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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1904)
SUPPLEMENT TO IIEPPNER GAZETTE. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1904. PRESIDENT'S JESSAGE As Delivered to the 58th Ses sion of Congress. CAUTIONS AGAINST EXTRAVAGANCE Irrigation, Forests, Public Lands, Alaska and Our Island Possessions Re ceive Due Consideration. The following is the message in full of Pre- iden t Ko sevelt to the 58th congress : To the Senate and House of Representative: The Nation continues to enjoy noteworthy prosperity. Such prosperity la, of course, pri marily due to the high Individual average of our citizenship, taken together with our greai natural resources; but an Important factor therein Is the working of our long-continued governmental policies. The people have em phatically expressed their approval of the prin ciples underlying these policies, and their desire that these principles be kept substan tially unchanged, although, of course, applied In a progressive spirit to meet changing con ditions. The enlargement of scope of the functions of the National Government required by our development as a nation involves, of course, Increase of expense; and the period Of pros perity through which the country Is passing Justifies expenditures for permanent improve ments far greater than Caution Against ou'dtlbe wis,f hard time. liattle- Extravagance. ships and forts, public buildings and improved waterways are Investments which should be made when we have the money; but abundant revenues and a large surplus always invite extravagance, and constant care should bo taken to guard against unnecessary Increase of the ordinary expenses of government. The cost of doing Government business should be regu lated with the same rigid scrutiny ae the cost Of doing a private business. In the vast and complicated mechanism of our modern civilized life, the dominant note is the note of Industrialism; and the relations of capital and labor, Cupitul and Labor, and esieclally of or ganized capital and or ganized labor, to each other and to the public at large come second in Importance only to the Intimate Questions of family life. Our peculiar form of govern mint, with la sharp division of authority lwtwcen the Nation and the .several states, has been on the wtiolc far more advantageous t our development than a more strongly centralized govern ment. Jtut It Is undoubtedly responsible for much of the difficulty of meeting with ade quate legislation the new problems presented by the total change In industrial conditions' on this continent during the last half cen tury. In actual practice It has proved ex ceedingly difficult, and in many cases im possible, to get unanimity of wise action among the various states on these subjects. From the very nature of the case, this is especially true of the laws affecting the employment of carltal In huge masses. With regard to labor, the problem is no less Important, but It is simpler. As long as the states retain the primary control of the police power, the circumstances must be altogether extreme which require Interfer ence by the Federal authorities, whether in the way of safeguarding the rights of labor or In the way of seeing that wrong Is not done by unruly persons who shield them selves behind the name of labor. IX tllfre Is resistance to the Federal courts, interfer ence with the malls, or Interstate commerce, or molestation of Federal property, or if the state authorities In some crisis which they are unable to face call for help, then the Federal Government may Interfere; but though such Interference may be caused by a condition of things arising out of trou ble connected with some question of labor, the Interference Itself simply takes the form of restoring order without regard to the questions which have caused the breach of orrder for to keep order is a primary duty and In a time of disorder and violence all other questions sink Into abeyance until order has been restored. In the District of Columbia and In the territories, the Federal law covers the entire field of government; but the labor question Is only acute In populous centers of com merce, manufactures, or mining. Neverthe less, both In the enactment and In the en forcement of law the Federal Government within Its restricted sphere should set an example to the state governments, especially In a matter so vital as this affecting labor. I believe that under modern Industrial con ditions it Is often necessary, and even where not necessary it Is yet often wise, that there should be organization of labor In order better to secure the rights of the individual wage-worker. All encouragement should be given to any such organization, so long as It Is conducted with a due and decent regard for the rights of others. There are In this country some labor unions which have habit ually, and other labor unions which have often, been among the most effective agents In working for good citizenship and for up lifting the condition of. those whoso welfare should be closest to our hearts. Hut when any labor union seeks Improper ends, or seeks to achieve proper ends by Improper means, all good citizens and more especially all hon orable public servants, must oppose the wrongdoing as resolutely as they would op pose the wrongdoing of any great corpora tion. Of course, any violence, brutality, or cor ruption should not for one moment be toler ated. Wageworkers have an entire right to organize and by all peaceful and honorable means to endeavor to persuade their fellows to Join with them in organizations. They have a legal right, which, according to cir cumstances, may or may not be a moral right, to refuse to work In company with men who decline to join their organization. They have under no circumstances the right to commit violence upon those, whether cap italists or wageworkers, who refuse to sup port their organizations, or who side wlch those with whom they are at odds; for mob rule Is Intolerable In any form. The wageworkers are peculiarly entitled to the protection and the encouragement of the law From the very nature of their occu pation, railroad men. for Instance, are liable i i i . l I uA Ufitlmat. work ' f o lie TTiHimcu in j'imk, ..T- b.. ....... Of their profession, unless the railroad com panies are required by , . i law to make ample Employer s Ua- , , . . . ' , 1 ' provision for their bility Ijw. Fafoty. The Adminis tration has been zeal ous In enforcing the existing law for this purpose. That law should be amended and strengthened. Wherever the National Gov ernment has power, there should be a strin gent employer's liability law, which should apply to the Government Itself where the Government Is an employer of labor. In ny message to the r.2d Congress, at Its second session. I urged the -passage of an employer's liability law for the Iristrict of Columbia. I now