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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1910)
nn: i-.ek: omaiia. wkuxksiuv. pkokmhkk 7, nno. 10 Message of President Dealing With Domestic Matters of Greatest Importance A; .n.iriiriinn nt t ; canal tl:t It neesar1ly i favor of tie rasrase of a law which shall n urn her fell to tha li'Vfrnmrnt to advance the regulate the truing of Injunction" In shipyards, expensively equipped with tnl money and perform th work. ' equity without notice in accordance wlth.ern machinery, which after Investigation Mv own Impression I thnt the tolls o'ight beet practice now In vogue In the the secretary of the navy believes to be not to exceed II per r.ft ton. On January co,)rl, of the Vnltfd States, t regard this entirety tireless for naval purposes end there are several of the inviting comi-etltlv bids for terms not ex ceeding fifty years, With a minimum rental and royalties upon Ihe coal mined, to be re adjusted every ten or twelve yeHrs, und wltli eondltloiis as to- maintenance which He been promised, and second because It will deprive those who now complain of certain ollcged abuses In the In. proper Issuing of Injunctions without notice of any real ground for further amendment and will tike away all semblance of support for the extremely radical legislation they propose, 1, 1911. the tolla 'n the Kucx canal are to be 7 franca and 2i centimes for t.ne n't ton by Hues canal measurement, whlrh la a tnnHiftotlnn of Danube m-asurem-nt. A dollar a tnn will secure unitrr the figures hove a gross Income from the Pnn canal of nearly r.f) m0. The est of main tenance and opt rat ion Is estimated to lax ceed $il.ono.f). I'ltlmately. of course, with the normal Increase in trade, the Income will approximate the Int. rest charges upon the Investment. On the v hole I should recommend that within certain limits t!.e I the secondary boycott. yrvsldent be authorised to fix the toils of! I further recommend lo congress the pas the canal and adjust thm to wnat seems saire of the bill now pending for the In to be commercial necessity. crease In the salaries of the federal Judges. 1 can not cIok this reference to the i by whlc'.i the chief Justice of the supreme canal without sujjifestlng as a wise amend- court shall receive J17.50 and the associate went to the Interstate comm-ree law a J. istl. es 17.i; the circuit Judges constltut provlslon prohibiting Interstate cnmmrrc9 inc the ,-,cut Conrt of appeals shall re-rallr-.ads fromowning or controlling snip" j c,Ve llO.Ono. nnd the district Judges, SO.OnO. engaged In the trade through the 1'nnn.ma I canal. I believe such a provision may be j Postal flavin. Bank, needed to save to the people of the United I At lt session congress made provl Btates the benefits of the competition in 1 'or the establishment of savings banks trade between the eastern nnd western sea- hy the Pon.oftice department of this gov boarda which this canal was const! ucud ' einment, by which, under the general con trol of trustees, consisting of the postmas- t r general, the secretary of tne treasury of especial Importance, first because It has)"-" -uw,.m,i, ..o..o.. ........ ... ....... vl ,,,,,- ,,r,Tr ,,,,..,. - iii.i to mo- mtir ii:i-.'iur. j j .ii'.i .merit wnicn win rev in i-.iii.niinwii- iu places, where It can be made of use. morcpotixe -ontrol of the coal In any one In making these recommendations the j oisstrlot or market. 1 do not think that secretary Is following dlnctly along pr o- j coa, m,fts.urg under acres of surface gre:-slve lines which have been adopted In wolllrt be too iHige an amount to lease to our great commercial and manufacturing I iK. consolidations In this country; dismantling ur.neceweary and that Is. of Inadequate which will be most pernicious If adopted, plari) ,nd discontinuing their existence will sap the foundations of Judicial power whre tt nas hrrn aemonstrated that It Is ind legalise that cruel socihi instrument, unprofitable to continue their maintenance to their 10 secure. Department of Justice. Tha duties of the Department of Justice have been greatly increased by leg s. at. on of congress enacted in the Interest of luu geneial welfare of the people end ex tending Its activities Into avenues plainly within Ita constitutional Jurisdiction, but whlrh It has not been thought wise or necessary for the general government here tofore to occupy. I am glad to say that underv the ap propriations made tor the department, the attorney general has vo Improved Its orga nisation that a vast amount of litigation of a civil and criminal character has been disposed of during the current year. This other cereals, so that there Is diversification of crops In the south than ever before and all to the great advan age of that section. ' The activities of the department have been greatly Increased by the enactment cf recent legislation, by the pure food act, the meat Inspection act, the cattle trans portation act and the act concerning the Interstate shipment of game. This depart ment la one of those the scope of whose action Is constantly widening, and there- lhlrU-That the law should provide the fore It Is impossible under ex'sting tegis- same separation In respect to government phosphate lands of surface and mineral lights that now obtains In coal lands, and that power to lease such lands upon terms and limitations similar to those above rec ommended for coal leases, with added con dition enabling the government to regu- many cities and towns and at large of the country as seemed wlso. The Initia tion and establishment of auch a system l.fts required a great deal of study on the bait of the experts In the Postofflce and Treasury departments, but a system has now been devised which la believed to be more economical and simpler In Its opera tion than any similar aystem abroad. Ar rangements have been perfected so that savings bunks will be opened In some cities at an expense not commensurate produrt. The secretary points out that the most la Guantanamo, In the southeastern part of I "ni1 ,r nR" l, ' P-"'" Cuba. Its geographical situation Is ad-: to foreign countries of the product, mlrably adopted to protect the commercial Fourth That the law should allow a pros paths to the Panama canal, and he