Oyster Bay, N. Y.. Sept. l2. tool.
1. G. Cannon. ("halrmun of the
ion Committee;
Deer Git—I accept the nomination
M ii. prelldency tendered me by tho
.Mbiiohh natlonal convention. and cor-
, dial: approve the platforln adopted by it.
‘Hln ritinl this letter there are certain
. will. upon which i desire to lay especial
.Itre .
It difficult to find out from the utter-
pneel “our opponents what are the reel
- Meg’upon which tiny propose. to wage
lhilécallflpoiln. it is not unfair to any
M} having abandoned most of the
.. principlcll upon which theyI have insisted
during the last eight years. they now
learn at a lose both as to what it is that
WOI‘I‘Caily believe and us t5 how llnnly
they Illa“ assert their belief ill uuy-
Ihihfl.‘ in fact, It Is'doobtful if they ven-
turo‘resolumly to press a single issue; “a
neonate they raise one tiloy shrink from
it null seekpto explain it apply. Such an
attitvdo‘ie the probably inevitable rcault
‘of the effort to improvise convictions;
for when thus improvised it is natural
thatadhey should be bold in a tentative
manner. -
The party now in control of the gov-
eminent is troubled by no such diffi-
Chili“. We do not have to guess at our
.ovmgconviotlons and then correct the
, guest if it seems unpopular. The prin-
'ciple’| wliich We profess are those In
which we believe with heart and soul and
Itrenkth. Men may diffor from us. but
they'cannot accuse us of shiftiuoas or
. insineerity. The policies we have pur-
sued'sre those which we earnestly hold
as euentlal to the national welfare and
repute. Our actions speak even louder
. thanf‘ our words for the faith that is in
stll. We base our appeal upon what we
havogtlonc and are doing. upon our record
of administration and legislationdurlng
the last. seven years. in which we. have
had complete control of the government.
We intend in the future to carry on tho
Bovernmcnt futile same way that we
have eafriedlpéa in the past.
A party whose members are radicn‘lly
at variance on most vital issues. and. if
_- united at all,‘ are only united on issues
‘ where their attitude threatens widespread
disaster to the whole country cannot
be trusted to govern tnnny matter. A
,party which with facile ease changes
til its Convictions before elcction cannot
In trusted to adhere with tenacity to any
principle after election. A party fit to
layout must have convictions. In ”1500
’ the Republican party came into power
and in 1900 it retained pmvcr on Certain
definite pledges. each of which was scru-
pulouslyfulfllled. But. in addition to nicot-
ihg and solving the pl'oblcuia which were
issues in these campaigns. it also became
aceasary to meet other problems which
arose after election. and it is no small
part of our claim to‘pubiic confidence
that these were solved with the same
cceas that bud attended the solution of.
those canccrnin; which the bottles at
the polls wt‘ra fought. In other words.
,. our governmental ciliclcncy proved onunl
not only to the tasks that were anticipat-
ed. but to doing each unanticipated task
It! it arose:
When the contest of 1898 was decided,
the question of the war with Spain was
not an issue. When the molest of 1000
I decided, the, shape which the lath»
an ennui question ultimately took could
at have born formwn. llut the same
.. uaiitit‘s which enabled those responsible
or making and administering the laws
It. Washington to deal successfully with
the tariffnnd the currency enabled them
also to“ deal with the Spanish war. and
e qualities which enabled them to
act W .. in th‘e"Philippines and in (tuba.
._ Ieo enabled th‘cmuo on their duty as re-
,‘ardl the problems conncclcd with the
‘trusta and to secure the building of the
Iathmitln canals We are content to rest
our case before the American people upon
the fact that to adherence to a lofty ideal
we have added proved governmental elli-
oienCy. Therefore. our promises may sure-
iy be trusted as regards any issue that is
now before the people. and we may equal-
‘ly be trusted to deal with any problem
{which may ilcl't‘lficl' arise.
80 well has the. work been done that our
app ents do not venture to recite the
fectaJifbout our policies (tracts and then
oppose them. They attack them only
when they have first misrepresented them.
for «a truthful recital would leave no room
I‘ idv’erse comment.
Panama. offers an instance: in point.
.Our'opponents can criticise what we did
in ‘Punama only on condition of misstat-
tn‘ What was done: The administration
behaved throughoutrnot only with good
ith.“‘btit with extraordinary patience
‘flldiorge generosity toward :those with
Whom it dealt. It was also mindful ofv
' interests. It dried in strict
., on with the law passed by con-
"flad not 'Panama. heelhpromptiy
teed and the transit across the
kepts open. accordance. with
all chance of building ithe calla!
hid have been deferred. cerliiinh' for
lye-tn; perhaps for a generation or more.
metal!) of the action in this matter is
the“ only possible ac-
Ina.
which Wewete by treaty bound to
e alongltl‘ié line obit-avian across
litmus. TN‘IGBVJCV‘ renderedthia
y in second: thé‘pérputtml‘fipht
, stain. operate and de-
‘nai ail‘sc great that our up
do not venture to raise the issue
We” ‘ V. fashion, for if so.
there Won d wbe ho‘iasue. The dd“-
ention which brought about this
‘ “twin-umber! the
out - .tepowers vested in himen‘d
alone. by the constitutionl-flle
Ile foreign government-
-
.Jvheu retitled by
we: the constitution part. of the
l%nd.y Neither in this"
' M be: there been
ll ,1 ‘ to t , cam
_ . ‘glngfibmu 1:95:1th
lion must be observed positively‘
on negatively. The president‘s
to eerve the country in accord-
Vitll the constitution. and I should
' In of the constitution as a
“for weakness and noun: ,or as an
m for governmental impotence. ‘ "
W misrepresentation is the one
of our opponents in regard to our
. policy and thelway the navy has
mile sinful in':eerr1lur our tine.
More enlri all that we not: lie
Wily state what has been
than any whether or not they
for tied in pope:- we
”only 115.11 matter
i filo ‘p'f‘oporti
W in my. duty if I used a false?
