The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-12-05

! those who saved the union. They did tho
| one deed which II left undone would have
meant that all else in our history went for
nothing But for their eadfast prowess In
the greatest crisis of our history, all our
| annals would be meaningless, and our great
experiment III popular freedom and self-gov-
ernment a glso..y failure. Moreover. they
| not only left US united nation, but they left
| us also as a heritage the memory OF tho
| mighty deeds by which the nation was kept
united. We are now indeed one nation, one
in fact well as in name we are united
| In our devotion to the flag which is the sym.
| Dol of all national greatness and unity; and
| tho very completeness Of our union enables
| US all, In every part of the country, to glory
in the valor shown alike by the sons of the
North and the sons of the South in the
times that tried mems souls.
Merit systom Endorsed.
The merit system of making appointments
| IS In Its essence as democratic and American
4 as the common schools system itself. 1t SIM
| ply means that in clerical and other positions
where the duties are entirely non-poltical.
all applicants should have a fair field and
no favor. each standing on his merits as he
| is able to show them by practical test. Writ
ten competitive examinations offer the only
available ava means in many cases fer applying
| this system. In other cases, as where La
| borers are employed, q system of registra-
ton undoubtedly be widely extended.
There are Of course, places where the writ
| ten competitive examination cannot be APP
| piled, and others where it offers by no means
\ an ideal solution, but where under existing
political conditions it is. though an imperfect
means, yet the best present means Of get
| ting satisfactory results.
1T is important to have this system OBJ
| tain at home, but it is even more important
| to Rave it applied rigidly in our insular pos
| sessions. The administration of these islands
| should be as wholly free from the suspicion
OF partisan politics as the administration OF
n nrn " hot rIr fnNyx
| the public servant in the Philippines or Porto
| Rico is that he reflect honor on his country
by the way in which he makes that coun-
try's rule benefit to the peoples who havs
| come under it. This is all that we should
| ask, and we cannot afford to be content witt
| less
| Treatment of Indians.
The message points out the defects in oui
| present consular service, and recommends the
| passage of bills now before Congress THAI
| will increase its efficiency. or the Indian
| problem it says
"In my judgment the time has arrived
when we should definitely make up our minds
to recognize the Indian es an individual and
| not a member of a tribe. The General
Allotment Act is mighty pulverizing engine
4 to break UP the tribal mass. 1t acts direct
| ly upon the family of the individual. Under
| its provisions some sixty thousand Indians
have already become citizens of the United
| States. We should now break up the tribal
| funds, doing for them what allotment does
| for the tribal lands; that is, they should be
divided into Individual holdings. A stop
| should be put upon the indiscriminate per-
The effort siould be steadily to make the
| Indian work like any other man on his own
ground. The marriage laws of the Indians
| should be made the same as those of the
| whites
I'm dealing with the aboriginal races few
things are more important than to preserve
degradation resulting from the liquor traf-
| fic. We are doing all we can to save our own
Indian tribes from this evil. Wherever by
| international agreement this same end can be
| attained as regards races where we do not
possess exclusive control, every effort should
1 be made to bring it about
| II bespeak the most cordial support from
the Congress and the people for the st. Louis
Exposition to Commemorate the One Hun
dredth Anniversary of the Louisiana PurI
| chase. This purchase was the greatest In
stance of expansion in our history. 1t. def
| initey decided that we were to become
| great continental republic. by far the fore-
| most power in the Western Hemisphere The
national government should be represented
| at the exposition by full and complete set
| of exhibits.
| ergy and civic SPIRIT are carrying Oh an ex!
| position which will continue throughout most
Of the present session of the Congress.
| heartily commend this exposition to the good
will of the people. 1t deserves all the en-
| couragement that can be given 1t.
"For the sake of good administration, sound
economy, and the advancement OF science, the
| Census Office as now constituted should be
made permanent government bureau. TAa
| would insure better cheaper and more sat-
| isfactory work, in the interest not only OF
our business but of statistic. economic and
/ social science ~
Growth of Postal Service.
1.-THE remarkable growth Of the postal sers
| vice is shown in the fact that its revenues
| have doubled and its expenditures have near.
| ly doubled within twelve years Its progress
| siye development compels constantly increas-'
f,,ryn f1tt ~, 10 M
| orgy and prosperity its receipts grow so much!
faster than its expenses that the annual del
4 felt has been steadily reduced from $1l,4ll,- 4
| TO in 1897 to s3,923,727 in 1901 Among recent
| postal advances the success of rural freel
delivery wherever established has been So
| marked, and actual experience has made itsi
| benefits so plain. that the demand for its ex-i
1 tension is general, and urgent.
| 1T is just that the great agricultural popu-
| lation should share In the improvement of the
service. The number of rural routes now in
| operation is G,009 practically all established
! within three years. and there are 5000 appli-
! cations awaiting action. 1t is expected that
current fiscal year will reach 5000. The mail
| will then be daily carried to the doors OF
| 100000 of our people who have heretofore
| been dependent upon distant offices. and one
| third of all that portion of the country which
is adapted to it will be covered by this kind
/ OF service.
Second-Class Mail Matter.
''The full measure of postal progress which
| might be realized has long Deen hampered
| and obstructed by the heavy burden imposed
on the government through the intrenched
and well-understood abuses which have
grown up in connection with second class
mail matter. The extent of this burden ap-
| pears when it is stated that while the Sec
ond-cass matter makes nearly three-hfths Of
! the weight of all the mall 1t paid for the
last fiscal year only s4294,445 Of the aggre-.
4 gate postal revenue of Sill, 631. 1873. II the
pound rate of postage, which produces the
| large loss thus entaifed, and which was fixed
4 by the Congress with the purpose OF encour-
| aging the dissemination Of public Informal
ton. We're limited to the legitimate news
papers and periodicals actually contemplated
by the law. no just exception could be taken.
That expense would BIO the recognized and
accepted cost of liberal public policy de-
liberately adopted for Unsuitable end. But
legged rate is wholly outside Of the intent OF
the law, and has secured admission only
through an evasion of it's requirements or
through lax construction. The proportion Of
such wrongly included matter is estimated
| by postal experts to be one-half Of the whole
volume of second-class mail. II it be only
one-third or one-Guarter, the magnitude OF
the burden is apparent. The Postofice De-
\ partment has now undertaken to remove the
So rs "a hv n str ar.