President Roosevelt's first message to Congress is a true reflex of the man himself; it is sincere, vigorous, able, broad-gauged, patriotic. It is a model of healthy conservatism and dignity, yet the spirit of buoyant progress breathes through every line of its terse and vigorous English. On some questions the President takes advanced ground, but he carries the reader with him by the force of his convincing logic. In his treatment of all public questions that come within the scope of the message, he is frank, straight-forward, and courageous. On the whole the message is an exceptionally valuable contribution to the discussion of the leading issues of today. It may be confidently asserted that it will take rank among the distinguished state papers of America.

....He gives a clear and true definition of anarchy as an enemy of any and all forms of social order, good or bad. Existing legislation does not furnish society adequate protection against this new danger; and the President 2recommends, among other things, that the federal courts be given jurisdiction over any man who kills or attempts to kill the president or any man in the line of succession to the presidency. But the President goes further. He brands, and justly so, anarchy as a crime against the whole human race. It follows that, like manstealing and piracy, it should be made an offense against the law of nations, and be so declared by treaties among all civilized powers. In recent years several tentative efforts have been made to enlist all nations in a common war upon anarchy. Thus far such attempts have been barren of tangible results. President Roosevelt's advocacy of international co-operation in this matter is assured of a cordial response in other countries and is likely to lead to definite action.

The President next devotes his attention to the "trust question", which is discussed in a broad and comprehensive manner. The industrial development has been so rapid and momentous that the old laws which were good enough in the time of our fathers are no longer sufficient to regulate the accumulation and distribution of wealth. Hence we are confronted with a new social problem, which we must face with wisdom and courage. The President emphasizes 3the danger and ineffectiveness of rash and crude legislation. On the other hand, modern industrial life presents grave evils such as overcapitalization, which should be and can be corrected.

The first prerequisite to an intelligent and effective dealing with this problem is full knowledge, which can only be gained through full publicity. The next step is to make all corporations doing an interstate business subject to the control of the nation. In this way, the President believes, we shall be able, not to prevent the combination and concentration of wealth -- which is not desired by public opinion -- but to control the large corporations so as to safeguard the rights of the people.

A very interesting chapter of the message deals with the irrigation and reclamation of arid lands. The people agree with the President that this question is of large and growing importance, and that in dealing with this problem we must bear in mind that we are building for future generations. They 4are also in thorough agreement with his policy, national ownership and control of the water supplies, reservoirs, and canals. It is safe to say that the President's broad and enlightened policy on this question will be accepted by the people as the safest and best course to be pursued. No part of the message surpasses the discussion of the arid land question in lofty, farseeing, and inspiring statesmanship.

The President is opposed to a general revision of the tariff law at the present time and says so in unequivocal language. He is a firm believer in reciprocity as the "handmaiden of protection" and recommends suitable reciprocity arrangements as a means of securing a needed extension of our foreign markets.

Before taking his oath of office the President gave the people a solemn pledge to follow faithfully in the steps of his predecessor. Though he himself enjoyed 5the confidence of the people in a marked degree, the wise declaration allayed the apprehensions even of the timid. He has faithfully kept that pledge in every particular; but his message is the most conspicuous and emphatic assurance of an unbroken continuity of policy. It has established the new president securely in the confidence of his countrymen; they all know now that the "rough rider" is not only a dashing but also a wise leader--not only a courageous and able, but also a safe, president.