renew that recommenda tion, and further recommend that the Con gress appoint a commission to make a com prehensive study of employer's liability with the view of extending the provisions of a great and constitutional law to all employ ments within the scope of Federal power. The Government has recognized heroism npon the water, and bestows medals of honor upon those persons who by extreme and he roic daring have en Modala of Honor. dangered their lives in saving, or endeavoring to save, lives from the perils of the sea In the waters over which the I'nlted States has Jurisdiction, or upn an American vessel. This recognition should be extended to cover rases of eonsph uous bravery and self-sacrifice In the saving of life in private employ ments under the Jurisdiction of the Vnited fritates, and partlcul.ii ly in the land tom inrnc of the Nation. The ever-increasing casualty list upon our railroads Is a matter of gra.e public concern, and urgently calls for action by the Con (resa. la the matter of speed and comfort of railway travel, our railroads give at least! as good service as rreventlon of Kail. those ot othe.r na' . . , . , tlon, and there Is no road Accident. reason why this serv ice should not also be as aafe as human ingenuity can make it. Many of our leading roads have been fore moat in the adoption of the most approved safeguards for the protection of travelers and employes, yet the list of clearly avoid able accidents continues unduly large. The passage of a law requiring the adoption of a block-signal system has been proposed to the Congress. I earnestly concur In that recommendation, and would also point out to the Congress the urgent need of legislation In the Interest of the publlo safety limiting the hours of labor for railroad employes In train service upon the railroads engaged In Interstate commerce, and providing that only trained and experienced persons be employed In positions of responsibility connected with the operation of trains. Of course, nothing can ever prevent accidents caused by human weakness or misconduct; and there should be drastic punishment for any railroad em ploye, whether officer or man, who by issu ance of wrong orders or by disobedience of orders causes disaster. The law of 11)01, requiring Interstate railroads to make monthly reports of all accidents to passen gers and employes on duty, should also be amended so as to empower the Government to make a personal Investigation, through proper officers, of all accidents involving loss of life which seem to require investigation, with a requirement that the results of such investigation be made public. The safety-appliance law, as amended by the act of March 2, 1903. has proved bene ficial to railway employes, and in order that Its provisions may be properly carried out, the force of Inspectors provided for by ap propriation should be largely increased. This service is analogous to the Steamboat Inspec tion Service, and deals with even more Im portant Interests. It has passed the experi mental stage and demonstrated its utility, and should receive generous recognition by the Congress. There is no objection to employes of the Government forming or belonging to unions; but the Government can neither discrim inate for nor discriminate against nonunion men who are in its employment, . or who seek to be employed under It. Moreover, it is a very grave impropriety for Government employes to band themselves together for the purpose of extorting Improperly high sal aries from the Government. Especially is this true of those w'tMr. the classified serv ice. The letter-carriers, both municipal and rural, are as a whole an excellent body of public servants. They should be amply paid. But their payment must be obtained by ar guing their claims Unions of fairly and honorably before the Congress, Government and not by banding Employes. together for the de feat of those Con gressmen who refuse to give promises which they cannot in conscience give. The Admin istration has already taken steps to prevent and punish abuses of this nature; but It will be wise for the Congress to supplement this action by legislation. Much can be done by the Government In labor matters merely by giving publicity to certain conditions. The Bureau of Iabor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions. I shall shortly lay before you in a ppe Bureaa of Iabor. oial message the full report of the Investi gation of the Bureau of Labor into the Colo rado mining strike, as this Is a strike In which certain very evil forces, which are more or less at work everywhere under the conditions of modern industrialism, became atartlingly prominent. It is greatly to be wished that the Department of Commerce and Labor, through the Labor Bureau, should compile and arrange for the Congress a list of the labor laws of the various states, and should be given the means to investigate and report to the Congress upon the labor condi tions in the manufacturing and mining re gions throughout the country, both as to wages, as to hours of labor, as to the labor of women and children, and as to the effect In the various labor centers of immigration from abroad. In this Investigation especial attention should be paid to the conditions of child labor and child-labor legislation in the several states. Such an investigation must necessarily take Into account many of the problems with which this question of child labor is connected. These problems can be actually met, in most cases, only by the states themselves; but the lack of proper legislation in one state in such a matter as child labor often renders it excessively diffi cult to establish protective restriction upon the work In another state having the same industries, so that the worst tends to drag down the better. For this reason. It would be well for the Nation at least to endeavor to secure comprehensive Information as to the conditions of labor of children in the different states. Such Investigation and pub lication by the National Government would tend toward the securing of approximately uniform legislation of the proper character among the several states. When we come to deal with great corpo rations, the need for the Government to act directly is far greater than In the case of labor, because great corporations can become such only by engaging In Interstate com merce, and Interstate Corporations. commerce Is peculiar ly the field of the General Government. It Is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses In great cor porations by state action. It Is difficult to be patient with an argument that such mat ters should be left to the states, because more than one state pursues the policy of creating on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that state at all, but in other states whose laws they Ignore. The National Government alone can deal ad equately with these great corporations. To try to deal with them In nn Intemperate, destructive, or demagogic spirit would, in all probability, mean that nothing whatever would be accomplished, and, with absolute certainty, that If anything were accomplished It would be of a harmful nature. The Amer ican people need to continue to show the very qualities that they have shown that is, moderation, good sense, the earnest de sire to avoid doing any damage, and yet the quiet determination to proceed, step by step, without halt and without hurry, in eliminat ing m ai i.