Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-12-12

ueDls injured some were just, while some
were not OF character which really rem
ders 1t obligatory on, or proper for. Santo
Domingo TO pay them In full But she
could not pay any of them unless some
stability was assured her government and
people.
Accordingly the executive department of
our government negotiated a treaty under
which we are TO try to help the Dominican
people TO straighten out their finances.
This treaty is pending before the Senate.
In the meantime a temporary arrangement
has been made which will last until the
Senate has had time to take action upon the
treaty. Under this arrangement the Do
minican government has appointed Ameri-
cans TO all the important positions in the
customs service, and they are seeing to the
honest collection of the revenues turning
over 40 per cent to the government for run
ming expenses and putting the other 90 per
cent into safe depository for equitable
division, in case the treaty shall be ratified
among the various creditors, whether Euro
pean or American.
This has completely discouraged all revo-
lutionary movement while it has alreG DIV
produced such an Increase in the revenues
that the government is actually getting
more from the 40 per cent that the Ameri-
can collectors turn over to it than il got
formerly when it took the entire revenue
Under the course taken, stability and
order and all the benefits of peace are at
last coming to Santo Domingo danger of
foreign intervention has been suspended.
Il n
creditors will get justice, no more and no
less. If the arrangement is terminated by
the failure of the treaty chaos will follow;
and if chaos follows, sooner or later this
government may be involved in serious diff
fculties with foreign governments over the
island, or else may be forced itself to in
tervene in the island in some unpleasant
fashion.
Army and Navy Affairs.
We cannot consider the question of our
for ion wifi or fhn
treating of the army and the navy We
now have very small army-indeed. one
well-nigh infintesimal when compared with
the army of any other large nation OF
course the army we do have should be as
nearly perfect of it's kind and for its size
as is possible. l do not believe that any
army in the world has better average of
enlisted men or better type Of junior Of
fcer; but the army should be trained to
act effectively in a mass Provision should
be made by sufficient appropriations for
maneuvers of a practical kind, so that the
troops may learn how to take care of them
selves under actual service conditions.
Our navy must, relatively to the navies
of other nations, always be of greater size
than our army. We have most wisely con-
tinued for a number of years to build up
our navy, and 1t has now reached fairly
high standard of efficiency. This standard
of efficiency must not only be maintained
but increased. 1t does not seem to me
necessary, however, that the navy should
at least in the immediate future-be in
creased beyond the present number OF
units. What is now clearly necessary is ia
substitute efficient for inefficient units MS
the latter become WORKOUT or as it be-
comes apparent that they are useless.
Recent naval history has emphasized cor.
tain lessons which ought not to, but which
do, need emphasis. Seagoing torpedo boats
or destroyers are indispensable, not only
for making night attacks by surprise upon
an enemy, but even in battle for finishing
,l,.Da 4 apirn Nlnfi- Chi
circumstances submarine bouts would doubt
less be of use. Fast scouts are needed.
The main strength of the navy, however,
lies and can only lie in the great battle
ships, the heavily-armored, heavily gunned
vessels which decide the mastery of the
seas. Heavy armed cruisers also play a
most useful part, and unarmed cruisers II
swift enough, are very useful as scouts
Abuses in Naturalization.
During the past year evidence has accu-
mulated to confirm the expressions con-
talned in my last two annual messages as
to the Importance of revising by appropri-
ate legislation our system of naturalizing
aliens. | appointed last March a commits
sion to make a careful examination OF
our naturalization laws, and to sug
notorious abuses resulting from q the
improyident or unlawful granting
of citizenship. This commission,
has discharged the duty imposed upon it,
transmitted to the Congress for its con-
slderation, and, l hope, for its favorable
action.
Breaches of Trust in Public Service.
There seems to be no statute of the Uni
ted States which provides for the punish
ment OF United States attorney or other
officer of the government who corruptly
agrees to wrongfully do or wrongfully re-
frain from doing any act when the Consid-
GRAFTON Tor such corrupt agreement is 9th
er than one possessing money value This
ought to be remedied by appropriate legis-
latton. Legislatin shuld also be enacted
to cover, explicitly, unequivocally and be
yond question, breach OF trust in the shape
OF prematurely divulging official secrets by
an ofhcer or emplOye OF the United States,
and to provide a suitable penalty therefor.
Condition of Public Land Laws.
Once again l call your attention to the
condition of the public land laws. Recent
developments have given new urgency to
the need for such changes as will fit these
laws to actual present conditions The
honest disposal and right use of the re-
naming public lands is of fundamental i'm
portance. The Ubiquitous methods by which
the monopolizing of the public lands is be-
ing brought about under the present laws
are becoming more generally known, but
the existing laws do not furnish effective
remedies. The recommendation of the pub
lie lands commission upon this subject are
wise and should be given effect.
The creation of small irrigated farms I'M
der the reclamation act is a powerful offset
to the tendency of certain other laws To
foster or permit monopoly of the land.
The greater part of the remaining public
lands cannot be irrigated. They are at
present and will probably always be of
greater value for grazing than for any
other purpose. This fact has led to the
grazing homestead of $40 acres in Nebras-
ka and to the proposed extension of it to
other States. 1t is argued that family
cannot ne supported on 100 acres of arid
grazing land. This is obviously true; but
neither can a family be supported on GAG
acres of much of the land to which it is
proposed to apply the grazing homestead.
To establish universally any such arbitrary
limit would be unwise at the present time.
Merchant Marine Indispensable.
To the spread of our trade in peace and
the defense Of our flag in war a great and
prosperous merchant marine is indispeusa
BILE. We should have ships of our own and
seamen of our own to convey our goods to
neutral markets, and in case of need to re-
inforce our battle line.
Pensions for Civil War soldier,
1t is a matter of unmixed satisfaction
once more to call attention to the excellent
work of the pension bureau; for the veter
ans of the Civil War have a greater claim
upon US than any other class of our citi
zens To them, first of all among our PEG
pie, honor is due. Seven years ago my la.
mented predecessor President Mckinley
stated that the time had come for the ma
ton to care for the graves of the Confed
crate dead / recommend that the Con
gress take action toward this end.
The Immigration Question.
The question of immigration Is of vital
interest to this country. In the year end
ing June 30 1905, there came to the United
states 1,026,O00 alien immigrants. 1t is
clearly shown in the report of the com
missioner general of immigration that
while much of this enormous Immigration
is undoubtedly healthy and natural, con-
siderable proportion is undesirable from
one reason or another; moreover, consid-
cradle proportion of it, probably very
large proportion, including most of the I'M
desirable class, does not come here of its
own initiative, but because of the activity
OF the agents of the great transportation
companies.
We cannot have too much immigration
of the right sort, and we should have none
whatever Of the wrong sort. OF course it
IS desirable that even the right kind of inn
migration should be properly distributed in
this country. We need more of such immi-
grafton for the South; and special effort
should be made to secure it, In actual
practice it has proved SO difficult TO en-
force the immigration laws where long
stretches of frontier marked by an imagin-
airy line alone intervene between. us and
our neighbors that l recommend that no
immigrants be allowed to come in from
canada and Mexico, save natives Of the
TWO countries themselves. AS much as pos