'- . .tn indium new
holdlne thorium» of the weaker Ather-
imp WWII“)! autitmt.1orclgn tuner-
flit‘lu‘lhi‘ utImIIlit‘ll‘ntlfltt has Justin” up-
puttifnity‘tamolnt out to these republics
that them who lirek equity r‘iltiilili come
with clean hands. and that whoever
claims liberty as a right must accept the
responsibilities that go with the t‘Xt-i‘l‘irit‘
oi’ the right. Do our opponents object
to what was done In rci'iiu we to the pe-
tition of American t'illlztllti autinnt the
Ktehincff mnaaucre, or to the protest
aimiust tho irl'iliii't'ili of the .lt-tvs In
ltoulnunla, or to the efforts that have
been outdo In behalf of the Armenians i
'i‘urkc) '.‘ No other administration in on
history. no other mnel‘nult'hi in the
world. has more l‘l'iilliflt uiiv situui for tho
broadest npirlt of ill‘Iliih'i'ilUtrli in Oil!
(‘tlllllllilil humanity. or has lu-ld a more
resolute attitudi- of pi‘tifcl'l against every
“rout; that outraged thc civilization of
thi- age. at home or abroad. ilo our op.
patients object to the fact that the iutcr~
notional tribunal at The lluinu‘ was rcsv
cqu from impotence and found into «1
potent iusirunuut for peace ainlmk "If
nations? 'I‘hi.i governmcnt has used that
tvlluual and lifi\'!|l‘rtiitl lt.\ use by oth-
ers in pursuance of its policy to promote
the (‘i use of international peace and hood
will y uii honorable methods. in car--
ryina‘ out this policy it his settled ills»
putc utter dispute by arbitration or b.\‘
friendly agreement. it has behaved to-
ward all nations. strong or weak. with
courtesy. dignity llutl Justice. and it. is
now on cxcciicnt terms with oil.
llo our oppouc‘iln ubjctzl to the settle—
ment. of the Alaska boundary line? Ill:
they objcct to ill" fact that after fret-lop
(Him we gave ilt'l‘ reciprocal tradi- ndu
vantages with the l'oitml States. while
at the some time keeping naval stations.
in tin bland and prnvidiug ltflllillbr'i its
sinking: into chaos or being conquered by
any t'urtluu power? 1.10 they, object to
the {llt'l that our iI-i.: now lliva over l’orto
iiiL‘U‘,‘ Do they “inject to the acquisition
of Hawaii? Ulit't‘ tlu‘y "iiilllit'd down"
our lint; there; we have hoisted it :1 min
lm thcy intend mirc more to paid it
down‘.‘ i‘o flu-,v object to the part Wu
plant! in t‘hinu’.’ [to they not know that.
the voice 01' the l'uilcd States Would now
county for nothing in the fur cost. if m-
h:oi nlnlndoncdtlho i’lliiiilpillt'fl uiul re~
fused to do what was done in L‘hina'.‘
im they object to the fact that this pov-
crnuu-it secured a pent-i fut tit tticmcut of
the tn-ulba in Venezuela two yours and?
Do they object in the presence of the
chip i 1' nor Mll' Colon win-u the revolution
broke out ill i‘lu;iu.n, and \vlu-il only tho
prrsvncc of this ship saved \lIlt‘ liver of
Atu- rican citizens and proventod insult to
the tint-J? Do they object to tip- fact that.
Aiucruun warships uppcari-ii prom‘pll} at
the port of liciiut when an effort bail
been made to assassinate an American
ofhclol, :.nd iu the port of 'i‘unvirr wiun
ill) American citizen had hccu abducted.
and that in each (‘Rr‘tl the wrong ('Hlil-
plow :i of was limited and rxpiatcd. and
that V\iiilill the last fc\v days the visit of
an Aruricun rlpzndrau iU'Blll}'l'l:fl was
foliovrwl by thr- ioug delayed concession
of iluir Just lights to those Allll‘i‘it‘ll‘lifl
f‘tliil'i'l‘ilt‘ti in educational work in 'l‘uv-
kl.) 1' [in they (lii‘ilt‘i. to the trade treaty
with t‘hinn, so full of advantngc for the
American people in flu:- futurt '." llo they
objcct to the fact that. the calm carrying:
the Ilittltvtll.i llzlp.’ now have it higher
standard than rvcr before in marksman—
ship and In .‘WilllltlllFiiil‘I individual
units and as coxnpomnt parts of would»
rolls'olut firms? if rile-3: object to our or
nl-l of these thhnni. we join issue with
them. ”or {onion policy has lwcu nut.
only hhzitiy util'uiiimgwuus to thc l'nitt-d
States. but hardly icon ddvnutaw-ous tn
the world as a whole. Peace and good
will have followed in its (notnttps. The
government. has shown itsdt’ no less
anxious to respect the
than insistent that tho rights of Amen
leans ho rspccicd in return. As for the
navy, it has been-null is now the most.
potent guarantee of peace. at i it in such
chiefly because it is t‘ormidablz and ready
{OX‘Jll-ith
Wlun our opponents speak of “en-
croachments" by the executive upon the
authority of congress or the Judiciary.
apparently the act thev ordinarily have
in view in pension order No. 75. issued
under the authority of existing law. This
order directed that ilt‘rrtli‘lrf‘ any veteran
of the civil war who had reached the, one.
of sixty-two should be presumptively cu~
filled to the pension of St: a month.‘t;ivon
undcr lhc dcpcuib zit pension law to thoao
whose capatily of mm their iivv‘dihood
by manual labor hrs bcuu decreased 50
per cent. and that by the time the age. of
seventy was reached the presumption
should be, that the physical disability was
complete. the ill{l’ luiru‘ treated as all cvi-
dontial fact in cut-h ( so This order was
made in the performance of a duly im-
posed upon the prr-aidcut by an act of
cnmirclas. which requires the executive to
make regulations to govern the subordi—
nates of the puilsinii other in determining
who are entitled to pensions. President
(‘lcveiand had already exercised this pow-
er by a regulation which dtciared that
seventy-five should be out an the ago at
which total disability should in» conclu-
sively presumed. Similarly: Prtdildb‘llt Mc-
Kinley established Sixty-live as the age
at which half diSnbility should be conclu-
sively presumed. 'l‘hc regulation now in
attention in the exercise of the same pow-
er supplemented those regulations made
under Presidents Cleveland and McKin-
ley. ‘ ‘ . ' 'v ‘
The men who fought for union and for
liberty in the years from 1S0] to 1‘0?» not
only saved this nation from ruin. but ran-
dcrcd an inestima‘olr service to all man-
kind. We of the ltnltcd Btatea owe the
fact that. today we have 11'“ country to
what they did. and tho nation has decreed
by law that no one of them if disabled
from earning his an living shall luck
the pension to which he is entitled not
of gratitude. but as a
It Is the policy of the
steadily- . continued
to tr t the vet-
:lh‘
matter of. justice.
