., 1 ! . : a a lu&tter of fact,
. ; l:s conclusive! shown
:. :.t s-f'i a time it la impossible to
; r. t a to trer.t it from the standpoint '
; tie ruMie gooJ. In my judgment j
tl v. ;i3 Uuie to deal with the matter
iz immediately after such election.
'Income Tax and Inhsritancs Tax.
When oar tax laws ore revised the
qnosiion of an Income tax and- an in
heritance tax should receive the care
ful attention of our legislators. In my
Judgment, both of these taxes should
lie part of our system of federal taxa
tion. I speak diffidently about the In
come tax because one scheme for an In
come tax was declared UnconstItution-1
at by the supreme court, while In addi
tion It is a difficult tax to administer
In Its practical working, and great
care would have to be exercised to see
:-. that It was not evaded by ; the very
men whom It was most desirable to
have taxed, for if so evaded It would
of course be worse than no tax at all,
as the least desirable of all taxes is
the tax which bears heavily upon the
: honest as compared with the dishonest
man. ; Nevertheless a graduated In-,
. come tax of the proper type would be
a desirable feature of federal taxation,
and It is to be hoped that one may be
. devised which the supreme court will
declare constitutional The Inheritance
., tax. however, Is both a far better
method of taxation 'and far more im
portant for the purpose of having the
fortunes, of the country bear In pro
portion to their increase in size a cor
responding Increase and burden of tax
ation. The government has ..the abso
lute right to decide -as to. the terms
upon which a man shall receive a be-
- quest or devise from another, and this
point In the devolution of property is
especially appropriate for the imposi
tion of a tax. . Laws imposing such
taxes have repeatedly been placed
upon the national statute books and as
repeatedly declared constitutional by
the courts, and these laws contained
the progressive principle that Is, after
a certain amount Is reached the be
quest or gift, In life or death, is in
" creaslngly burdened and the rate of
taxation Is Increased in proportion to
the remoteness of blood of the man re
ceiving the bequest These principles
- are recognized already in the leading
civilized nations of the world. In Great
Britain all the estates worth $5,000 or
, less are practically exempt from death
t duties, while the Increase is such that
'.when an estate exceeds $3,000,000 in
value and passes to a distant kinsman
or stranger in blood the government
receives all told an amount equivalent
to nearly a fifth of the whole estate.
In France so much of an inheritance
as exceeds $10,000,000 pays over a
, fifth to the .state If it passes to a dis
tant relative. The German law is es-
ftecially Interesting to us because it
makes the inheritance tax an irone
' rial measure, while allotting to the
Individual states of the empire a por
tion of the proceeds and permitting
them to impose taxes In addition to
those imposed by the imperial govern-
ment Small inheritances are exempt,
but the tax is so sharply progressive
that when the inheritance is still not
very large, provided It is not an agri
cultural or a forest land, it is taxed at
the rate of 25 per cent if it goes to dis-
1 tan relatives. '
, There is no reason why in the Unit
ed States the national government
should not Impose inheritance taxes in
-addition to those Imposed by the
states, and when we last had an inher
itance tax about one-half of the states
levied such taxes concurrently with
the national government, making a
combined maximum rate in some cases
as high as 25 per cent. The French
law has one feature which Is to be
heartily, commended. The progreitsivo
principle is so applied that each high
er rate Is inipohwl only on the excels
above the amount subject to the next
-: lower rate, so that each increase of
nue win appijr uiuy 10 a cerium
-amount above a certain maximum.
..The tax shoujd if possible be made to
v hoar mnri hpflvHp imn thnun i-aulilltiir
. without the country than wlthju it. A
' heavy progressive tax upon a very
- large fortune is in no way such a tax
upon thrift or industry as. a like tax
would be on a smell fortune. No ad
, vantage comes either to the country as
the money by permitting the transmls- i
sioa in their entirety of the enormouH i
fortunes which would be affected by I
such a tax, and as an Incident to its j
function of revenue raising such a tax !
would help to preserve a measurable !
equality of opportunity for the people
of the generations growing to man j
; hood. We have not the slightest syni-
, pathy with that socialistic idea which ;
! would try to put laziness, thrlftlecs- j
ness and Inefficiency on a par with in- 1
dustry, thrift and eilicleucy, which
would, strive to break' up not merely
" private property, but, what Is far more
lrrmnrtu n f thn hnrnn iha Miit iter,,.
upon which our whole civilization '
stands. Such a theory, If ever adopt- '
ed, would mean the ruin of tbe entire
country a ruin which would bear
. heaviest upon the weakest, upon those i
, least able to shift for tbemnelves. r.ut t
proposals lor legislation such as this
, herein advocated are directly opposed
to this class of socialistic theories. Our !