-iisi in no 1 1.1 1 ,.i n 3 onaa-trr ing found to be unreasonable, to decide mischief or of evil there Is to Interstate com- Ui,jprt to judicial review, what shall be a nierce in the conduct of great corporations. reasonable rate to take Its place; the ruling They are acting In no solvit of hostility to of the Commission to take effect Immedi wealth. either individual or corporate. They atelVi an., , p.,tflin unless and until it is are not against the rich man any more than j reversed by the court of review. The Govern- Hgamsi me j".oi not... wn me n..iUHr, , they are friendly alike toward rich man and toward poor man, provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency toward his fellows. Great corporations nre neces sary, and only men of great and singular mental power can manage such corporations successfully, and such men must have grent rewards. But these corporations should be managed with due regard to the Interest of the public as a whole. Where this can be done under the present laws it must be done. Where these laws come short, others should be enacted to supplement them. Yet we must never forget the determining factor ln every kind of work, of head or hand, must be the man's own good sense, courage and kindliness. More important than any legislation is the grndual growth of a feeling of responsibility and forbearance among capitalists and wageworkers alike; a feeling of respect on the part of each man for the rights of others; a feeling of broad community of Interest, not merely of capital ists among themselves, and of wageworkers among themselves, but of capitalists and wageworkers in their relations to each other. and of both in their relations to their fel their relations to their fel- them make up the bodv pol- ! many captains of industrv, ! ..tr oii,., .i,i " lows, who with itic. There are many labor leaders, who realize this. A recent speec h by the president of one of our great railroad systems to the employes of that system contains sound common srr.:;e. It runs in part as follows: "It is my belief we can better serve each other, better understand the man as well as his business, when meeting face to face, ex changing views, and realizing from personal contact we serve but one interest, that of our mutual prosperity. "Serious misunderstandings cannot occur where personal good will exists and opportu nity for personal explanation Is present 'In my early business life I had experience ! with men of affairs of a character to make the population of towns shall not be allowed me desire to avoid creating a like feeling of to exceed a very limited density for a given resentment to myself and the Interests In my ' area, so that the Increase ln density must be charge, should fortune ever place me in au- j cor.tinuaily pushed back Into a broad zone thnrlty. and I am solicitous of a measure of - around the center of the town, this zone liav ennfidence on the part of the public and our Ine great avenues or rarks within It. The employes that I shall hope may be warranted by the fairness and good fellowship I Intend shall rrevall in our relationship. "But do not fee I am disposed to grant unreasonable requests, spend the money of our company unnecessarily or without valut received, nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing, or that cause for complaint' ii:i not rontinuallv occur, simply to correct such abu.-es as may be discovered, to better! conditions a fast as reasonably may be cx- ! pected. constantly striving, with varying suc cess, for that Improvement we all desire, to convince you there is a force at work ln the right direction, all the time making progress ' I.. 1 1 1 I . I .1.1, -. V. i L I nn.A 1E WIG UlSpUSlllOIl W1LII Willi II X MttVC LWIUD among you, asking your good will and en couragement. "The day has gone by when a corporation can be handled successfully In defiance of the public will, even though that will be unrea sonable and wrong. A public may be led but not driven, and I prefer to go with It and shape or modify in a measure Its opin ion, rather than be swept from my bearings, with loss to myself and the interests in my charge. "Violent prejudice exists toward corporate activity and capital today, much of it round ed In reason, more In apprehension, and a large measure Is due to the personal traits of arbitrary, unreasonable, incompetent and offensive men in positions of authority. The accomplishment of results by Indirection, the endeavor to thwart the intention, if not the expressed letter of the law (the will of the people), a disregard of the rights of others, a disposition to withhold what Is due, to force by main strength or Inactivity a result not Justified, depending upon the weakness of the claimant and his Indisposition to be come Involved In litigation, has created a sentiment harmful in the extreme and a dis position to consider anything fair that gives gain to the individual at the expense of the company. "If corporations are to continue to do the world's work, as they are best fitted to, these qualities In their representatives that have resulted in the present prejudice against them must be relegated to the back ground. The corporations must come out into the open and see and be seen. They must take the public Into their confidence and ask for what they want, and no more, and be prepared to explain satisfactorily what advantage will accrue to the public If they are given their desires; for they are permitted to exist not that they may make money solely, but that they may ef fectively serve those from whom they de rive their power. "Publicity," and not secrecy, will win here after, and laws be construed by their Intent and not by their letter, otherwise public utilities will be owned and operated by the public which created them, even though the servlcfe be less efficient and the result less satisfactory from a financial stand point." The Bureau of Corporations has made careful preliminary Investigation of many important corporations. It will make a spe cial report on the beef Industry. The policy of the bureau Is to accomplish the purpose of Its creation by co-operation, not antagonism, by making constructive legislation, not de Bureal of structive prosecution, ., the Immediate object Corporations. of lt3 inquirie8; by -onservative investiga tion of law and fact, and by refusal to Is sue incomplete and hence