Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-12-05
against odds equal to those that now
confront Hawaii

against odds equal to those that now
confront Hawaii.
| No merely half hearted effort to meet
| its problems as other American COM
| munities have met theirs can be ac-
| cepted as final Hawaii shall never be-
come a territory in which a governing
class of rich planters exists by means
of cody labor. Even if the rate OF
growth of the territory is thereby rem
| dered slower, the growth must only
take place by the admission of immi-
grants fit in the end TO assume the du-
| ties and burdens of full American citi-
| Zenship. Our aim must be 10 develop
| the territory on the same basis of sta
BILE citizenship as exists on this con-
I tinent.
Porto Rico.
| ] earnestly advocate the adoption or
| legislation which will explicitly confer
American citizenship on all citizens OF
Porto Rico. There is. in my Judgment,
no excuse for failure TO do this. The
harbOr of San Juan should be dredged
and improved. The expenses of the
federal court of Porto Rico should be
met from the federal treasury and not
from the Porto Rico treasury. The cleo
| tons i'll Porto Rico should take place
every four years, and the legislature
should meet in session every two years.
| The present form of government i'll
Porto Rico. which provides for the APP
pointment by the president of the menl-
! bers of the executive council or up
per house of the legislature. has proved
satisfactory and has inspired confidence
in property owners and investors. l
do not deem il advisable at the present
time to change this form in any mate
rial feature. The problems and needs
of the island are industrial and COM
mercial rather than political.
InsuIar Affairs In General.
l wish also TO call the attention of the
congress to one question which affects
our insular possessions generally
namely, the need of an increased liber-
atty in the treatment of the whole
franchise question in these islands. In
the proper desire TO prevent the islands
being exploited by spectators and to
have them develop in the interest of
their own people an error has been
made in refusing to grant sufficiently
liberal terms to induce the investment
Of American capital in the Philippines
and in Porto Rico. Elsewhere in this
message L have spoken strongly
against the jealousy OF mere wealth
and especially of corporate wealth as
such. but it is particularly regrettable
to allow any such jealousy to be de-
, veloped when we are dealing either
with our insular OF with foreign at
fairs. The big corporation has achiev-
ed its present position in the business
world simply because it is the most
, effective instrument i'll business COM
petition. In foreign affairs we cannot
afford to put our people at disad-
vantage with their competitors by in
any way discriminating against the
efficiency of our business organiza-
lions. In the same way we cannot af-
. ford to allow our insular possessions
to lag behind i'll industrial development
from any twisted jealousy of business
success. 1t is Of course Il mere truiSm
to say that the business interests of
the islands will only be developed if it
becomes the financial interest of some
body to develop them, yet this develop
ment is one of the things most ear
nestly to be wished for i'll the interest
of the islands themselves. We have
been paying all possible heed to the
political and educational interests of
the islands, but, important though
these interests are, it is not less i'm
portant that we should favor their in
dustrial development. The government
can in certain ways help this directly
as by building good roads, but the
,, fundamental and vital help must be
. given through the development of the
Industries of the islands, and most
!, efficient means to this end is to encour-
: age big American corporations to start
; industries in them, and this means to
, make it advantageous for them to dc
, | So To limit the ownership of mining
; claims as has been done i'll the Philip
mines is absurd. In both the Philip
, pines and Porto Rico the limit of hold
ings of land should be largely raised.
Alaska.
| earnestly ask that Alaska be given
all elective delegate. Some person
! should be chosen who can speak with
{ authority of the needs of the territory
7 The government should aid i'll the con
struction of a railroad from the gulf
i of Alaska TO the Yukon river, in Amer
lean territory. In my last two mes
sages / advocated certain additional
action on behalf of Alaska. | shall not
now repeat those recommendations
r but / shall lay all my stress upon the
I one recommendation of giving to Alas
ka some one authorized to speak for IT.
| | should prefer that the delegate was
q | made elective, but if this is not deem
, | ed wise, then make him appointiVe
| At any rate give Alaska some person
whose business it shall be to speak
| with authority on her behalf TO the con
= gress. The natural resources of-Alaska
| are great. Some of the chief needs OF
= the peculiarly energetic, self reliant
= and typically American white popula
. ton of Alaska were set forth in my
I last message. / also earnestly ask your
: | attention to the needs of the Alaskan