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About Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1903-1919 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1908)
SIPT'S' LAST MESSAGE itluut From Page 1.) ZtttfBnd Houso of Repro- l . -t-mllncr of tlin lift" PS? present tlmo la .excel- Id D""" 7w "tho eovl BafiOl . . , oovon vnnrn L?Se moat BtttlBfaotory ro Fnnt wir currency system Ib rnut " . ,nv to ho rwVb proposo a thoroughly fVhinh will do away EfejsU"5 defects. L .ho periou irum -uu , PS.k"7.J.w an, 1D08. thoro " r i in nmminf nf l .ncreaou i im ........ -. Ln circulation of $902,091,- hn increasu in n v .. no, '"-'i.i .... 7 nr. with n tils periuu n t"-"' -- o thero woro sovoral occa- hon it was uuvusbui mi u department w wmo tu mu for redemptions of United r ... .i.n. Uv aHtntilntlni lonai uuiiivb, m ....... al isauea of national bank knu uy iacuiiuuiiB uuiiuiui 0m abro-.d rff gold. Our im- .....nnKV nvnlnm lltlfl 111 n (In konmilnfrit nnceasnry. P . ,t....ln Mm anuiill Vin t-a K)o monthB thero hnB been a pIUB or nearly uuu huuuiuu pa reduction of tho intdreBt deal uy niuuiy iiiiiuu..b, m I WO 0VritUIUIItJ uiuuou wi bania canal, and a saving of r i .ltltnn nn Mm fitinitnt KUDU lUllllvuo VM " t,..u... l. AUHnnfllnirlv an t lof itnlnfV f, especially In vlow of tho Et during this period tho na- 0 nUVUI UUiUIWU V" U..UV.- 1 expenditure that It regard- pucuaaui. "" " .,.. I taxes anu no increases oi bn tho contrary, somo taxes Ln tnlfon off. thoro has hcon ttlon of taxation. Corporations. gards tho groat corporations stato business, and especially roads, I can only repeat what already agalu and again said messages to tho congress. I ithat undor tho interfltato f tho constitution mo unueo as comploto and paramount control all agonclos of intor- niraorco, and I bollovo that ionnl govornmont alono can this right with wisdom and odusb so as both to secure from, and to do justice to, t corporations which aro tho portant factors In modern I bollovo that It Is vorno Uy to attempt to prohibit all tlons as Is done by trie snor- tl-trtiBt law. j allways of tho country should completely under the inter nimorco commission and re train the domain of tho untl- nw. Tho power or tno coin- should be made thorough- traph and tblophono compa- QKnKod In Interstate business bo put undor tho jurisdiction .Interstate commerco coininls- vory earnestly to bo wished ir pcoplo, through tnelr rep- patatlvea, hould act In thia mat war wo wage must bo waged mloconduct, against wrong- Iwhcrovor .It Is found; und wo utand heartily for tho rights ry decent man. whether ho bo I'of great wealth or a man who Mb livelihood as ti w.igo-worlc- tlller of tho soil. to tho Interest of all of us Rero should bo a promlum put Individual lnltlatlvo and Indl- capacity, and nn ample roward great directing Intelligences impotent to mnnago Ihu groat operations of today. often wo boo tho business coin- In a spirit of unhealthy class pusnesa deplore tho offort to account undor tho law tno mon who In tholr mnnr.ge- ff great corporations, whether is, atroot railways, or other "lal entorprlsea, havo behaved ') thiit revolts tho conscience Plain, decent pooplo. Such tin le cinnol bo condemned too I)', for men of proporty should "o in thoy Jeopnrduo tno or property when thoy fall y to Join in tho effort to do "th tho abuses of wealth. t opposition to government con- W these great corporations its most offectlvo offort In spo of nn anneal to tho old e of state's rights. Of course re many sincere men who now in unrestricted Individualism uness, JiiBt as thero woro for- tnnny slncoro mon who bo na slaverythat Is, In tho un ited right of an individual to pother Individual. cnicr reason, among tho many ana compelling reasons, that the formation of tho national pent, was tho absolute need He i nlon, and not tho several snciild deal with interstate reign commerce; and tho pow- a with Interstate commerco wired absolutely and plenarlb loiuraj government awl was e completely as regards the BStrumentS nt Intnratntn mm. known In thoso dnva the ays. the highroads, as well as "uersnips of lndlvlduilB who ponaucted all of what himiness iwas Fve that tho more