Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel], December 04, 1907, Page 5, Image 5

About Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911

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COUNTRY COMMITTED TO PROTECTIVE TARIFF, BUT CHANGE DESIRABLE
INHERITANCE
TAX FA VORED
BY PRESIDENT
OTHER NATIONS, HE SAYS, GET
LARGE REVENUE
EXCESSIVE FORTUNES SHOULD
PAY, HE BELIEVES
Nearly One-Fifth of Whole Estate,
When It Is Large, Goes to Gov
ernment In England, H!«
Argument
science for centuries, but those who com
mit climes only rendered possible by thu
complex conditions of our modern Indus
trial life.
"It makes not a particle of difference
whether these crimes are committed by a
capitalist or by a laborer, by a leading
banker or manufacturer or railroad man,
or by a leading representative of a labor
union. Swindling In stocks, corrupting
legislatures, making fortunes by the in
latiou of securities, by wrecking rail
roads, by destroying competitors through
rebates— these forma of wrongdoing in mo
capitalist, are far more Infamous tnan
any ordinary form of embezzlement or
forgery; yet It is a matter of extreme
difficulty to secure the punishment ot the
man most guilty of them, most responsi
ble for them. .
"The business man who condones sucn
conduct Btandj on a level with tho labor
man who deliberately supports a corrupt
demagogue and agitator, wnether »«"*• °'
a union or head of some municipality,
because he Is said to have "stood by tht
union." The members of the business
community, the educators, or clergymen
who condone and encourage the nrst Kina
of wrongdoing aro no more dangerous to
the community, but are morally even
worse than tho labor men who are guilty j
of the second type of wrongdoing, be- ,
cause less is to be pardoned those, who I
have no such excuse as is furnished either j
by ignorimcc or by dire need. . I
FARMERS AND WORKERS
"When the department ' o£ agriculture j
was founded there was much sneering as (
to its usefulness. No department of tne
government, however, ¦ as more emphat- 1
ieally vindicate.* ita usefulness, and none
save the postoftice department comes so
continually and intimately into touch
with the pc-oplo. The tWo citizens whose
•welfare is in the aggregate most vital to |
the welfare of the nation, and therefore
to the welfare of all other citizens, are
the wage-worker who does manual labor
mid the tiller of the soil, the tanner
"There are,, of course, kinds of labor
where the work must I o purely mental,
and there are other kinds of labor where,
under existing conditions, very little de
mand is mado upon the mind, though I
am glad to cay that the proportion of.
men engaged in this kind of work is dl
minisbiiiK. But in any community with
the solid, healthy qualities which make
up a really great nation tho bulk of the
people should do work which calls for the
exercise of both body and mind. Progress
-annot permanently exist in the aban
.lonraont of physical labor, but in the
development of physical labor, so that it
.shall represent more and more the work
of the trained mind in the trained body.
Praises Farmers
"No growth of cities, no growth of
wealth, can make up for any loss in
• . ither the number or the character of the
farming population. We of the United
States .should realize this abpvo almost
all other peoples. We began our exist
ence an a nation of farmers, and in every
ijreat crisis of the past a peculiar de
pendence has had to be placed upon the
farming population; and this dependence
has hitherto been justified. But It cannot
be justified In the future if agriculture is
permitted to sink In tho scale as com
pared with other employments.
"Wo cannot afford to loso that pre
eminently typical American, the farmer
who owns hla own medium sized farm.
To have his place taken by either a class
of nmall peasant proprietors, or by a class
of great landlords with tenant farmed es
tates would be a veritable calamity. The
™rowth of our cities Is a good thing, but
only in so far as it does rot mean v.
growth at the. expense of the country
farmer. We must welcome' the rise of
i physical sciences in their application to
agricultural practices, and wo must do
all we can to render country conditions
more easy and pleasant. There are forces
which now tend to bring about both these
results, but they arc, as yot, in their in
fancy.
"Tho national government through the
department of agriculture should do all It
can by joining with the state govern
ments and wltlj Independent associations
of tanners to encourage the growth in
the open farming country of such institu
tional and social movements as will meet
' the demand of the best type of farmers,
both for the Improvement of their farms
and for the betterment of the life itself.
The department of agriculture has in
many places, perhaps especially in cer
tain districts of the south, accomplished
an extraordinary amount by co-operating
with and teaching the farmers through
their associations, on their own sol!, how
to Increase their Income by managinir
their farms better than they woro hith
erto managed.
"The farmer must not lose bia inde
pendence, hiß initiative, his rugged self
reliance, yet he must learn to work in
the heartiest co-operation with his fel
lows, exactly as the business man has
learned to work; and he must prepare
to use to constantly .better advantage
the knowledge that can b« obtained from
agricultural colleges, while he must in
.-Ist upon a practical curriculum in the
schools In which his children are taught.
The department of agriculture und the
department of commerce and labor both
deal with the fundamental needs of our
people in the production of raw material
und its manufacture and distribution,
and, therefore, with the welfare of those
who produce It in the raw state and of
those who manufacture and distribute It.
