Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-12-11

CONVICTION IQdt certain Oh Tie puDllC-IduQ
laws and the resulting administrative prac-
tice no longer meet the present needs. The
character and uses of the remaining pub
lie lands differ widely from those of the
public lands which Congress had especially
In view when these laws were passed. The
rapidly increasing rate Of disposal of the
PUBLIC land Is not followed by CORE
spending increase in home building There
Is tendency to mass in large holdings
public lands, especially timber and grazing
lands, and thereby to retard settlement.
l renew and emphasize my recommendation
of last year that SO far as they are avail
able for agriculture in its broadcast sense,
and to whatever extent they may be re-
claimed under the national irrigation law
the remaining public lands should be held
rigidly for the heme builder The atten-
tion of the Congress Is especially directed
to the timber and stone law, the desert
| land law, and the Communication clause Of
the homestead law, which in their opera
! ton have in many respects conflicted with
| wise public-land policy.
The work of reclamation Of the arid
| lands of the West Is progressing steadily
and satisfactorily under the terms of the
disposal of public lands. Surveys and ex:
aminations are progressing throughout the
arid States and Territories, plans for re-
claiming works being prepared and passed
upon by boards Of engineers before APPROX
al by the Secretary of the Interior In
| Arizona and Nevada, In localities where
such work Is preeminently needed, con-
struction has already been begun In other
| parts of the arid West various projects are
we'll advanced toward the drawing up of
contracts, these being delayed In part by
! necessities of reaching agreements or I'M
| Outstanding as regards rights of way or
acquisition of real estate.
| During the year ended June 30 last g.
500 persons were appointed through com
| petitlve examinations under the civl-ser-
| vice rules. This was 1852 more than
during the preceding year, and 40 per cent
| of those who passed the examinations
This abnormal growth was largely occa-
stoned by the extension Of classification to
the rural free-deliyery service and the APP
carriers revision OF the clvil-service
| rules took effect on April Is last, which
has greatly improved their operation.
Army and Navy.
| The effect of the laws providing Gen
| eral Staff for the Army and for the more
effective use Of the National Guard has
been excellent. Great improvement has
been made in the efficiency of Army
in recent years, Such schools as those
erected at Fort Leayenworth and Fort RI
| ley and the institution of fall maneuver
work accomplish satisfactory results. The
| good effect of these maneuvers upon the
| National Guard Is marked, and ample APP
preparation should be made to enable the
| guardsmen Of the several States to share
in the benefit. The government should
soon as possible secure suitable perma-
nent camp sites for military maneuvers In
the various sections Of the country. The
service thereby rendered not only to the
| Regular Army, but to the National Guard
of the several States, will be so great as
to repay many times over the relatively
| small expense. We should not rest salts
| fled with what has been done, however.
The only people who are contented with
system Of promotion by mere seniority are
those who are contented with the triumph
of fbo medoGrty over excellence On the
exercise OF social or political favoritism in
promotions would be even worse. But it
would surely be easy to devise a. method
the opinion of the higher officers of the
| service upon the candidates should be de-
cisive upon the standing and promotion Of
| the latter. Just such u system now OBJ
| tains at West Point.
l heartily congratulate the Congress upon
the STEADY progress In building up the
up in this great work, To stand still means
| to go back. There should be no cessation In
adding to the effective units of the fighting
! Department and the officers Of the Navy
are doing well their part by providing con-
slant service at sea under conditions akin
to those of actual warfare. Our officers
| and enlisted men are learning to handle the
| battle ships, cruisers, and torpedo boats
with high efficiency in fleet and squadron
| formations, and the standard of markSman-
ship is being steadily raised.
| 1t Is eminently desirable, however, that
there should be provided. naval general
staff on lines similar to those Of the Gen
eral Staff lately created for the Army.
Isthmian Canal.
BY the act Of June 49, 1902 the Congress
authorized the President to enter into treaty
with Colombia for the building of the canal
across the Isthmus of Panama; 1t being
provided that In the event of fixture to Sc
! cure such treaty after the lapse of a rea
sonable time. recourse should be had to
building canal through Nicaragua. 1t has
| rot been necessary to consider this alterna-
| tive, as l am enabled to lay before the
Senate treaty providing for the building
| or the canal across the Isthmus of Panama.
| This was the route which commended itself
| to the deliberate judgment Of the Congress,
and we can now acquire by treaty the right
to construct the canal over this route. The
route the isthmian canal shall be built FOR
that question has been definitely and ire
vocably decided. The question is simply
whether or not we shall have an isthmian
canal.
When the Congress directed that we
should take the Panama route under treaty
with Colombia, the essence Of the condi-
ton, or course, referred not to the Govern
ment which controlled that route, but to
the route itself; to the territory across
which the route lay, not to the name which
| for the moment the territory bore on the
map. The purpose Of the law was to author
| lie the President to make treaty with the
power In actual control of the lsthmns of
/ Panama. This purpose has been fulfilled.
In the year 1916 this Government en-
tered into treaty with New Granada, the
predecessor upon the Isthmus Of tho Re-
public OF Colombia and of the present Re
public of Panama, by which treaty it was
provided that the Government and citizens
OF the United States should always have
free and open right of way or transit across
the Isthmus Of Panama by any modes of
communication that might be constructed,
while in return our Government guaranteed
the perfect neutrality of the above-mcn-
| toned lsthmus with the view that the
| free transit from the one to the other sea
might not be interrupted or embarrassed.
The treaty vested in the United States
substantial property right carved out of
the rights of sovereignty and property
which New Granada then had and pos
sesscd over the said territory. The name
Of New Granada has passed away and It's
| territory has been divided. It's successor,
the Government of Colombia, has ceased
to own any property in the Isthmus new
Republic that of Panama, which was at
one time sovereign State, and at another
/ time mere department of the successive
| considerations known as New Granada aud
| Colombia, has how succeeded to the rights
| which first one and then the other formerly
! exercised over the ISthmuS puf &c Ionsy