farslghted "'78 are themselves coming Cniio (he unwliulnm nf h vln. wtliity they havo displayed ' v iasi rew years to regula W control by tho national gov- U 01 COmbinntlnno ihilukhH In Me businoci do not for a moment believe - vruoiem will bo solved by any short and easy method. Tho so lution will como only by pressing various concurrent roniodles. Some of thoso remedies must lie outaldo tho domain of all government, -omo must Ho outside tho domain of tho federal government. But thero Is legislation which tho federal govern ment alono can enact nnd which Is absolutely vital in order to securo tho attainment of our purpose. Many laws aro needed. To nccompllsh this, means of .course, a certain Incrcaso In tho use of not tho creation of power, by tho central government. Tho power already exists; It does not havo to be created: tho only question Is whether It shall bo used or loft Idle and moaifvhilo the corporations over which tho power ought to be exer cised will not remain ldlo. TJto danger to American democ racy Ilea not In tho least In tho con centration of nilnilnUtrativo power In responsible and accountable hands. It lies in having tho power insuffi ciently concentrated, so that no one can bo hold responsible for the peo pie for its uso, Qonoontratod power Is palpable, visible, responsible, eas ily reached, quickly held to account. Power scattored through many ad minlBtraturs, many legislators, many men who work behind nnd through legislators and administrators, 1b Im palpable, la unsoen, Is Irresponsible, cannot bo reached, cannot bo hold to account. Democracy Is in porll wherever tho administration of po litical power Is scattered among a variety of men who work In secret, .wnoso .vory names nro unknown to the common people. Labor. , Thoro nro many matters affoctlnir labor and tho status of tho wago- worKor to wnic 1 I SllOll il kn tn draw your attention, but an oxhaust- ivo aisctiBslon of tho problem In nil Its aspects Is not now necessary. This administration Is nearlng Its end: nnd, moreover, under our ferm of government the solution of tho nrob- lom dopendB upon tho action of tho states iib much nB upon tho action of tho nation. A blind and Ignorant resistance to ovory offort for tho re- rorm or abuses and for tho readjust ment of society to modern industrial conditions represents not truo con servatism but an Incitement to the wildest radicalism ; for wise radical Ism and wlso conservatism go hand In hand, ono bent on progress, tho othor bont on seeing that no change la inado unless In tho right direction. As far as possible I hope to seo a frank recognition of tho advant ages conferred by machinery, organl-' zatlon, and division of labor, accom panied by an offort to bring about a larger share in tho ownership by wngo-workors of(rallwoys. mill and factory. In farming, this simply menus that wo wish to Bee the farm or own his own land; wo do not wish to seo tho farms bo large that they lioooino tho property of absentee landlords who farm them by tenants, nor yet so small that the farmer be comes like a European peasant. Again, tho depositors In our savings banks now number over ono-tenth of our entire population. Thcso aro all capitalists, who through tho savings banks loan tholr monoy to tho work ers that Is, In many cases to them selves to carry on their various In dustries. Tho more wo Increase their numbor tho more wo Introduco tho principles of too-oporatlon Into our Industry. Every Increase In the num bor of stockholders In corporations Is n good thing, for tho same reasons and whore tho employes nro the stockholders tho result Is particularly good. Postal savings banks will inako It easy for tho poorest to keep tholr savings in absolute safety. Tho regulation of tho national highways must bo such that they shall sorve ill people With equal Justice Thero must be prohibition of child labor, diminution of woman labor, shortening ofhours In all mechanical I u bo r, stock watering should bo pro hibited, nnd stock gambling, so. far as Is possible discouraged. Thero should bo a progressive Inheritance tax on largo fortunes. Industrial education should bo encouragod. As far as possible wo should lighten