The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-08
SOME NATIONAL INTERESTS.

> rent fiscal year, which ends juno 30tl
o next, and also for the succeeding fsca
: year. But there is ample money avail
able to meet any expected deficit; ant
: on the whole the condition Of the treas
; ury is satisfactory.
The President makes hopeless rec
ommendation when he asks that the
: banking and currency system proposed
by the Aldrich commission should be
: approved by Congress and the necessary
legislation enacted to carry it into eff
! feet. That is something that Congress
will never do, because the scheme has
so many radical defects that its advo-
cacy is hopeless.
Very naturally the President declines
to make any accommodation with re-
spoct to revising the tariff, either as a
whole, OF schedule by schedule as he has
recommended heretofore. Since the vot-
ers OF the United States expressed an
emphatic purpose at the recent election
TO have the tariff revised on lines other
than protective, and took the matter
entirely out Of the hands of the Repub-
hcan party, and expressed themselves as
hostile to protection. the President de-
clines to recommend further on this
question. The whole matter will be
treated by the succeeding administra-
tion in the Light Of tho election and Of
the verdict of the people. This is the
common-senso, practical way TO look at
the matter, and the President thus at
once does the right thing and relieves
| himself of great deal of trouble and
responsibility.
| rs to the navy, the President recon-
meuds that the programme Of two bat
tleships a year, with the corresponding
auxiliary cruisers and vessels, be persist
ed in, and since but one battleship was
authorized last year, he recommends
that the present Congress make up the
deficiency by recommending three OF the
highest class battleships. We believe
that the country at large will approve
this recommendation, and trust that
Congress may relent and follow the
President IS lead
With respect to the Philippines, the
President points out that TO promise a |
recognition Of the independence Of the !
archipelago and agree to turn its gov
ernment over TO the natives at the ex-
prration of eight years, or any other
soop-coming given time. would be pre-
mature. We do not believe that the |
Democratic party will on test vote |
make itself responsible for the lack Of |
vigor and the lowering Of our prestige |
that would appear upon the carrying out
of the antiimperialist programme for
turning over the Philippines to tho Fill
pinos. 1t would he shame to us to do
this, since it is abundantly evident that
the natives there are not well enough
advanced nor united enough to assume
national responsibility
The President commits himself fairly
and fully to the new system of handling
waters through dams and con-
sequent slack water navigation which
and deep backwaters the rivers of this
could be made immensely more
serviceable to navigation than they
have ever been, and the President is so
fully convinced Of this that he recon-
mcnds that as a national policy in deal
ing with our navigable streams.
The President directs attention to the
Panama Canal legislation Of the special
session of Congress, and his proclama-
ton In accordance Herewith. He speaks
of ha oh ha |
ernment has given notice of, and says
that when that is received it will be
considered "and an effort
made to reach satisfactory adjust
ment Of any differences there may be
between the two governments In
connection with the Panama Canal, the
President recommends that Colonel |
Goethals, the executive head of that
great work, be promoted to be q Major
General in the regular army, "and that :
The law authorizing such appointment :
De accompanied with a provision per- j
hitting his designation as chief OF en- |
gineers upon the retirement of the pres
ant incumbent of that Office That is s
good so far as it goes, but something
more permanent and satisfactory than I
hat ought to be provided for Colonel 7
ioethals. The distinguished service t
that he has rendered at Panama puts I
aim in class by himself. and it would t
be entirely fitting to provide that in |
case OF his promotion there should be {
no compulsory retirement for him at the t
age Of sizty"four or any other age, but I
hat he should remain on full pay and
'n the active list Of the army as long as t
be lives, or until he himself wishes to /
retire.
The President reviews the work of .
.be Department Of Justice, and praises 1
It's activities in the enforcement Of the
aw and especially in the prosecution of t
trusts. He hopes for the most valuable i
results to come from this activity. t
With regard to the reform of court
procedure by making litigation less
costly and mora eDeadv fba pr,a;Jnu+ r.