necessarily inac curate reports. Its policy being thus one of open inquiry into, and not attack upon, business, the bureau has been able to gain not only the confidence, but, better still, the co-operation of men engaged in legitimate business. The bureau offers to the Congress the means of getting at the cost of production of our various great staples of commerce. Of necessity the careful investigation of special corporations will afford the Commis sioner knowledge of certain business facta, the publication of which might be an im proper infringement of private rights. The method of making public the results of these investigations affords, under the ' law. a means for the protection of private rights. The Congress will have all facts except such as would give to another corporation In formation which would injure the legitimate business of a competitor and destroy the Incentive for Individual superiority and thrift The bureau has also made exhaustive ex aminations into the legal condition under which corporate business Is carried on In the various states; into all Judicial decisions on the subject; and into the various systems of corporate taxation In use. I call special attention to the report of the chief of the bureau; and I earnestly ask that the Con gress carefully consider the report and recommendations of the Commissioner, on this subject. The business of Insurance vitally affects the great mass of the people of the United States and is National and not local in its application. It involves Insurance. a multitude of trans actions among the people of the different states and between American companies and foreign govern ments. I urge that the Congress carefully consider whether the power of the Bureau of Corporations cannot constitutionally be extended to cover interstate transactions in Insurance. Above all else, we must strive to keep the highways of commerce open to all on equal terms; and to do this it is necessary to put I a complete stop to all Kebates. rebates. Whether the shipper or the railroad Is to blame makes no difference; the rebate must be stopped, the abuses of the private car and private terminal-track and side track systems must be stopped, and the legis lation of the 58th Congress which declares It to be unlawful for any person or corpora tion to offer, grant, give, solicit, accept, or receive any rebate, concession, or discrimi nation in respect of the transportation of any property in interstate or foreign commerce whereby such property shall by any device whatever be transported at a less rate than that named In the tariffs published by the carrier, must be enforced. For some time after the enactment of the act to regulate commerce It remained a mooted question whether that act conferred upon the Inter state Commerce Commission the power, af ter it had found a challenged rate to be un reasonable, to declare what thereafter should, prima facie, be the reasonable maxi mum rate for the transportation in dispute. The Supreme Court finally resolved that question In the negative, so that as the law now stands the commission simply possesses the bare power to denounce a particular rate as unreasonable. While I am of the opinion that at present it would be undesirable, if it were not Impracticable, finally to clothe the Commission with general authority to fix railroad rates, I do believe that, as a fair security to shippers, the Commission should be vested with the power, where a given rate has been challenged and after full hear- ,, ,, nrrM n? (Ircrcp slmvl. ,l regulate me wot Kings or tne railways en gaged in Interstate commerce; and such in creased supervision is the only alternative to an increase of the present evils on the one hand or a still more radical policy on the other. In my judgment, the most Important legislative act now needed a.s regards the regulation of corporations Is this act to con fer on the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to revise rates' and regulations, the revised rate to at once go Into effect, and to stay In effect unless and until the court of review reverses It. Steamship companies engaged ln Inter state commerce and protected ln our coast wise trade, should be held to a strict observ ance of the Interstate commerce act. In pursuing the set plan to make the City of Washington an example to other American '" '"" ' " -' '" ....u.u oe K.-pi 111 111 I mi i'J uir i' .i. laitn j ii lilt? iII.-L place, the people of this country should clear ly understand that no j City of Washington, amount of industrial : prosperity, and above all no leadership In International Industrial j " '""'-"' . ni.iu competition, can in any way atone fo pping of the vitality of those wh. usually spoken of as the working cl for the i ho are j ng classes. The farmers, the mechanics, the skilled and I unskilled laborers, the small shopkeepers. I make up the bulk of the population of any j country; and upon their well-being, genera- I tlon after generation, the well-being of the j country and the race depends. linpid devel- i opment ln wealth and industrial leadership is a good thing, but only if it goes hand in i hand with Improvement, and not deteriora tion, physical and moral. The overcrowding of cities and the draining of country dis tricts are unhealthy and even dangerous symptoms ln our modern life. We should not permit overcrowding ln cities. In certain European cities It Is provided by law that death-rate statisHos show a terrlMe increase in mortality, and especially In Infant mor tality, in overcrowded tenements. The poor est families In tenement houses live In one room, and it appears that in these one-room tenements the average death rate for a number of given cities at home and abroad is about twice what It Is In a two-room ten- pri'ti rvo nliQt l la In a I h ..rn, in. tenement, and eight times what It Is In a t - r. - ment consisting cf four rooms or over. These figures vary somewhat for different i cities, but they approximate in each city those given above; and ln all casea the increase of mortality, and especially of in- ! fant mortality, with the decrease In the num- ber of rooms used by the family, and with the consequent overcrowding is startling. The slum exacts a heavy total of death from . those who dwell therein; and this Is the t case not merely In the great crowded slums of high buildings in New York and Chicago, but in the alley slums of Washington. In Washington people cannot afford to Ignore j the harm that this causes. No Christian and ! civilized community can afford to show a! happy-go-lucky lack of concern for the youth of today; for, If so, the community will have to pay a terrible penalty of financial burden and social degradation In the tomorrow There should be severe child-labor and factory-inspection laws. It Is very desirable that married women should not work in fac tories. The prime duty of the man Is to work, to be the