'aim Is to recognize what Lincoln point-;
M out-Hue fact that there are some
respects In which men are obviously
not equal, bit also to insist that there
should 1e an equality of self respect
and of mutual respect, an equality of
rights; before the law and at least an
approximate equality In the conditions
under which each roan obtains the
chance to show tbe staff that Is In him
when compared to bu fellows.
A few years ago there was loud com
' plaint that the law could not be in-
, etea against wealthy ocenacr. TUMI
H ti) kttb com pis In t bow Tbe coarse
tt b department tt justice during tin
' piH te ftar bA bfeh such s to
make it evident that no man stands
above tbe iaw that tio corporation I
i wealthy that It eannot be Jtetd U
b -count . The department at Justice
Vm been M prompt to proceed against
the wealthiest malefactor -whose crime
r-i.eze pfgreedond a.Blogato
t . ? ! 1 .1 vl !. . r. .: Z
n t (.. i i e V. . r t: ? t x! i
law and wl'.h tie erJ.-:;;:; f-U'oj tf rub-,
lie oj lnlon, which so profounJly iaf.-t-ences
both the courts and Juries, Las
been done, but the laws themselves
noed strengthening In more than cue
important point They should be made
more definite, so that no bone? t man
can be led unwittingly to break them
and so that the real wrongdoer can be
readily punished. , ;' v -
Moreover there must be the public
opinion back of tbe laws or tbe laws
themselves1 will be of no avail. At
present while tbe average Juryman un
doubtedly wishes to see trusts broken
up and is quite ready to fine the cor
poration Itself, he is very reluctant tq
find the facts proven beyond a reason
able doubt when it comes to sending to
Jail a member of the business com
munity ; for Indulging in practices
which are profoundly ; unhealthy, bjit
which "unfortunately the business com
munity has grown to recognize as
well nigh jjqrmal. ' Both the present
condition of the law and the present
temper of Juries render it a task of ex
treme difficulty ' to get at the real
wrongdoer In any such case, especially,
by Imprisonment, yet it is fromievery
standpoint, far preferable to punish the
prime offender by Imprisonment rather
than to flue the corporation,, with the
attendant damage to stockholders.
The two great evils In the execution
of our criminal lawstoday are senti
mentality and technicality. For tbe
latter the remedy must come from the
hands of the legislatures, the courts
and the lawyers. The other must de
pend for , its cure- upon the gradual
growth of a sound public opinion
which shall insist that regard for the
law and the demands of reason shall
control -all other influences and emo
tions in the Jury box. Both of these
evils must be removed or public dis
content with the criminal law will con
tinue. ; .
INJUNCTIONS.
Abuses , of This Judicial Instilutioa
' Should Be Stopped. 'rP'k'-
Instances of abuse in tbe granting of
injunctions in labor disputes continue
to occur, and the resentment in the
minds of those who feA that their
rights are bemg Jnvaded and their lib
erty of action and of speech unwar
rantly restrained continues likewise to
grow. Much of tbe attack on the use
of the process of injunction is wholly
without warrant hut I am constrained
to express the belief that for some of
lt there Is warrant. This question is
becoming more and more one Of prime
importance, and unless the courts will
themselves deal with It in effective
manner it is certain ultimately to de
maud some form of legislative action.
It would be most unfortunate for our
social welfare If we should permit
many honest and law abiding citizens
to feel that they had Just cause for re
garding our courts with hostility. I
earnestly commend to the attention of
the congress this matter, so that some
way. may be devised which will limit
the abuse of injunctions and protect
those rights which from time to time
it unwarrantably Invades. Moreover,
discontent Is often expressed with the
use of tbe process of injunction by tbe
courts, not only In labor disputes, but i
whero state laws are concerned. I re
frain from discussion of this question,
as I am informed that it will soon re
ceive the consideration of the supreme
court.
Tbe federal courts must of course
decide ultimately what are the respec
tive spheres of state and nation in con
nection with any law, state or nutlonal,
... J
and they must decide definitely nnd ; Vf..I .il. .wT.h I groove states. A thorough and corn
finally in matters affecting individual ; IL?.U.b"J,h!du. prehensive measure should be adopted
citizens, not only as to tbe rights and
wruuK" ui tuiiur, uui uo iu iue rigum
aud wrongs of capital, and the na
tional government must always see
that the decision of the court Is put
Into effect. Tbe process of injunction
Is an essential adjunct of the court's
doing its work well, and as preventive
measures arc always better than reme
dial the wise use of this process Is
from every standpoint commendable.
