The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-12-04


! ests of their communities, and so
| by counsel and experience set up a
| government which all the world will
! see to be suitable to a people whose
| affairs are under their own control.
! At last, I hope and believe, We are
| beginning to gain the confidence OF
/ the Filipino peoples. BY their cOun-
| sci and experience. rather than by
/ our own, we shall leaAl how best to
serve them and how soon it will be
/ possible and wise to withdraw our
! supervision Let us once find the
! path and set out with firm and con-
/ fident tread upon it and we shall
not wander from it or linger upon it.
A duty faces US with regard to
Alaska which seems to be very press
+ ing and very imperative; perhaps I
] should say a double duty, fol- il con-
! Germs both the political and the ma
+ terial development of the Territory.
The people Of Alaska should be given
I the full Territorial form of govern
ment and Alaska, as storehouse,
should be unlocked. One key to it is
system of railways. These the Gov
eminent should itself build and ad-
minister, and the ports and terminals
it should itself control in the interest
of all who wish to use them for the
/ service and development of the coun-
try and its people.
| But the construction of railways is
only the first step; is only thrusting
in the key to the stOTehouse 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 to time call
ing your attention, for it is a policy
which must be worked out by we'll
considered stages, not upon theory,
but upon lines Of practical eXpediency.
1t is part of our general problem Of
conservation. We have a freer hand in
working out the problem in Alaska than
in the States of the Union; and yet
the principle and object are the same,
. wherever we touch it. We must use
. the resources of the country, not lock
them up. There need b. no conflict
or jealousy as between State and Fed
eral authorities, for there can be no
essential differences of purpose be-
tween them. The resources in cues
tion must be used but not destroyed
or wasted; used, but not monopolized
upon any narrow idea of individual
rights as against the abiding inter-
/ ests of communities. That policy
can be worked out by conference and
concession which will release these
. resources and yet not leopard or dis
sipate them, | for one have no doubt;
and it can be done on lines Of regula-
ton which need be no less acceptable
to the people and governments of the
States concerned than to the people
and Government of the Nation at
large, whose heritage these resources
are. We must bend our counsels to
this end. A common purpose ought TO
make agreement easy
Three or four matters of special
importance and significance beg
that you will permit me to mention in
closing
Our Bureau OF Mines ought to be
equipped and empowered to render
even more effectual service than it
renders now in improving the condi-
tons of mine labor and making the
mines more economically productive
as well as more safe. This Is an all
important part of the work of con
seryation; and the conservation of
human life and energy lies even near
er to our interest than the preserva-
ton from waste of our material re.
sources
We owe it, in mere justice to the
railway employees of the country, to
provide for them a fair and effective
employers liability act; and a law
that We can stand by in this matter
will be no less to the advantage Of
those who administer the railroads of
the country than to the advantage Of
those whom they employ. The expe-
rience of large number of the States
abundantly proves that.
We ought to devote ourselves to
meeting pressing demands of plain
justice like this as earnestly as to
the accomplishment of political and
economic reforms. Social justice
comes first Law is the machinery for
its realization and is vital only as it
expresses and embodies it.
An international congress for the
discussion of all questions that affect
safety at sea is now sitting in Lon
don at the suggestion of our own
Government. So soon as the conclu-
sions of that congress can be learned
and considered we ought to address
ourselves, among other things, to the
prompt alienation of the very unsafe,
unjust, and burdensome conditions
which now surround the employment
of sailors and render 1t extremely diff
fcult to obtain the services of spirited
and competent men such as every
ship needs if it is to be safely handled
and brought to port.
May l not express the very real
pleasure l have experienced in coop
Grating with this Congress and shar-
ing with it the labors of common
service to which it has devoted it.
self so unreservedly during the past
seven months of accomplishing con
ccntration upon the business of legis-
l&tion? Surely it is a proper and
pertinent part of my report on "the
state of the Union" to express my ad-
miration for the diligence, the good
temper, and the full comprehension Of
public duty which has already been
manifested by both the Houses; and
hope that it may not be deemed an
mpertient intrusion of myself into the
picture if l say with how much and