breadwinner: the prime duty of the woman Is to be the mother, the house wife. All questions of tariff and finance sink Into utter Insignificance when compared with the tremendous, the vital importance of try- ing to shape conditions so that these two duties of the man and of the woman can be fulfilled under reasonably favorable clr- , methods of preservation through refrlgera cumstances. If a race does not have plenty, tlon, packing and handling, which have been of children, or if the children do not grow 1 quite successful. We are helping our hop up, or If when they grow up they are un- growers by Important varieties that ripen healthy In body and stunted or vicious In earlier and later than the kinds they have mind,- then that race is decadent, and no been raising, thereby lengthening the har heaplng up of wealth, no splendor of mo- vesting season. The cotton crop of the mentary material prosperity, can avail in country is threatened with root rot, the boll any degree as offsets. I worm, and the boll weevil Our pathologists The Congress has the same power of legls- will find Immune varieties that will resist lation for the District of Columbia which , the root disease, and the bollworm can be the State Legislatures have for the various ! dealt with, hut the boll weevil Is a serious states. The problems incident to our highly complex modern Industrial civilization, with Its manifold and perplexing tendencies both for good and for evil, are far less sharply accentuated in the City of Washington than in most other cities. For this very reason , being kept in check by an ant, which has It is easier to deal with the various phases been brought to our cotton fields for ob of these problems in Washington, and the. servatlon. It Is hoped that It may serve a District of Columbia government should be . good purpose. a model for the other municipal governments The soils of the country are getting atten of the Nation, in all such matters as su-1 tlon from the farmer's standpoint, and ln pervlsion of the housing of the poor, the; teresting results are following. We have creation of small parks In the districts in- duplicates of the soils that grow the wrap- habited by the poor,. In laws affecting la bor, In laws providing for the taking care of the children, in truant laws, and in pro viding schools. In the vital matter of taking care of chil dren, much advantage could be gained by a careful study of what has been accomplished in such states as Illinois and Colorado by the Juvenile courts. The work of the juven ile court Is really a work of character build ing. It is now generally recognized that young boys and young girls who go wrong should not be treated as criminals, not even necessarily as needing reformation, but rather as needing to have their characters formed, and for this end to have them tested and developed by a system of proba tion. Much admirable work has been done In many of our commonwealths by earnest men and women who have made a special study of the needs of those classes of children which furnish the greatest number of Juven ile offenders, and therefore the greatest number of adult offenders; and by their aid, and by profiting by the experiences of the different states and cities in these matters, it would be easy to provide a good code for the District of Columbia. Several considerations suggest the need for a systematic investigation into and im provement of housing conditions in Washing ton. The hidden residential alleys are breed ing grounds of vice and disease, and should be opened into minor streets. For a num ber of years influential citizens have joined with the District Commissioners in the vain endeavor to secure laws permitting the con demnaton of insanitary dwellings. 'The local death rates, especially from preventable dis eases, are so unduly high as to suggest that the exceptional wholesomeness of Washing ton's better sections Is offset by bad con ditions in her poorer neighborhoods. A spe cial "Commission on Housing and Health Conditions In the National Capital" would not only bring about reformation of existing evils, but would also formulate an appropri ate building code to protect the city from mammoth brick tenements and other evils which threaten to develop here as they have In other cities. That the Nation's capital should be made a model for other munici palities is an Ideal which appeals to all patriotic citizens everywhere, and such a special commission might map out and or ganize the city's future development In lines of civic social service, just as Major L'En fant and the recent Park Commission planned the arrangement of her streets and parks. It Is mortifying to remember that Wash ington has no compulsory school attendance law and that careful inquiries indicate the habitual absence from school of some 20 per cent of all children between the ages of 8 and 14. It must be evident to all who consider the problems of neglected child life or the benefits of compulsory education in other cities that one of the most urgent needs of the National capital is a law re quiring the school attendance of nil chil dren, this law to be enforced by attendance agents directed by the Board of Education. Public playgrounds are necessary means for the development of wholesome citizenship in modern cities. It is Important that the work Inaugurated here through voluntary efforts should be taken up and extended through Congressional appropriation of funds suf ficient to equip and maintain numerous con venient small playgrounds upon land which can be secured .without purchase or rental. It is also desirable that small vacant places be purchased and reserved as small-park playgrounds in densely settled sections of the city which now have no rubllc open spaces and are destined soon to be built up solidly. All these needs should be met Im mediately. To meet them would entil ex penses; but a corresponding saving could be made by stopping the building of streets and levelling of ground for purposes largely speculative in outlying parts of the city. There are certain offenders, whose crimin ality takes the shape of brutality and cruelty towards the weak, who need a special type of punishment. The wife-beater, for example, Is inadequately punished by imprisonment; for Imprisonment may often mean nothing to him, while it may cause hunger and want to the wife and children who have been the victims of his brutality. Probably some form of corporal punishment would be the most adequate way of meeting this kind of crime. The Department of Agriculture has grown into an educational Institution with a fac ulty of 200(1 specialists making research into all the sciences of production. The Congress appropriates, directly and indirectly, $(.000. OoO annually to carry Agriculture, on this work. It importance, users and furnishers of water and while actual corruption of flagrant di reaches every state - nower