Blackfoot Optimist
Karl P. Brown, Publisher.
>LACKFOOT ... IDAHO
IN THE GEM STATE
More than fourteen inches of snow
fell at Coeur d'Alene In twenty-four
hoars.
The senate has confirmed the re
nomination of William Balderston as
register of the Boise land office.
The state horticultural inspector,
In his annual report, places the acre
age of the state in fruit at 120,000
acres.
Judge John F. MacLane of the
Third district has tendered his res
ignation and will resume his legal
practice.
The Black Canyon irrigation dis
trict has voted to bond for $7,000,000
to further the big irrigation project
which is under way.
The Boise fire department is "break
Ins in" a big new 65-foot aerial Sea
grave truck, which .will be a great aid
In fire-fighting in the capital city.
Bugene Tranchard, a noted French
sculptor, who has been leading a quiet,
life in Nampa for some years, will
make his future home In New York.
After being banished from Grange
wllle for two years, saloons again
made their appearance on the. 10th,
the county commissioners granting
Idaho, with 60,000 acres of fruit in
1910, and about 15 per cent In bear
tng, shipped 2,500 cars, which lnclud
«4 prunes and peaches, at a value of
over $ 2 , 000 , 000 .
licenses to six different applicants.
Three saloons are open for business
at Cottonwood as the result of the ac
don of the commissioners at Orange
wille in granting licenses.
An avalanche started by the warm
Chinook wind swept down the side
at Sunset peak near Wallace, catch
ing Joe 8pellgatti and Joe Blsigh, who
were on their way to work In the
Idora mine.
The outlook for a busy season In
Che Big Creek country, In Thunder
Mountain district, compares very fa
vorably with any section of the state,
aooordlng t» Dr. Smith, constructing
engineer of the Eagle mine.
The druggists who were called to
Boise last week to confer with Com
enlaaioDer Wallis with reference to the
enforcement of the law declared they
stand ready and willing to assist the
paré food and drug department in
their work.
That the hop growing industry will
In the near future be extensively car
. ried on in the famous Weiser valley
In proven by the fact that a move
ment is quietly under way for the or.
g&nization of a company at Welser to
engage in the business.
The output of apples In Idaho,
Oregon and Washington In 1910,
amounted to 5,922,000 boxes. This
output alone would not supply the
cites of New York and Chicago with
finit if it were distributed one box
to each person per year.
The supreme court of this state re
cently decided that pure alcohol could
be sold by druggists in local option
territory upon the written application
of the purchaser and that it was not
necessary for the applicant to have
a physician's prescription.
The largest plantings of fruit trees
In Ijlaho in 1911 were in the Twin
Falls country, thousands of acres be
ing planted to orchards in Lincoln
and Twin Falls counties. There was
nteo an Increased planting in the
northern part of the state.
The Boise Statesman says it is
highly probable that former Governor
James H. Brady Will take over the
Great W«3tern Beet Sugar company's
holdings at Mountain j Home, which
waa bid in by Harry Watkins at auc
tlon sale, January 5, for $56,547.
«Clad only in a thin suit of under
«clothing, Leander Lindsten, a miner,
walked four miles through waist deep
snow to Wallace! to summon help for
hla brother and a companion who,
with him. had been caught in a snow
slide. The rescue party found both
men dead.
George Wlinter, on trial at Paris on
eh« charge of assault with attempt to
commit murder, was acquitted. The
assault took place in Pocatello, where
Winter was superintendent ' of the
water department. It was charged
that he struck the eomplalrilpg wit
ness with a monkey wrench.
' Shoshone county's special ' grand
Jury delayed its consideration of the
failure of the defunct State Bank oi
Commerce long enough on the 10th
to permit It to indict three up town
Wallace liquor dealers who, according
to the charges, have been guilty ol
selling liquor to minors.
In a snowslide at the Oreano mine
just above the town of Burke, Jack
Orville, a miner, and John Hanson,
camp cook, were caught in the bunk
house which was carried off its foun
dation and buried many feet in tbe
■now. The cook dug himself out, b it
Orville was fatally injured.
The distribution of headache pow
ders, tablets and sample medicine, as
well as other alleged habit-forming
drags in this state, has been placed
ander the ban, and druggists will be
prosecuted who distribute the danger
ous mixtures.