the burdon of taxation on tho small man. Wo should put a premium upon thrift, hard work, nnd business on orgy; but thus equalities cease to be tho main factors In accumulating a fortune long boforo that fortune reaches a point where It would bo sorlously affected by any Inheritance tax such as I propose It Is eminent ly right that tho nation ah.ould fix tho terms uion which tho groat for tunes nro Inherited. They rnroly do good and they often do harm to those who Inherit, them In their ontlrety, Protection for Wagf-Worker. Tho above Is tho merest sketch, hardly even a sketch In outline, of tho reforms for which we should work. Hut thoro Is one mnttor with which the congress should deal at hls session. Thero should i longer uo any paltering with the question of taking caro of tho wage-workers who under our present Industrial system becomo killed, crippled, or worn out is n part pf the regular Incidents of a given business. Tho majority of wago-workors must havo their rights secured for them by stato action, but tue national government should leg Islato In thorough-going and far--oachlng fashion not only for all em ployes of the national government, but for all porsons engaged In Inter state commerce. Our present aystom, or rather no system, works dreadful wrong, and Is of bonoflt to only one class of peopl -tho lawyers. When a work man Is Injured what ho needs is not an expensive and doubtful lawsuit but the certainty of relief through Immediate administrative action. Ponding a thorough-going Investi gation nnd action there Is certain legislation which should be enacted at once. The Jaw. passed at the last sosslon of the conn ess, granting com-nno-.tinn to certain classes of em ployes of the government, should be extended to Include all employes of iuu ttuvuruinem ana should b made morb llborftl In Its terms. There is nb good ground for the distinction nlado In the law between those en- gagca in hasardous occupations and thoso hot so engaged, If a man Is Injured br killed (n any line of work, it was hazardous In his Mori in .this respect tho generosity of tho unuco. mates toward Its employes .Compares most unfavorably -with that of evory cohntrv In Eurono nvnA ,the poorest, The congress should "without fur ther ilelrty nass a model omployora liability Inw Tor tho District ot Co lumbia. Tho employers liability act recently declared unconstltutlbnnl, on accpunt of apparpntly Including In Its provisions employes engaged In Intrastate commerce as well an thdso ongaged In Interstate cbmmorco, haa been held by the local courts to bo Still In effect so far as Its provisions apply to tho District of Columbia. There should be no hmblgulty on this point, I renew my recommendation made In a previous message that halt-holidays bo granted during tho summer to all wage-workers in government employ. I also renew my recommendation (hat tho principle of tho clghhoUr day should be rapidly nnd. as far ns practicable be extended to tho ontlre work bolng carried on by tho govern ment; tho present law should b6 amendod to embrace contracts on thoBe public works which the present wording of tho act seems to excludd. The Courts. I most earnestly urgo upon tho congress the duty of Increasing' tho totally Inadequate salaries now given to our judges. On tho wholo thoro Is no body ot public servants who do as valuable work, nor whoso moneyed roward Is so Inadequate compared to tuolr work. Beginning with tho su premo court tho Judges should, havo their salaries doubled. It Is not bet fitting tho dignity ot the nation thai Its most honored pnhIq servants should bo paid sums so small com pared to what thoy would earn In prlfato life that the performanco ot public sorvico by them Impllea an ex ceedingly heavy pecuniary sacrifice. It Ib earnestly to bo d.oalrcd that somo mothod should bo devised for doing away with tho long delays which now obtain In the administra tion of Justice. )n somo noted recent cases this over-regard for technicali ties hnB resulted In a striking denial of Justice, and flagrant wrong to luu body politic, Attack on (tampers. At tho last election certain loaders of, organized labor mado a violent and sweeping attack