But where It Is recklessly or unneces
sarily used the abuse should be cen
sured, above all by the very men who
ate properly anxious to prevent any ef
fort to shear the coorts of this neces
nary power. The court's decision must
l final. T&e protest is oniy against mo
conduct of Individual judges in need
lossly anticipating such final decision :
or in the tyrannical use of what Is ,
nominally a temporary injunction to
GceouipllHQ what is in fact a permanent
decision.
Accidents. ,
The loss of life and limb from rail
road accidents In this country has be
come appalling. It is a subject of
which the national government should
take supervision. It might Unwell to
begin by providing for a federal In- j
spoctlon of interstate railroads some-.
what along the lines of federal lnspcc-j
tlon of steamboats, -although not going
so iar. jeruu s at nrst an uiat it,
would be nccesBary to have would be
some olDcer whce duty would be to
investigate all accidents on interstate
railroads and report in detail the
causes thereof. Such an officer should
make It his bUHlness to gut into close
touch with railroad operating men, so
ns to become thoroughly familiar with
every side of the question, the Idea
being to work along the lines of the
.present steamboat Inspection law.
The national government should Ik
a model employer. It should demand
the highest quality of . service from
each of its employees, and It should
care for all of them properly in re
turn. Congress should adopt legisla
tion providing limited but definite
compensation for accident to aU
workmen ftlttilM the Mope of the fed
eral power Including employees of
nary yard aud arsenal. In other
word, a model employers' liability act
far reaching and thoroughgoing, should
be -enacted irhleh hoold apply to ill
positions, publlf and priratsV etr
which tbe national government has
jurisdiction, , The number of accidents
tojfafftworkers, incjudlng those that
I;..t. ! : - ! . ; - I.i i'.J I -
! ..: ' . I. I . ; 1 t:
titk-n t-; vitk.-...3 f iLi It woiks
gilm harJ.:h!i to tie crJk.'..ry waso
worer and Lis family to have the ef
fect of such an occklent fall solely up
on him, and, on the other hand, there
are 'whole classes of attorneys who ex
ist only by inciting men who mr or
may not have been wronged to under
take suits for negligence. As a matter
of fact a suit for negligence is gen
erally an Inadequate remedy for the
person injured, while it often causes
altogether disproportionate annoyance
to the employer. The law should be
made sqch that the payment for acci
dents by the employer would be auto
matic instead of being a matter for
lawsuits. Workmen should receive
certain and definite compensation for
all accidents In industry irrespective
of negligence. The employer Is the
agent, of the public, and on his own
responsibility and for his own profit ho
serves the public. When be starts in
motion agencies which create risks for
others he should take all the ordinary
and extraordinary; risk Involved, and
the risk 16 thus at ther moment as
sumes will ultimately be "assumed, as
it ought to be, by the general public
Only la this way can the shock of the
accident be diffused, Instead of falling
upon the man or woman least able to
bear It, as Is bow the case.-'The com
munity at large should share the bur
dens as well as the benefits of indus
try. By the proposed law employers
would gain ; a desirable certainty of
obligation and get rid of litigation to
determine It, while the workman and
bis family wonld be relieved from a
crushing load.' With such a policy
would eome increased care, and acci
dents would be reduced In number. . The
national laws providing for employers'
liability 6n railroads engaged in inter
state, commerce and for safety appli
ances, as well as for diminishing the'
hours any employee of a railroad
should be permitted to work, should
all be strengthened wherever in actual
practice they have shown weakness.
They should be kept on the statute
books In thoroughgoing form.
The constitutionality of tbe employ
ers' liability act passed by the preced
ing congress has been carried before
the courts. , In, two Jurisdictions the
law has been declared unconstitution
al, and in three jurisdiction's its con
stitutionality has been affirmed. Tbe
question bas been carried te the su
preme court, the case baa been heard
by that, tribunal, and a decision Is ex
pected at an early date. In the, event
that the court should affirm the consu
j omnty of the. act I urge further
in my message to the preceding con
gress. The practice of putting the en-
tire burden of loss to life or limb upon
the victim, or the victim's family Is a
form of social Injustice in which the
United
States stands in unenviable
prominence. In both our federal and
; our state legislation we have, with few
i exceptions, scarcely gone further than
; tbe repeal of the fellow servant prin-
. " "V wu "l
n .1. .1 J 1. 1 1 Y. J ! - .1 1
. u "ur Ve" uu" '"ul
j modification of a completely outgrown
principle has not yet been secured.
