The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-12-07
THE PRESIDENTS mEssAes.

Roosevelt. read in both houses Of con-
gress yesterday. is it's absolute silence
on the subject that Is uppermost in the
congressional mind-the tariff. 1t is
impossible to believe the omission was
unintentiOnal; it must have been de-
liberate. And it would be interesting
To know what influences were brought
to bear on the president to induce this
extraordinary silence.
The tariff was widely discussed in
tie late presidential campaign. Every
speaker on every stump in the land
dealt with il more or less intelligently.
There were "stand pat" Republicans.
who argued that the high protective
tariff under which the country is nov
operatius should be allowed to stand.
There we're revision Republicans. who
declared That the tariff should be al
tered by It's friends. Democrats sen
orally SPOKE in favor of materially re-
ducing existing schedules.
The state campaign in Massachusetts
was conducted by the Democrats al
most wholly on the tariff issue. and on
that issue w. l. Douglas was elected
governor by a phenomenal majority,
when the conditions are taken into
consideration. Yet the president Of the
United States, in a document that is
popularity supposed to outline the work
congress is expected to do, writes
something like $4,000 words of counsel
and advice and touches upon t<efy-
thing except the tariff. 1t is safe TO
say that the omission will cause more
comment than any other feature of the
message.
The document, as whole, is very
readable. This is true of nearly all of
the Roosevelt papers. The president is
the possessoI OF q vigorous, happy
style of setting his thoughts OH paper.
His great audience may disapprove, or
at least considerable section may dis
approve, Of his sentiments. but all will
join in admiring his lucidity Of ex--
preston and his excellent English.
President Roosevelt does not tell the
nation anything that the nation did not
know before regarding his policies. On
the subject OF the trusts ne is not as
frank as ne would have liked to see
hlm He says in effect. that the great
corporations that are bad must be con-
troIicd. but he would not have the
government act hastily. On the con-
trary. he suggests that if any action
al all is taken it should be undertaken
with the greatest caution.
We might paraphraeei well known
presidential saying i'm this connection
TO read: Speak softly and throw away
the big stick. On one point in the
trust matter the presidential mind
seems to have undergone a change.
Time WAS when he contended for d con-
stitutiOnal amendment 40 give congress
the power to pass laws to regulate the
trusts. Now he says:
Great corporations are necessary,
and only men of great and singular
mental power can manage such cor
poranons successfully, and such men
must have great rewards But these
corporations should be managed with
due regard TO the interest of the public
~ whole. Where this can be done
under the present laws it must be done.
Where these laws come short others
should be enacted to supplement them
The president now recognizes. the
force of the Democratic contention that
congress has the power to pass lave
for the regulation Of great corporations
or trusts engaged in Interstate COM
merce,
There is little hope for an independ-
ent republic in the Philippines from the
presidents message X is true that he
speaks vaguely of a far distant time
Ayhen the Philippines may be occupy
ins the same relations 10 the United
states that the republic of Cuba occu-
pies today. But he says that the Fill
pinos are at this time utterly unfit to
govern themselves. and there is a pes
simistic note in his entire discussion OF
the subject.
1t is quite probable that Mr. Roose-
vets visit to the Philippines exhibit at
the ST. Louis fair had something to do
with this pessimism. He saw there the
head hunters and the dog eaters and
the other barbarians we are holding as
subjects. and. in common with thou
sands Of other Americans. he must
have become impressed with the inn
possibility OF assimilatiug people OF
That character with the American pub
JIG.
The army and navy come in for brief
mention. The president reaairlns his
opinion that a great navy is not only
most desirable. but imDeratiyely neces-
sary- lie believes the ships OF the navy
should be kept moving and that target
practice should go GA continuously. In
this sentiment we believe a large ma
jority of the people cheerfully concur.
Regarding the army. the executive
says the maximum peace footing Of
100000 men has not been maintained.
Instead. the numerical strength OF the
regular establishments is n6W oily