upon tho entire judiciary of tho country, an attack couched In such terms as to Includo tho most upright, honest and broad minded judges, no less than thoso of nurrower mind and more restricted outlook. It was tho kind of attack admirably fitted to prevent any suc cessful attempt to reform abuses of tho judiciary, because It gavo tho champions of the unjust Judge tholr eagerly desired opportunity to shift their ground Into a championship of just Judges who woro unjustly as sailed, last year, before the houso committee on tho Judiciary, thoso same labor leaders formulated tholr demands, specifying the bill that con tained them, refusing all compromise stating they wished tho principle of that bill or nothing. They Insisted on a provision that In a labor dispute no Injunction should Issue except to protect a property right, and specify cully provided that the right to carry on business should not be oonstrued as a property right; and In a second provision their bill made logal In a I'ibor dispute any act or agreement by or botweon two or more persons that would not havo been unlawful If dono by single person. In oUior words, this bill legalized blacklisting and boycotting In every form, legal izing, for Instance, thoso forms of tho secondary boycott which the anthra cite coal strike commission so unrei wrvcdly condemned; while the right to carry on a business was explicitly taken out from under that protection which tho law throws ovor property Tho vlolonco ot tho crusndo for this legislation, nnd'lts complete fall uro, illustrate two truths which it is essential our people should learn. In tho first place, they ought to teach tho worklngman, tho laborer, the wage-worker, that by demanding what Is improper and Impossible ho plays Into tho hands or his foes. "Class consciousness," where It Is merely another name for tbu odious vice of class selflshucss, Is vquall) noxious whether In an employer's as sociation or In a worklngmnn's astVi riatlon. This healthy truth, by tho way, will bo learned by tho soolallsts If they ever succoed In establishing In this country an Important national party based on such class conscious ness and selfish class Interest Hut the extreme reactionaries, the persons who blind themselves ti the wrongs now and then committed by the courts on laboring men, should also think seriously as to what such 3 movement us this portends The rapid changes in our social and In dustrial life which have attended this rapid growth have made it necossary that, In applying to concrete cases the great rule of right laid down In our constitution, there should bo a full understanding and appreciation of the new conditions to which the rules are to bo applied. What would have been an Infringement upon lib erty half a century ago may be th necessary safeguard of liberty today. It Is desirable that the legislative, body should possess, and wherever necessary exercise, the power to de termlne whothejr in a given case eoit ployers and emplpyes are not on an equal footing, so that the necessities of the latter compel them to tfjbinlt to such exactions aj to hours and conditions of labor as unduly to tax their strength; and only mischief can result when such determination is upset on the ground that there must be no "Interference with the liberty to contract" often a merely academ ic liberty," the exercise ot which la the negation if real liberty. There are certain decisions by va rious courts which havo been ex ceedingly detrimental to tho rights bt Wago-workers. This Is truo of nil the decisions that docldo that mon fend women are, by tho constitution, "gunranteqd their llburty" to con tract to enter n danuirotta occupation or to work nh undesirablo or Improp er numbor of hours, or to work In unhealthy surroundings; and there fore cannot recovor damages when maimed In that occupation, nnd can not bo forbidden to work what tho legislature decides Is an exccsslvo numbor of hours, or to carry on tho work ,-nder conditions which tho leg islature decides to bo unhealthy. Thoro Is also, I think, ground for tho belief that substantial injustlco is often Buffered by oiuployos In con Bcqhcnco of th.0 custom of courts Is suing