The legislation of the rest of the Indus
trial world stands but in striking con
trast to our backwardness in this re
spect Since 1895 practically ievery
country of Europe, together with Great
Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Brit
ish Columbia and the Cape of Good
I Hope, bas enact"! legislation embody
j lng in one form or another tbe com
! plete recognition of the principle which
I places upon the employer the entire
! trade risk In the various lines of in
j dustry. I urge upon tbe congress tbe
enactment of a law which will at the
1,-1 I lll.l i
Mitt lUU ULOU UU " UUill
will serve as a stimulus to the various
states to perfect their legislation In
this regard. ,
Eight Hour Law.
The congress should consider the ex
tension of thelght hour law. The con
stitutionality of tbe present law has
recently been called Into question, and
tbe supreme court bas decided that tbe
existing legislation la unquestionably
within the powers of the congress.
The principle of the eight hour day
should as rapidly and as far as prac
ticable be extended to the entire work
carried on by the government, and the
present law should be amended to em- J
ornce contracts on mose pumio worns ;
which the present wording of the act
has been construed to exclude. The
geueral Introduction of tbe eight hour
day should be the goal toward wblcb
we should steadily tend, and the gov
ernment should set tbe example In this
respect
Strikes and lockouts, with their at
tendant loss and suffering, continue to . the Insistence upon honesty not mere
increase. For the five years ending; i. technic! honosfr hut hnniwf in
pec. 31, 1905, the number of strikes
was greater than those In any previous
ten years and was double the number
In the preceding five years. These fig -
ures Indicate the Increasing need of
providing some machinery to deal with
iu ciu ui ajniuronuceB m iub mrer-
est auice or tne employer, ine
em
ployee and tbe general public. I renew
my previous recommendation that the '
congress favorably consider themat
ter of creating the machinery for com
pulsory Investigation of such industrial
controversies a are of sufficient mag
nitude and of sufficient concern to the
people of the country os a whole to
warrant the federal government In
taking action.
The need for aome provision for such
Investigation was forcibly illustrated
during the past summer. A strike of
telegraph operator seriously interfered
with telegraphle communication, caus
ing great damage to business Interests
and serious inconvenience to tbe gen
eral public Appeal were made to m
trom tnauy jbH 6 iM mmft front
City council, tWii beard! of jade,
from chambers of commerce andrroiri
labor organization!, ufging that atep
be" taken to terminate the trlke. Ev
erythintf taat could with attf propriety
b done by representatlt of the gov
ernment wis doiie without aUli, ond
for week tbe public stood by and suf
fered without recourse of . say kind.
Had the machinery exjsted and..had
v . ' 5 . j i i i i ;
cf t: j i .: i f ( , i 1
rub"c f , ' '. ) ul.l r live
broi;r,'.t about a prompt oJju:.tn:or.t
Each successive step creatius ma
chinery for the adjustment of labor
difficulties must be taken with cautlou,
but we should endeavor to make prog
ress in this direction.
The provisions of the act of isrs
creating, the chairman of the interstate
commerce commission and the commis
sioner of labor a board of mediation in
controversies between interstate rail
roads and their employees has for the
first time been subjected, to ' serious
tests within the past year, and the wis
dom of the experiment has been fully
demonstrated. The creation of a board V
for compulsory Investigation in cases
where mediation foils and arbitration
is rejected is the next logical step in a
progressive programme. j
. Captyirt and Labor.
It Is certain, that for some time to
come there will be a constant Increase
absolutely and perhaps felatlvely of !
those among our citizens who dwell in
cities or towns of some size and who
work . for wages. Thl4 means; that
there will be an ever increasing need,
to consider the problems Inseparable
from - a great .industrial civilization.
Where an immense and. Complex bust-'
ness, especially In those branches re
lating to manufacture and transporta
tion, Is transacted by a large number
Of capitalists ' who r employ ), a ' very
much larger number of wage earners
the' former tend more and-; more to
combine into corporations and the lat
ter Into onions. The relations of the
capitalist and wage worker to one an
other and of each to the general public
are not always easy to adjuBt, and to
pot them and keep them on a satisfac
tory basis is one of the most important
and one of tbe most delicate tasks before-
our whole civilization. ' Much of
the work for tbe accomplishment' of
this end must be doneby tbe individ
uals concerned themselves, whether
singly or in combination,-and the one
fundamental fact that must never be
lost track of Is that the character of
the average man, whether he be a man
of means Or a plan vhoworks-wKh
bis hands, is the moat Important fac
tor in solving the problem aright But
it is almost equally Important to re
member that without good laws it is
also impossible to reach the proper so
lution. It is idle'to bold that without
good laws evils such as child labor, as
the overworking of women, as the fail
ure to protect employees from loss of
life or limb can be effectively reached
any more than the evils of rebates and
stock watering can be reached without
good laws. To fall to stop these prac
tices by legislation means to force hon
est men into them, because otherwise
the dishonest who surely will take ad-
' "ntage of them will have everything
i tnoip own Wat. it rtiA btatpb v rnr-
rect these evils, well and good, but the
nation must stand ready to aid them.
