The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-08-28
LETTING WELL ENOUGH ALONE
President Roosevelt Writes a Letter
in Regard to National Afairs.

II Ii ANCA@t1AA " AtettAOAe1A <7A+~AA7e
a very important letter written
BY President Roosevelt to Congressman
James q. Watson Of Rushvllle, Ind
reviewing and approving OF the work
Of the present congress and declaring
ito change the leadership and organl-
zation Of the house at this time means
to bring confusion upon those who
have successfully engaged In the steady
working out Of great and comprehen-
sive scheme for the betterment Of our
social aud civic conditions. was made
public.
The president also declared that
such change would result In a hurt
full oscillation between the extreme
radical and the extreme reactionary.
The president said also that he hopes
the present congress viii enact laws
prohibiting political contributions by
corporations and lowering the duties
on imports from the Philippines.
OF the tariff Mr.. Roosevelt says:
Eve stand unequivocalIy for protec-
tive tariff, and we feel that the phe-
nomenal Industrial prosperity which
we are now enjoying is not lightly to
be jeopardized, for 1t would be to the
last degree foolish to secure here and
there small benefit at the cost Of gen
eral business depression.
Some Changes May Be Necessary.
But whenever a given rate or sched-
uIe becomes evidently disadvantageous
to the nation, because of the changes
which go on from year to year in our
conditions, and where 1t is feasible to
change this rate or schedule without
too much dislocation Of the system, 1t
will be done; while a general revision
Of the rates and schedules will be UNI
dertaken whenever it shall appear to
the sober business sense Of our people
that on the whole the benefits to be de-
rived from making such changes will
outweigh the disadvantages that is,
when the revision will do more good
than harm.
LET me add one word of caution,
however. The question of revising the
tariff stands wholly apart from the
question of dealing with the so called
trusts that is, with the control Of mo-
nopolies and with the supervision Of
great wealth in business, especially In
corporate form. The only way in which
1t is possible to deal with those trusts
and monopolies and this great corpo-
rate wealth is by action along the lines
of the laws enacted by the present con-
gress and its immediate predecessors.
The cry that the problem can be met
by any changes in the tariff represents,
whether consciously or unconsciously,
an effort to divert the public attention
from the only method of taking effec-
tive action"
The Panama Canal.
In speaking of the Panama canal
Mr.. Roosevelt says:
'In affairs outside of our own coun-
try our great work has been beginning
to dig the Panama canal. The acquisi-
ton Of the canal strip was due to the
Initiative Of congress, and the fact
that the work thereon is now being
done in the most thorough and satis>
factory fashion is due to the action Of
the present congress at the session just
closed. Only this action rendered the
work possible, and the heartiest ac-
acknowledgements are due to the farsee-
ing patriotism of those who thus made
1t pcTsible.
''The digging Of the Panama canal is
the colossal engineering feat of all the
ages. No task as great of the kind has
ever been undertaken by any other ma
ton. The interests banded together to
oppose it were and are numerous and
bitter and most Of them with pecul-
iarly sinister basis for their opposition
"sinister Opposition"
''This sinister opposition rarely, in
deed, ventures openly to announce its
antagonism to the canal as such. Some
times it takes the form of baseless ac-
cusation against the management and
OF demand for an investigation under
circumstances which would mean in
definite delay. Sometimes It takes the
form of determined opposition to the
adoption of plans which will enable
the work to be done not merely in the
best, but in the quickest possible way.
Had congress been either timid or cor
rupt and had not the leaders Of CON
gress shown the most farsighted reso-
luton In the matter the work of build
ing the canal would never have been
begun or if begun would not have
halted.
"No less praiseworthy has been the
attitude Of this congress in continuing
to build and maintain ON a high plane
Of efficiency the United States navy.
This country is irrevocably committed
70 the maintenance Of the Monroe doc
trine. If is irrevocably committed to
the principle of defending and policing
the canal route But its championship
OF the Monroe doctrine and its an
nOuncement OF Its Intentions as to the
canal route would both be absurd on
their face If the nation failed to do its
duty in maintaining a thoroughly eff
dent navy at as high point Of per
lection as can possibly be attained"