UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 317, 6 December 1906, Page 2

UNITED STATES CONGRESS.

[United Piiess Association-. — Copyeight.J

PIRKsn>F.NT 'ROOSEVELTS MESSAGE. NEW YORK, Wednesdgy. President Roosevelt's message to Congress recommends that all Corporations be .prohibited contributing to election campaigning expenses, denounces lynching, and declares every man, regardless of colour, entitled to, evenhanded justice. Wtiile rape oug'ht to .be made a capital offence the punishment] ought to bo- under law, not left to a wild, crooked, savage mob. Ho condemns attempts to excite class hatred against 'all 'wealthy men,, also the campaign of destruction preached fry visionary reformers. He equally denounces the- caHous ex-i ploi-ting of their fellow-countrymen by the . plutocracy, ' and advocates an eigiht hours' 'day in most indus-) tries. Referring to 'trusts, his mes-^ sage says that the State ought to aim at securing equality ot opportunity and equality of burden fon all. He advises graduated inherits ance and income taxes. '

President IlooseVett, continued tc. say that he "suggests that the National Congress should the questions of marriage and divorce. Ho recommends legislation for the encoura'gement of 'American shipping, and, referring to Japan, trusts that Americans will treat! all immigrants with justice and

goodwill. The sporadic hostility, occasionally shown to Japan w-a-s most discreditable, and was fraught) with gravest consequences. Japan was now one of the greatest o£ civilised, nations, and although ai^ iVerfeheimihg mass of the Americans -cherished a lively regard for the Japanese, a onost unworthy feeling had been manifested in San Francisco "because of the efficiency of Japanese workers. Wfiere it possessed power the Federal "Government will deal summarily with those who act badly 'towards the . Japanese, and where power rested with the States, President velt hoped that they would repress wrongdoers. He recommends 'Congress to authorise tho naturalisa,tion <^f Japanese arid 'also empower the President t^f enforce the rigjats of aliens under treaties. Regarding tho present case President Roosevelt said he intended to apply all the forces ho possessed, military and civil, to secure justice for tho Japanese. It was impossible to allow any, .locality to commit ~g crime algainst 'a friendly notion and to leave tho Federal Governmentj which was powerless to prevent the

.offend- , with the respons bility of defending the community.