CHILD AND WOMAN LABOR.
No Industrial Question of More Impor
tance Than This,
No question growing out of our rapid
and complex industrial development Is
more important than that of the em
ployment of women and children. The
nrenenrn of women In Indnstrr reacts
with extreme directness upon the char- i
acter or the nome ana upon . family
life, and the conditions surrounding the
employment of children bear a vital re
lation, to our future citizenship. Our
legislation in those areas under the
control of the congress Is very much
behind the legislation of our more pro-
1MB
at this session of tbe congress relating
to the employment of women and chil
dren In the District of Columbia and
the territories. The investigation Into
the condition of women and children
wage etrnr s recently authorized and
directed by the congress is now being
carried on la the various states, and
I recommend that the appropriation
made last year for beginning this work
be renewed in order that we may have
the thorough and comprehensive inves
tigation which tbe subject demands.
The national government bas as an ul
timate resort for control of child labor
the use of the interstate commerce
pUnae to Drevent the nroducta of child ;
iabor t rom entering into Interstate com-
nierce, but before using this it ought
certainly to enact model laws on the
subject for the territories under its
own immediate control.
There Is one fundamental proposition
which can be laid down as regards all
these matters namely, while honesty
by Itself will not solve the problem, yet
nurDoe and BDlrlt-la unessential ele-
ment m arriving at a right conclusion,
i vice In It cruder and more archaic'
! forma shocks everybody, but there is
jWy nrgent need that public opinion
,Dould be Just as severe in condemna-
nt th. whih h!.l t.lf h.
hind class or professional loyalty or
which denies that It is vice If It can es
cape"convlctlon In the courts. Tbe pub
lic and the representatives of tbe pub
lic, the high official, whether on the
bench or in executive or legislative po
sitions, need to remember that often
the most dangerous criminals, so far as
tbe life of the nation is concerned, are
not those who commit ;the crime
known to and condemned by tbe popu
lar conscience for centuries, but those
who commit crimes only rendered pos
sible by the complex condition of our
modern industrial life. It makes not a
particle of difference whether these
crime art committed by it capitalist or
by a laborer, by a leading banker or
manufacturer er railroad man er by
leading lresMtflilfs ei t iahor tlhlou.
Swindling In stocks, corrupting legis
latures maklfif fortnnn by the infli
tlon of securities, by wrecking railroad,
by deatroyiflf competitor throngb re-bate-thes
tatth of wrontdolni ia,
tbl ripIUllBi Iri far mors tnfltntful
than any other form of embezzlement or
forgery, yet it is a matter of Ixtrem
Ifflcubj Jojsecurj ,thpunisbment .of
. I;-..', a or I 1 cf . . v.::::'..-:t
I lecaut'3 he is f- .1.1 to fcave "s' I y
the union." The members of the l-u. 1-
jieps community, the . educators or
clergymen w-ho condone and encourage
the first kind of 'wrongdoing are no
more dangerous to the community, but
are morally even worse, than the labor
men who are guilty of the second type
of wrongdoing, because less Is to be
pardoned those who have no such ex
cuse fif i furnished either by igno
rance or by dire need..
Farmers and Wageworkers. .
When "the department of agricul
ture was founded, there' was much
sneering as to Its usefulness. ; Ho de
partment of the government however,
has more emphatically vindicated; Its
usefulness, and none save the post
office department cornea so continually
and intimately into touch with the peo
ple. The two citizens whose welfare
Is In the aggregate "most vital to the
welfare of the . nation and therefore
to the welfare of jail other citizens are
the wa'geworker wl)o 4oes manual la
bor and the tiller of the soil, the farm-,
er. :. There are of course kinds of labor
where the work must be purely men
tal, and there are other .kinds of labor
where under existing Condition! very
little demand, Indeed is made upon .the
mind, though; I am glad to say that
the proportion of men engaged in this
kind of work Is diminishing, ; But In
any community with the solid, healthy
qualities which make up a really great
nation the bulk of the people should do
work ;WhIcb calls for the exercise of
both body 'and mind. ; Progress cannot
permanently exist in the abandonment
of physical labor, but tn the develop-,
ment of physical labor, so that it shall
represent more and more the work of
the trained mind In the trained body.'
