Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-03


| us something to offer in exchange TO
what we ask The cordial relations witt
other nations which are so desirable will
naturally be promoted by the cours
thus required by our own interests.
The natural line of development for {
policy of reciprocity will be in connec
ton with those of our productions which
no longer require all of the support ono
needed to establish them upon a SOUND
basis, and with those others where eth
or because of natural or of economic
causes we are beyond the reach of sue
cessful competition.
/ ask the attention of the senate to thu
reciprocity treaties laid before 1t by m.
predecessor.
Restore the Merchant Marine.
The condition of the American mer
chant marine is such as to call for i'm
mediate remedial action by the con-
gress. 1t is discreditable to us as ma
ton that our merchant marine shouls
be utterly insignificant In comparison Il
that of other nations which we overtol
in other forms of business. We Should
rot longer submit TO conditions under
which only trifling portion of our grea
commerce is carried in our own ships
To remedy this state of things would
not merely serve to build up our ship.
ping interests, but 1t would also result
in benefit to all who are interested in the
permanent establishment of wider
market for American products, anc
would be provide an auxiliary force fol
The navy. Ships work for their owl
.I,.r,, ,.r,,.l- fnp
their terminal points. Shipping lines, il
established to the principal countries
with which we have dealings, would be
of political as we'll as commercial bene-
fit From every standpoint it is unwise
for the United States to continue to rely
upon the ships of competing nations for
the distribution of our goods. 1t should
be made advantageous TO carry Ameri-
can goods in American-built ships.
AT present American shipping is I'M
der certain great disadvantages when
put in competition with the shipping OF
foreign countries. Many Of the fast for
eign steamships, at a speed of: fourteen
lSnotsfor above, are subsidized; and all
our ships, sailing vessels and steamers
alike, cargo carriers Of slow speed and
mail carriers of high speed, have to meet
the fat that the original cost of build
ing American ships is greater than is
the case abroad; that the wages paid
American officers and seamen are very
much higher than those paid the officers
and seamen of foreign competing coun-
tries: and that the standard of living on
our ships is far superior to the standard
of living on the ships of our commercial
rivals.
Our government should take such ac-
ton as will remedy these inequalities.
The American merchant marine should
be restored. to the ocean.
Government Should lrrigate.
The forests alone cannot, however,
fully regulate and conserve the waters
of the arid region. Great storage
works are necessary to sequaiize the
flow of streams and to save the flood
waters. Their construction has been
conclusiyely shown to be an undertake
ing too vast for private effort. Nor
can 1t be best accomplished by the in
dividual states acting alone. Far
reaching interstate problems are in
volved: and the resources of single
states would often be inadequate. 1t is
a national function. at least
in some of its features. 1t is as right
for the national government to make
the streams and rivers of the arid re-
gion useful by engineering works for
water storage as to make useful the
rivers and harbors of the humid region
by engineering works of another kind.
The storing of the floods in reservoirs
at the headwaters of our rivers is but
an enlargement of our present policy of
river control, under which ievees are
built on the lower reaches of the same
streams
The government should construct and
maintain these reservoirs as it does
other public works. Where their pur-
pose is to regulate the flow of streams.
the water should be turned freely into
the channels in the dry season to take
the same course under the same laws
as the natural flow.
The reclamation of the unsettled arid
public lands presents q different prob
lem. Here it is not enough to regulate
the flow of streams. The object of the
to dispose of the land to
settlers who will build homes upon 1t
be brought within their reach
The pioneer settlers on the arid pub
lie domain chose their homes along
streams from which they could them
selves divert the water to reclaim their
holdings. Such opportunities are prac-
tically gone. There remain, however,
vast areas of public land which can
be made available for homestead set
Element, but only by reservoirs and
mainline canals impracticable for pri
vate enterprise. These irrigation works
should be built by the national govern
ment. The lands reclaimed by them,
should be reserved by the government
for actual settlers, and the cost of con-
struction should so far as possible be
repaid by the land reclaimed The dis
tribution of the water, the division of
the streams among irrigators, should
be left to the settlers themselves IL
with state laws and with
out interference with those laws or
with vested rights. The policy of tho
national government should be to ai6
irrigation IN the several states and ter
ritories In such manner as will enable
the people in the local communities to
help themselves, and as will stimulate
needed reforms In the state laws and
regulations governing irrigation.
Whatever the nation does for the ex-
tension of irrigation should harmonize
with. and tend to improve, the condi
ton of those now living on irrigated
land. We are not at the starting point
of this development. Over two hun
bred millions of private capital has all
'eady been expended in the construction
of irrigation works, and many million