shown by so many commercial bodies throughout
the country in the reorganization of the service is
heartily commended to your attention. Several bills
providing for a new consular service have in recent
years been submitted to the Congress. They are
based upon the just principle that appointments to
the service should be made only after a practical
test of the applicant's fitness, that promotions should
be governed by trustworthiness, adaptability, and
zeal in the performance of duty, and that the tenure
9— Vol. XiV
594 Presidential Addresses
of office should be unaffected by partisan consid-
erations.
The guardianship and fostering of our rapidly
expanding foreign commerce, the protection of
American citizens resorting to foreign countries in
lawful pursuit of their affairs, and the maintenance
of the dignity of the Nation abroad, combine to make
it essential that our consuls should be men of char-
acter, knowledge, and enterprise. It is true that the
service is now, in the main, efficient, but a standard
of excellence can not be permanently maintained un-
til the principles set forth in the bills heretofore
submitted to the Congress on this subject are en-
acted into law.
In my judgment the time has arrived when we
should definitely make up our minds to recognize the
Indian as an individual and not as a member o'f a
tribe. The General Allotment Act is a mighty pul-
verizing engine to break up the tribal mass. It acts
directly upon the family and the individual. Under
its provisions some sixty thousand Indians have al-
ready become citizens of the United States. We
should now break up the tribal funds, doing for
them what allotment does for the tribal lands ; that
is, they should be divided into individual holdings.
There will be a transition period during which the
funds will in many cases have to be held in trust.
This is the case also with the lands. A stop should
be put upon the indiscriminate permission to Indians
to lease their allotments. The effort should be stead-
And State Papers 595
ily to make the Indian work like any other man on
his own ground. The marriage laws of the Indians
should be made the same as those of the whites.
In the schools the education should be elementary
and largely industrial. The need of higher educa-
tion among the Indians is very, very limited. On
the reservations care should be taken to try to suit
the teaching to the needs of the particular Indian.
There is no use in attempting to induce agriculture in
a country suited only for cattle raising, where the
Indian should be made a stock grower. The ration
system, which is merely the corral and the reserva-
tion system, is highly detrimental to the Indians. It
promotes beggary, perpetuates pauperism, and stifles
industry. It is an effectual barrier to progress. It
must continue to a greater or less degree as long
as tribes are herded on reservations and have every-
thing in common. The Indian should be treated as
an individual — like the white man. During the
change of treatment inevitable hardships will occur ;
every effort should be made to minimize these hard-
ships; but we should not because of them hesitate
to make the change. There should be a continuous
reduction in the number of agencies.
In dealing with the aboriginal races few things are
more important than to preserve them from the ter-
rible physical and moral degradation resulting from
the liquor traffic. We are doing all we can to save
our own Indian tribes from this evil. Wherever by
international agreement this same end can be at-
S9^ Presidential Addresses
tallied as regards races where we do not possess
exclusive control, every effort should be made to
bring it about.
I bespeak the most cordial support from the Con-
gress and the people for the St. Louis Exposition to
Commemorate the One Hundredth Anniversary of
the Louisiana Purchase. This purchase was the
greatest instance of expansion in our history. It
definitely decided that we were to become a great
continental republic, by far the foremost power in the
Western Hemisphere. It is one of three or four great
landmarks in our history — the great turning-points
in our development. It is eminently fitting that all
our people should join with heartiest good will in
commemorating it, and the citizens of St. Louis, of
Missouri, of all the adjacent region, are entitled to
every aid in making the celebration a noteworthy
event in our annals. We earnestly hope that for-
eign nations will appreciate the deep interest our
country takes in this Exposition, and our view of its
importance from every standpoint, and that they
will participate in securing its success. The Na-
tional Government should be represented by a full
and complete set of exhibits.
