The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-07
Promotion For Colonel eoethals.


 more conspicuous in the eyes of the country and of the world it seems to me wise and proper to make provi- sion by law for such reward to him as may be commensurate with the serv- ice that he has rendered to his coun try. suggest that this reward take the form of an appointment Of Colo nel Goethals as a major general in the army Of the United States and that the law authorizing such appointment be accompanied with provision per mftting his designation as chief of en- gineers upon the retirement of the present incumbent of that office.
 Nav, Department.
 The navy of the United States is in a greater state of efficiency and is more powerful than 1t has ever been before. but in the emulation which ex- isfs between different countries in re spect to the increase of naval and mil ftary armaments this condition is not a permanent one. Tn view Of the many Improvements and increases by for efgn governments the slightest halt on OUT part in respect to new constFuc- ton throws us back and reduces US from q naval power of the first rank and places US among the nations of the second rank. In the past fifteen years the navy has expanded rapidly and yet far less rapidly than our country.
 From now on reduced expenditures in the navy mean reduced military strength. The worlds history has shown the. importance of sea power both for adequate defense and for the support of important and definite polf- cfes.
 I had the pleasure of attending this autumn a mobilization of the Atlantic fleet and was glad to observe and note the preparedness of the feet for in- stant actfon. The review brought be fore the president and the secretary of the navy a greater and more powerful collection of vessels than had ever been gathered in merican waters The condition of the fleet and of the officers and enlisted men and of the equipment of the vessels entitled those in authority to the greatest credit.
 again commend to congress the giv- ing Of legislative sanction to the ap- pointment of the naval aids to the sec retary of the navy. These aids and the council of aids appointed by the secre- tary Of the navy to assist him in the conduct of his department have proved to be of the highest utility. They have furnished an executive committee of the most skilled naval experts. who have co-ordfnated the action of the vari- ous bureaus in the navy and by their advice have enabled the secretary to give an administration at the same time economical and most efficient
 Never before Its the U:ited States tad a navy that coHlpared in efficiency with it's present one. but never before have the requirements with respect to aavaI warfare been higher and more exacting than now year ago con- gress refused to appropriate for more .han one bnttleship. in this 1 think a great mistake of policy was made. and Z urgently recommend that this con gress make up for the mistake of the last session by appropriations authoriz- ing the construction of three ba ttle- ships. in addition to destroyers. fuel ships and the ether auxiliary vessels as shown in the Building pr'gran of the general board We are confronted by a cundtion in respect to the na vies of khe world which requires us. if we would maintain our navy as an fnsifr- aHce of peace. to augment our naval force by at least two battieships year and by battle cruisers, unbOats tor pedo destroyers and submarine boats in proper proportion. We have no desire for war. We would go as far as any nation in the world to avoid war, but we are a world pUwer.
 Department of Justice.
 This department has been very ac- live In the enforcement of the law. It 70 f7on CT TcSs1 r,fz zcd a or,d larger force than ever before in the history of the government. The prUse- cutions which have been successfully concluded and which are now pending testify to the effectiveness of the de work
 The prosecution of trusts under the Sherman antitrust law has gone on without restraint or diminutiOn. and decrees similar to those entered in the Standard Oil and the tobacco cases have been entered in other suits. like the suits against the powder trust and the bathtub trust l am very strongly convinced that a steady. consistent course in this regard. with continu- ing of supreme court decisions upon new phases of the trust question not already finally decided, is going to Of- fer a solution of this much discussed and troublesome issue in a quiet, calm and judicial way without any radical egfslatfon changing the governmental policy in regard to combina ations now 1enounced by the Sherman antitrust aw
 I have already recommended as an lid i'll this matter Legislation which would declare unia wful certain well known phases of unfair competition n interstate trade. and l have also advocated voluntary national incor- Doration for the larger industrial en- .erprises, with provision for a closer by the bureau of corpora ions or board appointed for the pur- pose. so as to make more certafn com 1liance with the antitrust law on the ,ne hand and to give greater security 0 the stockholders against possible