and the- users of water for domestic- . ri.in.tv 14 now tti rare evk-cTitlon Ir i nn-pp. and territory In the Union and the islands of the sen lately come under our Hag. Co operation is had with the state experiment stations, and with many other institutions and individuals. The world Is carefully searched for new varieties of grains, fruits, grasses, vegetables, trees and shrubs, suit able to various localities in our country; and marked benefit to our producers has re sulted. The activities of our age In lines of re search have reached the tillers of the soil and Inspired them with ambition to know more of the principles that govern the forces of Nature with which they have to deal. Nearly half of the people of this country devote their energies to growing things from the soil. Until a recent date little has been done to prepare these millions for their life work. In most lines of human activity college-trained men are the leaders. The farmer had no opportunity for special train ing until the Congess made provision for it AH years ago. During the.se years progress has been made and teachers have been pre pared, civer .VMtn students are in attendance at our State Agricultural colleges. The Fed eral Government expends . 1 o iiimi.OOO annu ally toward this education and for research In Washington and in the several states and territories. The Department of Agriculture has given facilities for post-graduate work to jiiil young men during the last seven years, preparing them for advanced lines of work in the department and in the state institut ions. The facts concerning meteorology and its relations to plant and animal life are be- ing systematically Inquired Into. Tempera ture and moisture are controlling factors ln all agricultural operations. The seasons of the cyclones of the Caribbean Sea and their paths are being forecasted with Increasing accuracy. The cold winds that come frem ' the north are anticipated and their times and intensity tolel to farmers, gardeners and fruiterers in all southern localities. We sell f2.-.fl. 000.000 worth of animals and animal products to foreign countries every year, ln addition to supplying our own peo ple more cheaply and abundantly than any other nation Is able to provide for Its peo ple. Successful manufacturing depends pri marily on cheap food, which accounts to a considerable extent for our growth In this direction. The Department of Agriculture. by careful Inspection of meats, guards the health of our people and gives c lean bills of health to deserving exports; it Is prepared to fteul nrmir.tK- with I tti n.-irt 1,... . ... ' animals, and maintain the excellence cf our flocks and herds in this respect. There should be an annual census of the livestock of the Nation We sell abroad about $000,000,000 worth of plants and their products every year. Btren- uous efforts are being made to import from foreign countries such gains as are suitable to our varying localities. Heven jears ago we bought three-fourths of our rice; by help- ing the rlcegrowers on the Gulf coast to se- cure seeds from the Orient suited to their conditions, and by giving them adequate protection, they now-supply home demand and export to the islands of the Caribbean Sea and to other rloe-growlng countries, Wheat and other grains have been Import - ea iron light-rainfall countries to our lanas . nave repeatedly recommended, all the forest In the West and Southwest that have not work of the Government should be concen grown crops because of light precipitation, trated in the Department of Agriculture, resulting In an extensive addition to our where the larger part of that work is already cropping area and our home-making terrl- t done, where practically all of the trained 'tory that can not be irigated. Ten million foresters of the Government are employed, bushels of first-class macaroni wheat were where chiefly in Washington there Is corn grown from these experimental importations prehenslve first-hand knowledge of the prob- last year. Fruits suitable to our soils and i climates are being imported from all the countries of the Old World the fig from i Turkey, the almond from Soaln. the date j from Algeria, the mango from India. We are helping our fruitgrowers to get their , crops Into European markets by studying . menace to the cotton crop. It Is a Central! : American Insect that has become acclimated j in Texas and has done great damage. A scientist of the Department of Agriculture , has found the weevil at home in Guatemala per tobacco In Sumatra and the filler to baeco In Cuba. It will be only a question of time when the large amounts paid to these countries will be paid to our own people. The reclamation of alkali lands is progressing, to give object-lessons to our people In meth ods by which worthless lands may be made productive. The insect friends and enmlos of the farm er are getting attention. The enemy of the San Jose scale was found near the Great Wall of China, and is now cleaning up all our orchards. The fig-fertlllzing Insect Im ported from Turkey has helped to establish an industry in California that amounts to from 50 to 100 tons of dried figs annually, and is extending over the Pacific Coast. A parasitic fly from South Africa is keeping in subjection the black scale, the worst pest of the orange and lemon industry in Cali fornia. Careful preliminary work Is being done towards producing our own silk. The mul berry Is being distributed in large numbers, eggs are being imported and distributed, im proved reels were imported from Europe last vear. and two exDert reelers were brought to Washington to reel the crop cf It more than once In former messages. Again cocoons and teach the art to our own peo- j I commend It to the early and favorable con pie, slderatlon of the Congress. The interests of The cro-reporting system of the Depart- the Nation at large and of the West In par ment of Agriculture is being brought closer ticular have suffered greatly because of the to accuracy every year. It has 2."i0,000 re- delay. porters selected from people in eight voca- I I call the attention of the Congress again tions In life. It has arrangements with to the report and recommendation of the Corn most European countries for Interchange j miss-ion on the Publlo of estimates, so that our people may know Public Lands. Lands, forwarded by as nearly as possible with what they must1 me to the second ses compete slon of the present congress. The Commission During the 2VJ years that have elapsed has prosecuted Its Investigations actively dur stnee the passage of the reclamation act Ing the past season, and a second report Is raold progress has been made In the sur- now in an advanced stage of preparation, veys and examinations of the opportunities I In connection with the work of the forest for reclamation in the Ui states and three reserves I de::ire again to urge upon the territories of the