shows peclor for oil or gas to have the right to that by the expenditure of less than half prospect for two years over a certain tract a million dollars, with the machinery which of government land, the right to be evl he ahall take from other navy yards, he denced by a license for which he shall pay can create a r.avul station at Uuantanamj a small sum; and that upon discovery a of sufficient size and equipment to serve i leap may bo granted upon terms securing the purpose of an emergency naval base. a minimum rental and proper royalties to 1 earnestly Join in the recommendation I the government, and also the conduct of (that ho be given the authority which he j the oil or gas well In accord with the best asus. t am quite aware that such actlou m.thori for k.i.uniim. the .uoolv of oil In the district. The period of the leases should be as long as those of coal, but they should contain similar provisions as to assignment to prevent monopolistic com binations. Fifth That water power s j.es be directly leaded by the federal government, after ad- and the attorney general, the system could ' 'y to arouse local opposition; but 1 be begun In a few cities and towns and en- axiomatic that in lems- larged to cover within if. operations Ml1"1"1 ln U!e ,nter'8t of lhe nd tor pf I r w ' ' 1 1 1 j , , ui li ia i u u ii i r wj i.io navy, mere local priae or pecuniary will explain the necessity for s.lghtly In-; an1 ,own on January "1 r creasing the estimates for the expenses of the department. Ills report shows the recoveries made on behalf of the govern ment, of duties fraudulently withhtld, public lands Improperly patented, fines ami penalties for trespass, prosecutions ani convictions under tha anti-trust law, and prosecutions under the Interstate commerce law. I Invite especial attention to the prosectulona under the federal law of Xw. so-called "bucket shops," and of thoae schemes to defraud ln which tha use ut the mall la an essential part of the fraud ulent conspiracy, prosecutions which have saved Ignorant and weak members of the gradual extension of the benefits of the plun to the rest of the country. Wiping; Oat of Postal Deficit. For many years there has been a deficit ln the operations of the Fostoffice depart ment which has been met by appropriation from the treasury. The appropriation esti mated for last year from the treasury over and above the receipts of the department wus $17.jw,03o. 1 am glad to record the fact that of that $17,500,OuO estimated for, $!l.(i0u,0uo was aaved and returned to the interest in the e.vtabllHhiiient of a navy yard or station ought to p:ay no rart. The I'im ' m tti p t . r' a Him . r . v. . . v . . ' ' """"" : ,. .. . . .. , , ..,.., i upon the Judgment of impartial naval offl- " """' " cers. .ntliely uninfluenced by any gee-1 "S. upon a proper rental and wWh graphical or sectional considerations. nil "xlng rate, charged to the 1 unte with the secretary In the recom-' publ c fori un"" of -ric both mendation that an appropriation be mdelren,M na Tnt''8 be readjustea equu to construct a suitable crypt at Annapolis I ably ev"ry ten pars l,v rb tiatlon or ,h' lor the custody of the remain, of John fTWiM- with suitable provision, sgalnst as- Faul Jones. ' s'gnineni to prevent monopoiisuo roinmun- t ons. Or that the law shall provide that upon application made by the authorities of the state where the water power .Ite Is lotion to reduce the cost and their c.tl mates below those of preceding years. An Interesting review Of the result, of nn examination made by the department Into statistics and price, show, that on the average since lsfll farm products l-avt Increased in value 72 per cent, while the things which the farmer buya for use have Increased but 18 per cent, an Indication that present condtlon. are favorable to the farming community. Department of Commerce and Labor. The serreistv of the Department of greater cover the recessary expenses cf organis ing and carrying on the meeting. I renew my recommendation that the claims of the depositors In the Freedmen's bank be recognlxed and paid by the passage of the pending bill on that subject. I also renew my recommendation that steps be taken looking to the holding of a negro exposition In celebration of the fif tieth anniversary of the Issuing by Mr. Lincoln of the emancipation proclamation. Bnreaa of Health. In my message of last year I recom mended the creation of a Hurean of Health, In which should be embraced all those government agencies outside of the war and navy departments which are now directed toward tha- preservation of public health or exercise funtlons ger mane to that .qbject. I renew thl. recom mendation. t'lvll Service Cntumlasloa. The Civil Service commission hae con tinued Its useful duties during the year. The necessity for the maintenance of the provisions of the civil service law was never greater than today. Officer, respon- Commerce and Labor has had under ,U ftble for the policy of the administration, immediate supervision the application of j nd their immediate personal assistants or the merit sy.tem of promotion to a large aeputles, should not be included number of .mn,.,ve. and his discussion of the classified service; but In my Ju this method of promotions based on actual P"" opinion has advanced to the point experience I commend to the attention of . Pesrr. The complete success of our country In arctic exploration shovld not remain un noticed. For centuries there has been friendly rivalry In th s field of effort be tween the foremost nations and between the bravest and most accomplished men. Expeditions to the unknown north, have been encouraged by enlightened govern ments sand deserved honors have been granted to the daring men who have con ducted them. The unparalleled achieve- treaaury. Th. personal effort, of the post- '"" f ,ary ln "alng the north pole. mu.t., ...,.i fci i"" - ri"ifu uy iimcm bau.o - publlo and are saving them hundreds of i operation of the thousand, of postmasters S tl million, of dollar. The violation, of the anti-trust law present perhaps the moat important litigation before the department, and the number of case, filed show, tne activity of tbe government In enforcing that atatute. National Incorporation. In a special message last year I brought to tU attention of congress the propriety and wisdom of enacting a general law pro viding for tha incorporation of Industrial and other companies engaged In Interstate ommeroe, and I renew my recommenda tion In that behalf. Claliua. In Invite th attention of congress to tha treat number of claim, which at the in tano of congress, have boen considered by the court of claims and decided to be valid claim, against the government. 