"The department of commerce and la
«bor has but recently been founded, but
has already justified its existence; while
the department of agriculture yields to
no other In the government in the prac
tical benefits which It produces in pro
portion to the public money expended.
It must continue in the future to deal
wtth growing crops aa it has dealt In the
past, but it must still further extend its
tleld of usefulness hereafter by dealing
with live men, through a far-reaching
study and treatment of the problems of
farm life alike from the Industrial and
economic and social standpoint Farmers
must co-operate with one another and
with the government, and the government
ran best give* its aid through associa
tions of farmers, so as to deliver to the
farmer tho large body of agricultural
Knowledge which has been accumulated
by the national and state governments
and by tho agricultural colleges and
achools.
"The grain producing industry of the
LOS ANCSET.es HER AT D: WEDNESDAY MORNTNC, DECEMBER 4, 1907.
country, one of the most Important In
the United States, deserves special con
sideration at the hands of the congress.
Our grain Is sold almost exclusively by
grades. To secure satisfactory results
in our home markets and to facilitate our
trade abroad these grades should ap
proximate the highest degree of uniform
ity and certainty. The preHent diverse
methods of inspection an<l grading
throughout the country under different
lawn and hoards, result In confusion and
lack of uniformity, destroying thnt con
fidence which Is necessary for healthful
trade. Complaints against the present
metfiods have contlmifd for years and
they are growing in volume and Intensity,
not only in this country, but abroad. I,
therefore, suggest to the congress th->
advisability of a national system of in
spection and grading of grain entering
Into interstate and foreign commerce as
a remedy for the present evils.
INLAND WATERWAYS
"The conservation of our natural re
sources and their proper use constitute
the fundamental problem which under
lies almost every other problem of our
national life. We must maintain for our
civilization the adequate material basts
without which that civilization cannot
exist. We must show foresight, we must
look ahead. As a nation we not only en
joy a wonderful measure of present pros
perity, but If this prosperity Is used
aright It Is an earnest of future success
such as no other nation will have. Tho
reward of foresight for thiß nation is
great and easily foretold.
"But there must "be the look ahead,
there must be the realization of the fact
that to waste, to destroy, our natural re
sources, to skin and exhaust the land In
stead of using it so as to increase Its
usefulness, will result In undermining In
the days of our children the very pros
perity which we ought by right to hand
down to tl*pm amplified and developed.
For the last few years, through several
agencies, the government has been en
deavoring to g"* nnr people to look ahead
and to substitute a planned and orderly
development of our resources in place of
a haphazard striving for immediate
profit. Our great river systems should
be developed as national water highways;
the Mississippi, with its tributaries,
standing first In Importance, and the
Columbia second, although there are
I many others of importance on the Pa
icifio. the Atlantic and the- gulf slopes.
"The national government should un
idertake this work, and I hope a beginning
¦ will be made in the present congress;
i and the greatest of all our rivers, the
' Mississippi, should receive 1 especial at
tention. From the Great Lakes to the
mouth of the Mississippi there should be
', n deep waterway, with deep waterways
j leading from it to tho east and the west
RECLAMATION WORK
"Irrigation should be far more ex
tensively developed than at present, not
only in tho states of tho great plains
and the Rocky mountains, but fti many
others, as, for instance, in large portions
of the south Atlantic and gulf states,
where it should go hand In hand with
the reclamation of swamp land. The fed
eral government should seriously devote
itself to this task, realizing that utiliza
tion of waterways and water power, for
estry, irrigation and .the reclamation uf
lands threatened with overflow, are all
Interdependent parts of the same prob
lem. The work of the reclamation ser
vice in developing the larger opportuni
ties of the western half of our country
for Irrigation Is more important than al
most any other movement The constant
purpose of the government In connection
with the reclamation service hasbeen to
use the water resources of the public
lands for the ultimate greatest good of
the greatest number; in other words, to
put upon the land permanent home mak
ers, to use and develop it for themselves
and for their children and children's
children.
PUBLIC LANDS
"The effort of the government to deal
with the public land has been based upon
the same principle as that of the recla
mation service. The land law system
which was designed to meet the» needs of
the fertile and well watered regions of thn
middle west, has largely broken down
when applied to the dryer regions of the
great plains, the mountains and much of
the Pacific slope, where a farm of 160
ncres is inadequate for self-support. In
theae regions the system lent itself to
fraud, and much land passed out of the
hands of the government without passing
Into the hands of the home maker.
"The department of the interior and
the department of justice joined In pros
ecuting the offenders against the law;
and they have nccomp'ishrd much. whll»
where the administration of tho law has
been defective it has been changed. But
the laws themselves are defective. Three
years ago a public land commission was
appointed to scrutinize 'he law and de
tects and recommend a remedy. Their
examination specifically showed the ex
istence of great fraud upon the public
domain, and their recommendations for
changes In the law were made with the
design of conserving the natural re
sources of every part of the public lands
by putting it to Its best use. Especial
attention was called to the prevention of
settlement by the passage of great area*
of public land into the hands of a few
men, and to the enormous waste caused
by unrestricted grazing upon the open
range. The recommendations of the pub
lic lands commission are sound, for they
are especially In the Interest of the ac
tual home maker; and Where the small
home maker cannot at present utilize the
land they provide that the government
shall keep control of It so that It may
not be monopolized by a few men. Th<>
congress has not yet acted upon these
recommendation; but they are so Jus*
and proper, so essential to our national
welfare, that I feel confident. If the
congress will take time to consider them,
that they will ultimately be adopted.