arid West. Construction Congress the Importance of authorizing the has already been be Irrfgation. gun on the largest and most important of the irrigation works, and plans are being com pleted for works which will utilize the funds now available. The operations are being carried on by the Reclamation Service, a corps of engineers selected through competi tive civil-service examinations. This corps includes experienced consulting and con structing engineers as well as various ex perts in mechanical and legal matters, and is composed largely of men who have spent most of their lives in practical affairs con lected with irrigation. The larger problems have been solved, and It now remains to execute with care, economy, and thorough ness the work which has been laid out. All Important details are being carefully con sidered by boards of consulting engineers. selected for their thorough knowledge and practical experience. Each project Is taken up on the ground by competent men and viewed from the standpoint of the creation of prosperous homes, and of promptly refund ing to the Treasury the cost of construction. The reclamation act has been found to be 1,-ii.rti.uiy u.u.iriB anu cn.di.nK, aim m. Xho penslon Bureau has never in Its hls broad In its provisions that a wide range of tory been manasf.d ln a more satisfactory unuei iunniB hum uern yuBsiuie unuer it. the same time, economy Is guaranteed by the fact that funds must ultimately be re turned to be used over again. It Is the cardinal principle of the forest reserve policy of this Administration that the reserves are for Forests. use. Whatever Inter feres with the use of thelr resources Is to be avoided by every ; tltude Is In part due to the policy recently possible means. But these resources must ' pursued of reducing the amount of subslst be used ln such a way as to make them ence to the Indians, and thus forcing them, permanent. I through sheer necessity, to work for a llvell- The forest policy of the Government is hood. The policy, though severe. Is a useful Just now a subject of vivid public Interest one, but It Is to be exercised only with Judg throughout the West and to the people of ment and with a full understanding of the the United States in general. The forest re- j conditions which exist In each community for serves themselves are of extreme value to ' 'hleh It Is intended. Cm or near the Indian the prese nt as well as to the future welfare : reservations) there is usually very little de of all the Western public-land states. They lnand for lHhor' ani, lfhe Indlans are powerfully affect the use and disposal of the public lands. They are of special im portance because they preserve the water supply and the supply of timber for domestic purposes and so promote settlement under the reclamation act. Indeed, they are es sentia! to the welfare of every one of the great interest of the West. Forest reserves are created for two prin cipal purposes. The first is to preserve the water supply. This is their most important use. The principal users of the water thus preserved are irrigation ranchers and set- tiers, cities and towns to w'.....;, their mu- Illc-ipal water supplies are of th very first manufacturing, mining, and other purposes. All these are directly dependent upon the forest reserves. The second reason for which forest re serves are created Is to preserve the timber supply for various classes of wood users. Among the more important of these are set tlers under the reclamation act and other acts, for whom a cheap and accessible sup- ply of timber for domestic uses Is absolutely; necessary; miners ana prospertors, who are; I n sorlnti a ilnnvdr nf Iriii r. ir thrtlr limhpf inn. ply by fire or through export by lumber com- b" d"ne 1?yl.br!nl,I"t th"m constantly Into closer panles when timber lands adjacent to their I x wl'h h''lr ",,ferl"r "T"-," f"1 mines pass into private ownership; lumber- i h h" c?" - to draw his salary giving men. transportation companies, builders, and " ,re,ur,n the lea possible equivalent in ef- ' , , , . K ' , ' fort and service, may, by proper treatment. commerc ial Interests ln general. hy SUB(.rBt,on and rrM.ourag ment. or persist! Although the wisdom of creating forest re- I ,,nt urging, be stimulated to greater effort and serves Is nearly everywhere heartily reeog- , ini1lIred , take a more active personal interest nlzed, yet in a few locali'les there have been ; n WOrk. misunderstanding and complaint. The fol- I fnd-r existing conditions an Indian ncc-nt ln lowing statement Is therefore desirable: j tf,0 j:stant West may be wholly out of touch The forest -reserve policy can be successful ! w ith the office of the Indian I'.uveau. H only when It has the full support of the peo- may very well fed that no one takes a per ple of the West. It cannot safely and should sonal Interest in him or his efforts. Certain not in any cae, be Imposed upon them routine duties In the way of reports and ac ngalnst their will. Hut neither can we ac- counts are required of him. but there Is no cept the views of those whose only interest In the forest is temporary; who are anxious to reap what they have not sown and then move away, leaving desolation behind them. in the contrary, it is everywhere and always the interest of the permanent settler and the permanent business man. the man with a stake in the country, which must be con- ' sldered, and which mut decide. I The making of forest reserves within rail- ' road and wagon-road land-grant limits will hereafter, as for the past three years, be so managed as to rrevent the issue, under the act of June 4, lS'.t?. of base for exchange or lieu selection (usually called scripi. In all where forest reserves within areas ""c'ru " ' tlal to the prosperity of settlers, miners, or others, the Government lands within such f proposed forest reserves will, as In the recent j past, be mithdrawn from sale or entry pend- j Ing the completion of such negotiations with the owners of the lard grsnts as will prevent: the creation of so-called scrip. . It was formerly the custom to make forest reserves without f.rst getting dT;n!te and detai'ed Information as t - the character cf land and timber within their boundaries This method of action often resulted ln tally ' k.,.r.i.r, .r-rf mi.M-:rn! 1 n 1 i ' I ce ' to settler ana o.r.ers refore C A J- ministration aoopte.l ir present n.ei.io.j f first withdrawing im i.on .iiT-i, e-n.. hr careful examination "n the ground and the preparation -. f d-taii-J maps and descriptions, fcefora any forest reserve U created. I have repeatedly called attention t th confusion which exists in Government forest matters because the work Is scattered among three Independent organizations. The United States Is the only one of the great nation in which the forest work of the Government Is not concentrated under one department, In consonance with the plainest dictates of