temporary Injunctions without notlpo to thorn, nnd punishing thorn for contempt of court In Instances whore, nB a mattor ot fact, thoy havo nd knowledge of nny proceedings. feuch proposals as thoso mentioned above ns adVocalod by tho oxtromo labor leaders, contain tho vital error of being class legislation of tho most bfreiiBlvo kind, and oven If onaoted Into law I bollovo thnt tho Inw would rightly ho hold unconstitutional. Moreover, th.o labor pooplo nro thorn sqlvcs now beginning to Invoko tho use of 'tho power of Injunction. Dur ing tho Inst ten years, and within my own knowledgo, at least fifty injunc tions havo been obtained by lnbor unions In Now York city nlono, most of them being to protect tho union labol (a "proporty right"), but somo being obtained for othor reasons against employors. Tho power of In junction Is a great equltablo remedy, Which should on no account bo de stroyed. Tho legislators and executives are chosen to represent tho pcoplo tn enacting and administering tho laws. Tho Judges are not hoson o repre sent tho people in thlH senno. Tholr function Ib to Interpret tho laws. The legislators are responsible for tho .laws; tho Judges for tho spirit In which they Interpret nnd enforoo tho laws. For many of tho shortcomings of Justlco In our country our pcoplo an a wholo aro themselves to blame nnd tho Judges nnd Juries moroly bonr tholr shnro tognthor with tho publlo as a wholo. It Is discreditable) to un as a pooplo thnt thoro should ho dif ficulty In convicting murderers, or In bringing to justice men who ns publlo servants havo been guilty of corruption, or who hnvo profltod by tho corruption or publlo servants. Tho chief broakdown Is In doallnir with tho now rotations thnt nrlBo from tho mutualism, tho Interdepend ence of our tlmo. Every now noolnl rolntlon begets a new typo of wrong doing or sin. to iisq nn old-fashioned word and many years always elapse before soaloty Is able to tjrn tuls sin into crime which can ho ef fectively punished nt law. During tho lifetime ot tho oldor men now allvo tho social relations hnvo chang ed tar moro rnpldly than In tho pro coding two centuries. Tho hugo wenlth thnt has boon accumulated by a fow Individuals of recent years, In what has amounted to a soclnl nnd Industrial revolution, has boon ns regnrds somo of these Individuals mado possible only by tho impropor uso or tho modern corpora tion. A certain typo or modern nor porntlnn, with Its officers and agents, Its many Issues nf securities, nnd Its constant consolidation with allied un dertakings, finally becomes un Instru ment so complox ns to omtnln a groator number of elements thnt, un der vnrloiiB Judicial decisions, loud thomsolvos to fraud and oppression than any device yet uvolved in tho humnn brain. Thoy havo boon pormlttod to be como n monnco largely bocuusu tho governmental representatives nf tho pooplo havo worked slowly In pro viding for adequate control over them. Tho chlof offender In nny given caso mny bo nn nxer-utlvu, n legis lator, or a Judge Everv executive head who advises violent Instead of gradual, notion, or who advocates Ill considered nnd swooping measures or reform (espoMully If thoy nro tainted with vliiu tlveness, and dis regard for tho rights of tho minority) is particularly blameworthy, Tho sov eral legislatures uro responsible for Uio fact that our laws aro often pro pared with slovenly hasto and lack of consideration. Movcovor, thoy arc often prepared, and still more fro- auuntly amendod dm lug passage, at tho suggestion of the very parties ngnlnst whom they nro nrterwardH enforced. Our great clusters of cor porations, huge trusts and fabulously wealthy multimillionaires, employ the vory boat lawyers thoy nan obtain to pick flaws in those ntntutun utter their puKsago; but they also emloy a class of secret agents who seek, under tho advice of experts, to ren der hostile legislation Innocuous by making it unconstitutional, often through tho Insertion or what appear na their race to be drastic and sweeping provisions against the lu (ort'stH of the parties Inspiring thorn; while tho demagogues, tho corrupt creatures who introduce blackmail ing schemes to "strike" corporations, and