Legislation Necessary
"Some sufch legislation as that pro
posed is essential in order to preserve
the great stretches of public grazing land
which are unfit for cultivation under
present methods and arc valuable only
for the forage which they supply. Theso
stretches amount in all to some 300.000 000
acres, and are open to the free grazing
of cattle, sheep, horses and goats, without
restriction. Such a system, or rather lacK
of system, means that the range is not
so much used as wasted by abuse. As
the west settles the* range becomes more
and more overgrazed. Much of it cannot
be used to advantage unless it is fenced,
for fencing is the only way by which to
keep in che"ck the owners of nomad
flocks which roam hither and thither,
utterly destroying the pastures and leav
ing a waste behind so that their presence
is Incompatible with tho presence of
home makers.
"The existing 1 fences are ull illegal.
Some of them represent the improper
exclusion of actual settlers, actual
home-makers, from territory which Is
usurped by great cattle companies.
Some of them represent what is in It
self a proper effort to use the range for
those upon the land, and to prevent its
uso by nomadic outsiders. All these
fences, thoso that are hurtful and thosu
that are beneficial, are alike illegal and
must come down. But it is an outrage
that tho law should necessitate such
action on the part of the administra
tion.
"The unlawful fencing of public
lands for private gracing must b«
stopped, but the necessity which occa
sioned It must be provided for. TH
federal government should have con
trol of the range, whether by permit on
lease, as local necessities may deter- 1
mine. Such control could securo thu
great benefit of legitimate fencing,
while at the same time securing and
promoting the settlement of the coun
try. In some places It may be that the
tracts of range adjacent to the home
steads of actual settlers should be al
lotted to them severally or In common
for the summer grating of their stock.
Elsewhere It may be that a lease sys
tem would serve the purpose: the
leases to be temporary and subject to
the rlgrhts of settlement, and the
amount charged being large enough
merely to permit of the efficient and
beneficial control of the range by the
government, atjd or the payment to the
county of 'he equivalent of what It
would otherwise receive in taxos.
FORESTS
"Optimism is a good characteristic,
but if carried to an excess It becomes
foolishness. We are prone to speak of
the resources of this country as lnex
haistlblc; this is not so. The mineral
wealth of the country, the coal. Iron,
oil, gas and the like does not reproduce
Itself, and therefore Is certain to be
c'xlumsteii ultimately; and wasteful
ness. In dealing with it today means
that our descendants will feel the ex
haustion a generation or two before
they otherwise would. But there are
certain other forms of waste whleh
could be entirely stopped — the waste
of soil by washing, for instance, which
is among tho most dangerous of all
wastes now. In progress In the United
States, Is easily preventable, so that
this present enormous loss of fertility
Is entirely unnecessary. The preservn
tlon or replacement of »h« forests Is
one of the most important means of,
preventing this 1038.
We have made a beginning in for
est preservation, but it is only a be
ginning. At present lumbering Is tht
fourth greatest industry In the United
States; and yet, so rapid has been the
i ate of exhaustion of timber in the
United States In the .past, and so rap
idly is the remainder being exhausted,
that the country Is unquestionably on
the verge of a timbor famine which
will be felt In every household In the
land. There has already been a rise
in the price of lumber, but there Is cer
tain to be a more rapid and heavier
riso in the future
"Tho present annual consumption of
lumber is certainly three times as
great as the annual growth; and If the
consumption and growth continue un
changed, practically all our lumber win
be exhausted In another generation,
while long before the limit to complete
exhaustion Is reached the growing
scarrlty will make itself felt in many
blighting ways upon our national wel
fare. • . '
About 20 per cent of our forested
territory Is now reserved In national
forests; but thesa do not inclu.de the
most yaluable timber lands, and in i any
event the proportion Is too small to
expect that the reserves can accom
plish more than a mitigation of the
trouble which is ahead for the nation.
Drastic Action .Needed
'J"ar more Crastlc action is needed.
Forests can be lumbered so aa to prtvo
to the public tho full use of their mer
cantile timber without the slightest
detriment to the forest any more than
It Is a detriment to a farm to furnish a
harvest: so that there is no parallel
between forests and mines, whleh can
only bo completely used by exhaustion.
But forests, If used as till ou,r forests;
have been used In the past and as most
of thorn are still used, will be either
wholly destroyed or so damaged tnat
many decades have to pass before ef
fective use can be made of them again.