1'he delay that occura In the payment of th money . due under the claims Injure th reputation of th government a an honest debtor, and I earnest!; recommend that thoae claim, which come to congresa with the Judgment and approval of th court of claim, ahould b promptly paid. Jnalolal froeedare. On great crying need ln the United States I cheapening th cost of litigation by ilnrpllfylnf judicial procedure and ex pediting final judgment. Under present condition th poor man I. at a woeful disadvantage In a legal contest with a cor poration or a rich opponent. The necessity for th reform exist, both In United State, court, and In all .tat court. In order to bring it about, however. It naturally fall. to th general government by it. example to furnish a model to all states. A legis lative commission appointed by Joint reso lution of congress to revise th procedure ln th United Btate. court has a. yet made no report. Under th law th supreme court of the United Btate has the power and 1. given th duty to frame th equity rule, of pro cedure which ar to obtain ln the fedeiar court of first Instance. In view of th heavy burden of pressing litigation which that court ha had to carry, with one or two of Its member Incapadated through in health. It hat not been able to take up problema of Improving th equity procedure, which ha practically remained the same sine th organization of the court in 17s. It I. reasonable to expect that with all the vacancie upon th court filled, it will take up th question of cheapening and simpli fying the procedure in equity in the courts of the United State. The equity bu.lnes. 1 much the more important In the federal court, and I may add much the more ex pensive, i m strongly convinced that th peel memoa or improving judicial proced ure at law i to empower th Supreme court to do it through th medium of the rule, of tu court, a. in equity. Thl. 1. th way In which it has been don in Eng land, and thoroughly don. Th simplicity and expedition of provedur In th Engll.h court, today make a model for th reform of other systems. Beveral of the lord chancellor, of Enaland and of th chief Justices have left -.iiulr lasting liAtire. upon the history of tutu country by their construct.' ab'llty n proposing and seedling the passage o: remedial legislation effe..rg law reform. I can not conceive any higher duty thut the supreme court could perfo.-.n than in lead ing th way to a simplification of-proceiiui in ill United (Mates eour's. Relief from I'sstetmrr Appeals. No man uugtt to have, maiur f right, a review of his rase by II. supreme court, lie should be satisfied by one hear ing before a court of first '.lutuuc .nd on review by a court Of ayiiuala. f-.j and other postal officer throughout the country In carrying out his plans of reor ganization and retrenchment. The result Is that the postmsster general ha. been able to make his estimate of expenses for the present year so low ss to keep within the amount the postal service is expected to earn. Kxtenslon of Classified Service. Upon the recommendation of the post-master-genoral, I have Included in the classified service all assistant postmasters, and I believe that thl. giving a secure tenure to those who are the most import ant subordinate, of postmasters will add much to the efficiency of their office, and an economical administration. A large number of th fourth-class postmasters are now in the classified service. I think It would be wis to put In th classified ser vice, th first, aecoid, and third-class poet masters. Tbe Franking; Privilege. Th unrestricted manner in which' the franking privilege Is now being used ' by the several federal service and by con gT ess has laid it open to serious abuse, a fact clearly established through investigation, recently Instituted by the department. It I. believed that many abuses of th franking system could be prevented, and conse quently a marked economy effected, by supplying through th agendo of th pos tal service special official envelopes and stamp to be Issued on requisition to the various branches of the federal service re quiring them, and auch record, to be kept of all official .tamp supplies as will en able th post of flee department to maintain a proper postage account covering th en tire volume of free government mall. I tton of the most . expert scientists, has added to the distinction of our navy, to which he belongs, and reflect, credit upon hi. country. Hi. unique success ha. re ceived generou. acknowledgment from sc.entlflc bodle. and Institutions of learn ing In Europe and America. I recommend fitting recognition by congress of the great achievement of Robert Edwin Peary. Department of -the Interior. The secretary of the Interior recommends a change of the law In respect to the pro cedure In adjudicating clanni for lands, by which appeals can' be taken from the decision, of the department to the court of appeal, of the district of Columbia for a judicial consideration of the right, of the claimant. This change find, complete anal ogy in the preaent provision for appeal from the decision of th commissioner of patents. Th judgment of th court ln auch case, would be of decisive value to land claimants generally and to the De partment, of th Interior In- the adminis tration of the law, would enable claimants to bring into court th final consideration of Issues as to the title to government land and would, I think, obviate a good deal of the subsequent litigation that now arises in our western courts. The bill I. pend ing, I believe, in the house, having been favorably reported from the committee on public lands, and I recommend It. enact ment, y . '' One of the difficulties in the Interior de partment and ln the land office has been the delay attendant upon , the considera tion by the land office and th secretary of the interior of claims for patent, of public lands to Individual.. I am glad to .ay that under the recent appropriation. congress. R area a nf Labor. The commissioner of Iabor has been ac tively engnged In composing the differ ences between employer, and employes cm gaged In interstate transportation, under the Erdman act, Jointly with the chairman of the Interstate Commerce coinmlfsion. I cannot speak In too high terms of the suc cess of thee two officers ln conciliation and settlement of controversy, which .but for their lnterpotilth n, would have resulted disastrously to all interests. 