Our school system Is gravely defective
In so far as It puts a premium upon
mere literary training and tends, there
fore, to train the. boy away from the
farm,' and' the ; workshop. (Kotblng Is
more needed than the best type of In
dustrial school, the school for mecban-
Inn! Inrtnatrlaa In ha iltT th uhnsi1
for practically teaching agriculture in
the country. The calling of the skilled
tiller of the soil, the calling of the
skilled mechanic, should alike be recog
nized as professions just as emphatic
ally as the calling of Jawyer, doctor,
merchant or clerk. The schools should
recognize this fact and It should
equally be recognized in popular opin
ion. The young man who has tbe far
sightedness and courage to recognize
It and to get over the idea that it
makes a difference whether what he
earns Is called salary or wages and
who refuses to enter the crowded field
of the so called professions and takes
to constructive Industries instead is
reasonably sure of an ample reward In
earnings, In health, In opportunity to
marry early and to establish a home
with a fair amount of freedom from
worry. It should be one of our prime
objects to put both the farmer and the
mechanic on a higher plane of effi
ciency and reward, so as to Increase
their effectiveness in the economic
world and therefore the dignity, the
remuneration and the power of their
positions In the social world, v
NO growth of cities, no growth of
wealth, can make up for any loss in
either the number or the character of
the farming population. We of the
United States should realize this above
almost all other peoples. 'We began
our existence as a nation of farmers,
and in every great crisis of the past a
peculiar dependence has had to be
placed upon the fanning population,
and this dependence has hitherto
been justified. But it cannot be Justi
fied in the future if agricultuie is per
mitted to sink in the scale as com
pared with other employments. We
Lfannot to l08e Prominent-
lj typical Aiueiivau, mo laiiuer wuu
owns his own medium sized farm. To
have bis place taken by either a class
of small peasant proprietors or by' a
class of great landlords with tenant
farmed estates would be a veritable
calamity. ' The growth of our cities is
a good thing, but only in so far as It
does not. mean a growth at the ex
pense of the country farmer. We must
welcome the rise of physical sciences
in their application to ' agricultural
Pctices, na mBt do all we can
to render country conditions more easy
and pleasant - There are forces which
now tend to bring about both these re
sults, but they are as yet in their in
fancy. 'The national government
through tbe department of agriculture
should do all it can by Joining with
the state governments aud with Inde
pendent associations pf farmers to en
courage the growth in tbe open farm
ing country of such institutional and
social movements as wtifmeet the de
mand of the best type of farmers, both
for the ; improvement of their farm
and for the tjetterment of the Ufa it
elf.s The department of agriculture
has in many places, perhaps especially
In certain districts-of the south, ac
complished an extraordinary 'mount
by eo-operating with .and teaching the
farmers through their associations on
their own soli how to Increase their in
come by managing their farms better
than they were hitherto managed a The
farmer must not lose his independence,
bis initiative, his rugged self reliance,
yet he mut learn to work in the heart
iest cooperation with his fellows, ex
actly a the business man ha learned
to work, and he must prepare to use
to ' constantly,- better advantage the
knowledge that can be obtained from
agricultural colleges, ' while be must
insist upon a practical curriculum In
the schools In which his children are
tangbt The department of agriculture
and the department of commerce and
llbdr bbiM deal with the fUttdhtnental
heed bi o'tlt people In tHa production
ot U hiatorlal and Iti mtinufacture
Afid i euitrlbutlon thd ttneHSf ore with
the welfare of those who produce It tn
the tiw siate and Of those who mann
faetufe Ihd aistrlbute It the depart
incfat t comcierce aod hboi a! but
recently .been founded, but has already
Justified Its existence, while the de-PSSS.1?.-?!.
BJPrJc.V1ture. yields to .no
1 :.i i i ! '. 1 c C t - 1 ;
Ij" C '. . .' V i i; O I 1 !-. " . -.1 a
far n-.--1.:.-. r : 'y c.l t.vf.... : t of
tLo problems of farm ll.'e ullke from
the industrial end economic aud so
cial standpoint . Farmers must co-operate
with one another and with the
government, and the government can
best give Its aid through associations
of farmers, so as to deliver' to the
farmer the;large body of ' agricultural
knowledge- which has been accumulat
ed by the national and state govern
ments and by the agricultural colleges
and schools. ' . ' y ,; : . y '
i The grain producing industry of the
country, one of the most important In
the United States, V deserves special
consideration at the hands of the' con
gress. Our grain Is sold almost exclu
sively by grades.yTo secure satisfac
tory results In our home markets and
to facilitate our trade abroad these
grades should approximate the highest
degree of uniformity ''and certainty.
The present diverse methods of inspec
tion and grading throughout the coun
try under tUfferent lawa and boards re
sult in confusion and lack of uniform-;
ity; destroying that confidence which
is necessary for healthful trade.-, Com
plaints against the ' present ; methods
have continued for years, and they are
growing in volume and intensity not
only in this 1 country,13 but abroad., si
therefore -suggest , to the "congress - the
advisability of a national system of In
spection and grading of grain entering
Into interstate and foreign commerce
as a remedy for the present evils.'.
