Arizona republican., 1902-12-03

mentally necessary to the welfare of the republic as a whole. Tn addition to such work as quarantine against animal and vegetable plaques, and warning against them when here in- troduced, much efficient help has been rendered to the farmer by the introduc- ton of new plants specially fitted for cultivation under the peculiar condi- tions existing in different portions of the country. New cereals have been established in the semi-arid west. For instance, the practicability of produc- ing the best types of macaroni wheats in regions of an annual rainfall of only ten inches or whereabouts has been conclusively demonstrated. Through the introduction of new rices in Louisi- ana and Texas the production of rice in this country has been made to about equal the home demand. In the south west the possibility of regrassing over stocked range lands has been demon. strated; in the north many new forage crops have been introduced, while in the east it has been shown that some of our choicest fruits can be stored and shipped in such a way as to find a prof itable market abroad.
 I again recommend to the favorable
 
 the Smithsonian institution for making the museum under it's charge worthy of the nation, and for preserving at the national capital not only records of the vanishing races of men but of the ani- mals of this continent which, like the buffalo, will soon become extinct un- less specimens from which their rep resentatives may be renewed are sought in their native regions and maintained there in safety.
 OTHER RECOMMENDATION
 The District of Columbia is the only part of our territory in which the na- tional government exercises local or municipal functions. and where in con- sequence the government has free hand in reference to certain types of social and economic legislation which must be essentially local or municipal in their character. The government should see to it, for instance. that the hygienic and sanitary legislation af- fecting Washington is of high char acter. The evils of slum dwellings. whether in the shape of crowded and congested tenement house districts or of the back alley type, should never be permitted to grow up in Washington. The city should be model in every re- spect for all the cities of the country The charitable and correctional sys- tems of the District should receive con- sideration at the hands of the congress to the end that they may embody the results of the most advanced thought in these fields. Moreover while Wash ington is not a great industrial city, there is some industrialism here, and our labor legislation, while it would not be important in itself, migh. be made model for the rest of the nation. We should pass, for instance. a wise employers liability act for the District of Columbia. and we need such an act in our navy yards. Railroad companies in the District ought to be required by law to block their frogs.
 The safety appliance law. for the bet ter protection of the lives and limbs of railway employees. which was passed in 1893, went into full effect on August l, 1901. It has resulted in averting thousands of casualties. Experience shows. however, the necessity of addi- tional legislation to perfect this law A bill to provide for this passed the senate at the last session. It is to be hoped that some such measure may now be enacted into law.
 There is a growing tendency to pro- vide for the publication of masses of documents for which there is no public demand and for the printing of which there is no real necessity. Large num- bers of volumes are turned out by the government printing presses for which there is no Justification. Nothing should be printed by any of the depart ments unless it contains something of permanent value, and the congress could with advantage cut down very materially on all the printing which 1t has now become customary to pro- vide. The excessive cost of govern ment printing is a strong argument against the position of those who are inclined on abstract grounds to advo- cate the governments doing any work which can with propriety be left in private hands.
 Gratifying progress has been made during the year in the extension of the merit system of making appointments in the government service It should be extended by law to the District of Columbia. It is much to be desired that our consular system be established by law on a basis providing for ap- pointment and promotion only in con- SCpuchCc Ol pEONeQ fitness.
 Through wise provision of the con gress at its last session the White House, which had become disfgured by incongruous additions and changes, has now been restored to what it was planned to be by Washington. In mak- ing the restorations the utmost care has been exercised to come as near as possible to the early plans and to sup plement these plans by careful study of such buildings as that of the Uni versity of Virginia, which was built by Jefferson. The White House is the property of the nation. and so far as is compatible with living therein it should be kept as it originally was, for the same reasons that we keep Mount Yer non as it originally was. The stately simplicity of its architecture is an ex- pression of the character of the period In which 1t was built, and is in accord with the purposes it was designed to serve. It is a good thing to preserve such buildings as historic monuments which keep alive our sense of con tinuity with the nations past