplished by the joint action of the military and civil authorities in securing peace and civil government. The wisdom of congress at the present session has provided for them a stable currency, and it's spirit of humane liberality and justice toward them will be shown in the appropria- tion, now substantially agreed upon. of three million dollars to meet the press ing immediate necessities but there re- mains vital need that one thing fur ther shall be done. The calamities which have befallen them, as above enumerated, could have been averted by no human wisdom. They cannot be completely repaired, but the suffering can be greatly alleviated and a perma- nent basis of future prosperity assured If the economic relations of the islands with the United States are put upon a satisfactory bases.
 Theodore Roosevelt.
 "White House, Feb. 27, 19O3."