Republican party.
tluough many years. 7
‘ermut" of“ the civil war
broad liberaiity. The order in attention
carried out thispolicy and la Justincdpot
merely on legal staunch. but also‘i n
grounds of public morality. it is a ma -
ter of common knowledge that when the
uverago‘tnan who depentin “for his me:
upon bodily labor has reached the age of
sixty-two his earning ability is in all
probability less by half than fl was‘whcn
he Was in nls'prtme', and<that by the time
he hasreached the age of seventy he has
probably lost all earning u'bi‘iity. If there
is doubt upon this point let the doubler
examine the employees doing manual i8!
’ bot ii any treat manufactory or on any
land and out how large to
‘ of men between the. axes
.of..eixty-two and seventy and whether
these men are still employed at the high-
ly paid tasks which‘ new did Jill“. their
prime. .As a matter of f ct. Franny rall-
roads pension thidr“ monks when «my
have reached ‘these ages; «nuns nations
where old age pensions prevail they oi-
ays begin somewhere between the two
limits thus set. It is easy to test our op-
ponents' sincerity In this matter. The or-
der in question is revocable It the leu-
gure of tho 'Egegutlye. 1! our opp?) ente
come into power lawman revoke this or-
der and announce that they will treat the
veterans of alxty~two to seventy as pre-
sumably in full bodily vigor and not en-
trant: rallrotfl
tilted to pen-lone)? Wiilfithey new author-
Mivety state that-they tend to do
this? it so we accept the tie. If not
than we have the right to ask why they
roman issue which when raised they do
militate” meet. . .
«not: of the ad-
tioa which they venture’to n:-
riahta of other-a”1
"in“trupirlt or
anthracite coal strike by'lhe individual
not of the m'citltit'ilt and the successful
suit against the Northern Hceuritlca com-
panyo-tho mt-rgcr suit~ undertaken by the
department. of Justice. wore new because
of which up- present administration
should be [brown from pnwvr. Yet they
dare not openly condemn either act.
'i‘hcy dare not in any authoritative or
formal monster nay that in either case
wrong was done or error committed in
the method of action or in the choice of
instruments for putting that action into
effect. But what they dare not innnfully
assert in open day they seek to use fur-
tlvily and through special ammo. It Is
pc'rliupa natuml that an attunk so con-
ducted should be made sometimes on the
ground that too much. sometimes on the
ground that too little, has been done.
Honie’of our opponents.colnplniu llccmtlo
under the. antitrust and intcrutnto com.
mcrco lawn suits \Vcro undertaken which
have been successful; others because
suits Were not undertaken which would
have been unaurccuai‘ul.‘ The Democrat-
ic mute eonvtuittuu in New York dealt
.tvith the tuitlmiclle. coul atriko by dc-
mumliuu. in (hellbcrate and formal fash-
ion. that the national government should
mt... )rtiflsitsfllltll of the coal Hulda; yet
champions of that convention‘s cause
now condemn. the fact that there was
tiny ill lion by the president at all»-
ihounh they must know that it was only
this action by tho president which pro.-
vcntcil the mAWt-lnont for national owner-
ship of the coal fields from gaining; \vhat
mhrht well have been an irresistible lin-
petuu. Buifh mutually destructive crit-
iclnms furnish an adequate ntcauurc of
the chance for coherent action or con-
struetivc inhalation if our opponents
should be given power.
So lunch for what our opponents open-
ly or covertly advance in the way of an
attack omthc nets of the administration.
When we come to consider the policies
for which they profess to stand we are
met with the difficulty always arising
when statements of policy are so made.
that they can be. interpreted in different
ways. On some of the. vital questions
that have confronted the American peo-
plo in the last decade our opponents take
the position that silence. is the best pos-
sible way to convey their views. ’l‘hey
contend that their lukewarm utiitude of
partial acquiescence in what others have
accomplished entitles them to bo made
the custodians of the. financial honor and
commercial interests which they have
but recently sought to ruin. Being on-
able to xurree among tin-inselvcs he to
whether the gold standard is it curse or
a blessing. and as to whether we might
or ought not to have free and unlimited
(‘lJill'lfll‘ of silver, they have apparently
thought it expedient to avoid any com.
mlttul on these subjects. and individually
each to follow his particular bent. Their
nearest approach to n majority Judgment
secure to bo that it is now incxpedieut to
assert their convictions one way or the
other. and that the establishment of the
gold standard by the Republican party
should not be. disturbed unless tin-re is an
alteration in the relative quumity of
production of silver and gold. Men who
hold sincere convictions on viiul ques—
tiom‘i can respect equally sincere men
with whose views they radically differ.
and men may confess a chance. of faith
without compromising their honor or
their self respect. llut it is difilrult to
respect an attitude of mind such as has
licnll fairly dear-ruled above, and where
there is no respect there can be no trust.
A policy with so slender a. basis of prin-
ciple would not stand flu: strain of a sin—
gh- year of business adversity.
We. on the contrary. believi- in the gold
ataiulard as fixed by the. usage and ver-
dict of the business World and in a. sound
monetary syntem as matters of t‘irit»_t‘ipit:-
as matters not of motietury political cx~
pI.-dieucy. but of permanent ornsiulc poi-
iry. in 1‘96 and audio in no) farsighted
men. without regard to their party fcally
in the post. Joined to work against what
they regarded as a debuncd monetary My»
tent. The policies which they championed
have been steadfastly adhered to by the
miminiairatlon. and by the not of March
it, illtltl. congress established the single
gold standard as the. measure of our inen‘
etnry value. This act received the, sup-
port of every Republican in the house and
of every Republican except one in the
senate. Of our opponents eleven support-
ed it in the house and two in the senate
and it'll opptiscii it in the house and twen—
tywiuhi in the, senate. The record of the
last rcvcn ycars proves that the party
new in power can be trusted to take the
additional action necessary to improve
and ntreugthcn our nunlctary system and
that our opponents: cannot be so trusted.
