Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-12-08
The MESSAGE.
President RoOseveIt==-An Edi=
torial Picture by The
Telegram.

President Roosevelt's message
to the first session of the fifty
ninth Congress treats in detail of
forty distinct subjects, appertain-
ing to the domestic and foreign
affairs of the United States. All
of the matters treated in the mes
sage are of practical import to
the welfare of the country in one
direction or another. The range
of the topics is wide, from the
suggestion of the legislative rem
edy for the suppression of the
smoke nuisance in the City of
Washington to the wider discus
sion of the Monroe Doctrine in
its later application and the en-
couragement of sentiment favor
ing a permanent international
peace arrangement, as the hope
to that end now lies in The
Hague Tribunal. The subject
receiving the least direct and ex-
plicit attention is the tariff; that
which is. dwe1t upon at greatest
length and with most particu-
larity is the impending question
concerning Federal regulation
and supervision of railroad rates.
The ruling characteristic of
the document is ideality of tone.
In the writing President Roose-
welt has to a considerable extent
adopted the art an style of the
homilist; but with this he has
rot neglected to be practical, nor
has he allowed his vision of the
higher grounds and the wider
possibilities of the government to
interfere with his appreciation of
existing conditions and ex-
igencies. In this respect the
message is a remarkable docu-
ment. Much of it will go over
the head of the man who prides
himself on being intensely prac-
tical; but its appeal tor the better
standard in private and political
conduct is strong to the average
conscience.
The keynote of the message as
we accept its wider application
is for the universality of interests
either for good or i'll; urging at
tention to the truths which make
for the better man and conse-
quently for the bettergovernment.
"Taken as a WHOLE" says the
President. in his introduction,
1--WE all go up or 60 down to-
gether;;'' and again he says: ''In
the long run the one vital factor
in the prosperity of the country
is the high individual character
of the average American worker,
the average American citizen, no
matter whether his work be men
tai or manual, whether he be a
farmer or wageworker, business
man or professional man."
Throughout the entire docu-
ment, in whatever recommen-
dation is made or discussed,
President Roosevelt maintains
this high standard. He addresses
the Congressional National heart
as well as the head. His appeal
is to the cultivation of higher
National attributes as to the
policies that will strengthen ane
enhance material attainments
He stands for National justice
and National honor first-as botf
of these have domestic and for.
eign applicat;on-and for Ma
tional profit that is based Thereon
afterwards. He forgets not th'
things that should be done, no
the difficulties which beset th'
doing, but he keeps in mind tn
high spirit in which their accom-
plishment should be undertaken
As the public had. reason to ex
pect, the chief topic in the mes
sage, the one that is given pre-
cedence both in place and i'm
portance, is that pertaining t
proposed rate legislation. Their
are other subjects treated at al
most equal length, but none bear
the mark of the Presidents par
ticular so1icitude in such measur
as this. The subject of immi
grafton, touching the characte
of acquired citizenship; that {
insurance abuses; seeking th