all who demand oxtromo, nnd un desirably radical, measures, show tnemselves to bo the worst enemies of tho very public whose loud-mouthed champions they profess to be. The courts hold a placo of peculiar and deserved sanctity under our form of government. Keapect for the luw Is essential to tho permanence of our institutiens: and respect for the law Is largely conditioned upon r I oect for tho courts. It is an offense against tho republic to say anything which can weaken this respect, .save for the gravest reason and In the most carefully guarded manner Our Judges should be held in peculiar honor; und tho duty of respectful and truthful comment and criticism, which should be binding when we sneak of anybody, should bo especial ly binding when wo speak of them. Forehts. If there Is any one duty which more than another we owe it to our children and our children's children 1 yg to perform nt onco, It Is to eavo tho forests or this country, tor thoy con stitute tho firs and most important clement tn tho conservation of tho natural resources or tho country. Thoro nro of course two kinds of nntpral resourcea. Just as n farmer, after all his llfo making his living from hl farm, will, If ho Ih nn ox pert farmer, leavo It ns an nssot of tnerensed vnluo to his son, so wo Bhould leavo our nnttonnl domnln to our children, Increased in vnluo and not worn out. Thoro nro small sec tions of our own country, In tho enst nnd In tho west, In tho Adlrondacks, tho Whlto mountains, and tho Appa lachians, nnd In tho Rocky moun tains, whoro wo can nlrendy seo for oursolvea tho dnmngo in tho shnpo oi pcrmanont Injury to tho soil nnd tho river systems which comos from reckless deforestation. Short-sighted poraoy.s. or porsoiiB blinded to tho tuturo by desire to make money In every vay out of tho present, Bomettmca apeak ns If no grent dnmngo would bo dono by tho reckless destruction of our for ests. It Is difficult to Jinvo patience with tho arguments of thcso persona. Thanks to our own recklessness In tho uso or our spbltdld forests, wo havo nlreudy crosacd tho vorgo of n tlmbor famine In this country, and no measures that wo now t.iko can, nt lonst for many years, undo tho mlnchlof that has already boon dono. All Borloua students of tho ques tion nro nwnro of tho gront dnmngo thnt has boon dono In tho Mediterran ean countries of Europe Asia and Africa by deforestation. A recent Investigation into conditions In Norrh China by Prank N. Meyor, of tho bureau of plant Industry of tho Unit ed Stntos dopnrtmont of agriculture, has tncldentnlly furnlshod In vory striking fashion proof of tho ruin that comes from rocklosa deforestation or mountains and or tho further fact that tho dnmngo onco dono mny provo practically Irroparablo. So Important nro thcBo Investigations thnt I here with attach ns nn appendix to my mossngo certain photographs showing prcsont conditions in China. Thoy nhow tn vivid fashion tho appalling desolation, taking the shnpo of bnr ron mountains nnd gravol and sand covored plains, which Immediately follows and doponds upon tho defor estation of tho mountains. Not many conturles ngo tho country or northern China wns ono of tho most fertile nnd beautiful spots In tho ontlre world, nnd was heavily forested. Wo know thu not only from tho old Chi nese rVcords, hut from tho accounts itlvon by tho traveler. Mnrco Polo. Ho, for Instance, mentions that in visiting tho provinces of Slums! and Shonsl he observed many plantations or mulborry trqon. Now thoro Is hnrdly n slnglo mulberry treo In eith er of these provinces, nnd tho cul ture of thu Hllkworm has moved far ther south, to regions of atmosphorlo moisture. As nn Illustration of tho comploto change in thu livers, wu may take Polo's ntatuiuunt that a cortalu rlvor, tho Uuu Ho, was so largo and deep that merchants as cended It from tho sen with heavily laden bouts; today this river Is sim ply a broad, sandy bod, with shal low, rapid ourrents wandering hlthur nnd thlthor nomas It, absolutely un nnvlgable, Hut wu do not have to depend upon written records. Tho dry wells, nnd tho wells with water far holow tho fornuir watermark bear testlmovy to tho good days or the