1 Invite attention to the very serious in- Jury caused to all those who are engaged In the manufacture of phosphorus matrhes. where it wouid support a bill providing a secure tenure during efficiency for all purely administrative officials. I entertain the profound conviction that It would greatly aid the cause of efficient and econ omlcal government, and of better politics If congress could enact a bill providing that the executive shall have the p.-nver to in clude In lhe classified service all local office, under the Treasury department, the Department of Justice, the Fostoffice de partment, the Interior department and the Department of Commerce and Labor, appointments to which now require the con firmation of th senate, and that upon such classification the advice and consent i of the senate shall cease to be required in such appointments. By their certainty of ' -'"' ""-""-" - " ' tenure, dependentytm good service, and by and as matches can be made from other .... . ' m .. . altuated. It may be patented to the State on condition that the state shall dispose of It Ondcr terms like those Just described, and shall enforce those terms, or upon failure to comply with the condition, the water power site and all the plant and improve ment on the site shall be forfeited and re vert to the United States, the president being given the power to declare the for feiture and to direct legal proceedings for Its enforcement. Either of these method would, I think, accomplish the proper pub lic purpose In respect to water power sites, but one or the other should be promptly adopted. I earnestly urge upon congress that at this session general conservation legislation of the character Indicated be adopted. At its last session this congress tooK most useful and proper steps ln the cause of conservation by allowing the executive, through withdrawals, to suspend the action of the existing laws ln respect to much of the public domain. I have not thought that the danger of disposing of coal lands In the United States under the preaent laws in large quantities was bo great as to call for their withdrawal, because under the present provisions it is reasonably cer tain that the government will receive the real value of the land. But, in respeot to oil lands, or phosphate lands, and of gas lands ln the United States, and in respect to coal lands In- Alaska, I have exercised the full power of withdrawal with the hope that the action of congress would follow promptly and, prevent that tying up of the resources of th country in tne western and les. settled portion and In Alaska, which means stagnation and retro gression. ' The question of conservation I. not a partisan one, s.id I sincerely hop that even In the short Urn of the present ses sion consideration may be given to those question, which have now been much dls- cursed, and that action may be taken upon them. ' "Alaska. With reference to th government of Alaska, I have nothing to add to . the recommendation. I mad In my laxt mes sage on the aubject. I am convinced that the migratory character of th population, fl.Alt fr.oilnm t w, . . k . ... I . r ,.. I.I. -.,1 T l,altnv thflt I 1 """ .... c..u.. ., ..wv... , . - I lltlcal activity, the. local officer, would me injurious manuiaciure couiu no uie Second-Class MfcU Matter. In my last annual message I Invited th attention of congress to the Inadequacy of the postal rat imposed upon second-class mall matter In so far as that Include maga lnes, and showed by figures prepared by experts of th Postofflc department that th government was rendering a service to the magazines, coating many million in excess of th compensation paid. An an swer was attempted to this by th repre sentatives of th magazines, and a reply was filed to this answer by the Fostofflce department. The utter inadequacy of the answer, considered In the light of the reply of th Poitofflc department, I think mtit appeal to any fair-minded person. Whether th answer was all that ceuld be said In behalf of th magazine) la another ques tion. I agree that th question I one of fact; but Tlnsist that If th fact is as the experts of th Pcatoffic department show, that we r furnishing to th owner of ma.aaiii a service worth million mora than they pay for It, then Justice requires that the rate should be Increased. The in crease in the receipts of the department resulting from thl change may b devoted to Increasing th usefulness of th depart ment In establlshrlng a parcel, post and In reducing th cost of first-class postage to 1 cent It ha been said by th postmaster general that a fair adjustment might be made under which th advertising part of the magasine should be charged for at a different and higher rate from that cf the , reading matter. This would relieve many useful ma:axlne that ar not circulated at a profit, and would not hut thetn out from th use of the mail by a prohibitory rat. Parcels Post. vt un respect t tne parcel poet, I re spectfully reewnmend It adoption on alt rural aenvery route., ana that eleven pourds-th international limit b mad the limit of carriage In such post, and this with a view to Its general extension when ihe Income of the postofflce will permit It and th postal savings bank, shi.ll have been fully established. The same proper and chief usefulness of the supreme j argument Is mad. against the parcels court, and especially of Ihe suprume court pet that via. made against the postal of the United States, la. In tbe cuses which ravings bank that it is Introducing the CO 'lie be'or It, so to expound tie Uw, an.l j government into a buslneet whW'h ought to speeually th fundamental law -.lie eorsil- be conducted by private persons, and Is lutloti as to f'JiiUsU precedents l .r the in- ' iwrr,allai:i. Th Portoffic department ferlor court tit future litigation iin.l f.: i as a gnat plant and a great organisation, the executive officers ln the .'o.