WOOD PULP
"There should be no tariff on any
forest product grown in this country:
n<l. in especial, there should be no
tariff on wood pulp; due notice of tho
-hanpe being of course given to thoso
engaged in the business so as to en
able them to adjust themselves to the
new conditions. The repeal of the
duty on wood pulp should if possible
be accompanied by an agreement with
Canada that there shall be no export
duty on Canadian pulp wood.
MINERAL LANDS
•In the eastern United States th*
mineral fuels have already passed Into
the hands of larsre private owners, an.l
those of the west are rapidly follow
ing. It is obvious that these fuels
should be conserved and not wasted,
and It would be well to protect the
people against uniust and extortionate
nrices, so far as that can still be done.
What has been accomplished in the
oreat oil fields of the Indian Territory
by the action of the administration
offers a striking example of the good
results of such a policy. In my Judg
ment the government should have the
right to keep the fee of the coal, oil
and eas ffelds In Its own possession and
to lease the rights to develop them
under proper regulations; or else. If tnt
conereas will not ad^pt this method,
the coal deposits should be sold under
limitations, to conserve them as public
utilities, the rlarht t" mine coal being
separated from the title to the soil.
"The remilaions should ¦ permit coal
lands to be worked In sufficient quan
tity by the Beveral corporations. The
present limitations have" been ahsurd,
excessive and serve no useful purpose,
and often render it necessary that
thjre should be either fraud or else
abandonment of the work of getting
out the coal.
PANAMA CANAL
"T'ork on the Panama canal is pro
ceeding: In a highly satisfactory man
ner. In March last, John F. Stevens,
chairman of tho commission and chief
engineer, resigned, and the commission
was reorganized and constituted as fol
lows: Lieutenant Colonel George. W.
Qoethals. corps of engineers, U. 8.
army, chairman and chief englnoer;
Major D. D. Gatllard, corps of en
gineers, U. S. army, Civil Engineer H
H. Rousseau, U. S. navy; J. C. S. Black
burn, Col. W. C. Gorges, U. S. army, and
Jackson Smith, , commissioners. This
change of authority and direction went
Into effect on April 1, without causing
a perceptible check to the progress of
the work. In March the total uxcava
t!^n in tho Culebra Cut. where effort
was chiefly concentrated, was 815,270
cubio yards. In April this was In
creased to 879.527 cubic yards. There
was a considerable decrease in tho out
put for May and June owing partly to
the advent of the rainy season and
partly to temporary trouble with the
steam shovel mon over the question of
wages.
"This trouble was settled satisfac
torily to all partis and in July th«.
tctal excavation advanced materially
and In August the grand total from all|
points In the canal prism by Bteuni
shovels and dredges exceeded all pre
vious United States records, reaching
1.274,404 ruble yards. In September
this record was eclipsed and a total of
1.617,412 cubic yards was removed Of
this amount 1,481,307 cubic yards were
from the canal prism and 36,105 cubic
yards were from accessory works.
These results were achieved In the
rainy season with a rainfall In Augus'
of 11.89 Inches and In September of
1.65 Inches. Finally. In October, the'
record was again ecllnsod. the total
excavation being 1,868,729 cubic yards'
n truly extraordinary record, especially
in view of the heavy rainfall, which
was 17.1 inches. In fact, experience
during the last two rainy seasons dem
onstrates that the rains are a lrs«
serious obstacle to progress than has
hitherto been supposed.
"The chief engineer and all his pro
fessional associates are firmly con
vinced that the eighty-five feet level
lock canal which they are constructing
Is the best that could be desired. Some
of them had doubts on this point when
they went to the Isthmus. As the plan*
have developed under their direction
their doubts have been dispelled. While
they may deride upon changes In detail
as construction advances they are In
hearty accord In approving the general
plan. They believe that It provides a
canal not only adequate to all demands
that will be mado upon it but superior
In every way to a sea level canal, i
concur In this belief.
POSTAL AFFAIRS
"I commend .to the favorable considera
tion of the congress a postal savings
bank system, as recommended by the
postmaster general. The primary object
Is to encourage among our people econ
omy and thrift and by the uso of postal
savings banks to give them an oppor
tunity to husband their resources, par-
! ticumriy those who have not th« facill-
I ties at hand for depositing their money
ln savings banks. Viewed, however,
from the experience of the past few
weeks, It is evident that the advantages
of such an institution aro still more far
reaching. Timid depositors have with
drawn their, savings for the time being
from national banks, trust companies
and savings banks; Individuals have
hoarded their cash and the workingraen
their earnings; all of which money has
been withheld and kept in hiding or in
the safe deposit box to the detriment of
prosperity. Through the ugency of the
postal savings banks such money would
be restored to the channels of trade, to
the mutual benefit of capital and labor.
"I further commend to the congress
the consideration of the postmaster gen
eral's recommendation for an extension
of the parcel post, especially on the rural
routes. There are now 38,215 rural routes,
serving nearly 15,000,000 people who do
not have the advantages of the Inhabi
tants of cities In obtaining their supplies.