The people of Charleston, with great energy and
civic spirit, are carrying on an Exposition which
will continue throughout most of the present session
of the Congress. I heartily commend this Exposi-
tion to the good will of the people. It deserves all
And State Papers 597
the encouragement that can be given it. The man-
agers of the Charleston Exposition have requested
the Cabinet officers to place thereat the government
exhibits which have been at Buffalo, promising to
pay the necessary expenses. I have taken the re-
sponsibility of directing that this be done, for I feel
that it is due to Charleston to help her in her praise-
worthy effort. In my opinion the management
should not be required to pay all these expenses. I
earnestly recommend that the Congress appropriate
at once the small sum necessary for this purpose.
The Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo has just
closed. Both from the industrial and the artistic
standpoint this Exposition has been in a high de-
gree creditable and useful, not merely to Buffalo but
to the United States. The terrible tragedy of the
President's assassination interfered materially with
its being a financial success. The Exposition was pe-
culiarly in harmony with the trend of our public
policy, because it represented an effort to bring into
closer touch all the peoples of the Western Hemi-
sphere, and give them an increasing sense of unity.
Such an effort was a genuine service to the entire
American public.
The advancement of the highest interests of na-
tional science and learning and the custody of ob-
jects of art and of the valuable results of scientific
expeditions conducted by the United States have
been committed to the Smithsonian Institution. In
598 Presidential Addresses
furtherance of its declared purpose — for the "in-
crease and diffusion of knowledge among men" —
the Congress has from time to time given it other
important functions. Such trusts have been exe-
cuted by the Institution with notable fidelity. There
should be no halt in the work of the Institution, in
accordance w-ith the plans which its Secretary has
presented, for the preservation of the vanishing races
of great North American animals in the National
Zoological Park. The urgent needs of the National
Museum are recommended to the favorable con-
sideration of tlie Congress.
Perhaps the most characteristic educational move-
ment of the past fifty years is that which has created
the modern public library and developed it into broad
and active service. There are now over five thou-
sand public libraries in the United -States, the prod-
uct of this period. In addition to accumulating ma-
terial, they are also striving by organization, by
improvement in method, and by co-operation, to give
greater efficiency to the material they hold, to make
it more widely useful, and by avoidance of unneces-
sary duplication in process to reduce the cost of its
administration.
In these efforts they naturally look for assistance
to the Federal library, which, though still the Li-
brary of Congress, and so entitled, is the one national
library of the United States. Already the largest
single collection of books on the Western Hemi-
sphere, and certain to increase more rapidly than
And State Papers 599
any other through purchase, exchange, and the oper-
ation of the copyright law, this Hbrary has a unique
opportunity to render to the hbraries of this coun-
try — to American scholarship — service of the high-
est importance. It is housed in a building which is
the largest and most magnificent yet erected for li-
brary uses. Resources are now being provided which
will develop the collection properly, equip it with the
apparatus and service necessary to its effective use,
render its bibliographic work widely available, and
enable it to become, not merely a centre of research,
but the chief factor in great co-operative efforts for
the diffusion of knowledge and the advancement of
learning.
For the sake of good administration, sound econ-
omy, and the advancement of science, the Census
Office as now constituted should be made a perma-
nent government bureau. This would insure better,
cheaper, and more satisfactory work, in the interest
not only of our business but of statistic, economic,
and social science.
The remarkable growth of the postal service is
shown in the fact that its revenues have doubled and
its expenditures have nearly doubled within twelve
years. Its progressive development compels con-
stantly increasing outlay, but in this period of busi-
ness energy and prosperity its receipts grow so much
faster than its expenses that the annual deficit has
been steadily reduced from $11,411,779 in 1897 to
6oo Presidential Addresses
$3'923.727 in 1901. Among- recent postal advances
the success of rural free delivery wherever estab-
lished has been so marked, and actual experience has
made its benefits so plain, that the demand for its
extension is general and urgent.