-j ruction I reaching into th moat remote hamlet of of statute and the performance of Ihilr the United State, and with this machinery legal duttus. Therefore, any no.a.on f j- t kt.la to do a great many thins eco review if eases by the supreme curt that j nomically tnat If a new organisation wer east upon ti.it court tb duty 01 (.ashinj ; rec:.xary it would be Impossible to do on quets'.ions of evident and the construc tion of particular form, cf ln.it. umeuts, lik Indictment, or wills, or conducts. ecl.lona nut of general application or n:i Krtanc, merely clog and burdun the couit and remler nun dirficult Us hilir func tion, which make. It so Important a part Of th fran.ework of our government. Tli supreme tourt Is now carrying in unnecef. sary burcn of appeal cf this KluJ and I earnestly urge that It be rmoru. Injunction Bill. ( 1 wish to renew my '.eit recoinnienua- ot th congress and th earnest efforts of the secretary and bis subordinates these arrears have been disposed of, and th work of th department has teen brought more nearly up to dat In respect to th pending bualnee than ever before in it history. Economies have been effected wher possible without legislative Assist ance, and these are shown In the reduced estimates for th expenses of th depart ment during th current fiscal year and during th year to com. Th ubjct of tb conservation of the publlo domain ha commanded the atten tion of tbe people within the last two or three years. There 1 no need for 'radical reform In th methods of disposing of what ar really agricultural lands. Th present laws hav worked well. - The enlarged homestead law ba encouraged th successful farming of land in th aemlarid regions. The total sum already accumulated in th fund provided by the act for th reclama tion of arid lands 1 about GS.tM,0u8.76, and of tlii all but ,J41.06.7 has been allotted to th various projects, of which there ar thirty. Congress at Its last session pro vided for th issuing of ,crtlfloatc of in debtedness not exceeding $30,000,000, to b redeemed from the reclamation fund when th proceeds of lands sold and from th water rents ahould be sufficient Meantime In accordance with the provision of th law, I appointed a board of army engineers to examine the projects and to ascertain which ar feasible and worthy of comple tion. That board has, mad a report upon the subject, which I shall transmit in a eeperate message within a few day.. Conservation Atldreaaea. In September last a conservation coneres was held at tt I'aul, at which I drllvcrsd an address on the subjeot of conservation so far as It was within the Jurisdiction and possible action of th federal government. In thut address I sssembled from tha off! clal records tbe statistics and faots as to what had been done In this behalf In tho administration of my predecessor and In my own. and Indicated the legislative measures which I bol.aved to be wise in order to secure the best use, in the public Interest of what remains of our national domain. j There was in this address a very full discussion of the reasons which led me to the conclusions staled. For the purpose of saving In an official record a compre hensive resume of tbe statistic aud fact, gathered with sum difficulty In that ad dress and to avoid their repetition in the without extravagant expenditure. That 1 1 body of thl message. 1 venture to mate the reaacn why th postal savings bank can be carried on at small additional cost, and why Is It poaulhle to incorporate at a very Inconsiderable expense a parcels post In the rural delivery steal. Abolition of Kavr lards. The secretary of the navy has g1en personal examination lo every navy yard and has studied the uses of the navy yards Willi reference to the necessities of ourll'1'100 fleet. With a fleet conaUde.rat.ly lee than half the six of that of the British navy. the address an accompany ng aptiendix. Tbe statistics are corrected lo November H laat. S peel tie Hecorauseadatlona. For th r on sons sated In th conserva tion address I recommend: Its unequal distribution, and its smallness of number, which th new census shows to be about 60,000, ln relation to th enormous expanse of the territory make it altogether impracticable to give to those people who ar In Alaska today and may not b there a year hence, th power td elect a legisla ture lo govern an immense territory to which they have a relation so little per manent. It 1 far better for the develop ment of th territory that It be committed to a commission to be appointed by the executive, with limited legislative powers I sufficiently broad to meet th local needs, than to contlnu th present Insufficient government with few remedial powers, or to makey popular government where ther 1 not proper foundation upon which to reat it National Parka. Our national parks hav become so exten sive and Involve so much detail of action in their control that It seems to me there ought to b legislation creating a bureau for their car and control. Th greatest natural wonder of this country and tb urounding territory should b Included In another national park. I refer to the Orand Canyon of th Colorado. Pensions. Th uniform policy of tb government In the matter of granting pensions to those gallant and devoted mn who fought to sav th Ufa of th nation ln th psrilou days of th great civil war, ha always been of the most liberal character. Thot men are now rapidly passing away. The best obtainable official statistics show that they are dying at the rate of something over 1,000 a month, and, ln view of their advancing years, this rat must Inevitably, ln proportion, rapidly increase. To th man who risked everything on the field of battle to save th nation in th hour of its direst need, vie ow a debt which ha not heeii and should not b computed in a begiudglng or parsimonious spirit. Hut while 'Aft should b actuated by thl spirit to th soldier himself, care should be exer dned nut to go to absurd lengths, ot dis tribute the bounty ol Ihe government to clasres of persons who r.fty, at