These recommendations have been drawn
up to benefit tho farmer and tho country
storekeeper; otherwise, 1 should not
favor them, for I believe that it la good
policy for our government to do every
thing possible to aid the small town and
the country district It is desirable that
the country merchant should not be
crushed ut
"The fourth-class postmasters' con
vention has passed a very strong resolu
tion in -avor of placing tho fourth- class
postmasters under the civil service law.
The administration has already put Into
effect the policy of refusing to remove
any fourth-class postmasters save for
reasons connected with the good of the
service, and .. is endeavoring so far ac
possible to remove them from the do
main of partisan politics. It would be a
most desirable thing to put the fourth
class postmasters In the classified serv
ice. It is possible that this might be
done without congressional action, but,
as the matter Is debatable, I earnestly
recommend that tho congress enact a
law providing that they be Included un
der the civil service law and put in the
¦ classified service.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has become a state, standing
on a full equality with her elder slsiers.
and her future Is assured by her great
natural resources. The duty of the na
tional gove nment to guard the personal
and property rights of the Indians with
in her borders remains, of course, un
changed.
ALASKA
"I reiterate my recommendations of
last year as rega-ds Alnßka. Some form
of local self-government should be pro
vided, as simple and Inexpensive as pos
sible; it Is impossible for the congress
to devote tne necessary time to ai: the
little details of necessary A'a?kan legis
lation. Road building and ra'lway
building should be encouraged. The gov
ernor of Alaska should be given an am
ple appropriation wherewith to organize
a force to preserve the public peace.
Whisky selling to the natives should be
made a felony. The coal land hiws
should be changed so as to meet the pe
culiar needs of the territory. This
should be attended to at once, for the
present laws permit Indlvldua's to lo
cate large areas of the public domain
for speculative purposes and cause an
Immense amount of trouble, fraud and
litigation. There should be another Ju
dicial division established. As early as
possible lighthouses and buoys should
be established as aids to navigation,
especially in and about Prince William
sound, and tho survey of the coast com
pleted.
"There is need of liberal appropriations
for lighting and buoying' the southern
coast and improving the aids to naviga
tion In southeastern Alaska. One of the
great In ustrle* In Alaska, as of Puget
sound and the Columbia, is salmon fish
ing. Gradually, by reason of lack of
proper laws, this industry is being ruined.
It should now be taken In charge and
effectively prjtccteJ oy tha United States
government
HAWAII
"The unfortrnate failure of the ship
ping bill at the last, session of the last
congress wej followed by tho taking off
of certain Pacific steamships, which nas
greatly hampered the movement of pas
sengers betv.een Hawaii and the main
land. Unlesß tho congress is prepared hy
positive encouragement to secure proper
facilities In the way of shipping between
Hawaii and the main and. then the
coastwise shipping laws should be so far
relaxed as to prevent Hawaii suffering
as It is now suffering. I again call your
attention to the capital Importance from
every standpoint of making Pearl har
bor available for the largest deep water
vessels, and of suitably fortifying tho
Island.
THE PHILIPPINES
"The secretary of war has prone to the
Philippines. On his return I shall sub
mit to you his repor. on the islands.
PORTO RICO
'1 again recommend that the rights of
citizenship c conferred upon the people
of Porto Rico.
MINING
"A bureau of mines should be created
under the control and direction of the
secretary oi the Interior, the bureau to
have power to collect statistics and make
Investigations In all matters pertaining to
the accidents and dangers of the Indus
try. If this cannot now be done, at least
additional appropriations should be given
the Interior department to be used for
the study of mining conditions, for the
prevention of fraudulent mining schemes,
for carrying on tha work of mapping the
mining districts, for studying methods
for minimizing the accident*, and dan
gers in the industry; In short, to aid in
all proper ways tho development of the
mining Industry.
THE HERMITAGE
"1 strongly recommend to the congress
to provide funds for keeping up tne
Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jack
son; these funds to be used through the
existing Hermitage association for , the
preservation of a historic building which
should ever do dear to Americans.
NATIONAL PARK
"I further recommend that a naval
monument be established In the Vlcks
burg national park. This national park
gives a unique opportunity for commem
orating the deeds of those gallant ran
who fought on water, no less than of
those who lought on iand, in thu greui
Civil War.
THIRTEENTH CENSUS
"Legislation ahoi Id be enacted at the
present session of the congress for the
thirteenth census. lhe establishment of
the permanent census bureau affords the
opportunity for .- better census than we
have ever had, but In order to realize
the full advantage of the permanent or
ganization, ample time must be given
for preparation.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH
"There ia a constantly growing inter
est In this country In the question of
the public health. At last the public
mind is awake to the fact that many
diseases, notably tuberculosis, are na
tional scourges. The work of the state
and city boards of health should be sup
plemented by a constantly increasing in
terest on the part of the national gov
ernment The congress has already pro
vided a bureau 1 of public health and has
provided for a hygienic laboratory. There
are other valuable laws relating to the
public health connected with the va
rious departments. This whole branch
of the government should be strength
ened and aided In every way.
COMMISSIONS
"I call attention to two government
commissions which I have appointed and
which have already done excellent work.
