The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-12-09
TAFT SUBMITS A
SECOND MESSAGE

has sent to congress during the three
days of the present session, President
Taft reviewed the relations of the
United States with foreign govern
ments during the last year.
In this message the president gave
the first official explanation of the
post haste movement of 10000 federal
troops to Mexico nine months ago;
urged the United States senate to rat
ify the general arbitration treaties
with Great Britain and Frances and the
conventions with Nicaragua and Hon
duras, and suggested legislation that
he declared would strengthen the ma
ton s trade and position among the
otheer powers.
On the two subjects included under
8 foreign relations the president
spoke only in brief fashion He in
formed congress of the conferences be-
gun by American ambassador Guild at
st. Petersburg in regard to the ques-
tion of passports in Russia for Ameri-
can Jews, and explained that after the
Christmas holidays he expected to send
a special message on this subject. AL
though not brought out in the mes
sage, it was understood that the brief
mention of the arbitration treaties will
be followed later by message to the
senate urging their ratification.
Passports Question.
The president IS reference to the
passport 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
Russia has recently been having a Sc
ries of conferences with the minister
of foreign affairs of Russia with a
view to securing clearer understand
ing and construction of the treaty of
1882 between Russia and the United
States, and the modification of any ex-
isting Russian regulations which may
be found to interfere in any way with
the full recognition of the rights Of
American citizens under the treaty. /
believe that the government of Russia
is addressing itself seriously to the
treaty, and that sufficient progress has
been made to warrant the continuance
of these conferences in the hope that
there may be soon removed any justi-
fication of the complaints of treaty
violation now prevailing in this coun-
try. / expect that Immediately after
the Christmas recess I shall be able to
make further communication to con-
gress on this subject
Legislation Recommended.
Aside from his review of the world s
history for the year in which the
United States particularly figured, the
president recommended to congress the
following legislation:
The enactment of a law providing for
the fulfillment of obligations assumed
by the United States in connection
with the settlement of the fur seal con-
troversy; the passage of a law to for
bid the carriage of opium and other
habit forming drugs in interstate
commerce.; the formulation of a central
organization in the nature of a ma
tional chamber of commerce that
would keep all such organizations in
touch with commercial developments
abroad and the enactment into law of
executive relations providing for ad-
vancement in the diplomatic and con-
sular service upon merit basis in
stead of through political preferment.
Suggestion also was made by the
president that the present tariff act
should be amended so that its maxi
mum and minimum features designed
to prevent undue determinations
against American commerce could be
graduated to meet varying degrees of
discrimination, such as have ben en-
countered since the present law was
passed
cit is increasingly clear,' said the
president in this connection, "that to
obtain and maintain that equity and
substantial equality of treatment es-
sential to the flourishing foreign
trade, which becomes year by year
more important to the industrial and
commercial welfare of the United
States, we should have a flexibility of
tariff sufficient to give and take of
negotiation by the department of state
on behalf of our commerce and indus
try"
Increase in Exports.
Outlining the idea of central
l"chamber of commerce. President
Taft suggested that such an organiza-
tion might be managed by committee
composed of a small member of those
now actively engaged in carrying on
the work of some of the large associa-
tions of this kind, with members ex-
officio from the state and commerce
and labor departments. In leading up
to this suggestion Taft showed that in
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1911
the value of American exports increas-
ed 100000, 900 over the previous year
but indicated that further increase
was possible.
The president s explanation of the
sudden dispatch of one-quarter of the
army to the Mexican boundary agreed
with the unofficial reasons for that
troop movement given last spring, but
he showed in a confidential letter to
Gen. Leonard Wood, chief of staff OF
the army, that there was no doubt in
his mind as to what he would do if he
had found American lives and proper