this late day, from a mere mercenary motive, seek to obtain some ick'al relation wiiii an old veteran now tottering on th brink of tne grave. Th true spirit of the pension laws Is lo be found In in uoule bcutinients ex pressed by Mr. Lincoln In his htui iuauguial address, wherein, In speaking of the na lion duty to it aoldlers when th struggi snould b over, b said we should "car for him who shall hav borne th battls, and for hi widow and orphans." Deparlinaat af Aarlcnltnre. Th report of tn secretary of agricul tui invite attention to th stupendous value of th agricultural product of this country, amounting in all t toai.OuO.Oug for this year. This amount 1 larger than Uun mad ln my Uul annual mcssag lu j w hav hip)rds mora than doubl the that of 1 by M.OJ0,gw. The existence of such a crop Indicates a good prospect Ftrst-lhat the limitation now imposed I tor bul"e throughout th country. A uin th ecutlv wulch forbid his re- notable cbang lor th better 1 com serving nior frest land la Oregon. Wash- mmiled upon by lhe secretary In th fact Idaho,- Montana. Colorado and al the srtuth, especially In those legions Wyoming b rtpealed. I wher th boll weevil na uiirnered with tivt d That the coal d-Mlte o the i tit t.roth of cotton, lias given moie at government be lettavd, after adveriUeineut j leullun lo the cultivation of com auu couraged and ought to be dlscouragexl by the imposition of a heavy federal tax. I recommend the adoption of this method of stamping out a very serious abuse. Ktxbt-Honr Law. Since 1868 it has been the declared pur pose of this government to favor the move ment ior an eight-hour day by .provision of law that none of tho employes employed by or on behalf of the government should work longer than eight hours In every twenty-four. The first declaration of this view was not accompanied with any penal clause and with no provision for Its en forcement, and, though President Grant by a proclamation twice attempted to tlve it his sanction and to require th officer of the government to carry it out, the pur- Pose of tbe framers of the law was ulti mately defeated by a decision of the su preme court holding that the statute as drawn was merely a direction of the gov ernment to Its agents and did not invali date a contract made In behalf of the gov ernment which provided ln tha contract for labor a day of longer hours than eight. Thereafter, ln 1892, the present eight-hour law was passed, which provides that the services and employment of all laborers and mechanics who ar now or may here after be employed by the government of the United States, by th District of Co lumbia, or by any contractor or sub-contractor on any of tr. publlo works of the United Stat and of th said District of Columbia, Is . hereby restricted to eight hours ln any ons calendar day, and it shall be unlawful, eto Thl law ha been construed to limit the application of the requirement to those, who are directly employed by the- govern ment or to those who ar employed upon publlo works situate upon land owned by the United States. This construction pre vented Its application to government bat tle ships and other vessels built In private shipyards and to heavy guns and armor plate contracted for and mad at private establishment. The proposed aot provides that no laborer or mechanic doing any part of the work contemplated by a contract with the United States ln the employ of the contractor or any subcontractor shall be required or permitted to work more than elgnt hours a day in any one calendar day. Apply it to All Work. It seems to me from th past history that th government ha been committed to a policy of encouraging th limitation of th day' work to eight hour in all works of construction initiated by itself, and it seems to in illogical to maintain a difference between government work don on government soil and. government work done ln a private establishment, when th work Is of uch large dimensions and In volve the expenditure of much labor fur a considerable period, so that th private manufacturer may adjust himself and hi establishment to th special term of em ployment that h niust mak with his workmen for this particular job. To re quire, however, that every small contraot of manufacture entered into by the gov ernment ahould be carried out by th con tractor with men working at eight hours would b to lmpos an intolerable burden upon the government by limiting it sources bf supply and xcluding altogether the great majority of those who would other wise compete for It business. Th proposed aot rcognisea this in th exception which It makes to contraots "for transportation by land or water, for tha transmission of intelligence, and for such material or article as may usually b bought in th opan market whether made to conform to particular specifica tions or not, or for th purchase of sup plies by th government, whethsr manu factured to conform to particular specifi cations or not" I recommend that Instead of enacting th proposed bill, th meaning of which 1 not clear and definite and might b given a construction eniburraaing to ths public interest, the present act b en larged by providing that public work shall be construed to include not only buildings and work upon public ground, but also ship,, armor, and large guns when manu factured in private yards or factories. On of the great difficulties In enforcing this eight-hour law is that its application under certain emergencies becomes ex ceedingly oppreaiiive and ther is a great temptation to subordinate official to vad it. I think that It would b wiser to al low til president, by executive order, to declare au emergency ln special instanoes in which th limitation might not ap ply and, lu such cases, to permit th pay ment by tha government of extra compen sation for th time worked each day In tx cetts of eight hours. I may add that my suggestions in respect to this legis lation have the full concurrence of the commissioner of labor. Workmen's Compensation. In view of the keen, widespread In terest now felt In th United Stat In a system of compensation fur Industrial accident to upplant our present thor oughly unsatisfactory system of employ ers' liability (a - subject the importance of which congress has already recognized by the appointment of th coin mission), I recommend that the International congress on Industrial Insurance be Invited to hold be Induced to become more efficient public servants. Flconoiny and K.fflrlency. The committees on appropr.ntions of con gress have diligently worked to reduce the expenses of government and have found their effort, often blocked by lack of ac curate Information containing a proper aralysl. of requirement, and of actual and reasonable cost.. The result of thl. inquiry should enable the executive In hi com munication, to congress to give Informa tion to which congress I entitled and which will enable it to promote economy. I have requeued the head of each de partment to appoint committee on economy nd eff.clency in order to ecure full co-operation in the movement by the employe, of the gov?rnment themeelve.. 