The first of these has to do with the or
ganization of the scientific work of the
government, which has grown up wholly
without plan and is In consequence so
unwisely distributed among the execu
tive departments that much of Its effect
Is lost for the lack of proper co-ordina
tion. This commission's chief object is
to introduce a planned and orderly de
velopment and operation in the place
of the ill-assorted ana often ineffective
grouping and methods of work which
have prevailed. This cannot be done
without legislation, nor would it be feas
ible to leal with so complex an admin
istrative problem by specific provisions
of law. I recommena that the president
be given authority to concentrate related
lines of work and reduce duplication by
executive order through transfer and
consolidation of lines of work.
Second Committee
'The second committee, that on depart
ment methods, was Instructed to investi
gate and report upon the changes needed
'o place the conduct of the executive
force of the government on the most
economical and effective basis In the light
of the best modern business practice.
The committee has made very satisfa-
t<;ry progress. Antiquated practices and
bureaucratic ways have been abolished,
and a general renovation of departmental
methods has heen Inaugurated. All that
can be done by executive order has al
¦eady been accomplished or will be pit
into effect In the near future.
"The work of the main committee anl
Itß several assistant committees has pro
duced a wholesome awakening on the
Dart of the great body of officers and em
ployes engaged In government work. In
nearly every department and office there
has been a careful self-inspection fpr tho
rurpose of remedying any defects beforo
they could be made the subject of adverse
criticism. This has led Individuals to %
wider study of the work on which they
were engaged, and this study has resulted
In Increasing their efficiency in their re
spective lines of work. There are recom
mendations of special Importance from
the committee on the subject of personnsl
and the classification of salaries which
will require legislative action before th?y
can be put Into effect. It Is my Intention
to submit to congress In the near future
i special message on those subjects.
CAMPAIGN EXPENSES
"Under our form of government voting
is not merely a right but a duty, and,
moreover, a fundamental and necessary
fluty If a man Is to be a good citizen. It
is well to provide that corporations shall
not contribute to presidential or natlon.il
campaigns, and furthermore to provide
for tho publication of both contributions
and expenditures. There Is. however,
always danger in laws of this kind, and
disobeyed by the unscrupulous, so as so
act only as a penalty upon honest men.
Moreover, no such law would hamper aa
unscrupulous man of unlimited meain
from buying his own way Into office.
"There Is a very radical measure which
Tvould, I believe, work a substantial im
provement in our system of conducting a
campaign, although 1 am well aware that
it will take some time for people, so to
lamlliarlze themselves with such a pro
posal as to be willing to consider Its
adoption. The need for collecting large
campaign funds would vanish if congress
provided an appropriation for tho propi
und legitimate expenses of each of th«f
£reat national parties, an appropriation
ample enough to meet the necessity for
thorough organization and machinery,
which requires a large expenditure of
money. Then the stipulation should be
made that no purty receiving campaign
funds from tho treasury should accept |
more than a fixed amount from any In
dividual subscriber or donor; and the
necessary publicity for reeelpts and ox
renditures could without difficulty be pro
vided.
GALLERY OF ART
"There should be a national gallery if
nrt established In the capital city of this
country. This Is Important not merely to
the artistic but to the material welfare
¦•t the country; and the people are to !.e
congratulated on the fact .that the move
mum i." establish such a gallery is taking
definite form under the guidance of the
Smithsonian Institution. So far from
there being a tariff on works of irt
Irought into the country, their Import? •
tlon should be encouraged In every way.
There have been no sufficient collections
cf objects of art by the government, and
what collections have been acquired are :
scattered and are generally placed In ur.-i
suitable and Imperfectly lighted galleries I
BIOLOGICAL SURVEY
"The biological survey Is quietly work-
Uig for the good of our agricultural in
terests, and is an excellent example of i
government bureau which conducts >r-
Iglnal scientific research the findings of
which are of much practical utility. For
rpore thai twenty years it has studio
the food habits of birds and mamma's
i that are injurious or beneficial to agri
culture, horticulture and forestry; has
distributed Illustrated bulletins on tho
subject, and has labored to secure legis
lative protection for the beneficial species.
The cotton bolUweevll, which has recently
overspread the cotton belt of Texas and
': steadily extending its range. Is said to
rause an annual loss of about $3,000,000.
"The biological survey has ascertained
end given wide publicity to the fact that
at least forty-three kinds of birds prey
upon this destructive insect It has dis
covered that fifty-seven species of birds
feed upon scale-Insects — dreaded enemies
of the fruit grower. It has shown thit
woodpeckers as a class, by destroying
the larvae of wood-boring insects, are so
essential to tree life that it is doubtful
if our forests could exist without them.
It has shown that cuckoos and orioles
are the natural enemies of the leaf-eat
ing caterpillars that destroy our shade
and fruit trees; that our quails and
sparrows consume annually hundreds of
tons of seeds of noxious weeds; that
hawks and owls as a class (excepting
the few that kill poultry and game birds)
are markedly beneficial, spending their
lives in catching grasshoppers, mice and
other pests that prey upon the products
of husbandry.