It is just that the great agricultural population
should share in the improvement of the service. The
number of rural routes now in operation is 6,009,
practically all established within three years, and
there are 6,000 applications awaiting action. It is
expected that the number in operation at the close
of the current fiscal year will reach 8,600. The mail
will then be daily carried to the doors of 5,700,000
of our people who have heretofore been dependent
upon distant offices, and one-third of all that portion
of the country which is adapted to it will be covered
by this kind of service.
The full measure of postal progress which might
be realized has long been hampered and obstructed
by the heavy burden imposed on the Government
through the intrenched and well-understood abuses
which have grown up in connection with second-class
mail rhatter. The extent of this burden appears when
it is stated that while the second-class matter makes
nearly three-fifths of the weight of all the mail, it
paid for the last fiscal year only $4,294,445 of the
aggregate postal revenue of $111,631,193. If the
pound rate of postage, which produces the large loss
thus entailed, and which was fixed by the Congress
with the purpose of encouraging the dissemination
of public information, were limited to the legitimate
And State Papers 6oi
newspapers and periodicals actually contemplated by
the law, no just exception could be taken. That ex-
pense would be the recognized and accepted cost of
a liberal public policy deliberately adopted for a jus-
tifiable end. But much of the matter which enjoys
the privileged rate is wholly outside of the intent of
the law, and has secured admission only through an
evasion of its requirements or through lax construc-
tion. The proportion of such wrongly included mat-
ter is estimated by postal experts to be one-half of
the whole volume of second-class mail. If it be only
one-third or one-quarter, the magnitude of the bur-
den is apparent. The Post-Office Department has
now undertaken to remove the abuses so far as is
possible by a stricter application of the law ; and it
should be sustained in its effort.
Owing to the rapid growth of our power and our
interests on the Pacific, whatever happens in China
must be of the keenest national concern to us.
The general terms of the settlement of the ques-
tions growing out of the anti-foreign uprisings in
China of 1900, having been formulated in a joint
note addressed to China by the representatives of
the injured powers in December last, were promptly
accepted by the Chinese Government. After pro-
tracted conferences the plenipotentiaries of the
several powers were able to sign a final protocol
with the Chinese plenipotentiaries on the 7th of last
September, setting forth the measures taken by
China in compliance with the demands of the joint
6o2 Presidential Addresses
note, and expressing their satisfaction therewith.
It will be laid before the Congress, with a report of
the plenipotentiary on behalf of the United States,
Mr. William Woodville Rockhill, to whom high
praise is due for the tact, good judgment, and en-
ergy he has displayed in performing an excep-
tionally difficult and delicate task.
The agreement reached disposes in a manner sat-
isfactory to the powers of the various grounds of
complaint, and will contribute materially to better
future relations between China and the powers.
Reparation has been made by China for the murder
of foreigners during the uprising and punishment
has been inflicted on the officials, however high in
rank, recognized as responsible for or having par-
ticipated in the outbreak. Official examinations
have been forbidden for a period of five years in
all cities in which foreigners have been murdered or
cruelly treated, and edicts have been issued making
all officials directly responsible for the future safety
of foreigners and for the suppression of violence
against them.
Provisions have been made for ensuring the future
safety of the foreign representatives in Pekin by
setting aside for their exclusive use a quarter of the
city which the powers can make defensible and in
which they can if necessary maintain permanent
military guards; by dismantling the military works
between the capital and the sea ; and by allowing the
temporary maintenance of foreign military posts
along this line. An edict has been issued by the
And State Papers 603
Emperor of China prohibiting for two years the im-
portation of arms and ammunition into China.
China has agreed to pay adequate indemnities to the
states, societies, and individuals for the losses sus-
tained by them and for the expenses of the military
expeditions sent by the various powers to protect
life and restore order.
Under the provisions of the joint note of Decem-
ber, 1900, China has agreed to revise the treaties
of commerce and navigation and to take such other
steps for the purpose of facilitating foreign trade as
the foreign powers may decide to be needed.