1 urge the continuance of the appropria tion of $100,000 requeued for the fiscal year 1912. My experience leads me to believe that while government methods are much criti cised, the bad results If w do have bad results are not due to a. lack of seal or willingness on the part of the civil erv rtits. On the contrary, I believe that a fine spirit of willingness to work exists in the personnel, which, if properly encouraged. will produce results equal to those secured in the best managed private enterprise. In handling government expenditure the aim la not profit the aim Is tha maximum of public service and a minimum of cost We Wish to reduce the expenditures of th government, and we wish to save money to enable the government to fco into soma of th beneficial project which we ar debarred from taking up now because w ought not to Increase our expenditures. At a later date I shall send to congress a special message on this general subject. Civil Service Retirement. It Is impossible to proceed far in such an investigation without perceiving the need of a suitable means of . eliminating from the service th superannuated. This can be done in one nf two ways, either by straight civil pension or by some form of contributory plan. Careful study of experiments made by forqlgn governmenta shows that three serious objections to th civil pension pay able out of the publlo treasury may be brought against it by the taxpayer, th administrative officer, and the civil em ploye, respectively. A civil pension 1 bound to become an .enormous, continuous and increasing tax on th publlo ex chequer; it 1 demoralising to th service inc It make difficult th dismissal of Incompetent employe after they have partly earned their pension; and It is disadvanta geous to the main body of employes themselves since it is always taken Into account in fixing salaries and only th few who survlv and remain ln th ser vice until pensionable age recelv th valu of their deferred pay. For this rea son, after a half century of exprino under a most liberal pension, system, th civil servant of England succeeded, about a year ago, In having tb sy.um so modi f!d a to mak It virtually a contribu tory plan with provision for refund of their theoretical contributions. The experience of England and other countries shows that neither can a con tributary plan be successful, human na ture being What It is, which doe not mak provision for th rturn of contribu Hons, with interet, In case of death or resignation before pensionable age. Fol lowed to it logical conclusion this mean thut th simplest and most independent solution of th problem for both employ and th government is a compulsory sav lngs arrangement, th employ to set aside from hi salary a sum sufficient, with tha blp of a liberal rat of Interest from th government, to purchase an adequate an nuity for hlin on retirement, this ac cumulation to b inalienably his and claim able it he leaves th service, before reach Ing the retirement age or by his heirs in case of his death. This is the principle upon which the Uillett bill now pending is drawn. The Gllett bill, however, goes futber and provides that the government shall coutrl bute to the pension fund of those em ployes who are now so advanced in ag that their personal contribution will not be ufflclnt to create their annuities befor reaching the retirement age. In my judgment this provision should be amended so that the annuities of those employes hall be paid out of the sa'ailes appro Diluted for Ui portion vacated by re tirement, and that the different between th annuitle thu gi anted aitd th salaries may b used for th employment of er flcient clcrts at tbe lower grades. If the bill can b thus amended I recommend ii. ....in a it will Initial a valuabl vium and ultimately result In a g:a saving In th publc expenditures. l.trrelat ( ssiuitrei t omuslaalon. Ther ba not been tun to lest th ben fit and utility at th amendment to th li terstat comniarc law contained In th act approved Jun la, 1110. The law a enacted did not contain ail the features which 1 recommended. It did not sptci fit ally denounce as unlawful th purchase by one of two parallel and competing roads of th stock of th other. Nor did it stbjecl to th restraining Influence of the Interstate Commerce conimissloo th of temporary agreements between rail roads, limited to thirty days, fixing the ssm rates for traffic between the same places. I do not press the consideration of am of these objects upon congress at this session. The object of the first provision la probably generally covered by the ant, trotil law. The second provision was in th act referred to the consideration of a commission to bo appointed by the exciu tlve and to report upon th matter to congress. That commission has been ap pointed and 1 engaged In the Investigation and consideration of the question sub mitted under the law. It consists of Presi dent Arthur T. Hadley of Yale university, as chairman; Frederick C Strauss. Fred erick N. Judson, Prof. U. II. Meyer and Walter I. Fisher, with William K. S. Oris wold as secretary. The third purpose led to so mui h mis construction of Its object that 1 am not dinposed to press It for further considera tion. It was Intended to permit railroad companies to avoid useless rate cutting by a mere temporary acquiescence In the me rales for the same service over com peting railroads, with no obligation what ever to maintain those rates for any time. afely Appliance nnd Provisions. The protection of railroad employes from personal injury Is a subject of the highest Importance and dema'uls continuing at tention. There have been two measures pending In congress, one for the super vision of boilers and the other for the enlargement of dangerous clearances. Cei - tainly some measure oukIiI to be adopted looking lo a prevention of accidents from ll.e.