The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-12-22
PRESIDENT RoosevELrs MESSAGE.

The message OF President Roosevelt
to Congress this year has attracted
unusual attention, both at home and
abroad. 1t possesses many excellent
| features. Most, probably all of 1t,
! was evidently written by his own hand,
| and his scholarship and his training
as a writer are marked by terseness
and a clearness of expression, uncom-
mon in official papers. The leading
| characteristics of the message are It's
rigid adherence to law. constitutional,
statutory, and as modified in treaties,
| and its absolute freedom from the
| least stain of political aspiration.
| His views are frank, decided, earnest,
and yet moderate, to degree that can
not fail to excite general respect.
The case against the United states
of Colombia is presented in an argu-
ment fortified by a condensed array
! of facts, that is simply irrefragable,
and which indeed, as to its conclusions,
had been unanimously anticipated by
the great powers. No judge or APP
| pellate tribunal could have delivered
an opinion on the question in issue in
| better language, more consecutive in
method, more rigidly impartial or i'm
\ pressed with more substantial dignity.
I President Roosevelt has made state
ment that cannot fail to he a con-
! trolling factor in the history of the
Colombian imbroglio, and has thrown
partisans who charged the United
! States with having delivered Panama
| from the womb of Colombia by a
Caesarian operation, beneath the con-
| temptuous feet of Americanism. He
recapitulates the treaty Of 1916 with
| New Granada, in it's relevant parts,
and by it's text, proves that the Amer
| lean Government was bound to protect
! the Isthmus of Panama, in the interest
not only OF New Granada and it's sue
cessors, but of the civilized world He
proves the uniform Interpretation of
this treaty by citations both from
Democratic and Republican Secretaries
of State. The agreement of Secre-
! tary Cass in 1858 and Secretary Sew
ard in 1866 in their construction of
the rights and obligations Of the Uni
| ted States, under this solemn compact,
: was n full justification of our national
| position when Panama seeded, but
was also fortified by numerous other
State papers, and by frequent re-
quests for American interference both
by New Granada and by Colombia.
The President has collated fifty-three
I instances of revolts, rebellions, and
revolutions in the Isthmus of Panama
In ffty-seven years, some of which
were of long duration, and in many
of which the intervention of the Fed
eral Government to protect free tran
sit was essential and was solicited and
given. He proves the absolute bad
faith and falsehood of the Colombian
Government in the rejection of the
treaty. which had been ratified at
Washington by a unanimous vote,
against definite pledges and the wishes
of the Colombian people. He demon
strates that the revolution in the
state of Panama was the sponta-
neous act of the entire population and
local officers, without any suggestion
or encouragement from our govern
ment, and accomplished without blood
she'd He further shows that, the Re-
pubic of Panama having been or
sanized the duty of recognition legal
ly followed and was performed by all
leading nations. He also proves that
a stable government having been es-
tablished, even independently of the
circumstance that the revolution itself
was Just, 1t became the right of the
united states to enter into treaty re-
lations with the new republic, and to
secure. as it did secure, great adj
vantages, not only for the American
people, but for civilization at large.
There is not a flaw in the message on
this question.
Upon other material points of ma
tonal policy, without a spread of mere
words, but in apt and incisive phrase
ology, President Roosevelt is equally
lucid and definite. His propositions
in reference to capital and labor, es-
pecially in view Of the vast combina-
lions of both in modern times. are as
Just as the announcements of Aris-
tides, and maintain the equal admins
tration of the law for and, when neces-
sary, against each. The establish
ment of the Department of Commerce
and Labor, including the Bureau of
Corporations, has been fully justified
by results, and amendments to the
antitrust law, both those adopted and
recommended, have been framed. not
for the purpose of attacking either
corporation or labor bodies but solely
to enforce the law, with perfect fair
ness and equality, and thus maintain
the integrity of American institutions
and the interests of the American
people, without favoring class, party
or condition.
This Is an impregnable position.
The President further deals with a
number of other important matters
he insists that an unnecessary surplus
should not be accumulated in the
treasury, and that there should be
more exact correspondence between ex-
penditures and receipts, and, in the
line OF the currency, strongly advo-
catei the continuance of the commits
sion to confer with other nations upon
the adoption of a settled rate of ex-
change between countries that have
the gold standard and those that cling
to the silver standard, of which the
number is constantly growing less.
He is very forcible in his expressed
desire to have the statutory laws inn
proved so as to keep out undesirable
immigrants, but there is nothing in
the message to conflict with his state
ment to Bishop Restarick that he