While our country numbers among its best citizens many of those of foreign birth, yet those who now enter in violation of our laws by that very act thereby place themselves in a class of undesirables.  Investigation reveals that any considerable number are coming here in defiance of our immigration restrictions, it will undoubtedly create the necessity for the registration of all aliens.  We ought to have no prejudice against an alien because he is an alien.  The standard which we apply to our inhabitants is that of manhood, not place of birth.  Restrictive immigration is to a large degree for economic purposes.  It is applied in order that we may not have a larger annual increment of good people within our borders than we can weave into our economic fabric in such a way as to supply their needs without undue injury to ourselves.

NATIONAL DEFENSE

Never before in time of peace has our country maintained so large and effective a military force as it now has.  The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, and Organized Reserves represent a strength of about 558,400 men.  These forces are well trained, well equipped, and high in morale.

A sound selective service act giving broad authority for the mobilization in time of peril of all the resources of the country, both persons and materials, is needed to perfect our defense policy in accordance with our ideals of equality.  The provision for more suitable housing to be paid for out of funds derived from the sale of excess lands, pending before the last Congress, ought to be brought forward and passed.  Reasonable replacements ought to be made to maintain a sufficient ammunition reserve.

The Navy has the full treaty tonnage of capital ships.  Work is going forward in modernizing the older ones, building aircraft carriers, additional fleet submarines, and fast scout cruisers, but we are carefully avoiding anything that might be construed as a competition in armaments with other nations.  The joint Army and Navy maneuvers at Hawaii, followed by the cruise of a full Battle Fleet to Australia and New Zealand, were successfully carried out.  These demonstrations revealed a most satisfactory condition of the ships and the men engaged.

Last year at my suggestion the General Board of the Navy made an investigation and report on the relation of aircraft to warships.  As a result authorizations and appropriations were made for more scout cruisers and fleet submarines and for completing aircraft carriers and equipping them with necessary planes.  Additional training in aviation was begun at the Military and Naval Academies.  A method of coordination and cooperation of the Army and Navy and the principal aircraft builders is being perfected.  At the suggestion of the Secretaries of War and Navy I appointed a special board to make a further study of the problem of aircraft.