Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-12-09
TAFT's MESSAGE
,-.ss5-..- 80 -
UP To- CONGRESS
Continued Prom Second P.ss

Tue carrying out 81 THIS plan. OF
course. involves the full cooperation
Of congress in limiting the considers
ton In tariff matters to one schedule
at time, because If q proposed amend
ment to tariff bill is to involve d
complete consideration Of all the
schedules and another revision Then
we shall only repeat the evil from
which the business at this country has
In times past suffered most gfIeyously
by stagnatiOn and uncertainty. pend.
ing a resettiement of law affecting
all business directly or indirectly and
the effect of which no wise business
man would Ignore in new projects and
new Investments.
The inquiries which the members oil
the tariff board made during the last
summer into the methods pursued by
other governments with reference to
the fixing of tariffs and the determine
ton OF their effect upon trade show
that each government maintains an OF:
nce or bureau, the officers aud EN-
ployees Of which have made their life
work the study of tariff matters. of
foreign and home prices and cost Of
articiessimported and the effect of the
tariff upon trade, so that whenever q
change is thought to be necessary in
the tariff law this office is the source
of the most reliable information as to
the propriety of the change and its eff
feet.
l am strongly convinced that WE
need In this government just such an
Office and that it can be secured by
MAKING tine tHrlH poard already ap
pointed a permanent tariff commission
with such duties. powers and enloii
ments as il may seem wise TO congress
to give. II has been proposed to en-.
large the board from three to five The
present number is Convenient. bHt /
do not know that an increase of two
members would he objertiona Bile.
recommend that congress estah
= COMMISSION to determine as early as
practicable comprehensive policy for
the organization, mobilization and ad-
ministration Of the regular army. the
Va SAAlLcu uuu luC tOfuHLEGt
forces In the event of war.
Need For Additional Officers.
One of the great difficulties in the
prompt organization and mobilization
Of militia and volunteer forces is the
absence of competent officers Of the
rank of captain to teach the new army,
by the unit Of the company, the bust
ness of being soldiers and Of taking
care of themselves so as to render eff
fective service. This. need Of army
officers can only be supplied by pro-
: visions Of law authorizing the appoint.
ment Of greater number of army of
fcers than are needed to supply the
commands of regular army troops now
enlisted in the service.
In order that the militia Of each
state should be properly drilled and
made more like the regular army, reg
ular army officers should be detailed
to assist the adjutant general Of each
state in the supervision Of the state
militia. But this is impossible unless
provision is made by congress for a
very COASluCIdUlS iACA ease Al LIE AAA1>
Der of company and 6eld officers Of
the army.
Fortifieations.
l have directed that tho estimates
for appropriation for the Improvement
of coast defenses in the United States
should be reduced to a minimum.
while those for the completion Of the
needed Notifications at Corregfdor, In
the Philippine Islands. and at Pearl
Harbor, In the Hawaiian Islands,
should be expedited as much "a possS'
BILE. !.
Philippine islands.
During the last summer at my re
quest the secretary Of war visited the
Philippine Islands and has described
his trip in his report. He found the
islands in a state Of tranquility and
growing prosperity. due largely to the
change in the tariff laws which has
opened the markets Of America to the
products of the Philippines and has
opened the Philippine markets to
American manufactures.
Panama Canal. :.
At the instance of Colonel Cocktails,
the army engineer officer in charge OF
the work on the Panama canal, have
just made a visit to the isthmus to In
spect the work done and to consult
with him on the ground as to certain
problems which are likely to arise in
the near future. The progress Of the
work is most satisfactory. If no I'M
expected obstacle presents itself the
canal will be completed well within the
time fixed by Colonel Goethals-to wit
Jan. /, Holland within the estimate
of cost, 1915. 100000.
Among questions arising for present
solution is the decision whether the
canal shall be fortified. have already
stated to the congress that l strongly
favor fertilization, and now reiterate
this opinion and ask your consideration
Of the subject in the light Of the report
already before yon made BY compe
tent board.
II In our discretion we believe mod
ern Notifications to be necessary to the
adequate protection and policing Of the
canal, then it is our duty to construc,
them. We have built the canal. 1t Is
our property. BY convention we have
indicated our desire for and indeed un
dertaken its universal and equal use
It is also well known that one Of the
chief objects In the construction Of the
canal has been to increase the military
effectiveness of our navy.
Failure to fortify the canal would
leave the attainment Of both these
aims in the position of rights and OBJ
legations which we should be powerless
to enforce and which could never in
any other way be absolutely safeguard
ed against desperate and irresponsi
bic enemy.
In determining what the tolls In the
canal should be we certainly ought no,
to insist that for a good many years
to come they should amount to enough