Evening star., 1921-12-06
PRESIDENT ASKS PARTY UNITY
in HIS MESSAGE TO CONGRESS:
SEEKS MORE EXECUTIVE POWER
Text of Presidents Message
Delivered in Congress Today

world example.
Necessarily. legislation is a mat
ter of compromise. The full ideal
is seldom attained. In that meet
ing Of minds necessary to insure
results there must and will be ac-
commodations and compromises,
but in the estimate of convictions
and sincere purposes the supreme
responsibility to national interest
must not be ignored. The shield
to the high minded public servant
who adheres to party policy is
manifest, but the higher purpose
is the good of the republic as a
whole.
1t would be ungracious to withhold
acknowledgment of the really large
volume and excellent quality Of work
accomplished by the extraordinary
session of Congress. which SO re-
Gently adjourned. I am not un-
mindful of the very difficult tasks
with which you were called to deal,
and no one can ignore the insistent
conditions which during recent
years have called for the contin-
ued and almost exclusive attention
of your membership to public work.
It would suggest insincerity II I eX-
pressed complete accord with every
expression recorded In your roll
calls, but We are all agreed about
the difficulties and the inevitable
divergence of opinion in seeking the
reduction. amelioration and read
justment of the burdens of taxa
tion. Later on, when other prob
lens are solved. shall make some
recommendations about renewed
consideration of our tax program,
but for the immediate time before
us we must be content with the
billion-dollar reduction in the, tax
draft upon the people, and dimin-
ished irritations. banished uncer-
tainty and improved methods of
collection. By your sustainment of
the rigid economies already inaugu-
rated, with hoped-for extension of
these economies and added efiicien-
cies in administration. I believe
further reductions may be enacted
and hindering burdens abolished.
Aided By Budget System.
In these urgent economies we
shall be immensely assisted by the
budget system for which you made
provision in the extraordinary ses-
sion. The first budget is before
you. Its preparation is a signal
achievement, and the perfection Of
the system. a thing impossible in
the fsw months available for its
initial trial, will marke its enact
ment as the beginning of the
greatest reformation in govern
mental practices since the begin
ming Of the republic.
There is pending grant of au-
tbority to the administrative
branch of the government for the
funding and settlement of our
vast foreign loans growing out of
our grant of war credits. With
the hands of the executive branch
held impotent to deal with these
debts we are hindering urgent re-
adjustments among our debtors
and accomplishing nothing for
ourselves. ! think it is fair for the
Congress to assume that the execu-
tive branch of the government
would adopt no major policy in
dealing with these matters which
would conflict with the purpose of
Congress in authorizing the loans,
certainly not without asking con-
gressional approval. but there are
minor problems incident to pru-
dent loan transactions and the
safeguarding Of our interests
which cannot even be attempted
without this authorization 1t will
be helpful to ourselves and it will
improve conditions among our
debtors if funding and the settle
ment of defaulted interest may be
negotiated.
Plan to Expand Merchant Marine.
The previous Congress, deeply
concerned in behalf of our merchant
marine, IN 1920 enacted the exist:
ing shipping law, designed for the
upbuilding Of the American mer-
chant marine. Among other things
provided to encourage our shipping
on the worlds seas, the executive
was directed to give notice Of the
termination of ali existing COM
mercial treaties in order to admit
of, reduced duties on imports car-
ried in American bottoms. During
the life of the act no executive has
complied with this order of the
Congress. When the present ad-
ministration came into responsible
ity it began an early inquiry into
the failure to execute the expressed
purpose of the Jones act. Only one
conclusion has been possible.
Frankly, members Of House and
Senate. eager as am to join you
in the making of an American mer-
chant marine commensurate with
our commerce. the announcement of
our commercial treaties would in
volve US III a chaos of trade rela-
tionships and add indescribably to
the confusion of the already disor-
dered commercial world. Our pow
er to do so is not disputed, but
power and ships, without comfy of
relationship, will not give US the
expanded trade which is INSOFAR
ably linked with great merchant
marine. Moreover, the applied re-
duction of duty. for which the
treaty denouncemsnts were neces-
sary, encouraged only the carry
ing Of dutiable imports1 to our
shores while the tonnage which