Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-12-06

OF the states in which they lie
through their representatives in con
gress. secure vigorous action by the
national government"
He discusses marriage and divorce
thinks there should be general law
on the subject and says: When
home ties are loosened; when men
and women cease to regard a worthy
| family life, with all its duties fully
performed. and all its responsibilities
| lived up to, as the life best worth
| living; then evil days for the com.
monwealth are at hand. There are
regions in our land, and classes of
our population, where the birth rate
has sunk below the death rate. Surely
II should need no demonstration to
show that wilful sterility is, from the
standpoint of the nation, from the
standpoint of the human race, the one
sin for which the penalty is national
death, race death; a sin for which
there is no atonement: a sin which
is the more dreadful exactly In pro
portion as the men and women guilty
thereof are in other respects. in char
acter, and bodily and mental powers,
those whom for the sake of the state
1t would be well to see the fathers
and mothers of many healthy chil-
dren, well brought up in homes made
happy by their presence. No man, no
woman, can shirk the primary duties
of life, whether for love of ease and
pleasure. or for any other cause, and
retain his or her self-respect"
He favors the greatest care of the
colonies and discusses the Japanese
question at great length. He extois
the Japanese and says they are
great and fine people. who have done
much for the country. He says: But
here and there a most unworthy feel
ing has manifested itself toward the
Japanese-the feeling that has been
shown in shutting them out from ,hc
common schools in San Francisco
and in mutterings against them III
one or two other places, because oi
their efficiensy as workers. To shut
them out from the public schools is
wicked absurdity, when there are no
first class colleges in the land. includ
ing the universities and colleges ol
California. which do not gladly wei
come Japanese students and on whica
Japanese students do not reflect credit
we have as much to learn from Japan
as Japan has to learn from us; and
no nation is fit TO teach unless 1t Is
also willing to learn. Throughout
Japan Americans are well treated anG
any failure on the part OF Americans
at home TO treat the Japanese with q
like courtesy and consideration Is by
Just so much a confession of inferior
ity in our civilization"
Hc intimates that Cuban interven.
tion is not improbable for elections
there have been a farce and the in.
surrection habit become confirmed
Brief mention is made of the presi
dents trip to Panama saying he will
report on that subject later. He be
lieves in a good-sized army and big
navy and says just war is better
than prosperous peace secured by
money or injunction. He believes In
more soldiers and better pay and re
sardng the navy he says: The
United States navy is the sIresl
guarantor of peace which the cpun
try possesses. 1t is earnestly to bt
wished that we would profit by the
teachings of history in this matter. A
strong and wise people will study it,
own failures no less than its triumphs
for there is wisdom to be learned from
the study of both, of the mistake as
well as of the success. do not ask
that we continue to increase our navy
ask merely that it be maintained ai
Its present strength; and this can be
done only If we replace the obsolete
and outworn ships by new and good
ones, the equals of any afloat in any
navy. To stop building ships for one
year means that for that year the
navy goes back instead of forward
The president closes with a sugges
ton for the establishment of shoot
ing galleries in all large public and
military shoots for the development
of efficient citizen soldiery. He says,
the little republic of Switzerland of
fers us an excellent example in all
matters connected with building ur
an efficient citizen soldiery.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Dec. 4. 1906.