The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-21
Roosevelt Turns Loose a Long
Campaign Document
REVIEWS BRILLIANT WORK
Cites History to Show That No Con-
uress Has Ever Done So Well In
So Many Fields of
Endeavor.

New York, August 2O.-A letter written
by President Roosevelt to Congressman
James E. Watson of Indiana was made
public today through the republican ma
tional committee.
The Presidents letter to Watson in full
is as follows:
MY Dear Mr.. Watson-I hear through
Speaker Cannon and Representative Sher-
man that you have volunteered to give
your services to the congressional COM
mttee for the entire campaign without
regard to the effect it may have on your
canvass in your own district, and feel
like writing you a word of congratulation
and of earnest hope for the success of
your efforts If there were only partisan
issues involved in this contest, I should
hesitate to say anything publicly in refer
ence hereto.
but do not feel that such is the case.
On the contrary 1 feel that all good cit-
zens who have the welfare of America at
heart should appreciate the immense
amount that has been accomplished by the
Congress organized as it is. and the ur-
gent need of keeping this organization in
power. With Mr. Cannon as speaker the
House has accomplished a literally phe-
nomenal amount of good work. 1t has
shown in our age good sense and patriot
ism, such that it would be real and
serious misfortune for the country to fail
to recognize. To change the leadership
and organization of the House at this
time means to bring confusion on thoes
who have been successfully engaged in
the steady working out of a great and
comprehensive scheme for the betterment
of our social, Industrial and civic condi-
tions Such a change would substitute
purposeless confusion, a violent and hurt
tut oscillation between the positions of the
extreme radical and the extreme reac-
tionary for the present orderdy progress
along the lines of carefully thought out
policy.
No Congress Ever Did So Much.
1.-THE interests of this nation are as
varied as they are vast. Congress must
take account not of one national need, but
of many and widely different national
needs, and 1 speak with historic accuracy
when l say that not in our time has any
other Congress done so we'll in so many
different fields of endeavor as the present
Coneress has done No Congress can do
everything. Still less can it in one ses-
sion meet every need. At it's first session.
the present Congress in addition to the
many tasks it actually completed, under
took several tasks which | firmly believe
1t will bring to completion in it's second
session next winter. Among these. / hope
and believe that the bills to prohibit poll
teal contributions by corporations and to
d14ft tfan &c a
Philippines, each of which has been pass
ed by one house, will be enacted into
laws / hope, and I have the reason to
believe, that favorable action will be taken
upon the bill limiting the number of hours
of employment of railway employees. These
and one or two other measures, the enact
ment of which I have reason to hope for
are important. But far more important
are the measures which have actually
been passed, and as to these measures [
wish TO reiterate that they are not impor-
tant in merely partisan sanse, but are
important because they subserve the well
fare of our people as a whole of our ma
ton as an entirety. They are important
because those who enacted them into law
thereby showed themselves to be fit rep
resentatives of all good Americans.
Provision for Panama Canal.
I'm affairs outside of our own country
our great work has been beginning to
dig the Panama canal. The acquisition 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 satisfactory fashion, is due
to the action of the present Congress at
the session just closed. This action rem
dered the work possible and the heartiest
acknowledgements are due to the far
seeing patriotism of those who thus made
II possible. The digging of the Panama
canal is the colossal engineering feat of
all ages. No task as great of the kind
has ever been undertaken by any other
nation. The interests banded together to
onpose 1t were and are numerous, and
bitter, and most of them with a peculiar
ly sinister basis for their opposition. mis-
sinister opposition rarely indeed, ven
lures openly to announce its antagonism
to the canal as such. Sometimes it takes
the form of baseless accusation against
the management or a demand for an in
vestigation under circumstances which
would mean indefinite delay. Sometimes it
takes the form of determined opposition
to the adoption of plans which will en-
able 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-
eress shown the most far-sighted resolu-
tion in the matter. the work of building
the canal would never have been begun,
or II begun would have halted. The OPP
position to the adoption of the treaty by
which our right to build the Panama
canal was secured; a part at least or the
opposition even now being made to the
ratification of the Santo Domingo treaty,
which is one more step in the effort to
make peaceful and secure the waters
through which the route Of the canal
leads; the constant effort to delay on one
pretext another the actual work on
the canal, all prove how essential 1t
is II the American people desire the
Panama canal to be built in safety and
efficient fashion they should uphold the
hands of those who In the present Con-
gress have so effectively championed this
work.
VIII Maintain Navy.
mo less praiseworthy has been the at
f1tude of this Congress in continuing to
build and maintain on high plane of eff
fciency the United States navy This
country is irrevocably committed to the
maintenance of the Monroe doctrine. 1t is
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