Placing themselves on record In fa
vor of a one-cent postage for first
cIbbb mall matter and against the
parcels post now and forever. The
Idaho Retail Hardware and Impie
ment Dealers' association closed lti
session at Boise on January 12. tc
meet again iu April at Ontario.
CAN GUT EXPENSES
Taft Tells Congress Results of
Economy Inquiry.
SUBMITS SPECIAL MESSAGE
How Increased Efficiency In Govern
ment Service at 'Lower Cost May
Bs Obtained, According to
8peclal Commission.
Washington.—President Taft has sub
mitted to congress a special message on
economy and efficiency In the govern
ment service. The message in part is as
follows:
To the Senate and House of Representa
tives:
I submit for the information of the con
gress this report of progress made in the
inquiry into the efficiency and economy of
the methods of transacting public busi
ness.
Efficiency and economy in the govern
ment service have been demanded with
increasing insistence for a generation.
Real economy is the result of efficient or
ganisation. By perfecting the organiza
tion the same benefits may be obtained
at less expense. A reduction In the to
tal of the annual appropriations is not
in Itself a proof of economy, since it is
often accompanied by a decrease In effi
ciency. The needs of the nation may de
mand a large Increase of expenditure, yet
to keep the total appropriation within
the expected revenue is necessary to the
maintenance of public credit.
Upon the president must rest a large
ahare of the responsibility for the de
mands made upon the treasury for the
current administration of the executive
branch of the government. Upon the
congress must rest responsibility for
thoss grants of public funds which are
made for other purposes.
Plan of the Work.
In accordance with my Instructions, the
commission on economy and efficiency,
which I organized to aid me In the In
quiry, has directed its efforts primarily
to the formulation of concrete recommen
dations looking to the betterment of the
fundamental conditions under which gov
ernmental operations must be carried on.
With a basis thus laid. It has proceeded
to the prosecution of detailed studies of
Individual services and classes of work,
and of particular practices and methods,
pushing these studies as far and cover
ing as many points and services, as the
resources and time at Ms disposal have
permitted.
In approaching Its .ay. it has divided
the work Into five fields of Inquiry hav
ing to do respectively with organization,
personnel, business methods, accounting
and reporting, and the budget.
Comprehensive Plan of Organization.
On organization the commission has en
tered upon the preparation of three series
of reports. The first series deals with
the manner In which the services of the
government should be grouped in depart
ments. This is a matier of fundamental
Importance. It Is only after a satisfac
tory solution of this problem that many
Important measures of reform become
possible.
The second and third series of reports
deal, respectively, with the organization
and activities of particular services, and
the form of organization for the perform
ance of particular business operations.
One of the reports of the second se
ries Is upon the revenue cutter service,
which costs the government over two and
a half million dollars each year. In the
opinion of the commission Its varied ac
tivities can be performed with equal, or
greater, advantage by other services.
The commission, therefore, recommends
that It be abolished. It Is estimated that
by so doing a saving of not less than $1,
»0,000 a year can be made.
Another report Illustrating the second
•erles recommends that the lighthouse
and life saving services be administered
by a single bureau, Instead of as at pres
ent by two bureaus located In different
Separtments.' These services have much
In common. Geographically, the are
■lmllarly located: administratively, they
have many of the same problems. It Is
estimated that consolidation would result
In a saving of not less than $100,000 an
nually.
Abolition of Local Office*.
Perhaps the part of the organization in
which the greatest economy In public ex
penditure Is possible Is to be found In
the numerous local offices of the govern
ment. In some Instances the establish
ment and the discontinuance of these lo
cal offices are matters of administrative
llscretlon. In other Instances they are
sstablished by permanent law ln such a
manner that their discontinuance Is be
yond the power of the president or that
sf any executive officer.
The responsibility for the maintenance
sf these conditions must naturally be di
vided between the congress and the exe
cutive. But that the executive has per
formed hie duty when he has called the
attention of the congress to the matter
must also be admitted. Realizing my re
iponalblllty In the premises, I have di
rected the commission to prepare a re
port setting forth the positions In the
local services of the government which
may be discontinued with advantage, the
laving which would result from such ac
tion and the changes In law which are
necessary to carry into effect changes In
organization found to be desirable. On
the éomlng In of the report, such offices
as may be found useless and can be abol
ished will be so treated by executive or
der.