The fundamental fact is that in a popu-
lar government out-it as ours no policy In
irrevoci’ibly Settled by law unless the pen-
plc keep in control of the government
men who believe in that policy as a mat-
tcr of deep rooted conviction. Laws can
alwaysbe revoked. It is the spirit and
the purpose of thosoreaponslblo for their
enactment and administration which must
bu. fixed and unchangcablc. It is idle to
any that the monetary standard of the
nation is irrevocably fixed so long as the
party which at the, last election cast ap-
proximately 40 per cent of the total vote
refuses to put in its platform ally stato-
meat that the. question is settled. A de-
termination to remain silent cannot be
accepted as equivalent to a temptation.
I'nttl our opponents as a party explicitly
adopt the views which we hold and upon
which Wu havu acted and ure‘acting in
the. matter of a sound currency. the only
real way to keep the question from be-
coming unsettled is to keep the Repub<
lioan party in power. ‘
As for what our opponents say in ref-
eren e to capital and labor. individual or
corporate, here. again all we need b way
of answer Is to point to what we have
actually done. and to say that if contiip
and in power we shall continue to carry
out the policy we have been pursuing and
to‘ execute the laws as resolutely and‘
fearlessly in the future as we have of-
‘ecuted them in the past. In my speech
pf acceptance 1 said:
_' "We recognize the organization of cap-
ital and the organization of labor as nat-
ural outcomes of our industrial system.
Each kind of organization is to be favor-
ed so long as it acts in a spirit of justice
and of regard for the rights of others.
Each is to be granted the full protection
.of the law. and each in turn is to be held
to a. strict obedience to the law, for no
mom is above it and no man below it.
“The humbleet individual In to have hll
sights safeguarded as scrupulously as
those of the strongest organization, for
seen is to rccéivc Justice. no more and
no lees. The problems with which. we
"haVe 'to deal‘tn our modern industrial
”and social life are mammal. but the spirit
in which It is necessary to approach their
:solution :is simply the spirit of honesty.
' f courage and of common sense."
a -!f‘_he action. of tin attorney general in
enforcing the antitrust and interstate‘
commerce laws and the action or the last
congress in enlarging the scope of'tha‘
intermte‘commerce luv and tolerating
the department; of commerce and; labor.
with a~bureau of corporations. halve for
the first .tlme opened a chance for the
national government to deal inteillxently
and adequately with the questionnaireotu
in: society. whether for good or for evil,
because of ‘tbe acclimation or; cup-
ital in genteel-partitions and because of
the new role caused thereby. an.“
laws are producing “lemma with“
~splints abroad have been repeated again
enure‘eflcifiioy. and ”gin their 170mm.
need in doom: for attenuator-addition
, bests. Mausoleum»;
multicultu- . til is
with the inability of the states to conv
trot trusts and monoimlics. which led to
the passage of tin.- ft‘lit'i'ill statutes known
as the Blicrman antitrust net and the
hut-retain commerce act. and‘ it is only
through the exercise of the DOWN! 00""
ferred by these acid and by tho “Mum
of tho lust congress supplementing them
that the national government “Willi”!
any Jurisdiction over the subject. To any
that action doublet trusts and monoDOIiel
should be limited to the application of the
common law is equivalent to sag/INK that
the national government should talk. no
action whatever to regulate thcm.
l'mloublcdly the multiplication of truata
and their increase in power MW lbw"
largely due to the "failure of officials
charged with the duty of oltforclnlf U10
aw to take tho necessary procedure."
finch stricture, upon the failure of tho of-
ilclll‘is of the national KOWI‘IIIW'I“ ‘0 do
their duty in this matter is ccrtniull‘ not
wholly umlewrvcd as far as the adminis-
tration preceding l’rcaidcut it cit’lnley's is
cmwvrumi. but it has no in “MINOR “I
all to llcpubliean tulininistrutiull. it IS
also undoubtmily true that what is most
needed bi “oiliciala having both the dis‘
peaition and the coinage to enforce exist-
ing law." This is pi‘t‘ciacly the need that
has been met by the. cousiatcnt and stead‘ ‘
ily continued action of the department of
Justico under the present administration.
So far no the rights of the IndividualI
o-nucworki-r and the individual capitalist
are concerned. both as regards one anoth-
I-l'. as regards the public and as regards
organized capital and labor. the position
of the administration has been so clear
that lilt'l'“ Is no excuse for misrepresent-
ing it and no ground for opposing it un-
less misrepresented. Within the limits
defined by the national t-ousItution the
national mimluistralion has Houkht to se-
r'ill‘c to t'ut'il man the full enjoyment of
hill fight to live his life and dispose of
his property and his labor as he deems
br-at. so long as he wrongs no one also. it
has shown in effective fashion that in on-
dcavurlnn to lnilkl' good this guarantee it
touts all men. rich or poor. whatever
their cruel}. their color or their birth-
place. as standing allite before the law.
lfntlcr our form or government the sphere
In which the nation as distinguished from
the state can act is narrowly circum-
ucribul, but within that sphere all that
could be done has been done. All think-
bur men are aware of the restriction upon
Iii“ iIOW'T‘I' of action of the national ov-
crmncnt In such mnttcra. Ilcli'm‘ curse ves
mindful of them. we have been scrupu-
lously cnrtful on the one hand to be mod~
brat: in lilll‘ premises and on the other
hand to keep these promises in letter and
in spirit. «for oppenrnte have bi‘i'l‘i llam-
pert-d by no such considerations. They
have Di‘tlilllsml. and many of them now
promise. action which they could by no
porsl‘ulllly take In the cmrciao of consti-
tutional power, and which. If attempted.
would brim: l‘uusincsa to a standstill. They
have pact and ui’ti'tl now use language of
wild invcullte and appeal to all the huser
pardons which tend to cxcttc one set of
Airprican-t :iaztluet tin-Ir fellow Amcri»
cans. and yit whenever tin-x have haul
power they have tittlnnly supplemented
lhlu extravagance of promise by absolute
nullity in performance.