The Chinese Government has agreed to partici-
pate financially in the work of bettering the water
approaches to Shanghai and to Tien-jjgn, the centres
of foreign trade in central and northern China, and
an international conservancy board, in which the
Chinese Government is largely represented, has been
provided for the improvement of the Shanghai
River and the control of its navigation. In the
same line of commercial advantages a revision of the
present tariff on imports has been assented to for the
purpose of substituting specific for at/ valorem duties,
and an expert has been sent abroad on the part of
the United States to assist in this work. A list of
articles to remain free of duty, including flour,
cereals, and rice, gold and silver coin and bullion,
has also been agreed upon in the settlement.
During these troubles our Government has un-
swervingly advocated moderation, and has ma-
terially aided in bringing about an adjustment
6o4 Presidential Addresses
which tends to enhance the welfare of China and
to lead to a more beneficial intercourse between the
Empire and the modern world ; while in the critical
period of revolt and massacre we did our full share
in safeguarding life and property, restoring order,
and vindicating the national interest and honor. It
behooves us to continue in these paths, doing what
lies in our power to foster feelings of good will,
and leaving no efifort untried to work out the great
policy of full and fair intercourse between China
and the nations, on a footing of equal rights and ad-
vantages to all. We advocate the "open door" with
all that it implies; not merely the procurement of
enlarged commercial opportunities on the coasts,
but access to the interior by the waterways with
which China has been so extraordinarily favored.
Only by bringing the people of China into peaceful
and friendly community of trade with all the peoples
of the earth can the work now auspiciously begun
be carried to fruition. In the attainment of this
purpose we necessarily claim parity of treatment,
under the conventions, throughout the Empire for
our trade and our citizens with those of all other
powers.
We view with lively interest and keen hopes of
beneficial results the proceedings of the Pan-Ameri-
can Congress, convoked at the invitation of Mexico,
and now sitting at the Mexican capital. The dele-
gates of the United States are under the most liberal
instructions to co-operate with their colleagues in
And State Papers 605
all matters promising advantage to the great family
of American commonwealths, as well in their re-
lations among themselves as in their domestic ad-
vancement and in their intercourse with the world
at large.
My predecessor communicated to the Congress
the fact that the Weil and La Abra awards against
Mexico have been adjudged by the highest courts
of our country to have been obtained through fraud
and perjury on the part of the claimants, and that
in accordance with the acts of the Congress the
money remaining in the hands of the Secretary of
State on these awards has been returned to Mexico.
A considerable portion of the money received from
Mexico on these awards had been paid by this Gov-
ernment to the claimants before the decision of the
courts was rendered. My judgment is that the
Congress should return to Mexico an amount equal
to the sums thus already paid to the claimants.
The death of Queen Victoria caused the people
of the United States deep and heartfelt sorrow, to
which the Government gave full expression. When
President McKinley died, our nation in turn re-
ceived from every quarter of the British Empire
expressions of grief and sympathy no less sincere.
The death of the Empress Dowager Frederick of
Germany also aroused the genuine sympathy of the
American people; and this sympathy was cordially
reciprocated by Germany when the President was
assassinated. Indeed, from every quarter of the
6o6 Presidential Addresses
civilized world we received, at the time of the Presi-
dent's death, assurances oi such grief and regard as
to touch the hearts of our people. In the midst of
our affliction we reverently thank the Almighty
that we are at peace with the nations of mankind;
and we firmly intend that our policy shall be such
as to continue unbroken these international relations
of mutual respect and good will.
Theodore Roosevelt.
White House,
December j, iqoi.
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES COMMUNICATED TO THE TWO
HOUSES OF CONGRESS AT THE BEGIN-
NING OF THE SECOND SESSION OF THE
FIFTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS
To the Senate and House of Representatives:
We still continue in a period of unbounded pros-
perity. This prosperity is not the creature of law,
but undoubtedly the laws under which we work
have been instrumental in creating the conditions
which made it possible, and by unwise legislation it
would be easy enough to destroy it. There will un-
doubtedly be periods of depression. The wave will
recede; but the tide will advance. This nation is
seated on a continent flanked by two great oceans.
