New-York tribune., 1906-12-18
THREE MESSAGES SENT.
PRESIDENT SETS RECORD.
Panama Canal. Navy Personnel and
Land Lao Discussed.
rFron Ths Trlhuns Rnrsnr !

lFron The Tribune Bureau
Washington. Dec. 17.-President Roosevelt
broke all records to-day by sending 10 Congress-
a handsomely printed and beautifully illustrated
special message each Of the twenty-six Illus
trations occupying a full page. each page being
double the regulation size OF previous messages.
and each page Of reading matter having two coll
umns instead OF one. as has been customary
Incidentally, the President broke another rcc-
ord by sending to Congress three messages in q
single day. and also by sending in the sixth mes
sage TO Congress during a session which has
thus far lasted only two weeks But the end
Is not YET. There three more messages to
come in this week. while numerous others ara re-
ported TO be In process OF preparation. In the
opinion Of Congress. "the big stick has given
place to the busy pen" and the suggestion II
made that when the short session is completed
the Executive may have filed almost as many
pages OF The Congressional Record as tho
members OF the two houses.
The Panama message Oversnadoved all others
to-day in point Of interest and Senators and
Representatives appeared to find infinite delight
in looking at the pictures so much so that the
Illustrations seemed 70 operate as a distraction
from the text. It was noteworthy. however.
that every Senator and every Representative
left the Capitol this evening with copy of the
were they not to injure the pictures or the ac-
companying map that no one OF them was will
ing 70 fold the document but carried it fat and
protected 1t from the driving rain with the Ut
most care. On all sides the remark was heard
that evening Of delightfully."- entertaining
rea ding was expected
MESSAGE TELLS OF TRIP
The Panama message. while it consists OF .
most entertainingly written and convincing mar
rative Of the Presidents trip to Panama the
things ne saw. the things he did not see and
which he declares the dishonest critics" did
not see. because they do not exist and congratu-
lations on the selection OF the present type OF
canal, contains only one recommenda tiOn-thati
is, that the present clumsy commission OF
seven members be abolished and that the dig
ging of the canal be confded to one man. 1t IS
also suggested that. IN place of the commission,
the administration be authorized to retain some
OF the leading engineers OF this country in
advisory capacity. incidentally, the President
announces that he has authorized the employ
ment OF a number of Chinese laboTers On the
work as an experiment.
Although the messages reached both houses
soon after noon. their reading was not begun in
the Senate until O'Clock. when. however, most
Of the Senators were present. and il not
until $50 o'clock in the House and when few
Representatives were in attendance. that the
reading began there.
While the Panama message mCnopOIized att
tention in both houses Of Congress, the naval
sharps'' found much to interest them in the navy
uersODneI message In this COmmuniCa ton the
President chaTacterizes the present system OF
promotion in the navy as "a method which sac
rifceS the good of the service TO the interest or
the individual mediOcrity." He submits that
the average term OF service of flag officers IN
the American navy is only one and one-half
years, while in the navtes of the other great
powers the average term OF service runs Ifoin
six years in the German navy, Wp 10 H. years
in the French navy. Captains in the American
navy serve an average Of only 10 years
BILL ON NAVY SUBMITTED
The President submits bill he would like 70
see passed and by the provisions Of which naval
officers would serve an average of seven years
as captain and seven years as rear admiral.
The bill also creates the grade of vice admiral.
and its enactment would. the President says.
effect a. saving of S5,GG0,O0O during the next
seven years.
In his message on public lands the President
recommends the repeal of the timber and stons
act, the radical amendment of the desert land
act. and the modification of the Communication
clause of the homestead act. so that three years.
actual living on the land should be required TO
secure title.
The President says: My own belief IS that
there should be a provision for leasing coal. gas
and OIL rights under proper restrictions He
recommends that jurisdiction over the national
parks be transferred from the Interior Depart
nlent TO the forestry bureau of the Department.
of Agriculture. and finally recommends that
Congress authOriZe the Secretary of the Treas
ury 10 advance the forestry service S5,0000OC to
be used in providing working capital for thS
forest reserves, such advance TO bear interest
and 10 be repaid from the revenues of the for
ests in annual tustalruents beginning in ten
years. in which time he believes the reserves
will yield a handsome revenue.
THE fjIN text Of the Presidents three mes
sages will be found on pages 10, Is. Il and ISL