pnst anil thu ovll days of tho present. Wherever the natlvn vegetation has been allowed to remain, as, for In stance hero nnd thero nrouiid n sa cred temple or Imperial burying ground, there aro still huge trees and tanglud Jungle fragments of thu glorious ancient forests. In thu total absence of regulation of thu matter In thu Interest of the wholo people, each small group Is Inevitably pushed into a policy or destruction which cannot afford to take thought for the iiu.Vow. This la Just one of those mutton! which It Is fatal to leave to. unsupervised Individual control. Tu fo costs can only bo protected y luu state, by tho nnttrni, and the liberty or fiction or Individuals must bo conditioned upon What tho statu or nation deter mines to bo necessary for tho com mon safety. Ho loKuutl of deforestation In China Is u Uvwm whloh mankind should hnvo learned many times al ready from whut has occurred In, other places. Donudatlou leaves, naked soil; then gullying outs down to the lmr rook, and meanwhile tho rook-waste hiirloH the bottomlands. When the soil Is gone, men must go, and the process does mil take lung. What hus thus huppouod In north ern China, what hus happened la Central Asia, In I'ltlimtiue. I it Nena Afrlou, In parts of the Mediterranean countries nf Europe, will surely hap pen In our country If wu do not ox orolso Hint wise rorothough which should be one of thu chief marks of any people calling Itself civilized. Nothing should be permitted to stand In the way of the prosorutlon or the forests, und It is criminal to penult Individuals to purchase a little gala for themselves through tho dostruc-' tlon of forests when this destruction Is fatul to the well-being of the whole country in the future. Inland Wmervt ays. Action should be begun forwlth, during the present session of the congress, for thu Improvement of our Inland waterways - action which will result tu giving us not only navlguble but navigated rivers. We havo spent hundreds of millions of dollars upon these waterways, yet the traffic on nearly all of them Is steadily declin ing. This condition Is tho direct re sult ot thu absence or any compre hensive und fur-soulug plainer wutor wuy Improvement. Obviously we cannot continue thus to expend the revenues of the government without return. It Is poor business to spend money for Inland navigation unless we gut It. Inquiry Into the condition of the Mississippi und Its principal tributar ies reveals very many instances of th utter waste caused by thu method whloh have hitherto obtained for the so-culled "improvement" of naviga tion. A striking instancy Is supplied by tho "improvement" ot the Ohio, which, begun In 1824, was contlnuU undor a slnglo plan for half a cen tury. In 187G a now plan Wris" Adopt ed nnd followed for a quarter of a , century. In 1902 still different plnn wns ndoptcd nnd has since-'beeb pursued at n rate Which .only" nroih lses a navigable rlvor In froni twenty to ono hundred years longer. Such short-sighted, vacillating and futllo mothods nro nccompanled ,by decreasing wntor-borno , commerce nnd Increasing trattlc congestion on land, by Increasing floods, anu by tho wasto of public money) the remedy lies In abandoning tho, moth- , ods which hnvo so signally failed, &h A adopting now pnos in keeping yflth tno needs and demands ot our people. Until tho work of rlvor Improve ment Is undertaken In a modorn way It cannot havo results tha,t wjll meet tho needs of this modorn nation. Theso needs should bo met with6ut further dilly-dallying or delay. Tha plnn which promises tbp host and quickest results Is that of a perma nent commission authorized to co ordinate tho work ot all tho gqrerni ment departments relating to water ways, and tv frame nnd aUpcrvlBq the, execution of a comprehensive plan. National Parks. I urge thnt nil our nutlonnl imrta adjacent to national forojts bo pteee completely undor tho control or tho forest Borvlco of tho agricultural do- (inrtmont, Instead of leaving them ns hoy now are, undor tho thtorlor de inrtmont nnd policed by thu artsy. I am happy to say that 1 have beoai able to sot nstdo In various parts of the country small, woll-chosoh iractfti or ground