The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-05

dered any man in the Twin Cities was
that TO President Roosevelt to-day.
From the time he arrived tonight
from his departure for the West at II
o'clock. he was the recipient of a con-
tinuous ovation, the streets through
which he passed in both cities being a
solid mass of people, and Armory Hall,
at the University of Minnesota, being
crowded 10 its limited capacity.
The speech, which was on tariff and
reciprocity, brought forth much en-
thusiasm, the President treating ex-
tensively upon the Cuban situation,
declaring that we must have military
control Of Southern waters and say
ing that the United States are the most
prosperous nation ever known The
crowd pushed forward to shake his
hand, which was denied them.
Thousands of persons lined the route
of the private electric cars that
brought the distinguished guest and
party from St. Paul. perhaps 100000
persons altogether, having seen him in
the two cities.
Before going to the armory, the Pres
ident was prevailed upon to address
the students of the University in the
chapel. The hall was crowded to its
limit, and Mr.. Roosevelt spoke to the
students briefly after the tenor of his
two speeches to college students in
Chica go. He was then driven TO the
armory where he was introduced by
President Northrup of the Minnesota
University. His speech there was in
part. as follows:
AT the special session of the Senate
held in March the Cuban reciprocity
treaty was ratified When this treaty
goes into effect, it viii confer substan-
tial economic benefits 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
it will give to our people in the Cuban
market. This treaty is beneficial to
both parties and justifies itself on
several grounds. In the first place
we offer to Cuba her natural market.
We can confer upon her a benefit
which no other nation can confer; and
fO~ the very reason that we have
started her as an Independent repub-
lie and that we are rich, prosperous.
and powerful it behooves US to
stretch out a helping hand to our
feebler younger sister. In the next
place ii Widens the market for our
products, both the products of the
farm and certain of our manufactures;
and it is therefore in the interests of
our farmers, manufacturers, mer-
chants, and wage workers. Finally,
the treaty was not merely warranted
but demanded, apart from all other
considerations, by the enlightened con-
sidera ton of our foreign policy.
Equally important was the action on
the tariff upon products of the Philip
pines. We gave them a reduction of
twenty-five per cent. and would have
given them a reduction of twenty-five
per cent. more had it not been for
the opposition, in the hurried closing
days of the last session, of certain gem
tlemen who by the way. have been rep
resenting themselves both as peculiarly
solicitous for the interests of the
Philippine people and as special cham
pions 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 as ourselves was
antagonized chiefly by those who in
theory have been fond of proclaiming
themselves the advanced guardians of
the oppressed national ities in the is
Gates of the reduction of duties general
ly, but who instantly took violent
ground against the practical steps to
accomplish either purpose.
We are now in a condition of pros
perity unparalleled not merely in our
own history but in the history of any
other nation. This prosperity is deep
rooted and stands on a firm basis be-
cause i is due to the fact that the
. GA
out OF which victors are made in the
great industrial contests of the present
Gay, just as in the great military con-
tests of the past: and because he Is
now able to use and develop his quail
ties to best advantage under our we'll
established economic system.
The present phenomenal prosperity
has been won under a tariff which was
made IN accordance with certain fixed
and definite principles, the most i'm
portant of which is ar avowed deter
lnlnatlon to protect the interests of the
American producer, business man,
wage worker. and farmer alike. The
general tariff policy, to which. with
ont regard to changes in detail, l be-
IieVe this country is irrevocably COM
mltted, is fundamentally based upon
ample recognition of the difference be-
tween the cost of production-that is.
the cost of labor-here and abroad, and
of the need to see to it that our laws
shall in no event afford advantage in
our own market to foreign industries
over American industries, to foreign
capital over American capital, to for
eign labor over our own labor This
country has and this country needs
Detter-paid, r-educated better
fed and better-clothed worlxingmen, of
a higher type, than are to be found in
any foreign country. 1t has and it
needs higher, more vigorous, and
more prosperous type of tillers of the
soil than is possessed by any other
country. The business men, the mer-
chants and manufa cturers, and the
managers of the transportation inter-
ests show the same superiority when
compared with men of their tyne
abroad. The events of the last few
years have shown how skillfully the
leaders of American industry use in in
ternational business competition the
mighty industrial weapons forged for
them by the resources of our country,
the wisdom of our laws, and the skill.
the inventive genius, and the admins
tratiVe capacity of our people
I'm making any readjustment there
are certain important considerations
which cannot be disregarded. If
tariff law has on the whole worked
well, and if business has prospered
under ii and is prospecting, it may be
better to endure some inconvenience
and inequalities for a time than by
making changes to risk causing dis
turbance and perhaps paralysis in the
industries and business of the coun-
try The fact that the change in a
given rate of duty may be thought de-