Classification of Local Officers.
In my recent message to the congress
I urged consideration of the necessity of
placing in the classified service all of the
local officers under the departments of
the treasury, the Interior, postofflee and
commerce and labor.
The next step which must be taken Is
to require of heads of bureaus In the de
partments at Washington, and of most of
the local officers under the departments,
qualifications of capacity similar to those
now required of certain heads of bureaus
and of local officers. The extension of
the merit system to these officers and a
needed readjustment of salaries will have
Important effects In securing greater
economy and efficiency.
In the first place, the possession by the
Incumbents of these positions of requisite
qualifications must in Itself promote effi
ciency.
In the second place, the removal of lo
cal officers from the realm of political
patronage In many cases would reduce
the pay roll of the field services. At the
present time the Incumbents of many of
these positions leave the actual perform
ance of many of their duties to deputies
and assistants. The government often
pays two persons for doing work that
could easily be done by one. What Is the
loss to the government cannot be stated,
but that It is very large cannot be denied.
In the third place, so long as lscal of
ficers are within the sphere of political
patronage it Is difficult to consider the
queetlon of the establishment or discon
tinuance of local offices apart from the
effect upon local political situations.
Finally, the view that these various
offices are to be filed ea a result of
political considerations has for Its con
sequence the necessity that the prvalden
and members of congress devote to mat
ters of patronage time which they shouk
devote to questions of policy and «smi.
tstratlon.
Business Method«.
In every case where technical pr»
cesses have been studied it has been dem'
onstrated beyond queetlon that large eoo
nomlea may be effected: The subject!
first approached were those which lit
close to each administrator, vis., offle«
practices. An illustration of the possi
bilities within this field may be found it
the results of the Inquiry into the meth
ods of handling and filing correspondence
Every office in the government haa re
ported its methods to the commission
These reports brought to light the fad
that present methods were quite in thi
reverse of uniform- Borne offices follow
the practice of briefing all correspon
dence; some do not. Boras have flat
files; others fold all papers before filing
Some use press copies; others retain on!)
carbon copies.
Need for Lavor-8avlng Office Devices
The use of labor-saving office devices tz
the service has been made the subject ol
special Inquiry. An impression prevails
that the government is not making us«
of mechanical devices for economising
labor to the same extent as are efficiently
managed, private enterprises. A study
has l|een made of the extent to which
devices of this character are now being
employed In the several branches of ths
government and the opportunities that
exist for their more general use.
. The efforts of the commission resulted
also In the adoption by several bureaus oi
departments of Improved methods of do
ing copying. The amount of copy work
heretofore done by hand each year. In the
many offices Is eétlmated to aggregate
several hundred thousand dollars. The
commission exhibited, at Its offices, ap
pliances that were thought to be especial
ly adapted to this kind of government
work. Following these demonstration!
methods of copying were Introduced
which have brought about a saving of
over 75 per cent, in offices where used
for six months. This change in one small
cross-section of office practice will more
than offset the whole cost of by Inquiry.
Waste in the Distribution of Public
Documente.
Going outside the office, one of the
business processes which have been In
vestigated Is the distribution of depart
ment documents. This is a subject with
which both the congress end adminis
tration heads are familiar. Ths prevail
ing practice In handling departmental
publications is to have them manufac
tured at the government printing office;
each job when completed Is delivered te
the department; here the books or pam
phlets are wrapped and addressed; thee
are then sent to the postofflee; there they
are assorted and prepared for ehlpmenl
through the malls; from ths postofflee
they are sent to the railroad station,
which Is only a few steps from the gov
ernment printing office, when they
started. The results of this laborious and
circuitous method Is to make the use ot
the best mechanical equipment impractic
able and to waste each year not less than
a quarter of a million dollars of govern
ment funds In useless handling, to say
nothing of the Indirect loss due to lack
of proper co-ordination.
The use of equipment Is a matter which
also haB been Investigated. Up to the
present time this Investigation has been
in the main confined to the subject of
electric lighting.
Lack of Specifications.