to sorvo ns sanctuaries andl hursorlcs ror wild cronttiros. Donnturtsl Alcohol. I had occnulon in my rncssnW C Mny 4, 1000, to urgo tho passage of some Inw putting alcohol, UwU n tho arts, Industries, and manufac tures, upon tho froo list; that Is, to )rovtdo for tho withdrawal free. bf. tax or alcohol which is to, be de natured ror thoiio purposes. The. law or Juno 7, 100C, and Uo 'menil- ment or March 2, 1907, accomplished! what was doslred In that rosoui, andl' the uso ot tonnturod alcohol, us Ja tendud, Is making a fair degree. Ot progress and is1 entitled to furtfctr uncnurngoment nnd support front tho congress. Pun? Komi. Tho puru food legislator hnn al ready worked a bonoflt difficult tot ovor-ostlmu . Indian Borvlco. It has boon my purpdso froiu tfis beginning or my administration o tako tho Indian sorvico coinJMoly out or tho ntmosphuru of political ac-. tlvlty, and there has boo steady progress toward that und. Thu iMt remaining stronghold of politics In that service was tho hgoncy system, which had seen Its best dayn und was gradually railing to plocea from nat ural or purely evolutionary cause, but, like nil such survivals, was de caying slowly In its later stages, It scums clear that Its extinction had hotter ho made flunl now, so that. the ground can ho cleared for largw runstructlvu work on bohalf of Vtyi Indians, preparatory to their Inser tion Into tho full muasuro of rejH'oat Bible .citizenship. On Novuwbi; only eighteen agencies were If Wt, the rester: with two uuAmrs, where some legal qiluutloyi seemed to temporarily In thu Way, Ihosu have boon changed to ouperlirfopdoncles, and their heads brought Into the classified civil service. Hecrcl Hervtce. Last year an umondmout, -wan .flrr eorporntud III tho muasuru preving: for the secret service, which rxovldh ed thnt thoro should bo noj detain from tho secret sorvico and. so tcuw for therefrom. It Is pot, too, BMwfc to say that thin umoudiuont has, feoag of benefit only, mid could bo olV bone fit only, tn thu criminal clanaou, It deliberately Introduced for thq pur pose of diminishing the effectiveness if war ngnlnst crlnio It could aot have boon better dvvlsod tu this end. It forbade I Wo pruutlcus that had' been followed to a greater pr lessi oxteut by thu executive heads of y rlouu departments for twenty yoarsi. To thoso practices wo owe the secur ing of tho ovldcnce which enabled n to drive groat lotteries out of lumi nous nnd securo a quarter of a, kilp lloa of dollars In rinos from their promoters These practices have en abled iih to discover some of the most outrageous frauds In connection wlUh thu theft of government land audi government timber by great corpo Tor tious and by Individuals. Thosei practices have enabled uo to cot bob f the evidence Indispensable lUQCdNK io secure the conviction q( m wor thiest und must formidable criminals with whom tho Kovoruiuont has to deal, both those operating In viola tion of the anti-trust law and others. The amendment in question was of benefit to no one excepting to tkeso criminals, und it seriously liampqrs thu government In the detection pf crime and the securing of. Justice, moreover. It not only uffects depart ments oulsldo of the treasury PVt It tends to hamper the secretary of the treasury himself In tho effort to , utilize the employes of bs depart ment so us to best meet the require ments of tho publlo service, It for bids him from preventing frauds upon thu customs service, from ln .fstlgatiiig IrregiiliirltleH In branch mints and assay offlr.es, and has s rlously crippled him It prevents tso promotion of employes In the secret service, und this further dlcouraW, goo deffort In its present form to restriction operates only to (he ad vantage of the criminal, of tae wrong-doer Thu chief argument is favor of the provision was that tkw congressmen did not themselves wtftti to bo investigated by boo ret Brre mou Very little of such tftvostlfta lion hus been done iu thu past; hut. .. Is true that the work of the secret servloe agents was partly responsible for the Indictment and conviction of i senutor and a congressman for land ruuds in Oregon. tCo&tuuea on pugq ntst), t I 1 i t 11 'I I I i