This govclumrpt in bdil't'i upon the
fundameutzii him] that eat II man. no mat-
ter what his oct'upnth‘m. his race or his
rcl'gioua Iu'iit‘f. is entitled to be treated
on bill wot iii 21': at man and neither favor-
ed nor diatrimhmtcd against Itl‘CllllSe"0f
any ucctdvut in his position. Even here
of homo thurn is painful ditilculty in the
effort to realize, this idcal. and the. at-
tempt to secure from other nations nc-
ituowlcilunwut of It sometimes encounters
obntzwlcs that are. vvcll nigh insurrerabie.
for ilwro are many nations which in tho
slow proccaaion ot' the ones have not yet.
re'ichcd 'that point where the principles
which Americam: regard as axiomatic
obtain any reioattitiuu whatever. (me, of
the thief dlfllcultim arises in connection
with certain Al’ll“it'¢iil citiz'mnn of foreign
birth or of particular creed who desire to
trawl abroad. Russia. for instance. re-
form to admit and protect Jaws. 'i‘urltey
rcfuacs to admit and protect certain Rectal
of t‘hrirtians. This government has con-
sistently demanded equal protection
abroad for all American citircns. whether
native or naturalizini. On March 27. 1899.
Secretary liny sent a letter of lustrucc
tions to all the diplomatic and consular
officers of the l'nllcd States. in which he
said. “This department does not dun-rink
taste between native born and naturaliz-
ed citizens in accordion them protection
while they are abroad, equality of treat-
ment brim: required by the laws of the
United States." 'i‘hat these orders to our
and again and are. ti‘czttv‘d as the {unila-
mental rule of condtut laid down for
them. proceeding upon the theory "that
all naturalized Citizens of the United
States while in fut-chm countries are
entitled to and shall receive from this
government the imam protection of pere-
sops and property which is accorded to
native born citizens." In issuing pass-
ports the state department ncvcr dis-
criminates or alludra to any man's re-
ligion. and in granting! to every Amer-
Ieau citizen. native or naturalized. Chris-
tian or Jew. the some. litlsspm‘l so far as
it has power it insists that all foreign
governmcnls shall accept the passport as
prima facie proof that the person therein
described iaa. citizen of the l'nitod States
and entitled to protection as such. it is
a standing order toevery American diplo-
matic. and consular officer to protect ev-
tt‘i’ American citizen of whatever faith
from unjust molestation. and our officers
abroad have been stringently required to
comply with this order. '
Under such circumstances the demand
of our opponents that negotiations be be-
mm to secure equal treatment of all
Americans from those governments which
do not now aeeord’it shows either ig-
norance of the facts or inalnccriiy. No
change or policy in the method or many
nor of negotiation would add effectiveness
to what the state, department has done
and is doing. The steady pressure which
this department has been keeping up in
the. past will be continued in the future.
This administration has on all proper 0c-
casiona given clear expression to the be-
lief of the American people that discrim-
ination and oppression bechuse of reli-
gion wherever practiced are acts of in—
justice before God and man. and in mek-
ins evident to the world the. depth of
American convictions in this regard we
have gone to the "very limit of diplomatic
usage.
It is a. striking evi ence of our 0900‘
nonts' lnsincerity in th a matter that with
their demand for radial action by the
state department they couple a demand
tor a reduction in our small military use
tufblishmenl. Yet they must know that
the heed paid to our protests against til
treatment of our citizens will be exactly
proportionate to the belief in our. abut y.
to make these protests effective ahead
the need arise.
Our opponents have now declared them-
lflvm in favor of» the civil service law.
the recent or which they demanded in
m and in 1838. fr‘éo’nslstent they‘eilould
have gone one step further and congrat-
ulated the country upon the way in which
the civil service law in now administered
ted the "yin which the classified serv-
109 has been extended. The exceptions,
30m examinations are fewer by far than
afar berm-camel 1m.- oonflned to individual
men were thempplicatlon of“ the rules
‘I‘Wid be impracticable. unwise. uttiuet
or varieties: “ he administration of
one creature-tonic unsuited mu an].
Me, in tree from politics. and appointments
e commutation been put upon a bust.
ether: in
|It.
{Item wee of course moot needed won.
in tie Philippine illlaiuis. and a civil eerv- .
ice law of very advanced typo ita- there
been put Into operation and ecrupulouaiyi
obith-d. Without one cxceptbm every
appointment in the Philippines has been
made in accordance with u atrioicut
liamlard of illtlvliri and without heed to
any other consideration.
F‘llullly. we come it. certain matters up-
on wiiltil ourpppon llfi do in their iv-
furm of principles-dcllnttoly take aluo
with unanil when if they are sincere.
their triumph mould mean disaster to the
00‘1"")‘~ Iiut exactly as It is imp’osllbie
to call attention to the present promises
and past record of our oppmwuts without
seeming offensive. sth is impossible to
compare their platform with their other
and inter olllciul utterancca and not ere—
ntc doubt as to their sim-crily. in their
private or unolllclui utterances many of‘
them frankly advance this lnslnecrity as
a merit. .tultlng the position that. he re-
gards the points on which i am about to
spcuk they have no intention of keeping
their promises or of departing from the
policies now established and that there-
fore they can be trusted not to abuse
tho power they seek.
Win-n We take up the great nitration of
the tariff we are at once confronted
hi‘ the doubt as to whether our oppo-
nents do or do not mean what they say.
They say that "protection is robbery"
and promise to carry themselves accord-
ingly if they are given power. th prom-
incut pcraous among them assert that
they do not really mean this and that if
they come into pom-r they will adopt
our policy as regards the tariff. whiio
others seem anxious to prove that it is
safe to give tilt'lll partial power. because
the power would be only partial. and
therefore they would not be able to do
iniachlef. The last is certainly a curious
plea to advance on behalf of a party
act-king to obtain control of the govern-
mcat.
At the outset it is worth willie to say a
Word as to the uttcmpt to Identify the
question of tariff revision or tariff reduc-
tion with a solution of the trust quel-
tiou. This is always a sign of desire to
avoid any real effort to deal adequately
with the. trust question. in speaking on
this point at Minneapolis on April 4. 1903.