The Importance of establishing and
maintaining standard specifications Is
found not only In the possibility of very
materially reducing the direct cost of gov
ernment trading, but also In insuring t*
the service materials, supplies and equip
ment which are better adapted to Its
purposes. One of the results of lndefln
lteness of specifications Is to Impose con
tract conditions which make It extra ha
zardous for persons to enter Into con
tractual relations. This not only deprives
the government of the advantage of
broad competition, but causes It to pay
an added margin In price to vendors who
must carry the risk.
The Budget.
The United States Is the only great na
tion whose government Is operated with
out a budget. This fact seems to be more
striking when It Is considered that bud
gets and budget procedures are the out
growth of democratic doctrines and have
had an Important part In the development
of modern constitutional rights. The
American commonwealth has suffered
much from Irresponsibility on the part of
Its governing agencies. The constitution
al purpose of a budget Is to make gov
ernment responsive to public opinion and
responsible for Its acts.
The Budget at an Annual Program,
A budget should be the means for get
ting before the legislative branch, before
the press, and before the people a definite
annual program of business to be finan
ced; It should be In the nature of a pros
pectus both of revenues and expendi
tures; It should comprehend every rela
tion of the government to the people,
whether with reference to the raising ot
revenues or the rendering of service
Thfe principal government objects In
which the people of the United States
are Interested include:
The national defense; the protection a*
persons and property; the promotion ot
friendly relations and the protection of
American Interests abroad; the regulation
of commerce and Industry: the promotion
of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and min
ing; the promotion of manufacturing,
commerce, and banking; the promotion of
transportation and communication; the
postal service. Including postal savings
and parcels post; the care for and utili
zation of the public domain; the promo
tion of education, art, science and recre
ation; the promotion of the public health;
the care and education of the Indian«
and other wnrds of the nation.
These are public-welfare questions In
which I assume every citizen has a vital
Interest. I believe that every member of
congress, as an official representative of
the people, each editor, as a non-offlclul
representative of public opinion, each
citizen, as a beneficiary of the trust Im
posed on officers of the government,
should be able readily to ascertain how
much has been spent for each of these
purposes; how much has been appropri
ated for the current year; how much the
administration Is asking for each of these
purposes for the next fiscal year.
Furthermore, each person Interested
should have laid before him a clear, well
digested . statement showing In detail
whether moneys appropriated have been
economically spent and whether each di
vision or office has been efficiently run.
This Is the information which should be
available each year In the form of a
budget and In detail accounts and reports
supporting the budget.
I ask the continuance of this commis
sion on e onemy and efficiency because
of the excellent beginning which has been
made toward the remgaclsatioo of the
machinery of this government on busi
ness principles. I ask it because Its work
Is entirely non-partisan In character and
ought to apply to every citizen whe
wishes to give effectiveness to populai
government In which we feel a just pride.
The work further commends Itself foi
the leason that the cost of organization
and work has been carefully considered
at every point. Three months were U.ken
In consideration of plana before the in
quiry was begun; six months were then
spent In preliminary Investigations before
the commission was organised; before
March 3, 1911, when I asked for a con
tinuation of the original appropriation
for the current year, only $12,000 had beez
spent.
WM. H. TAFT.
\
WIFE FREES MORSE
PRESIDENT COMMUTES SEN
TENCE OF NEW YORK BANKER,
BUT FULL PARDON REFU8ED.
Former Ice King Owes His Release
to Efforts of His Wife and His
Friends, Who Have Been
Untiring in Their Efforts.
Washington.—President Taft on
Thursday night commuted to expire
at once the flfteen-year sentence for
violation of the national banking
laws, under which Charles W. Morse,
the New York banker and "ice king,"
has served two years in the fédérai
penitentiary at Atlanta, Ga.
The commutation of sentence,
which gives Morse his complete free
dom—but which, unlike a pardon,
does not restore his civil rights—was
granted upon recommendation of At
torney General Wickersham and Sur
geon General Torney, U. S. A.
According to the surgeon's report,
Morse could not live one month
longer in confinement and even at
liberty probably would not live six
months.
Designated as a special messenger
by the attorney general's office, Mrs.
Morse left Washington Thursday
night for Atlanta bearing her hus<
band's commutation papers.