"It has conducted field experiments for
the purpose of devising and perfecting
simple methods for holding In check the
hordes of destructive rodents— rats, mice,
rabbits, gophers, prairie dogs and ground
squirrels— which annually destroy crops
worth many millions of dollars; and it
has published practical directions for the
destruction of wolves and coyotes on thu
stock ranges of the west, resulting dur
ing the past year ii) an estimated saving
of cattle and sheep valued at upward
of a million dollars.
"I reccommend to congress that this
bureau, whose usefulness is seriously
handicapped by lack of funds be grant
ed .an appropriation in some degree com
mensurate with the importance of mo
work it is doing.
OCEAN MAIL SERVICE
"I call your especial attention to the
unsatisfactory condition of our foreign
mail service, which, because of the lack
of American steamship lines, is now
largely done through foreign lines, and
which, particularly so far as South and
Central America are concerned, is dono
In a manner which constitutes a serious
barrier to the extension of our commerce
"The time has come. In my judgment,
to set to work seriously to make our
ocean mall service correspond more
closely with oi i recent commercial and
political development. A beginning was
made by the ocean mall act of March
3, 1891, but even at that time the act
was known to be inadequate In various
particulars. Since that time events have
mo /3d rapidly in our history. We have
acquired Hawaii, the Philippines and
lesser islands in the Pacific. We are
steajily prosecuting the great work of
uniting at the Isthmus the waters of
the Atlantic and the Pacific. To a great
er extent than seemed probable even a
dozen years ago we may look to an
American future on the sea worthy tif
the traditions of our past.
"As the nrst step in that direction,
and the step most feasible at the present
time, I recommend the extension of the
ocean mall act of 1891. That act aas
stood tor some years free from success
ful criticism of Its principle and purpose.
It was based on theories of the obliga
tions of a great maritime nation, undis
puted in our own land and followed by
other nations since tho beginning of
steam navlgatijn. Briefly those theories
are, that it Is the, duty of a first class
power so far as practicable to carry Its
ocean malls under Its own flag; that
the fast ocean steamships and their
crews, required for such mail service,
are valuable auxiliaries to the sea power
of a nation. Furthermore, the construc
tion of such steamships insures the maln
tenince in an efficient condition of the
ship yards In which our battleships must
be built.
Expenditure Warranted
"The expenditure of public money for
the performance of such necessary func
tions of government is certainly war
ranted nor is It necessary to dwell upon
the Incidental benefits to our foielgn
navigation which will accompany tho
discharge of these urgent public .Intles,
though they, too, should hnve weight.
"The only serious question is whether
at this time we can afford to improve our
detail mail service as It should be Im
proved. All doubt on this subject Is re
moved by the reports of the postofflce
department. For the fiscal year ended
June 30, 1907. that department estimates
that the postage collected- on the articles
exchanged with foreign countries other
than Canada and Mexico amounted to $6,
679,043.48, or $3,673.i!6.81 more than the
net cost of the service, exclusive of the
cost of transporting the articles between
the United States exchange postofficea
and the United States postofftcen at
which they Were mailed or delivered. In
other words, the government of the
United States, having assumed a monop
oly of carrying the malls for the people,
is making a profit of over $3,600,000 by
rendering a cheap and Inefficient ser
vice.
"That profit I believe should be de
voted to strengthening our maritime
power In those directions where It will
best promote our prostige. The country
Is familiar with tne facts of our maritime
Impotence in the harbors of the great
and friendly republics of South America.
Following the failure of the shipbuilding
bill we lost our only American line of
steamers to Australasia, and that loss on
the Pacific has become a serious embar
rassment to the people of Hawaii und
has wholly cut off the Samoan Islands
from regular communication with the Pa
cific coast. Puget Sound, in the year,
has lost over half (four out of. seven) of
its American steamers trndlnu with the
Orient.
"We now pay under thu hcL of ISOI
%\ a statute mile outward to twenty-knot
[American mall steamships, built acoord-
5
Ing to navnl plans, available as cruisers,
and manned by American*. Steamships
of that Him d arc confined exclusively to
iTHiisiitlarllc trade with New York. To
xteamyhlps of sixteen knots or over only
I? a mile ran hi- pnld. and It is steam
ships of this speed and type which are
needed to meet the requirements of mail
¦ervlce to Bouth America. Asia (Includ
ing the Philippines) and Australia.
"I strongly recommend, therefore, a
simple amendment to the ocean mall act
of 1891 which shall authorize the post
master general In his discretion to enter
Into contracts lor the transportation of
mails to the republics of South America,
to Asia, the Philippines and Australia
at a rate not to exceed 14 a mile for
steamships of sixteen knots speed or
upward, subject to the restrictions and
obligations of the act of 1891. The profit
of %3 600.000 which has been mentioned
will fully cover the maximum annual ex
penditure involved in this recommenda-
I tion, and it Is believed will in time ee
'tablish the lines so urgently needed. The
proposition Involves no new principle,
but permits the efficient discharge of
public functions now inadequately per-
formed or not performed at all.
