The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-07
TAFT URGES
ACCEPTANCE
Of General Arbitration Treaties
in Message to Congress
ON FOREIGN RELATIONS"
The President Also Suggested Legislation
That He Declared Would Strength
en- the Nations Position Among
the Other Powers.

Washington, d. c., Dec. TN the
second one-topic message he has sent TO
Congress during the three days OF the
present session, President Taft to-day
reviewed the relations of the United
States with foreign governments during
the past year. In this message the
president gave the first official explana.
! ton of the post haste movement Of
| 10000 federal troops to Mexico nine
months ago, urged the United States
Senate to ratify the general arbitration
treaties with Great Britain and France,
and the conventions with Nicaragua and
Honduras, and suggested legislation that
he declared would strengthen this ma.
tions world trade position among the
other powers. The message was read
in Congress to-day.
On the two subjects included and "ior-
eign relations" the president spoke only
in brief fashion He informed Congress
Of the conferences begun by American
Ambassador Guild at st. Petersburg in
regard to the question of passports in
Russia for American Jews and explained
that after the Christmas holidays he
expected to send special message on
this subject Although not brought ont
in to-day's message, it was understood
that the brief mention of the arbitra.
tion treaties will be followed later by
special message to the Senate, before
which they are pending, urging at length
their ratification.
The presidents reference to the pass
port question was added after the other
parts of the message had been written.
"By direction OF the state depart.
ment,' it read, "our ambassador to Rus
sia has recently been having a series of
conferences with the minister of foreign
affairs OF Russia, with a view to secur-
ing a clearer understanding and con-
strucetion OF the treaty of 1892 between
Russia and the United States and the
modification Of any existing Russian reg
ulations which may be found to inter
fere in any way with the full recogni-
tion of the rights OF American citizens
under the treaty. / believe that the
government of Russia is addressing itself
seriously to the treaty and that snfti
cient progress has been made to warrant
the continuance OF these conferences in
the hope that there may be soon removed
any justification of the complained OF
AAiaAf NAttAtAOh INV H3tN III TINS
country. j expect that Immediately aft
er the Christmas recess / shall be able
to make a further communication to
Congress on this subject"
Aside from his review of the worlds
history for the past year in which the
United States particularly figures, the
president commended TO Congress the
following legislation:
The enactment Of law providing for
the fulflment of obligations assumed by
the United States in connection with
the settlement of the fur seal eontro-
versy; the passage of law to forbid the
carriage of opium and other habit.
forming drugs in interstate commerce;
the formation of central organization
IN the nature of national chamber of
commerce that would keep all such or
ganizations in touch with commercial
Developments abroad and the enactment
into law of executive regulations pro-
viding for advancement in the diplo-
matte and consular service upon a merit
basis, instead of through political pre-
ferment.
Should Amend Tariff.
Suggestion also was made by the pres
ident that the present tariff act should
be amended SO that its maximum and
minimum features, designed to prevent
undue determinations against Ameri-
can commerce, could be graduated to
meet varying degrees of discrimination
such as have been encountered since the
present law was passed.
1T is increasingly clear" said the
president in this connection, "that TO OBJ
tain and maintain that equity and sub
stantial equality of treatment essential
to the flourishing foreign trade, which be-
comes year by year more important to
the industrial and commercial welfare
of the United States, we should have
a fexibility of tariff sufficient for the
give and take of negotiations by the
department OF state on behalf of our
commerce and industry
Outlining the idea of central "cham.
Der of commerce." Mr.. Taft suggested
that such an organization might be man
aged by committee composed of those
now actively engaged in carrying on the
work of some of the large associations
of this kind, with members ex officio
from the state and commerce and labor
departments. In leading up to this sug- |
gestion, Mr., Taft showed that in the |
fiscal year ending June 80, 1911, the val
ue of American exports increased $780, |
100000 over the previous year, but indi. |
Gated that further increase was possible.
The presidents explanation of the sud
den dispatch of one-quarter of the army
to the Mexican border agreed with the |
unofficial reasons for that troop move
ment given last spring. The outcome Of |
the troop movement, Mr.. Taft declared |
was entirely satisfactory