INlAND'Wmy
Great River Systems Should Be Made
i Into National Higbway,yy y
Tbe conservation of ' our natural re
sources and their proper use constitute
the fundamental problem which under
lies almost every other problem of our
national life. We must maintain for
our civilization tho adequate material
basis without which that civilization
cannot exist; we must show foresight;
we must look ahead. As a nation we
not only enjoy a wonderful measure of
present prosperity, but if this prosper
ity Is used aright it is an earnest of
future success such as no other nation
will have. The reward of foresight for
this nation is great and easily foretold.
But there must be the look - ahead;
there must be a realization of the fact
that to waste, to destroy our natural
resources, to skin and exhaust the land
Instead of using it so as to Increase its
usefulness, will result, tn undermining
in the days of our children, the ' very
irosperlty which we ought by right to
hand down to them amplified and de
veloped Por the last few years
through several agencies the, govern
ment has been endeavoring to get our
people to look ahead And to substitute
a planned "and orderly development of
our resources in place of a haphazard
striving for Immediate profit Our
great river systems should be develop
ed as national water highways, ' the
Mississippi, with its tributaries, stand
ing first in importance and the Colum
bia second, although there are many
others of Importance on the Pacific,
the Atlantic and the gulf slopes. The
national government should undertake
this work, and I hope j. beginning will
be made in the present, congress, and
the greatest -ot all our rivers, the Mis
sissippi, should receive especial atten
tion. From the great lakes , to the
mouth of the Mississippi there should
be a deep waterway, with deep water
ways leading from it to tbe east and
the west Such a waterway wouldv
practically mean the extension of our
coast line into the very heart of Our
country. It would be pf Incalculable
benefit to our people. If begun at once
it can be carried through In time ap
preciably to relieve the congestion of
our great freight carrying lines of rail
roads. Tbe work should be systematic
ally and continuously carried forward
in accordance with some well conceit-
L dd plan. The main streams should be
improved to the highest point of effi
ciency before the improvement of the
branches is attempted, and the work
ihbuld ,be kept free from every taint of
recklessness or Jobbery. The Inland
waterways which He .Just back of the
whole eastern and southern coasts
should likewise be developed. ... More
over, the development of our water
ways involves many other important
water problems, all of which should be
considered as port of the same general
scheme. The government dams should
be used to produce hundreds of thou
sands of horsepower as an incident to
Improving navigation,' for the annual
'value of the unused water power of
the United States perhaps exceeds the
annual value of the products of all our
mines. As an incident to creating tbe
deep waterway down the Mississippi
the government should build along its
whole lower length levees which, tak
en together with the control of , the
headwaters, will at once and fore vet.:
put a complete stop to all threat of
flood in the Immensely, fertile delta
region. The territory lying adjacent
toA the Mississippi along .Its . lower
course will thereby become one of the
most prosperous and populous as it al
ready Is one of ihe most fertile farm
ing regions in all the world Iv have
appointed an inland (waterways com
mission to study and outline a compre
hensive scheme of development along
all the lines indicated. Later I shall
lay its report before the congress.,
. . - , - ..... .... r
Reclamation Work, 'i .
v Irrigation should b far more exten
slvely developed than at present, not
only in tbe states, of the great plains
and tho, Rocky mountains, bat in many,
other---!, to? tnitanei, in largo por
tion! of tbe houta Atlantic ud gulf
states, Where it should ; id hand la
btnd with the reclamation of swamp
land. Tbe federal government should
seriously detote Itself. t this ttsi;
reallzlhi that utilization otVaterway
and waiir power, forestry, irrigation
and the reclamation , of , lands threat
ened with overflow " are all interde
pendent .Dart of the same problem.
C'j - i . i 'i r ! " i r-
i'-e 1 's t t; o t v, r r - ;
of tlio pul-Uc 1..U-.U fvr tl,i u'.i:....uj
Ki-catest cool of the greatest number-
In other wonlv to put upon the land
permanent ' homeaiakers, to - use rl.
