ery much. For this action many criticised the
President severely, but to this he paid no attention, satisfied that he
had done his duty as his conscience dictated.

[Illustration: PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AT HIS DESK.]

President Roosevelt's first message to Congress was awaited with
considerable interest. It was remembered that he was the youngest
Executive our White House had ever known, and many were curious to know
what he would say and what he proposed to do.

The Fifty-seventh Congress of the United States assembled at Washington,
December 2, 1901, and on the day following, President Roosevelt's first
annual message was read in both Senate and House of Representatives.

It proved to be a surprisingly long and strong state paper, and by many
was considered one of the best messages sent to Congress in many years.
It touched upon general conditions in our country, spoke for
improvements in the army and the navy, called for closer attention to
civil service reform, for a correction of the faults in the post-office
system, and for a clean administration in the Philippines, Hawaii, and
Porto Rico. It spoke of several great needs of the government, and added
that the Gold Standard Act had been found timely and judicious.

"President Roosevelt is all right," was the general comment, after the
message had been printed in the various papers of our country. "He is
looking ahead, and he knows exactly what this country wants and needs.
We are prosperous now, and if we want to continue so, we must keep our
hands on the plough, and not look backward."

The first break in the old Cabinet occurred on December 17, when
Postmaster General Charles E. Smith resigned. His place was immediately
filled by the appointment of Henry C. Payne, of Wisconsin. Soon after
this Secretary Gage of the Treasury resigned, and his place was filled
by former governor Leslie M. Shaw, of Iowa.

For a long time there had been before the American people various
suggestions to build a canal across Central America, to join the
Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, so that the ships wanting to go from
one body of water to the other would not have to take the long and
expensive trip around Cape Horn.

In years gone by the French had also contemplated such a canal, and had
even gone to work at the Isthmus of Panama, making an elaborate survey
and doing not a little digging. But the work was beyond them, and the
French Canal Company soon ran out of funds and went