New-York tribune., 1903-04-05
SPEAKS ON THE thrift.
President Roosevelt States the Id
minstratiOn's Vie7cs.

Minneapolis. April f. - President Roosevelt's
speech on the tariff question here tonight fol-
lows:
My Fellow Citizens: At the special session of
the Senate held in March. the Cuban reciprocity
treaty. was ratified When this treaty goes into
effect it will confer substantial economic bene
fits alike upon Cuba. because of the widening of
her market in the United States and upon the
United States because of the equal widening
and the progressive control IL will give 20 our
people in the Cuban market
BENEFITS OF CUBAN TREATY.
This treaty is beneficial to both parties and
iustihes itself on several grounds In the first
place, we offer to Cuba her natural market. We
can confer upon her benefit which no other
nation can confer: and for the very reason that
have started her as an independent republic,
and that rich, prosperous and powerful.
1t behooves US 10 stretch out helping hand to
our feebler younger sister. In the next place. It
widens the market for products, both the
products OF the farm and certain of manu-
factures; and ii is therefore in the interests Of
farmers manufacturers, merchants and
wage workers.
but demanded, apart from all other cOnsidera-
tions by the enlightened consideration o. our
foreign policy. More and more in the future
we must occupy a preponderant position in the
waters and along the coasts in the region south
us; not position of control over the republics
of the South, but of control OF the military
situation so as to avoid any possible complica-
tons in the future.
NAVAL STATIONS IN CUBA
Under the Platt amendment Cuba agreed to
give us certain naval stations on her coast. The
Navy Department decided that we needed but
two and we have specified where these two
are to be. President Palma has concluded an
agreement giving them to us-an agreement
which the Cuban legislative body will doubtless
soon ratify. In other words. the Republic of
Cuba has assumed a special relation to our in
ternational political system, under which she
gives us outposts of defence, and we are morally
bound to extend to her in a degree the beneht
of economic system.
LIGHT
ened home and foreign policy the ratification OF
the Cuban treaty marked step of substantial
progress in the growth Of our nation toward
greatness at home and abroad
PHILIPPINE TARIFF REDUCTION.
Equally important was the action on the tariff
upon products of the Philippines We gave them
a reduction of % per cent and would have given
them reduction of % per cent more had it
not been for the opposition, in the hurried clos
ing days of the last session of certain gentle
men who by the way. have been representing
themselves both as peculiarly solcitous for the
interests of the Philippine people and as special
champions of the lowering of tariff duties. There
is a distinctly humorous side to the fact that the
reduction of duties which would benefit Cuba
and the Philippines as we'll ourselves
antagonized chiefly by those who in theory have
been fond of proclaiming themselves the ad-
vanced guardians of the oppressed nationalitie5
in the islands affected. and the ardent advocates
of the reduction of duties generally but who
took violent ground against the practi-
cal steps to accomplish either purpose
Moreover a law was enacted putting
thraCite on the free list and completely
moving the duties on all other kinds of coal
for one year.
PROSPERITY ON A FIRM BASIS.
We are now in a condition of prosperity
paralleed not merely in our own history, but
in the history of any other nation. This pros
Derity is deep rooted and stands firm basis,
because it is due to the fact that the average
American has in him the stuff out of which vic
tors are made in the great industrial contests
of the present day, just as in the great military
contests of the past. and because he is now able
TO use and develop his qualities TO best ad-
vantage under our well established economic
system
We are winning headship among the nations
of the world because our people able to
keep their high average of individual citizen
ship and TO show their mastery In the hard.
complex pushing life of the age. There will be
fuctua tions from time to time in prosperity.
hut il viii continue TO grow just so long we
keen I'D the high average of individual citizen
shin and permit II to work out its salvation
under proper economic legislation.
PROTECTION MUST BE MAINTAINED.
The present phenomenal prosperity has been
won under a tariff which made In accord
s3ca Win certain fixed and definite principles.
The most important OF which is an avowed de-
termination to protect the interests of the Amer
Cnntnued on second puge.