Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-12-06

monwealth has been built up against odds
eulial to those that now confront Hawai-.
No merely half-hearted effort to meet
its problems as other American communi-
ties have met theirs can De accepteu, 40
final Hawaii shall never become a IeL ,
ritory in which n governing class OF fiC.i
planters exists by means of coone Iapoi :
Even if the rate of growth of the Terri-
tory is thereby rendered slower. the
growth must only take place by the aa,
nssume the duties and burdens of fun
American citizenship. Our aim must ne
| to develop the Territory on the s;tfc
basis of stable citizenship as exists OH
| this continent.
''''' PORTO RICO.
I earnestly advocate the adoption o.
leyisIa ton which will explicitly confer
American citizenship all citizens OF
Porto Rico. There is, in my Judgment,
no excuse for failure to do this. 'The
harhor of San Juan should be dredged ana
improved The expenses of the Federal
court of Porto Rico should be met from
the Federal Treasury. and not from the
Porto Rico should take place every -FOUR
years. and the legislature should meet IN
form of government in Porto Rico. which
provides for the appointment by the
President of the members OF the eNecu-
tive council or upper house oil the ieSls-
laturc, has proved satisfactory and has
jnspired confidence in property owners
and investors / do not deem it advisable
at the prese Mt time to change thiS form
in any material feature. The problems
and needs of the island are industrl;ii ana
commercial rather than political.
lNSULAK AFFAIRS IN GENERAL.
wish also To call the attention o1 the
CONGRESS 10 one question Wnicn aHectS
olr I,lsular posseSsiunS generally, naIneiy,
lne neeu ol an Increased Hperiti!ty III tle
treatment OF the whole franchise question
iii these lslanus. IL. the proper desire 10
l hAt
sueculators and to have them develop III
the interest oI their own people an error
has been made IN refusing To grant SUI !
hclentIy liberal terms 10 induce the m
vest Iment CT American capital IN the Phil-
ippines and in Porto Rico. Elsewhere III
this Message l have spoken strongly
against the jealousy OF mere wealth, ana
especially OF corporate wealth as Such.
| but 1t IS practically regretable TO allow
any such jealousy to be developed wheE
We are dealing either with our lnsul;r or
with foreign affairs. The big corporation
has achieved its present position IN tne
business world simply because 1t Is the
most effective instrument in business
competition. In foreign affairs We can
not afford to put our people at dlsad-
vantage with their competitors by IN any
way discriminating against the efficiency
OF cur business organizations. IN tne
same way We can not afford TO allow our
insular possessions to lag behind In IN,
dlstrial development from any twisted
jealousy of business success. 1t IS, or
course, 4 mere truiSm to say that the
business interests of the islands VIII only
be developed if it becomes the nniinclitl
interest of somebody to develop them
Yet this development is one of the things
most earnestly to be wished for in the In
terest of the islands themselves; we
have been paying all possible need TO tn@
political and educational interests OF the
islands, but, important though these OBJ
jects are it is not less important that we
should favor their industrial Development
The Government can in certain ways fclp
this directly. as by building good roads,
but the fundamental and vital help must
be given through the development or the
industries of the islands. and Il most EFT
cient means to this end is to encourage
big American corporations to start m
dustrieS in them and this means to make
it advantageous for them to DO So 10
limit the ownership of mining claims as
has been done in the Philippines is absurd
In both the Philippines and Porto Rico
the limit of holdings of land should be
largely raised.
ALASKA
T earnestly ask that Alaska be given IN
elective Delegate. some person snouid DC
CHOSEN vino can speak with authority ol
the needs of the Territory The Govern
u,eut should aid in the construction OF i
railroad from the Gulf of Alaska to the
Yukon River, in American territory. In
my last two Messages advocated certain
additional action on behalf OF alaska.
shall not now repeat these recommends
tions, but | shall lay all my stress upon
the one recommendation of giving 10
Alaska some one authorized to speak Tor
it. | should prefer that the Delegate was
made elective, but if this is not deemed
wise then make him appointlVe- Al any
rate, give Alaska some person "iioS3
business il shall be to speak with autnor-
ity on her behalf to the Congress. Inc
natural resources of Alaska are great
Some of the chief needs OF the peculiarly
energetic, self-reliant. and typicaily
American white population OF Aiaska
were set forth in my last Message. 1 aiSo
earnestly ask your attention to the needs
of the Alaskan Indians. All Indians VINO
are competent should receive the lull
rights OF American citizenship. 1t IS, Tor
| Instance a gross and indefenslble wrong
to deny to such Woodworking. decent
living Indians as the MetlakahtlaS the
right to obtain licenses as captains, piiots.
and engineers, the right to enter mining
claims and to profit by the homestead
| law. These particular Indians are civil
| iiZed and are competent ana emitted 10
| he nut on the same basis with the white
| men round about them
ADMISSION TO STATEHOOD.
| | recommend that Indian Territory ana
| Oklahoma be admitted as one State ana
that New Mexico and ArIZona be admitted
as one State. There is no obllSatlon up
on us to treat territorial supdlNlSioits
which are matters OF convenience, only
as binding us on the question OF admls-
| sion to statehood. Nothing has taken up
more time in the Congress during tne
past few years than the question as 10
| the statehood TO be granted to the fouf
| Territories above mentioned, and a1tef
| careful consideration of all that has been
| deye loped in the discussions OF the ques-
| tion | recommend that they be lmmedl-
| atcly admitted as two States. There Is
| no justification for further delay, and the
| advisability of making the four Terri
| tories into two States has been clearly
| esta blished.
| In some of the territories the legislative
| assemblies issue licenses for gambling.
/ The Congress should by law forbid TINS
| practice, the harmful results of which are
| obvious at a glance.
THE PANAMA CANAL.
| The treaty between the United States
and the Republic of Panama, under which
| the construction of the Panama Canal
was made possible went into effect with
| its ratification by the United States Sem
| ate on FEBRUARY %, 1861. The canal prop
| critics of the French Canal Company We're
! transferred to the United States on April
| %, 1904, on payment of Sp,WO,O0O to THAI
| company. On April l, 1905. the Commits
| sion was reorganized, and it now con-
| sists Of Theodore L. Slionts. chairman.
| Charles +. Magoon, Benjamin M. Harrod,
Rear-Admiral MordecIi T. Endicott, Brig.
| (ap petpr Hams and Col OSwa li |