The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-12-02
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS ToDAy
Continued from Page A.

4 IIitONt titli Nominees Tor the nIaSIIpnt,-
! without the intervention Of nominating
conventions. | venture the suggestion,
that this legislation should provide for
| the retentlon OF party conventions. but
only for the purpose of declaring and ac
cepting the verdict of the primaries and
formulating the platforms of the parties.
] and ! suggest that these conventions
/ should consist not of delegates chosen for
| this single purpose, but of the nominees
/ Tor Congress, the nominees for vacant
seats IN the Senate OF the United States
the Senators whose terms have not vet
j closed, the national committees. and Tie
candidates for the presidency themselves.
/ IN order that platforms may be framed by
/ those responsible to the people for carry
ing them into effect
These are all matters of vital domestic
! concern, and besides them. outside the
charmed circle of our own national life
/ IN winch our affections command rs II
! we'll as our conscienccs, there stand ont
our Obligations toward our territories
over sea. Here We are trustees Porto
Rico, Hawaii, the Philippines. are ours.
/ indeed, but not ours to do what we please
with. Such territories, once regarded as
! mere possessions, are no longer to be sell
| tlshly exploited they are part Of the do
4
able and enlightened craftsmanship. We
must administer them for the people who
/ live in them and with the same sense Of
| responsibility to them as toward our own
! people IN our domestic affairs No doubt
/ we shall successfully enough bind Porto
RICO and the Hawaiian Islands to our
/ selves by tics OF justice and interest and
affection but the performance Of our
| duty toward the Philippines is a more
/ diffcult and debatablc matter We can
satisfy the obligations of generol Justice
toward the people of Porto Rico by civ
ing them the ample and familiar rights
and privileges accorded our own citizens
IN our own territories and our obligations
toward the people Of Hawaii by perfect
ing the provisions for sclf-goyernment al
ready granted them, but in the Philip
pines we must 20 further We must hold
steadily III view their ultimate independ-
elee. and we must move toward the time
OF that independence as steadily as the
way can be cleared and the foundations
thou2htiuIly and permanently laid
Acting upon the authority conferred
upon the president by Congress. | have
already accorded the people Of the islands
majority in both houses OF their legisla
TIVE body by appointing five instead Of
tour native citizens to the membership Of
the commission. | believe that in tins
way We shall make proof OF their CAPACITY
IN counsel and then sense OF responsible
ny IN TIE exercise Of political power. and
that the success OF this step will he sure
I" clear our view 1or the steps which arc
70 follow. Step by step we should extend
and perfect the system oi sct-govclnment
III the islands, making test of them and
modifying them as experience diScloscs
then successes and then failures; that We
>fould more and more l5ut under the con
troll OF the native citizens OF the afchlt,el-
ago the essential Instruments or them
lie. their local mstrumcntalitie~ Of GOV
clnmcnt their schools, all the common
interest Of their communities. and 81 tn
counsel and experience set IN a govern
ment which all the world will see To he
suitable to people whose affairs are llu
der their own control At last | hone
ana believe, We are beginning to gain the
! confidence OF the Filipino peoples. By
/ tier counsel and experience. rather than
10y our own. we shall Learn how best to
serve them and how soon it will be posi-
bic and wise to withdraw our supervision
Let us once find the path and set out
with firm and confident tread upon il and
We shall not wander from it or linger
upon it
\ duty faces us with regard to Alaska
winch seems to me very pressing and very
imperative; perhaps / should say a don
bic duty. Tor 1t concerns both the political
and thc material Development Of the tet-
rtory. The people OF Alaska should bc
given the full territorial form Of govern
ment, and Alaska. as storehouse, should
be unlocked. One key to it is a system
OF railways. These the government should
itself build and administer, and the ports
and terminals It should itself control in
tic interest Of all who wish to use them
ter the service and development oi the
country and its people
but the construction Of railways is only
the first step; Is only thrusting III the
key to the storehouse and throwing back
the lock and opening the door. How the
tempting resources of the country are to
be exploited Is another matter, to which
| shall take the liberty Of from time 70
time calling your attention. for it i a pol
icy which must be worked out by we'll
considered stages. not upon theory but
upon lines OF practical cXpediency 1t is
part of our general problem Of conserva-
ton. We have a frecr hand in working
out the problem Ill Alaska than IN the
states OF the Union; and vet the princi-
Pie and object are the same, wherever
We touch it. We must use the resources
OF the country, not lock them up There
need be no conflict OF jealousy as between
state and federal authorities, for there
can be no essential difference OF purpose
between them. The resources in question
must be used, but not destroyed or vast
ed; used, but not monopolized upon any
narrow idea OF individual rights as
against the abiding interests Of communi-
ties. That policy can be worked out BY