good administration and common sense. The present arrangement Is bad from every point of view. Merely to mention It U to prove ! that It should be terminated at once. As I lems of the reserves acuulred on the around. where all problems relating to growth from the soil are already gathered, and whore all the sciences auxiliary to forestry are at hand . for prompt and effective co-operation. These reasons are decisive In themselves, but it should be added that the great organizations of citizens whose interests are affected by the forest reserves, such as the National Live stock Association, the National Woolgrowers' Association, the American Mining Congress, the National Irrigation Congress, and the National Board of Trade, have uniformly, emphatically, and most of them repeatedly, expressed themselves in favor of placing all Government forest work In the Depart ment of Agriculture because of the peculiar adaptation of that Department for it. It is true, also, that the forest service of nearly all the great nations of the world are under the respective departments of agricul ture, while in but two of the smaller na tions and in one colony are they under tho department of the interior. This is tha result of long and varied experience and It agrees fully with the requirements of good administration in our own case. The creation of a forest service In the De partment of Agriculture will have for It important results: First A better handling of all forest work, because it will be under a single head, and because the vast and Indispensable experi ence of the Department in all matters per taining to the forest reserves, to forestry in general, and to other forms of production from the soil, will be easily and rapidly ac cessible. Second The reserves themselves, being handled from the point of view of the man in the field, instead of the man in the office, will be more easily and more widely useful to the people of the West than has been the case hitherto. Third Within a comparatively short time the reserves will become self-supporting. This Is Important, because continually and rapid ly Increasing appropriations will be neces sary for the proper care of this exceedingly Important Interest of the Nation, and they can and should be offset by returns from the National forests. Under -similar circum stances the forest possessions of other great nations form an Important source of revenue to their governments. Every administrative officer concerned Is convinced of the necessity for the proposed consolidation of forest work In the Depart- ment of Agriculture, and I myself have urged President to set aside Gam Preserves. certain portions of the.se reserves or other pub llo lands as game refuges for the prescrva- tlon of the DtFion, tne warm ana oLi.er "easts once so aDunuum in u uuu .o mountains and on our great plains, and now tending toward extinction. Every support should be given to the authorities of the Yel k)Wstone Park In their successful efforts at preserving the large creatures therein; and at very little expense portions of the publlo domain In other regions which are wholly unsulted to agricultural settlement could be similarly utilized. We owe It to future gen erations to keep nllve the noble and beautiful creatures which by their prpvnee add such distinctive character to the American wilder ness. The limits of the Yellowstone Park should be extended southward. The Canyon of the Colorado should be made a National Park. and the Natioilu ,,alk system nhould Include the Yosemite and as many a.s possible o the groves of giant trees in Callfo'-nia. The veterans of the Pensions. Civil War have a claim upon the Nation such n, no oihfr bo(ly of our citizens possesses. manner than Is now the case The progress of the Indians toward civiliza tion, though not rapid, lf perhaps all tnat could be hoped for, in view of the circum stances. Within the past year many tribes have shown, ln a degree greater than ever before, an appreciation Indians. of the necessity of work. This changed at- earn in' ir iivimk mihi m-ii uhhiiiji furnished from outride (which is always pref erable) then it must be furnished by the Gov ernment. Practical instruction of thl kind would In a few years result, in the forming of habits of regular Industry, whii-h would render the Indian a producer and would effect a great reduction ln the cost of hit main- tenance. It Is commonly declared that the slow ad vance of the Indians Is due to the unsatis factory character of the "men appointed to take immediate charge of them, and to some extent this is true. While the standard Of the emploves In the Indian Service shows p-t-eur Imnrnvfnu-nt over that of hvirone vears thelcf the fact that the salaries paid Indian agents are not large enough to attract the best men to that field of work. To achieve satis factory results the official ln charge of an Indian tribe should possess the high qualifica tions which are required ln the manager of a large business, but only ln exceptional cases Is it possible to secure men of fuch a type for these porltion Mt-h better service, how- VPr. might be obtained from those now hold- II iK I"" unnrs vcir 11 iii.'iuuuir iu k 1 uui ui tlu'fn the best that in In them, and thin should one with whom he may Intelligently consult on matters vi'al to h! work, ex ept after long delay. Such a man wouM be greatly en-ouraired nnd ai led by personal centrist with K.nie on" wh-'se Interest ln Indian fif lirs and whose authori'y ln the Indian Pur- au were greater than his own, and such contact would lie certain to arouse and eons'a-it'.y increao the interest Tie take in his work. The distance which separates the agents the workers ln the field from the Indian Office ln Washington Is a chief obstacle to Indian progress. Whatever shall more closely unite these two branches of the Indian Service, and shall enable them to co-oporat more heartily and more effectively, will be for the increased Fmc.enov of the w''rk and the Determent of the race for who improvement the Indian RurMU W!,s ,.tablihed The appointment of field assistant to the Commissioner of Indian A(Talrt, would be certain to insure thl good Fnd pUch an official. If possessed of the requisite energy and o'eep Interest In the work, wouM be a most efficient factor In bringing jnto closer rela'tonship and a more direct union of effort the r.vtreau In WasMrcton snd lt agents In the fle'd ; and wfh the co-cperatloa cf Its branches thtis secured the Indian Purest! would, in measure fuller than ever be'ore. lift UP the savar towarl that self-h-:? and self. re: 1 1 n v'h const ;tit the man. In the Postoffl.-e I'epa-tment the service as increased In eTlcien -y, and conditions as to revenue arid exjandi'tire continue sat isfactory. Th ln--raM cf revenue during the year was $:.;.". 1S1. 1". c.r 6 9 per cent, the total receipt amounting to 141..1S2. 02131. The expenditurea were $Ui,3t2.-