I said:
“The, question of tariff revision. speak-
ing broadly. stands wholly apart from tit,
question of dealing with the trusts. No
change in tariff dutica can have any sub-
stantial cffcct in solving the so called trust
problem. Certain great trusts or great cor-
partitions are wholly unaffected by the.
tariff. Ainmat all the others that are of
any importance have as a matter of 'fact
numbers of smaller American competitors,
and of course a change in the tariff which
would work injury to the large. corpora-
tion would work not merely injury but
destruction to its smaller competitors.
and equally of t‘Olll'st" such a chance
would nirau disaster to all the wagmvork-
ers connected with either the large or the.
small corporations. From the standpoint
of those interested in tho eolution of the
trust problem such a change Would there.-
forc merely mean that the, trust, was re-
licved of the competition of its Weaken
American competitors and thrown only
into competition with foreign competitors.
and that the first effort to meet this new
competition would he, made. by cutting
down wages and Would therefore be, prl.
murily at the coat of labor. in the case
of some of our greatest trusts such a
change micht coufcr upon them a posi—
tivc bunrllt. Speaking: broadly. it in evi-
dent that the changes in the tariff will
affect the trusts for' weal or for woo sim-
ply as they affect the whole country. The
tariff affects truate only as it affects all
other inturecia. it makes all these inter.
eats. large or small. profitable. and its
benefits can be taken from the large only
under penalty of taking them from the
small also."
There is little for me to add to this.
It is but ten years place the last attempt
was outdo. by means of lowering the litr-
ifi‘. to prevent some people from prosper-
ing too much. The attempt was entirely
successful. The. tariff law of that ycnr
was among the causes which in thatvvcar
and for some. time afterward effectually
prevented anybody from proaprring too
much and labor from prowl-ring: at all.
I'ndouhicdiy it would be possible at the
present time to prevent any of the trusts
from rcmalnlmr prosperous by the simple.
expedient of making such a sweeping
change in the tariff as to paralyze the
industries of tho country. The trust:
would cease to prosper. but their smaller
competitors would be ruined. and the
u'nzzcworkers would starve. while It
would not pay the farmer to haul his
produce to market. The evils connected
with the trusts can be reached onlyAby
rational effort. clap by step. along the
lines taken by congress and the ,cxecu-
tivc during the past three years. If a lar-
iil' law is passed under which the country
prospcrs. as the country has prospered
under the present tariff law, then all
classeavwiil share in the prosperity. If a
tariff law is passed nimml at preventing
tho prosperity of some of our people. it is
as certain as anything can be that this
aim will be achieved only by cutting
down the prosperity of. all of our people.
Of course. if our opponents are trot sin-
cere in their proposal to abolish the. sys-
tem of a. protective tariff there is no use
in negating the matter at all save by
pointing out again that if on one great is-
sue they do not mean that they say it is
hardly safe to trust them on any other
issue.‘ But. if they are sincere. in this
matter then ‘thclr advent to power would
mean domestic misfortune and misery as
widespread and far reaching its that which
' we only" ten years ago. When they speak
of protection as “mom" they or course
must mean that it lili'immoral to enact I.
tariff designed. as is the present prote‘e—
tive farm. to secure to the American
wagcworker the. benefit of the high stand-
urd of living which we desire to sea kept
up in this-country. Now. to speak of the
tariff in this sense. all "robbery." thereby
giving it a. moral relation. Is not merely
rhetorical; it Is on its face false. The
litigation of what tariff is best for our
Teople ia‘pl‘lmarli‘y one of expediency. to
be determined not on abstract academic
grounds. but in the light of experience.
It is a mutter of business. for fundamen-
tally ours is a business people‘mnnufaC—
turere. merchants. farmers. wagcworken,
professional men. all alike. our exp'crl-
once as a people in the past has certainly
not shown us that we. could afford in this
matter to follow those professional coun-
selors who have. confined themeeives to
study in the closet. for the actual work-
ing of the tariff has emphatically contra;
dict’ed their theories. From‘ilme to time
schedules must undoubtedly be rear.
maxed and readjusted to meet the shift-
ing needs of the country. but‘this can
with safety be done only by those who
are committed to the cause of the pro-
tective system. To uproot. and destroy
that system would be to insure the pros-
tratlon of business. the closing of fac—
tories. thevimpcvcrisllmcnt of the farmer.
the rain or the capitalist end the star.
votion of the wageworker. Yet. if protec-
tion is indeed "robbery," and It’lour oppo-
nents really believe what they say.
then it is precisely to the destruction and
uprooting or the tariff. and therefore of
our business and industry. that they are
pledged. ‘When our opponents last ob—
tained pewter it was on a platform de-
claring e prorectiva tariff “anceastitu:
tlonal.” end the effort to not this decla-
ration into practice was one. of the caused
or the general national ornate-Alon lest-
inz from 1335101897. If a protective tariff
neither "unconotitutionei" or "robbery."
then it in Just is unconstitutional. just ”an
it clown. stilt leav-
Otlr opponents aeaQrt‘thut they belie"
in reciprocity. Their actlo‘n on the molt
important reciprocity treaty recently ne~
gottated that with t‘ubu-wdocu not beat‘
out this iltlllcriiOli. Moreover. there can
be no rt-olproci unless there. in u sub-
etauilul tariff.‘ Free trade and reciproc-
ity are not compatible. We are on record
as favoring arrangements for reciprocal
trade relations wiih~oihvr countries. than
arrangements to be on an equitable ball!
of benefit to both the contracting par-l
ties. The Republican party stands pieducd
to every Wise and consistent method of
increasing tho foreign commerce of'the
country. That it boil kept its pledge ll
proved W the fact that. while the domes- i
tie trade of this country exceeds in vol-i
time the entire export and import trade
of all the nations of the. world. the United
states has to addition secured more than’
an eighth of the export trade of the'
world, standing first among the nations
in this rvspcct. The United States has
exported during the last seven years near-
ly uneconomic worth of goods. on an av-
erage half as much again annually on
during the previous four .I'ears. when
many of our people were consuming notit'
ing but accessories and some of them e
scanty supply even of these.
