The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-12-06

for the general staff and supply Depart
from the line, the men so detailed return
ing after awhile to their line duties. 1t is
of the army composed of men who have
come to fill the positions by the mere fact
OF seniority. A system should be adopted
by which there shall be an elimination
grade by grade of those who seem unfit
to render the best service in the next
grade. Justice to the veterans of the
civil war who are still in the army would
seem to require that in the matter of re-
tirements they be given by law the same
PRIVILEGES, accorded to their comrades in
Another recommendation which the pres
ident makes in connection with the army
Is for the reduction of the paper work,
tape" OF this he says:
Every effort should be made to bring
the army to constantly increasing state
work save that directly in the line of such
service should be required. The paper
W. work In the army as in the navy should
proved power of command and capacity
to work well in the field. Constant care
is necessary to prevent dry rot in the
mentS."
He also urges the enactment of legis-
lation in connection with the militia and
national guard forces of the nation that
they may be better fitted for active serv-
Ice In time of war, and says:
our militia law is obsolete and worth
less. Inc organization and armament OF
the national guard of the several states,
which are treated as militia in the APP
preparations by the congress, should be
made Identical with those provided for
the regular forces. The obligations and
duties of the guard in time of war should
be carefully defined and a system estab-
lished by law under which the method of
procedure OF raising volunteer forces
should be prescribed in advance. 1t is ut
tterly impossible in the excitement and
INN 6ir,er L.
factorily If the arrangements have not
been made long beforehand. Provision
should be made for utilizing in the first
volunteer organizations called out the
training of those citizens who have al
ready had experience under arms, and
especially for the selection in advance Of
raised; for careful selection of the kind
necessary is impossible after the outbreak
of war"
He praises the veterans of the civil war.
the war with Spain and those who have
rendered the nation valiant service in the
Indian uprisings of the west and in the
erality in the nations dealing with them.
The Civil Service.
He recommends the enactment of legis-
lation that will place under the rulings
of the merit system many classes of en-
ployes not now governed by it. His rec
ommendaton for this is as follows:
II recommend the passage of a law
which will extend the CLASSIFIED service to
the District of Columbia or will at least
enable the president thus to extend it,
In my judgment all laws providing for
the temporary employment of clerks
should hereafter contain provision that
they be selected under the civil service
law"
He also wishes the merit system to OBJ
tam In the government service in the
colonies, and says:
Not an office should be filled in the
philippines or Porto Rico with any regard
to the mans partisan affiliations or serv-
w nnxy parl 10
cial or personal influence which he may
have at his command. In short heed
should be paid to absolutely nothing save
the mans own character and capacity
and the needs of the service.
THE administration of these islands
should be as wholly free from the sus-
istration of the army and navy. All that
we ask from the public servant in the
philippines or Porto Rico is that he re-
fleet honor on his country by the way in
which he makes that country's rule a
benefit to the peoples who have come UNI
der 1T. This is all that we should ask.
and we cannot afford to be content with
less
Other Recommend
Among other recommendations which the
president makes are those asking for leg
islation that will improve the consular serv-
ice along lines outlined in bills introduced
at previous sessions, and he SAYS that:
1T is true that the service is now in the
main efficient, but standard of excellence
the principles set forth in the bills here
tofore submitted to the congress on this
subject are enacted into law"
He believes the time has arrived when
the Indian should cease to be treated as a
member of a tribe but as an individual
and recommends breaking up the tribal
funds, putting stop to the indiscrminate
permission to Indians to lease their allot-
ments and stopping the ration system. He
recommends also the establishment of an
Industrial educational system, and an en-
092V0r UQ hp nd TO haca
cattle rafsers rather than agricnlturists
where their lands are unsuited to the latter
He recommends liberal appropriations for
the Louisiana Purchase exposition and an
appropriation covering expenses incurred
by the Charleston exposition in removing
government exhibits from the Buffalo ex-
position to that at Charleston.
Another of his recommendations is for
permanent census bureau, as it would in
sure better, cheaper and more satisfactory
work in the interest of business, statistics.
economic and social science.
The Postal Service,
He calls attention to the growth of the
postal system and to the fact that the an
nual deficit in this department of the gov
eminent service has been reduced to the
small sum of s3,923,727. This, he says, could
further be increased and possibly a surplus
shown but for the fact that many publi-
cations are now securing the pound rate
as SecOnd-claSS mail matter which are not
entitled to the same under the law. OF
this he says:
THE full measure of postal progress
which might be realized has long been
hampered and INSTRUCTED by the heavy
burden imposed on the government
through the iatrenched and well-under-
stood abuses which have grown in con-
nection with second-class mail matter.
The extent of this burden appears when it
is stated that, while the second-class mat
ter makes nearly three-fifths of the weight
of all the mail, 1t paid for the last fiscal
year only $4,294 445 of the aggregate postal
revenue of Sill, 631 1913. If the pound rate
Of postage, which produces the large loss
thus entailed and which was fixed by the
congress with the purpose of encouraging
the dissemination of public information,
and periodicals actually contemplated by
the law no just exception could be taken.
That expense would be the recognized and
accepted cost of liberal public policy de-
liberately adopted for a justifiable end.
But much of the matter which enjoys the
privileged rate is wholly outside of the
intent of the law and has secured admis-
sion only through an evasion Of its re-
quirements or through lax construction
The proportion of such wrongly included
matter is estimated by postal experts to
class mail. If it be only one-third or one
quarter, the magnitude Of the burden is
apparent. The post office department has
now undertaken to remove the abuses so
far as possible by a stricter application
of the law, and it should be sustained in
it's effort"
The Chinese Difficulties.
He calls attention to the satisfactory
settlement of the Chinese difficulties of
last year. and this nations part in the
settlement and saws provisions have