The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-11-26
PRESIDENT WILL
LAY PLANS BARE
Message to Congress Will Be an
Address to the American r.
People.
FORECASTS POLICIES
OF HIS ADMINISTRATION
Nations Chief Executive Has
Ambitious Program for Next
Four Years.
BY W.. w. Jermane.

BY W., w. Jermane. i
Washington, Nov. 26.-President
Roosevelt has completed a message to
the American people. Officially it will
be a message to congress, which meets
again Dec. 5. In its purpose and eHect
it will be an address to the people,
forecasting the policies of the admin
istration during the next four years.,
The president feels that the people
have a right to know what he thinks
about it. The congress to which ne
addresses himself is the holdover body
from the former regime, and the newly
elected congress will not meet until a
wear from now, unless specially called.
But congress always represents the peo-
pie, and an address to congress IS an
pie. That is the way Mr.. Roosevelt
Feels about it.. -. .
The president feels that he is begin
ming a new epoch. He does not pro,
pose to wait until after March 4, and
the formalities of the inaugural, before
beginning his own administration. He
has begun
Mckinley Trust Fulfilled.
The Mckinley trust has been full
plain in his address. The past three
and a half years he never has regarded
as entirely his. He gave pledge over
the dead body of the murdered presi.
dent to do what he could to carry out
the policies and to administer the gov
had he lived. Appointments, even to
the cabinet, were made on this theory,
and legislation, like Cuban reciprocity,
known to have been in contemplat ton
by Mckinley, was pushed to compile"
tion.
He has succeeded to the office. by his
own right, and with popular indorse-
ment such as no other president ever
had. Moreover, he is singularly free
from pledges or obligations, personal
or political. If he fails to give a good
account Of the next four years, ne WILL
have himself alone to blame. =.
Has Ambitious Program.
The president has an ambitious pro-
gram for the next four years. Friends is
tell him that if he carries out small
part of it he will be doing wonders. It
will be of this program that he Will
speak in his message.
All the great economic problems which n
are pressing on the public thought will
be discussed. Trusts, railroad regula-
ton, labor. tariff, the race problem and
administrative. reform will all ind q 2
Mace in this forthcoming message. 1t
is not the intention to recommend spe-
cific legislative remedies,c<or to urge
particular bills upon this session OF con-
gress, but rather to mark. out certain
general lines for remedial legislation
which will be further urged on sue
cessive congresses. b.. ---..s @
In this address the president purr-
poses to take the public into his conf
dence He wants at the start to allay
any fear or suspicion which may be
entertained that he is about to "run
amuck.'' He believes the course which
he has laid out for himself is one OF
wise conservatism, and SO tells the poll
ticians and statesmen who call and talk
about it, He has said repeatedly, since
election, that there is no occasion fol
the reports which go out that he Is
unsafe. =.
But this does not mean that he viii
not do some very drastic things: He
has his ideas of carrying out reforms
and before he gets thru with them j
is safe to say that some people will
be convinced that he is excessively
unsafe.
Proceed on Radical Lines.
The coming administration is to pro
ceed on radical lines. Let no one make
any mistake about that. There is pc
itical as we'll as personal and eco
view the president hopes to be the rea
leader Of the republican party. He be
lieves that the salvation Of the part,
lies in committing it to certain radlca
lines Of policy during the next fou
throw at the hands Of q democracy re
organized on radical lines. All tn
issues of radicalism, such as opposition
to the trusts, regulation of the railroad
and other appeals to diseo intent or tn
propriate and to make part Of the rec
ord and stock in trade Of the republica
party, by the legislation of the mex
The president will go at the trus
recommend remains to be seen. In
general way it will be that "force an
cunning must be curbed.'
The Railroad Problem.
The unrestricted power of the unit
ing railways will be dealt with at larg'
In general the inadequacy of the presen
laws will be pointed out. Altho ther
have been prosecutions under the sta
utes forbidding merger and cOnsolidt
ton, the great systems of common ca
riers continue to combine. By indire
ton they do what they cannot legal
femedy to meet this will have to /
found; and the president will talk abor
legislation for regulating rates and fl
enforcing safety appliances and MOI
careful conduct OF Trains.
Something will be said Of the wor
done by the department of commert
and labor, and particularly the burea
Of corporations. Not great deal hi
been accomplished by that bureau, mo-
of the time since it's creation two yea
ago, having been occupied in compilir
data as to laws and corporations in tt
various states, as foundation for tt
work to come.
Tariff and Revision.
The tariff will probably not be dea
with. The president favors revision
certain schedules, and he will press b
revision policy strongly on the indivi
ual members of congress. !. Later
plans to deal with the subject in a SIP
cial message calling an extra session
April, 1905.
, Race Problem and Solid South.
One thing the president is very an,
GUS to get before the country at !,
early date, namely, the race questi,
and the problem Of the so-called sol
south. Mr.. Roosevelt greatly deplor
the division of parties on this sc
tional line. He believes the time b