Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-12-06
Debt Due to the Veterans Who Saved
the Union

tnG tnlOn.
No other citizens deserve SO well OF
the Republic as the veterans. the sur
vivors of those who saved the Union. They
did the one deed which, II left undone,
would have meant that all else in our
history went for nothing. But for their
steadfast prowess in the greatest crisis OF
our history, all our annals would be mean
ingless, and our great experiment in pop
ular freedom and self-government q
gIoomy failure.
Civil Service.
1 recommend the passage Of q 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.
1t is important to have this system
obtain at home, but 1t is even more imS
portant to have 1t applied rigidly in our
insular possessions. Not an office should
be filled In the Philippines or Porto Rico
with any regard to the mans partisan
affiliations or services, with any regard to
the political, social 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 serv-
ice
The merit system is simply one method
of securing honest and efficient adminis-
tration of the Government; and in the
long run the sole justification of any type
Of government lies in its proving itself
both honest and efficient
Consular Service.
The consular service is now organized
under the provisions of law passed in
1856, which is entirely inadequate to ex-
listing conditions. The interest shown by
so many commercial bodies throughout
the country in the reorganization of the
service is heartily commended to your at
! tention. Several bills providing for a new
| consular service have in recent years
! been submitted to Congress. They are
based upon the just principle that ap-
| pointments to the service should be made
only after practical test of the appn-
cants fitness, that promotions should be
governed by trustworthvness. adaptable
ity and zeal in the performance of duty
| and that the tenure of office should be
unaffected by partisan considerations.
Treatment of Indians.
In my judgment the time has arrived
when we should definitely make up our
minds to recognize the Indian as an indi-
vidual and not as member of a tribe.
The general allotment act is a mighty
pulverizing engine to break up the tribal
mass. 1t acts directly upon the family
and the individual. Under its provisions
some $4,000 Indians have already become
/
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. There will be tran
sition period during which the funds will
in many cases have to be held in trust.
This is the case. also. with the lands. A
! stop should be put upon the indiscrim-
mate permission of Indians to lease their
allotments. The effort should be stead
lily to make the Indian work like any 9TH
er man on his own ground. The mar
riage laws of the Indians should be made
the same as those of the whites.
St. Louis Exposition.
I bespeak the most cordial sup
1 people for the St. Louis Exposi:
niversary of the Louisiana Purchase.
The people of Charleston, with great
energy and civic spirit, are carrying on
an exposition which will continue
throughout the most Of the present ses-
sion of Congress. heartily commend
this exposition to the goodwill of the
: people.
Il Library of Congress.
Perhaps the most characteristic educa.
| tional movement of the past 50 years Il
; that which has created the modern pub.
! lie library and developed 1t into broad and
. active service. There are now over 500(
public libraries in the United States, the
product of this period. In addition to &C.
7 cumulating material, they are also striv
, ing by organization, by improvement II
, method, and by cooperation. to give
: greater efficiency to the material they
hold, to make it more widely useful. ant
by avoidance of unnecessary duplication
5 in process to reduce the cost Of Its ad
ministration.
In these efforts they naturally look fol
assistance to the Federal library, which
though still the Library of Congress. ant
. so entitled. Is the one National library o.
> the United States.
tt Permanent Census Bureau.
r For the sake of good administration
sound economy, and the advancement o
: science, the Census Office, as now consti
: tuted. should be made permanent Gov
) ernment bureau. This would insure bet
a ter, cheaper and more satisfactory work
S in the interest not only of our business
but of statistic, economic and social sci
ence.
Z The Postal Service.
The remarkable growth of the posta
service Is shown in the fact that its reve
nues have doubled and its expenditure
: have nearly doubled within II years. 1t
e progressive development compels con
> stantly increasing outlay, but in this pc
riod of business energy and prosperity it
o receipts grow so much faster than its ex
d penses that the annual deficit has beel
d steadily reduced from 81, ,779 in 1897 t.
= vances the success of rural free deliver
I wherever established has been so marked
: and actual experience has made its bene
f fits so plain, that the demand for its ex
e tension is general and urgent.
q It is just that the great agriculture
e population should share In the improve
6 ment of the service The number of rura
n routes now in operation Is 60Oe, PRACTICAL,
e | all established within three years, an
r there are 5000 applications awaiting action
+ It is expected that the number In opera
ton at the close Of the current fiscal yea
= will reach $780, The mail will then b
L daily carried to the doors of s, 100 900 of on
o people who have heretofore been depend
ent upon distant offices, and one-third o
| all that portion Of the country which 1
O adapted to it will be covered by this kim
" of service.
= Chinese Situation.
e Owing to the rapid growth of our powe
: and our interests on the Pacific whateve
t happens in China must be Of the keenes
i National concern to us.
a The general terms of the settlement O
e the questions growing out of the ant
: foreign uprisings in China of 1900, havin
:. been formulated in a Joint note addresse
e to China by the representatives Of tn
injured powers in December last, wer
- promptly accepted by the Chinese Gov
ernment. After protracted conference
the plenipotentiaries Of the several power
n were able to sign final protocol wit
r the Chinese plenipotentiaries on the It
n of last September, setting forth the meas
! ures taken by China in compliance wit
!, the demands Of the joint note, and e1
e pressing their satisfaction herewith
70 will be laid before the Congress, with
r. report of the plenipotentiary on behalf {
n the United States Mr.. William Woodvill
Tn Wh n iOl, 10 f<