-o cause. It seems to mo that wild respect to boilers a bill might well be drawn requiring and enforcing by penally a proper system of Inspection by the lail way companies themselves which would accomplish out purpose. The entire i tnoval of outside clearances would be at tended by such enormous expenses thai home other remedy must b adopted, liy act of May . 1U10, th Interstate Com merce commission Is authorised and di rected to investigate accidents, to report their causes and Its rccoinmemlatlohx. 1 suggest that the commission be requested to make a special report as to Injuries from outside cleaiance ami I ho boat method of reducing them. Valuation of Hallroad. TtM Interstate Commerce commission hat recommended appropriations for the pur pose of enabling It to enter upon a valua tion of all railroads. This has always been within the jurisdiction of the commission, but the requisite funds have been wanting, statistic of the value of each railroad would be valuable for many purposes, es pecially It wo ultimately enact any limita tions upon the power of the liiterstute railroads to Issue stocks and bonds, as I hope we may. I think, therefore, that In order to permit a correct understanding of the facts. It would b wis to make a reasonable appropriation to enable the In terstate Commerce commission to proceed with due dispatch to the valuation of all railroads. 1 have no doubt that railroad companies themselves can and will greatly facilitate this valuation and make It much less costly in time and money than has been supposed. Fraudulent Bills of Lading. Forged and fraudulent bill, of lading pur porting to be is.ued against cotton, some month since, resulted in losses of several millions of dollars to American and foreign banking and cotton interest.. Foreign bankers then notified American bankers that after October 31, 1910, they would not accept bills of exchange drawn against bills ut lading for cotton Issued by American railroad companies, Unless American bank ers would guarantee th Integrity of th ' bills of lading. Th Amarican banker rightly maintained that they were not Justified in giving such guarantiee, and that If they did so, the United 8 tales would be th only country in th world who bill wor bo discredited, and whose . foreign trad was carried on under such guaranties. Th foreign bankers extended th time at which these guaranties wer demanded un til December li, U10, relying upon us for protection in the meantime, a th money which they furnish to mov our cotton crop la of great value to this country. For th protection of our own people and th preservation of our credit ln foreign trad, I urg upon congress th Immediate enactment of a law under which ons who, in good faith, advance money or credit upon a bill of lading Issued by a com mon carrier upon an 1b terstat or foreign shipment caa hold th carrier liable for th valu of the good described ln th bill at th valuation specified In the bill, at least to the extent of th advance mad ln re liance upon it Such liability exists under the laws of many of th state. I se no objection to permitting two classes of bill of lading to b Issued: (1) Thos under which a carrier ahall b ab6lutly liable. as above suggested, and (2) thus wltn respect to which th carrier shall assume no liability except for th good actually delivered to the agent issuing th bill. Th carrier might be permitted to mak a small separata specific charg in addition to th rat of transportation for such guaranteed bill, a an lusuranc premium against loss from th added risk, thus re moving th principal objection which I understand is made by the railroad com panies to th imposition of th liability suggested, vis, that th ordinary trans portation rate would not -compensate them for th liability assumed by th abeolut guaranty of th accuracy of th bill of lading. 1 further recommend that a punishment of fin and Imprisonment be Imposed upon railroad agent and shippers for fraud or misrepresentation In connection with the lssu of bills of lading issued upon Inter tat and foreign shipments. Let tho Law Stand. Except a above, I do nut recommend any amendment to the interstate commerce law a it stands. I do not now recommend any amendment to th anti-trust law. Iu other words, it seems to in that th exist ing legislation with reference to th regu lation of corporation and th restraint of their business has reached a point where we can stop for a wh.lt and witness th effect of th vigorous execution of the laws on th statute book In restraining the abuses which certainly did exist and which roused th publlo to demand reform. If this test develop a need fur further legis lation, well and good, but until then let ut execute what we have. Due to the reform movements of ths present decado, ther has undoubted'y been a great Improvement ln business methods and standards. Th great body of bualnee men of this country, thus who ar responsible ror Its commercial development, now have an earnest deslr to obey the law and to square their conduct of business to Its re quirements and limitations. The. will doubtless be made clearer by the decisions of th supreme court In cases pending befor it. 1 believe it to be In th Interest of all th people of th country that tor the time being tbe aetlvltlea of government, in addition to enforcing th existing law. he directed toward th economy of adminis tration and th enlargement of opporiiiMi lles for foreign trade, tha conxei vatiou so l Improvement of our agricultural Luris (he building up of hor.ie ndurtrles. ernl u.e po wer of corporation engaged In operat- j irnigllieiilng of .onfid-.c of .apiial I u .!...... li,') I.. iV 1 In , aii.il il ,rii.. l.ilurulaici till Iriji4rij lu ifclaU llW KtijCU , U " ' " - au wroiUt.utt uf l iuiU 10 (ami buna, our did tt nutuunw U UiaWln I Wiii'llS UuUoto. Wu W Ui 4 r V 1 v