The daily sentinel., 1909-12-07
FULL TEXT Of THE FIRST
ANNUAL MESSAGE Of
PRESIDENT TAFT

sion alleged to nave been committed
by the Zelayan government. Recent
ly two Americans were put to death
by order of President Zelaya himself
They were officers in the organized
forces of revolution which had con-
tinued many weeks and was in con-
troll of about half of the republic,
and. as such, according to the mod
ern enlightened practice of civilized
nations, they were entitled to be dealt
with as prisoners of war.
"At the date when this message is
printed this government has termin-
ated diplomatic relations with the
Zelaya government for reasons made
public in communication to the
former Nicaraguan charge d'affaires,
and is intending to take such future
steps as may be found most consist
ent with its dignity, its duty to
American interest and its moral OBJ
legations to Central America and to
civilization. 1t may be necessary for
me to bring this subject to the at
tention of the congress in special
message
"The international bureau OF
American republics has carried on an
important aud increasing work dur
ing the last year. In the exercise of
its peculiar functions as an interna-
tional agency, maintained by all the
American republics for the develop
ment of Pan-Amel lean commerce and
friendship. it has accomplished a
great practical good which could be
done in the same way by no individ-
ual department or bureau of one gov
ernment and Is therefore deserving
of your liberal support. The fact
that II lie ahn,tt fn ht,i1I-
ing, erected through the muniflcence
of an American philanthropist and
the contributions of all the American
nations, where both it's efficiency of
administration and expense of main
tenance will naturally be much aug
mented, further entities it to special
consideration.
The Far East.
"In the far east this government
preserves unchanged its policy of
supporting the principle of equality
OF opportunity and scrupulous respect
for the integrity of the Chinese en-
pire, to which policy are pledged the
interested powers of both east and
west.
by the treaty of 1903 China has
undertaken the abolition of likin,
with q moderate and proportionate
raising of the customs tariff along
with currency reforms. These re-
forms being of manifest advantage to
foreign commerce as well as 10 the
interests of China, this government
is endeavoring to facilitate these
measures and the needful acquies-
ence of the treaty powers. When it
appeared that Chinese likin revenues
were to be hypothecated to foreign
bankers in connection with great
railway project, it was obvious that
the governments whose nationals
held this loan would have a certain
direct interest in the question of the
carrying out by China of the reforms
in question. Because this railroad
loan represented practical and real
application of the open-door policy
through cooperation with China by
interested powers as well as because
of its relations to the reforms re-
ferred to above, the administration
deemed American participation to be
of great national interest. Happily
when ii was as matter of broad pol
Icy urgent that this opportunity
should not be lost. the Indispensable
lnstrumentality presented itself when
a group of American bankers of in
ternational reputation and great re-
sources, agreed at once to share in
the loan upon precisely such terms as
this government should approve. The
chief of those terms was that Ameri-
can railway material should be upon
an exact equality with that of the
other nationals joining in the loan in
the placing of orders for this whole
railroad system. After months of ne
gotiation the equal participation of
Americans seems at last assured. 1t
is gratifying that Americans will
thus take their share in this exten-
sion of these great highways of trade,
and to believe that such activities