developit for themselves and for their
children and children's children. There
has been, of course, opposition to th!a
work opposition from some interested
men who desire to exhaust tho land
for their own immediate profit without
regard to the welfare of the next gea,
oration and opposition from honest and
well meaning men who did not fully
understand he subject or who did not
look far enough ahead, f This opposi
tlon is, I think, dying away; and our,,
people are understanding that it 'would
be . utterly : wrong to allow a few b
dlviduals 'to exhaust for their own,
temporary personal profit the resources
which ought to be' developed through
use so as to be conserved for tbe per-1
manent common advantage-to the peo-
pie as a whole. y
, ' Public Lands,"1 ,
The. effort of the government to deal
with tbe , public land has been based '
upon, the same principle as that of the
reclamation serviced The land law sys
tem which was designed to; meet the
needs of the fertile and ;welj; watered
regions of the middle west ha largely
broken down when applied teethe drier '
regions of the great plains, the' moun--
tains ana much of the Pacific : slope,
where; a- farm of 160 acres Is inade- '
quate for self support Jn these re- .
glons, the system lent Itself to fraud,
and much land passed out of the hand
vi iuc KuveruuitiiH wiuiout passing into
partment of the Interior and the do-'
ynxuucut vl jubuco jomca m prosecut- -lng
the offenders against the law, and :
they have accompUshed much, while
whnfa th nrtmlnliotrfltlnn nt hi 1otv
has been defective it has been changed. '
But the laws themselves are defective.
Three years ago a public lands com- '
mission, was appomted td icrMnlze the"
law- ; and defects ; end; recommend; a
tremadyTltelr. examination ; specific
ally vsnoweo the . existence of great
fraud upon the "public domain, an d
then recommendations for changes' In
the law were made with the' design of T
conserving the ' natural resources of
every part of the public lands by put-'
ting It to its best use. . Especial atten-
settlement by the ; passage of ' great ,
areas or puouc land into the hands of a
few men and to the enormous waste
caused by unrestricted grazing upon
the open ranee. The recommendations
of the public lands commission? are
sound, for they are especially in the in
terest of the actual homemoker,, and
where tbe small homemaker cannot at
present utilize the land "they provide
that the government shall keep control,
of it so that It may not be monopoliz
ed by a few men. The congress, has
not yet acted upon these recommenda
tions,' but they are so Just and proper,
so essential to our national welfare,
that I feel confident, If the congress
will take time to consider them they
will ultimately be adopted.
Some such legislation as that pro
posed Js essential in order to preserve'
the great stretches of publje grazing
land which" are unfit ' for cultivation ,
under present methods and are valu
able only for the forage which they
supply. These stretches amount in iall .
to some 800,000,000 acres and are open'
to tlw free grazing of cattle, sheep,
horses and goats without restriction.
Such; a system, or, rather, such lack
of system, means that the range Is hot
so much used as wasted by abuse. As
the west settles the range becomes .
more and more overgrazed. Much of
it cannot be used to advantage unless
it is fenced, for fencing is the only
way by which to keep in check ' the
owners of nomad flocks which roam
hither and thither, utterly destroying -the
pastures and leaving a waste be-.
hind, feo that their nresenee la incom. .' v
patible with the presence of home-
makers. ; The existing fences are all
Illegal. Some of them represent the
Improper exclusion of actual settlers,'"
actual - bomemakers, from territory
Which is usurped by great cattle com-,
panles. " Some of them represent what
ia in Itself a nrnnor efTnrt 'in nw tha
rauge for those upon the land and to
prevent its use by nomadic outsiders. '
All these fences, those that are hurtful
and those that are beneflclah are alike-;
illegal and must come down. Buf it is
an outrage that the law should heccs-
sitate such action on the part of. the,,
administration. The unlawful fencing
of public lands for private grazing ,
must be stopped, but the necessity ''
Which occasioned it must be provided "
for. The federal government should
have control of the range, whether by
permit or lease; as local necessities '
may determine. Such control oould se-'
enra thm. prAflt hnflt ; nt Iptfltimntft'
fencing, while at the same time se-,
curing and' promoting the settlement
of the country in some' places it may
be that the tracts of range adjacent'to
the homesteads i of i actuals settlers
should be allotted to tbem severally -or
in common for the summer grazing of
their tock. Elsewhere it may be that
a lease system .,' would serve the pur
pose, the leases to be temporary and
subject' to the rights of - settlement
and the amount charged being large
enough . merely to., perm It ' of the - effi
cient, and beneficial control of the
range by the government and of the ,
payment to the county of the equlva-'
lent of what U would otherwise to- ,
ceive In taxes. .'The destruction of the
public range will continue until some,
such laws as these are enacted. ' Fully ,
to-Drevent the fraud In the nubile lands
which through the Joint action of the
interior department ' laa thi; depart
ment of Justice we have been endeaT-.
oring to pretent there must be further
leglalitiou and specially i eufficient
appropriation to permit the department
of the Merlei" to examine certain class
es of entries; on the ground before they
pass into private ownership. The gov
ernment' should ' part with -'its 'title
only, to the. actual homemaker, not td
the nrnflt maVr hn Anm m