The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-12-08
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
CONTINUED from Page Six

death in the performance of their haZ-
ardous duty and vet to give them no
sort Of reward. IL one of them serves
thirty years Of his life in such a posi-
ton he should surely be entitled to re-
tire on half pay. rs a fireman or DO
liceman does. and If he becomes total
" incapacitated through accident or
sickness or loses his health in the dis
charge of his duty he or his family
should receive a pension lust as any
soldier should. 7 call your attention
with especial earnestness to this mat
ter because it appeals not ONLY to our
Judgment but to our sympathy: for
the people on whose behalf / ask II are
comparatively few in lumber rende
i~ncaIcuIable service of a particularly
dangerous kind. and have no one to
peak for them.
Indians,
During the year Just past. the phase
of the Indian question which has been
most sharply brought to public atten-
ton is the larger legal significance of
the dia induction into citizenship.
This has made itself manifest not only
in a great access of litigation in which
the citizen Indian figures as q party de-
fendant md In a more widespread dis
position to levy local taxation upon
his personally. but in q decision of the
United States Supreme Court which
struck away the main prop On which
has hitherto rested the Governments
benevolent effort to protect him
ain the evils of intemperance. The
court holds. in effect. that when an
Indian becomes. by virtue of an allot-
ment of land to him. a citizen OF the
State in which his land is ituated he
passes from under Federal control in
such matters as this. and the acts OF
the Congress prohibiting the sale o.
n.f 10 - - : nn~ ~ ~
stantially inODerative. It is gratifying
to note that the States and m~uniciDali-
ties of The West which nave mOst at
stake in the welfare of the Indians are
taking uD this subject and are rvirC
to supDlV in u measure at least. the
addiction of its trustceship forced upon
the Federal Government. Neverthe-
less. ] would urgently press upon the
attention OF the the question
whether some amendment of the inter-
n~al-reVenue laws might not be of aid
in prosecuting those malefactors.
known in the Indian country as boot
leggerS." who are engaged at once in
~ydefrauding the United States Treasury
<Hf taxes and. what is far more impOr-
At in debauching the Indians by
a. CRYING liquors illicitly into territory
completely under Federal iurisdic-
lion.
Among the crying present needs of
the Indians are more day chOOls stu
ated in the midst of their settlements.
more effective instruction in the indus
tries pursued on their own farms. and
Il more liberal extension Of the field
matrOn service. which means the edu-
cation of he Indian women in the arts
of home making. Until the mothers
are we'll started in the right direction
we can not reasonably ex!,ect much
from the children who are soon to
form an integral part of our American
citizenship. Moreover. the excuse en-
tinuaIly advanced by male adult IN
dams for refusing offers of remunera-
Ave employment at a distance from
Ctheir homes is that they dare not leave
htheir families too long out of their
sight. One effectual remedy for this
state of things is to employ the minds
and strengthen the moral Der Of the
indian women-the end to which the
work of the field matron IS especially
directed. | trust that the Congress will
make its appropriations for Indian dav
schools and field matrOns as generous
as may consist with the other pressing
demands upon It's providence.
The Philippines.
During the last wear the Philippine
Islands have been slowly recovering
from the series of disasters which,
since American occupation, AVE great
~ ~ NbiO " 90
products below what was produced in
spanish times. The war. the rinder-
OcSt, the locusts. the drought. n the
cholera have been united as causes to
prevent a return of the prosperity
much needed in the islands. The most
serious is the destruction by the rim
harDeSt of more than rs per cent of
the draft cattle, because it will take
several years of breeding to restore the
necessary number of these i~ndispensa-
BILE aids to agriculture. The Commits
sion attempted to supply bv purchase
from adjoining countries the needed
cattle. but the experiments made. were
unsuccessful. Most of the cattle i'm
ported were unable to withstand the
change of climate and the rigors of the
voyage and died from other diseases
than rinderpest.
The income of the Philippine gov
eminent has necessarily been reduced
by reason of the business and agricul-
tural depression in the islands, and
the government has been obliged to
exercise great economy to cut down it's
expenses. to reduce salaries. and in
every way to avoid a deficit. 1t has
adopted an internal-revenue law. i'm
posing taxes Oh cigars. cigarettes, and
distilled liquors., and abolishing the
old Spanish Industrial taxes. The law
ha not operated as smoothly as was
1870 NiiN u -
undoubtedly correct. it may need
amendments for the purpose of recon
Cling the people to its provisions. The
income derived from it has partly
made I'D for the reduction in customs
revenue.
There has been a marked increase
in the number of Filipinos employed in
the civil service. and a corresponding
decrease in the number of Americans.
The government in every one of its
departments has been rendered more
efficient by elimination of undesirable
material and the promotion of deserv-
ing public servants.
improvements of harbors. roads.
and bridges continue. although the
cutting down of the revenue forb1ds
the expenditure of any great amount
from current income for these our
poses. Steps are being taken. by ad-
vertisement for competitive bids. to Sc
cure thu construction and maintenance
of 1000 miles of railway by private
corporations under the recent enabling
71-:c1of;or IF tho C0npraSS The rams