The commutation of Morse's sen
tence came at the end of months ot
I
«M o»;
nF 1
f
czcJjBUZs ftrJ/opjz
unremitting effort on the part of Mrs
Morse and of the banker's friends,
Almost since the doors of his cell
closed on him, Mrs. Morse and influ
ential friends have besieged the de
partment of justice and through it
the White House for mitigation ol
the sentence.
1 Chicago is Cleaning Up.
Chicago.—Police Inspector John
Wheeler, Captain Patrick J. Harding
and Lieutenant George Prim, Daniel
T. Kelcher and John B. Enright were !
ordered dismissed from the service
Thursday, after a hearing on charges
of Inefficiency and Incompetency.
Wheeler is the third police Inspector j
to be dismissed by the city civil ser- j
vice commission since it began Its
Investigation Into the efficiency ol
the police department.
Youth Has Harrowing Experience.
Los Angeles, Cal.—Held prisoner
by an aballone shell, Roy Hathaway,
aged 20, narrowly escaped drowning
near Redondo beach. While he vas
attempting to pull a targe aballone
from the rocks the shell closed down
on his Angers. An hour later he was
found exhausted from his struggles
to escape drowning in the Incoming
tide. It was necessary to amputate
two fingers.
Tenant'* Bullet is Fatal.
Salt Lake City.—Thomas Cum
mings, 65 years old, a wealthy real
estate owner, who was shot down by
his tenant, Leo Berger, Tuesday
morning, after he had threatened him
with eviction, died Thursday morn
ing in St Mark's hospital. Berger
will be charged with murder in the
first degree.
Black Hand Threatens Governor.
Boston—When Governor Foss came
to the state house Thursday from his
home in Jamaica Plains he was
guarded by detectives and plain
clothes men watched the corridors
during the day for the possible ap
pearance of Black Hand agents staid
to have designs on the governor's
life.
Assassina Strangled.
Pekin.—The three men who were
arrested after the throwing of a
bomb at the carriage of Premlei
Yuan Shi Kai, were put to death
Thursday by strangling.
British Steamer Wrecked.
Aberdeen, Scotland.—The British
steamer Wistowhall was wrecked
Thursday on the Bullers of Buchan
a groap of dangerous rocks off the
coast of Aberdeenshire. Fifty-three
of her crew of Lascars drowned.
Father is Faithful.
Lynchburg, Va. —Thomas V. Riche
son, father of the Rev. Clarence V. T.
Richeaon, the confessed murderer ot
Avis Linnell of Boston, has dented
that he had deserted or ever wool »
desert his ml
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To January 1, 1913
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ADDRESS THE OPTIMIST,
BLACKFOOT. IDAHO
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Draying Is My Business 1
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♦> Office Phone, 236.
Care in Handling Goods
and Right Prices Char
acterize My Work.
Hyrum
Office at
Allen
Hughes Jewelry Store
19 NORTH MAIN
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Residence Phone 178 Blk.
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A^a A^A A^a A^a a$a a^a a $a A^a .4« «4« «4
GEORGE HEILIG
General
Blacksmi thing.
Horseshoeing
North Main Street. Blackfoot.
Money to Loan on Improved
FARMS
Mortgages Bought and Sold
IDAHO IRRIGATED LANDS COMPANY
E.M. Kennedy
AUCTIONEER
Will be glad to date
you for a Real Estate
Sale or General Farm
Sale. All Sales get
my personal attention
until finished.
Blackfoot, - Idaho
PHONE liS BLACK
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Highest Cash Price
For
HIDES)
PELTS,
FURS
And Abo All Kinds of
Meat Products
and Poultry.
James W. Killion,
R. F D. No. 2,
BLACKFOOT, IDAHO.
The
OPTIMIST
Goes Into 1,000
Homes and Easi
ness Houses ::::
Does that Fact Appeal
to you Mr. Advertiser?
Our Job Department
Leads in Efficiency
HIDES! HIDES!
Don't give your hides and pelU
away. We pay 16c per lb. for dry
hides. 9c for sheep pelta, 6cc tor
cleam rubber boots and ghees.
Green Hide., 7c per lb.
u,ed Coyote» from $2 to $3.
BRANCH OF THE
Great Western Hide Co.
M. VOLPERT. Mar.
Telephone 15« red; P. o. box U.