It is composed of men the descendants of pioneers,
or, in a sense, pioneers themselves ; of men win-
nowed out from among the nations of the Old World
by the energy, boldness, and love of adventure found
And State Papers 607
in their own eager hearts. Such a nation, so placed,
will surely wrest success from fortune.
As a people we have played a large part in the
world, and we are bent upon making our future
even larger than the past. In particular, the events
of the last four years have definitely decided that,
for woe or for weal, our place must be great among
the nations. We may either fail greatly or succeed
greatly; but we can not avoid the endeavor from
which either great failure or great success must
come. Even if we would, we can not play a small
part. If we should try, all that would follow would
be that we should play a large part ignobly and
shamefully.
But our people, the sons of the men of the Civil
War, the sons of the men who had iron in their
blood, rejoice in the present and face the future
high of heart and resolute of wnll. Ours is not the
creed of the weakling and the coward ; ours is the
gospel of hope and of triumphant endeavor. We
do not shrink from the struggle before us. There
are many problems for us to face at the outset of
the twentieth century — grave problems abroad and
still graver at home ; but we know that we can solve
them and solve them well, provided only that we
bring to the solution the qualities of head and heart
which were shown by the men who, in the days
of Washington, founded this government, and, in
the days of Lincoln, preserved it.
No country has ever occupied a higher plane of
material well-being than ours at the present mo-
6o8 Presidential Addresses
ment. This well-being is due to no sudden or acci-
dental causes, but to the play of the economic forces
in this country for over a century ; to our laws, our
sustained and continuous policies; above all, to the
high individual average of our citizenship. Great
fortunes have been won by those who have taken
the lead in this phenomenal industrial development,
and most of these fortunes have been won, not by
doing evil, but as an incident to action which has
benefited the community as a whole. Never before
has material well-being been so widely diffused
among our people. Great fortunes have been ac-
cumulated, and yet in the aggregate these fortunes
are small indeed when compared to the wealth of
the people as a whole. The plain people are better
off than they have ever been before. The insurance
companies, which are practically mutual benefit so-
cieties — especially helpful to men of moderate means
— represent accumulations of capital which are
among the largest in this country. There are more
deposits in the savings banks, more owners of farms,
more well-paid wage-workers in this country now
than ever before in our history. Of course, when
the conditions have favored the growth of so much
that was good, they have also favored somewhat the
growth of what was evil. It is eminently necessary
that we should endeavor to cut out this evil, but let
us keep a due sense of proportion ; let us not in fix-
ing our gaze upon the lesser evil forget the greater
good. The evils are real and some of them are
menacing, but they are the outgrowth, not of misery
And State Papers 609
or decadence, but of prosperity — of the progress of
our gigantic industrial development. This indus-
trial development must not be checked, but side by
side with it should go such progressive regulation
as will diminish the evils. We should fail in our
duty if we did not try to remedy the evils, but we
shall succeed only if we' proceed patiently, with
practical common-sense as well as resolution, sepa-
rating the good from the bad and holding on to the
former while endeavoring to get rid of the latter.
In my Message to the present Congress at its first
session I discussed at length the question of the
regulation of those big corporations commonly doing
an interstate business, often with some tendency to
monopoly, which are popularly known as trusts.
The experience of the past year has emphasized, in
my opinion, the desirability of the steps I then pro-
posed. A fundamental requisite of social efficiency
is a high standard of individual energy and excel-
lence ; but this is in no wise inconsistent with power
to act in combination for aims which can not so well
be achieved by the individual acting alone. A fun-
damental base of civilization is the inviolability of
property ; but this is in no wise inconsistent with the
right of society to regulate the exercise of the arti-
ficial powers which it confers upon the owners of
property, under the name of corporate franchises,