The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1903-12-11
'orcIDENT'S ANNUAL
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
..4,,ates the Country on Substantial Achieve
80 If Past Year-Capital and Labor-Postal
,rd Land Frauds-The Panama Canal.

special Appropriation Tor the better en-
forcement of the antitrust law as it now
stands, to be expended under the direc-
ton of the encouragement. Accord
tngly congress appropriated five hundred
thousand dollars to be expended in the
employment of special counsel and agents
to conduct proceedings and prosecutions
under said la VS. in the courts as a matter
Of the utmost Importance and urgency.
the extension of the purposes of this APP
preparation, so that it may be available
for the due enforcement OF the laws of
cially Of the civil and criminal laws re-
lating to postal crimes and offenses and
the subject OF naturalization Recent in
v~estigations have shown "a deplorable
state of affairs in these three matters of
vital concern. BY various frauds and by
fcrgerles and perJuries thousands of
acres of the public domain have been
dishonesty acquired. 1t is hardly neces-
sary to urge the Importance Of recovering
these dishonest acquisitions, stolen, from
the people, and of promptly and duly
furnishing the offenders.
frauds, forgeries and perjuries, and by
shameless briberies, the laws relating to
the proper conduct OF the public service
in general and to the due administration
of the oostoftice department have been
notoriously violated, and the consequent
on the eve thereof. For the reasons
thus indicated, and so that the govern
ment may be prepared to enforce prompt
~ and with greatest effect the due penal
ties for such violations of law. l urge
The necessity of making such. appro-
p%riation available for immediate use"
Steps have been taken by the state de-
partTnent looking to the making OF
bribery an extraditable offense with for
eign powers The need of more effective
treaties covering this crime is manifest;
1T should he the policy of the United
States says the president. "to leave no
place on earth when a corrupt man fee
ing from this country can find rest. There
can be no crime more serious than
bribery. Other offenses violate one law
while corruption strikes at the founda-
ton Of all law"
The president deals at some length with
the history of the Alaskan boundary dis
pute and calls attention to the recent sue
cessful termination of that dispute by the
decision of the convention in London, a
decision which Is satisfactory In every
way.
Speaking OF the claims Of foreign
powers against Venezuela and the sub
mission OF those claims. through the
friendly Offices of the United States, to
the permanent court of arbitration at The
Hague the president says: This
arbitration is a subject of warm con-
graduation and offers a happy augury
for the peace of the world"
Regarding our relations with China the
president says: The signing of a now
commercial treaty with China, which
took. place at Shanghai on the Sth of
| October, is a cause of satisfaction. This
act, the result Of long discussion and ne
gotiation. places our commercial relations
with the great Oriental empire on a more
satisfactory footing than even before
The rural free delivery service has been
steadily extended. The attention of con-
gress is asked to the question of the COM
pensFti0n Of the letter carriers and cierKs
engaged In the postal service, especially
on the new rural free delivery routes.
More routes have been Installed since the
fin first the of 5 5H5y 1nse tna9 hi in ANY IKE nWh aefi0a a
due regard to economy says the presi-
dent, must be kept in mind in the es-
Enlistment of new routes; yet the exten-
must be continued, for reasons Of sound
public policy" In this connection the
president also urges the inheritance OF
the movement for good roads.
The Louisiana Purchase exposition and
the Lewis and Clark exposition are rec
commended to the favorable attention OF
congress.
The president calls the special attention
Of congress to the Territory of Alaska.
The country is developing rapidly, and it
has an boa assured IRE en fatqTe; sa TPrq }Ps nr 5aga
dent, and the survey Of the public lands
Immediately begun. Wagon roads and
trails should be bu 1t, and the building OF
railroads promoted in all legitimate
ways"
An appropriation for the building OF
lighthouses in Hawaii is recommended,
The president says: If our iGSulaT
possessions the Philippines and Porto
Rico it is gratifying to say that their
steady progress has been such as to make
IL unnecessary to spend much time in dis
cussing them. Yet congress should ever
keep in mind that a peculiar obligation
rests upon US to further in every way the
welfare OF these communities. The
philippines should be knit closer by
tariff arrangements. No one people ever
benefited 10Th pe9p,e more than we
possession of the islands"
The cash receipts OF the general LAND
office for the last fiscal year Were Sl1,O24.
1895. an increase OF S4,7G2.sl647 ove'
the preceding year. OF this sum, APP
proximately, SIS. 461. 493 will go to the cred.
1t OF the fund for the reclamation of aric
and. making the total Of this fund. up tt
the Both of June, 1908. approximately
4 In pointing out the necessity for revi.
sion of the public land laws the president
SAYS: There is a tendency to mass II
large holdings public lands. especially
timber and grazing lands. and thereby tt
my recommendation Of last year that 81
far as they are available for agriculture
in its broadcast sense. and to whatevel
extent they may be reclaimed under thu
rational Irrigation law. the remainin,
public lands should be held rigidly 70,
the home builder. TIL attention Of con
I and stone law, the desert land law, an,
the Communication clause Of the home
, stead law, which in their operation hav'
In many respects CONNECTED with Wis
: public land policy"
The work OF reclamation OF the ari'
: lands ct the West Is progressing steadil.
] and sa tlSfactorily undcr the terms or tn
: law setting aside the proceeds from TIL
: disposal Of public lands. The study o
: the opportunities Of amation of tn
: vast extent OF arid lands shows tina
whether this reclamation Is done by in
dividuals, corporations. or the state, tn
sources OF water supply must be efec
1 lively protected and the reservoir
guarded by the preservation Of the for
t ests at the headwaters of the streams
. The necessity for pe"petrating our fores
: resources. whether in public or privat
t hands. Is recognized now as never before
The demand for forest reserves has be
( come insistent in the West. because tn
. West must use water, wood, and summe
range which only such reserves can sup
ply.
8 THE Indian agents" says the presi
t dent, SHOULD not be dependent for thei
h appointment or tenure of office upon con
siderations of partisan politics, the prac
tice of appointing, when possible, ex
army officers or bonded superintendent
to the vacancies that occur il workin
8 we'll"
y On the subject of pensions the presiden
saws: mo other class OF our citizen
deserves so well Of the nation as those t
whom the nation owes its being, tn
veteran MS Of the Civil war. Special atter
ton is asked to the excellent work of tn
pension bureau In eXpediting and dispos
q.