Two years arm in speaking at Logan!-
port, Ind. i said:
"The one consideration which must nev-
er be omitted in e tariff change is the Im-
perative need of preserving the American
standard of living for the American work-
lngman. . The tariff rate must never fall
below that which will protect the Ameri-
can woritlnglnan by allowing for the dif-
ference between the general labor cost
here and abroad. so as at least to equal—
in the conditions arising from the dif-
ference in the'atandard of labor here and
abroad—a difference which it should be
our aim to foster in so far as it repre-
sents the nectle of better educated. bettel‘
paid. bt-ltcr fed and better clothed worlt-‘
huzmcn of a higher type. than any to be
found in a foreign country. At all haz-
arda. and no muttcr' what else is sought
for or accomplished by changes of the
tariff, the American warltingmun must be
protected in his standard of wages—that
is, in his standard of living—and must be
secured the fullest opportunity of em-
ployment. Q r laws should in no event
afford advan age to foreign industries
over American industries. They should
in no event til)‘if‘fla than equalize the dif-
ference in conditions at homo and
abrbad.‘f
it is a matter of regret that the pro-
tective tariff policy. which during the last
forty odd years has become part of the
very fiber of the country. is not now ac-
cepted as definitely established. Surely
we haven right to any that It has passed
beyond therdomnht of theory and a right
to expect that not only its original ad—
vocates. but those who at one time dia-
trusti-d it on theoretic grounds, should
now acquiesce in the results that have
been proved over and over again by ac—
tual experience. These forty odd years
have [won the most prosperous years this
nation in: ever seen. Beyond attention
this prosperity could not have come if
the Anwl‘ican people had not possessed
the ncccaitary thrift. energy and business
intciliur-ucc to turn their vast material
resmn-cca to account. But it is no less
true that it is our economic policy as re-
gards the tariff and finance will-h has
enabled us as a nation tormakc euci good
use of the individual capacities of our
citizeriaaiul the natural resources of our
country. livery class of our people is
benefited by the protective tariff. Dur-
ing the last few years the merchant has
seen the export trade ofthla country
grow [notcr than e\cr in our previous
history. The manufacturer could not
keep his factory running if it were not
for the. protective tariff. The wagework-
or would do wvll to remember that if pro-
tection is “robbery" and is to be punished
ucmrdlugly he will be the tirst to pay tho
penaltyJ‘nr either he will be turned adrift
entirely or his wages will be cut down to
the starvation point. As conclusively
shown by the bulletins of the bureau of
labor. the purchasing power of the aver-
age want-”received by the wageworker
has grown faster than the cost of living,
and this in spite of the continual short-
ening of working hours. The accumulat-
ed savings of the workingmcn of the
country. as shown by the deposits in the
savings banks. have increased by leaps
and bounds. At no time in the history
of this or any other country has there
been an era so productive of material
benefit alike to workingmun and employ-
er as during the seven years that have
Just paused.
'The farmer has benefited quite as
much as the manufacturer. the merchant
and the wagewurkcr. The most wel-
come and impressive faot established by
the last census is the wide and even dis-
tribution of wealth among all classes of
our countrymen. The chief agencies in
producing “this distribution are shown by
the census to be the development of man-
ufncturos and the application of new in-
ventions to universal use. The result has
been an increasing interdependence of
agriculture and manufactures. Agricul-
ture is now, an it always has been. the
basis of civilization. The 0.000.000 forms
of the United States. operated by men
who as a class are steadfast. single mind-
ed and industrious. form the basis of all
the other achievements of the American
people and are more fruitful than all
their other resources. The men on those
000.000 farms receive from the protective
tariff what they need most. and that is
the best of all possible markets. All oth-
er classes depend upon the farmer, but
the farmer in turn depends upon the
market they furnish him for their pro-
duce. The annual output of our agricul-
tural products is nearly four billions of
dollars. Their increase in value has been
prodigious. although agriculture has lan-
guished-in mostl other countries. and the
main factor ln this increase is the corre-
sponding increase of our manufacturing
industries. American farmers have‘ pros-
pered because 'the growthmf. their mar-
ket has kept pace with the growth of
their farms. The additional market con-
tinually furnished for agricultural prod-
ucts by domestic manufacturers has
been far in excess of the outlet to other
lands. An export trade in farm products
is necessary-'10 dispose of our-lurplus,
and the export trade of our farmers. both
In animal products and in plant products.
has very largely increased. “’lthout the
enlarged home market to keep his surplus
down we should have to reduce produc-
tion or else feed the world at lees than
the cost of production. In the forty
years ending in 1900 the total value of
farm property increased twelve and a
half billions of dollars, the termergain-
lag even more during this period than
the manufacturer. Long ago derpro—
ductlon would have checked the marvel-
ous development of our, national auricul-
tare but for the steadily increasing de-
mand of American manufacturers for
farm products required as raw materials
for stwdliy expandinx‘ ladultrl' es. The
‘farmer has become dependent upon the
manufactprer toutilise that portion of
his produce which does not at) directly to
food supply. in 1900 iiper cent. are lit-
tle over half. of the total ”value of the
farm products of the nation was con-
eumed in manufacturing industries as the
raw material a! the factories. Evidently
the manufacturer is the runner: best
and most direct‘euatomer. lioreover. the
American manufacturer purchasel hll
farm suppliee almost exclusively in bi.
own country. Niueatentlu of all the raw
materials of every kind and description
command in American manufacturiee are
or American production: The'mannue-
toting establishments tend steadily'tomi-
grate into the heart of the stem “flail:
tun-i alum The cream or the mitte-
it
{ cm” In the value of term lands. weal
canal. notably the competition between
new farm land! and old farm iande. tend
here and thére to oblcure what is happen.
in. but it in as certain ill the operation
of anyreconomio law that In the country
as a Whole form vuluee will culttinuc to
increase as the partneruhiv bvlw. on man-
utacturcr. and farmer arown more inu-
inatc through further advance of indus-
trial lcleueez‘ The American mum-fuc-
tllrcr never could htlvc placed this nation
at the head of the manufacturhm na-
tlune of the world if he had not had In—
hlnd Manhattan him every Variety 0'
raw material. the exhaustion resources
of the Amerhw for .l. developed by the
skill and the enterprise of intelligent and
educated American farmers. (in the oth-
er hand. the debt of the farmers to tho
manufacturers is equally heavy. and the
tutors of American agriculture is bound
up in the flitul'o of American manufuev
force. The two industries have become.
under the economic policy of our govern-
ment. so closely interwoven. ao mutually
interdependent. that neither can hope to
maintain itself at the high water mark
of progrei‘s without the other. Whatever
maker; to the advantage of one iatequaliy
to the advantage of the other.
