And State Papers 621 



has already passed the Senate be enacted into law. 

 The creation of such a department would in itself 

 be an advance toward dealing with and exercising 

 supervision over the whole subject of the great 

 corporations doing an interstate business; and with 

 this end in view, the Congress should endow the 

 department with large powers, which could be in- 

 creased as experience might show the need. 



I hope soon to submit to the Senate a reciprocity 

 treaty with Cuba. On May 20 last the United 

 States kept its promise to the island by formally 

 vacating Cuban soil and turning Cuba over to those 

 whom her own people had chosen as the first officials 

 of the new republic. 



Cuba lies at our doors, and whatever affects her 

 for good or for ill affects us also. So much have 

 our people felt this that in the Platt Amendment we 

 definitely took the ground that Cuba must hereafter 

 have closer political relations with us than with any 

 other power. Thus in a sense Cuba has become a 

 part of our international political system. This 

 makes it necessary that in return she should be given 

 some of the benefits of becoming part of our eco- 

 nomic system. It is, from our own standpoint, a 

 short-sighted and mischievous policy to fail to 

 recognize this need. Moreover, it is unworthy of 

 a mighty and generous nation, itself the greatest 

 and most successful republic in history, to refuse to 

 stretch out a helping hand to a young and weak 

 sister republic just entering upon its career of inde- 