THE ARMY
"Not only there is not now, but there
never has been, any other nation in the
world so wholly free from the evils of
militarism ao Is ours. There never has
been any other large nation, not even
China, which for so long a period has
had relatively to its numbers so small
a regular army as has ours. Never at
any time In our history has this nation
suffered from militarism or has been In
the remotest danger of suffering from
militarism.
"Never at any time of our history has
the regular army been of a size which
caused the slightest appreciable tax upon
the taxpaylrg citizens of the nation. Al
most always it has been too small in
size and underpaid. Never in our entire
history han the nation suffered In the
hn.B been given to tho army, too much
prominence given it, too much money
spent upon it, or because It has beer too
large. But again and again we have
suffered because enough care has not
been given to it, because It has been too
small, because there has not been suffi
cient preparation In advance for possible
war.
"Every foreign war In which we bave
engaged has cost us many times th«
amount which. If wisely expended dur
ing the preceding years of peace on the
regular army, would have Insured the
war ending in but a fraction of the time
and but for a fraction of the cost that
was actually the case. As a nation we
hnve always been shortsighted In provid
ing for the efficiency of the army In
time of peace. It is nobody's especial
Interest to make suoh provision and no
one looks ahead to war at any period.
no matter how remote, ac being a serious
possibility: while an improper economy,
or, rather, niggardliness, can be prac
ticed at the expense of the army with the
certainty that those practicing it will
not be called to account therefor, but
that the price will be paid by the un
fortunate persons who happen to be in
office when a war does actually come.
Not Hostile to Army
"I think it is only lack of foresight that
troubles us, not any hostility to the
army. There are. of course, foolish peo
ple who denounce any care of the army
or navy as 'militarism.' but I do not
think that these people arc numerous.
This country has to contend now, and haa
had to contend in the past, with many
evils, and there is ample scope for all
who would work for reform. But there
is not one evil that now exists, or that
ever has existed In thJB country, which
Is, or ever has been, owing in the small
est part to militarism.
"Declamation against militarism has no
more s.erlous place in an earnest and In
telligeat movement for righteousness in
this country than declamation against
the worship of Baal or Astaroth. It Is
declamation against a non-existent evil.
one which never has existed in thlß coun
try, and which has not the slightest
chance of appearing here. We are glad
to help in any movement for international
peace, but this is because we sincerely
believe that it is our duty to help all
such movements provided they are sane
and rational, and not because there Is
any tendency toward militarism on our
part which needs to be cured. The evils
we have to fight are those in connection
with industrialism, not militarism. In
dustry is always necessary, just as war is
sometimes necessary. Each has Its price,
and Industry in the United States now ex
acts, and has always exacted, a far
heavier toll of death than all our wars
put together.
"The statistics of the rallrads of this
country for the year ended June 30, 1906,
the last contained in the annual statisti
cal report of the interstate commerce
commission, show in that one year a
total of 108,324 casualties to persons, of
which 10,618 represent tho number of per
sons killed. In that wonderful hive of
human activity, Pittsburg, the deaths duo
to industrial accidents of 1906 were 319,
all the result of accidents in mills, mines
or on railroads. For the entire country,
therefore, it is safe to Bay that tMe deaths
due to industrial accidents aggregate In
the neighborhood of 20,000 a year, Buch
a record makes the death rate in all our
foreign wars utterly trivial by compari
son. The number of deaths in battle iv
all the foreign wars put together for tho
last century and a quarter aggregate con
s'dt-rably less than one year's death rec
ord for our Industries. A mere glance at
these figures la sufficient to show the ab
surdity of the outcry against militarism.
Praise for Army
"But again and again In the past our
little regular army has rendered service
literally vital to the country, and It may
at any time have to do so in the future.
Its standard of efficiency and instruction
is higher now than ever in the past But
It Is too email. There are not enough of
ficers; and It is impossible to secure
enough enlisted men. We should maintain
In peace a fairly complete skeleton of a
large army. A great and long continued
war would have to be fought by volun
teers. But months would pass before any
large body of efficient volunteers could
be put In the field, and our regular army
should be large enough to meet any Im
mediate need. In particular It Is essential
that we should possess a number of extra
officers trained in peace to perform ef
ficientb the duties urgently required upon
the breaking out of war.
."The medical corps should be mucfc
larger than the needs of our regular army
In war. Yet at present it is smaller than
the needs of the service demand even In
peace. The Spanish war occurred less
than ten years ago. The chief loss we
suffered in It was by disease among the
regiments which never left the country.
At the moment the natton seemed deeply
Impressed by this fact; yet seemingly 1t
has already been forgotten, for not the
slightest effort has been made to prepare
a medical corps- of sufficient size to pre
vent the repetition of the same, disaster
on a much larger scale If we should ever
be engaged In a serious conflict. Tho
trouble in the Spnnish war was not with
the then existing officials of the war de
partment; it was with the. representatives
of the people as a whole who, for tho
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