So it Is as between the capitalist and
tho wagcworker. licl‘e and lbcrc there
may be an unequal sharing as belwuen
the two in the benefits that have come by
protection. but; benefits have come to
both. and a. reversal ill policy would mean
damage to both, and. while the damage
would be heavy to all. it would be. heav-
iest and it Would full Room-st upon those
who are .paid in the form of wages each
week or each month for that wcclt's or
that month's work.
Conditions change. and the laws must
be modlilcd from time to time to fit new
exigencies. but the genuine underlying
principle of protection. as it has been em-
bodied tn all but one of the American tar-
iff laws for the last forty years. has
worked out results so benciiccut. so even<
ly and widely spread. so advantageous
alike to farmers and capitalists and work-
iumncn, to commerce and trade of every
kind, that the American people. if they
show their usual practical business sense.
will insist that when these laws are mod-
ified they shall be modified with the ot—
most cure and conservatism and by the
friends and not the enemies of the pro-—
tective system. They cannot afford to
trust tho modification to those who treat
protection and robbery as synonymous
terms.
in closing what I have to say about
the system of promotlnar American indus-
try let me add a word of cordial agree-
nfcnt with the policy of in some way in-
cluding within its benefits by appropriate
legislation the American merchant ma-
rine. it is not creditable to us as a. nu-
tlon that our great export and import
trade should be well nigh exclusively in
the hands of foreigners. .
it is difficult to know if our opponents
are really sincere in their demand for
the reduction of the army. 1f insincere
thrc is no need for comment. and if slnv
cc e what shall We say in speaking to ra-
tional persons of an appeal to reduce an
army ofI 00.000 men which Is taking care
of the interests of over 80.000000 people?
The army is now relatively smaller than
it was in the days of Washington. when
on the peace establishment there were
3.000 soldiers. ‘whiio there were a little
less than 4.000.003 of population; smaller
than it was in the peaceful days of Jef-
ferson. when there Were 5,100 soldiers to
5,300,000 population. There is now one sol-
dier to every Lilli) people in this country'—«
less than one-tenthcf l per cent. We
cannot be spiced seriously to argue as to
the amount of possible tyranny contained
in these figures. The army as it is now is
as small as it can possibly be and serve
its purpose 'as an effective nucleus for
the organisation. equipment and supply
of a volunteer army in time of need. it
is now used. us never before. for aiding in
the upbuiiding of the organized militia oi!
the country. The war department is cm A.
gazed in a systematic effort to strengthen ' ’
and develop the national guard in the
several stately—at! Witness. among many
other instances. the great field maneuvers
at. Munossus which have just closed. If
our opponents should come into power
they could not reduce our army below its
prcsent size without greatly impairing its
efficiency and abandoning part of the na-
tional duty. In abort. in this matter if
our opponents should come into power
they would either have to treat this pan
ticuiar promised theycar 1904 as they
now treat .thepromises they made in 1806
and moo-mat is. as pollscssing no binding
force—or else they would have to embark
on u policy-which would be ludicrous at
the moment and fraught with grave dan-
ger'io the national honorlin the future.
Our opponents contend that the gov-
ernment is now administered extrava-
gantiy. and ithat‘flhereus' there was .“a.
surplus of $80,000.000‘in 1900" there is “a
deficit of more tamtmnoomo" in the year
that has Just ulcsad.
This deficit is imaginary and is obtain-
ed by including in the ordinary current
expenses the sum of ”(1000.000 which was
paid for the right of Way of the Panama.
canal out of the accumulated surplus to
the treasury. Comparing the current or
ordinary expenditures for theetwo years.
there was a surplus of nearly $80,000,000
for the year 1900 and of only a. little more
than rumour) for the year that has lost
closed. But this diminution of the annual
surplus was brought about designediy by
the abolition of tho’war taxes in the in-
terval between the two dates. The acts
of March 2. l901.'and April 12. 1902, cut
down the internalrevenuetaxcs to on
amount estimatedjet “06.000000 a year. In
other words. the reduction of taxation has
been considerably greater than the reduc-
tion in the annual surplus. Since the close
of the war with Spain there has been no
substantial change lathe rate of annual
oxpenditurem All compared with the ill-
cal yesrended in June. 1901. for example,
the fiscal year that has Just closed show-
ed a relatively small increase in expendi-
lure. excluding the canal payment al-
ready referred to. while the‘yeor preview
showed a relatively small decrease. -
The expenditures of the nation have
been managed in a spirit of economy In
far removed from waste as from nig-
gardilnesa. and in the ruture every eflort
will be continued to secure an economy on
mm as l- constrain with efficiency.
Once more our opponents have promised.
what they cannot orklhould not perform.
The prime reason whythe expenses of the
government fihaVe. increased at recent.
years lite be found in the fact that the
people aft/er mature thought have deemed
it wine». luv .-eertam new forms of
work for the bile undertaken by 010
public. ,3 With necessitates Jae-n expendi-
tures. for tonnage continue for rural free
delivery. or not ldxpéctio‘n of facet-
under‘the depot] eat in agriculture. or
for irrigation. ‘ f't then hit 9 ridi-
tum out nece-ery No one well eeri-
ooelv :mm “abandon them‘. and yet
ft in i left: ,d against the increased.
expense.“ the government unless it in la,-
tenied to cut nova: th’e very expenditures.
which cltlle the increase. The pensions
to the voter-full of the civil war are de- . ~ .~
mended by every sentiment of record eel. ~
gratitude. The rural me delivery tell! »
the greatest flea and convenience tout,
farmers. a body of men who live tinder
conditions which make them «away .
receive little direct return for that. It.
my swiftly“ the» 9390”!“ the ,
men. . e lain. n poicy Ilium
and semi-rid region- of the teen We
caught with Alienation”! W in
reaching good to the acid: sittiere, the
momenta-n when W“ are.
«wane-la feature in >W’e
pulley. “ be our opponents
new for the rum ‘ an? 3:
our: . ' ’
Norwalk Chronicler