MR ROOSEVELT'S MESSAGE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9641, 16 January 1903, Page 3

MR ROOSEVELT'S MESSAGE.

\ — ___♦ CONTROL OF TRUSTS AND A STRONGER. NAVY. AN IMPERIAL SPEECH. WASHINGTON, Dec. 2. President Roosevelt to-day sent his message to Congress. Aftea* an allusion to the great prosperity of the country, he says iv reference to trusts : "Corporations, especially combinations of corporations, should belnanaged under public regulations, and supervision must be achieved by national action. Our aim is not to do away with corporations ; on tlie contrary, these big aggregations are the inevitable development of modern industrialism, and any effort to destroy them -would be futile unless accomplished m ways tliafc would work the utmost mischief to the entire body politic. "We can do nothing of good m tlie way of regulating and supervising these, corporations until we fix clearly m our niinds that we are not attacking the. corporations, but are endeavoring to do away with any evil m them, and that we are not hostile to them, but merely determined Uiat they shall be so handled as to subserve the^public good. We draw the line against 'misconduct, but not against wealth. "I believe that monopolies are unjustdiscrimimtions, preventing or crippling competition. I earnestly recommend the subject to Congress, with a view to the passage of a. reasonable and effective law upon which those questions can finally be adjudicated that now raise doubts." Regarding the necessity of constitutional amendment, the President continues : "If it should prove impossible to accomplish the purpose mentioned by such a, Jaw, tlien we should not shrink from amending the Constitution so as to secure the power." Mr Roosevelt says the reduction of the tariff with the object of reaching th« evils of the trusts Mould be "wholly ineffective, but abvocnfces reciprocity treaties. He. recommends the removal of the duty on anthracite coal. Regarding the financial stringency, the President says it \ would be unwise and unnecessary at present to attempt to reconstruct "the financial system of the country, but some additional legislation is required. ? CAPITAL AND LABOR, The difficulty of the labor problem is dilated upon. "Both kinds of federations, capitalistic and labor, can do much good and can do evil. ... Each must refrain from arbitrary and tyrannous interference, witii the rights of others. . . . Every employer and wage-worker must bt guaranteed the liberty aaid right to dc as .he likes with ,liis property or laboi so long as he does not infringe, the righto of others." The President earnestly hopes that a Secretary for Commerce, avtiUi a seat m the Cabinet, will be created. He urges reciprocity with Cuba, and a convention with Great Britain for reciprocal tradi with Newfoundland. Tlie settlement of international disputes by arbitration m lieu of war is ad Vooated* and the President advocates the submission of such disputes to the Hague tribunal m preference to the creation ol special arbitrators for a given purpose. The message continues: "Negotiation.' are pending with Colombia to secure hei consent to the building of the Lsthmiat Canal by the United States. No hide pendent nation m America need have th( slightest fear' of aggression from the Unit cd. States. "It behoves each one to maintain ordei within its own borders, and to dischargi its just obligations to foreigners. Whei this is done they can rest assured that be they strong or weak, they have nothiiij to dread from outside interference;" Mr Roosevelt reasserts the wisdom o holding the Philippines. He points ti the relatively small size of the- army, am urges the need/Of the general staff. Re

gu I'd ing the need for a first-class navy he says : "The Isthmian Canal will greatly 111---creasei the eilicieney of our navy if the navy is of .sufficient size, but if wo have an inadequate navy, then the building uf the canal will be merely giving a- hostage to any Power of superior strength. "The Monroe doctrine should Ik- treated as a cardinal feature of American foreign policy, but it would be woi-se than idle to assert it unless we intended to s back it up. Tt can be backed up only by a thoroughly good navy." — Renter.