River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-12-08

towns to whom their municipal water
supplies are of the very first Importance
users and furnishers OK water power,
| and the users of water for domestic,
manufacturing, mining and other pur-
| poses All these are directly dependent
| upon the forest reserves.
The second reason for which forest re-
serves are created is to preserve the tim
Der supply for various classes of wood
| users. Among the more important of
these are settlers under the reclamation
| act and other acts. for whom cheap
and accessible supply of timber for do
nestle uses is absolutely necessary; min
ers and prospectors, who are in serious
danger of losing their timber supply by
fire or through export by lumber com
panies when timber lands adjacent TO
their mines pass into private ownership;
| lumbermen, transportation companies
builders and commercial interests in gen.
eral
Although the wisdom of creating for
est reserves is nearly everywhere heart
lily recognized, yet in a few localities
there has been Misunderstanding and
complaint The following statement is
therefore desirable:
The forest-reserve policy can be sue
| cessful only when it has the full support
of the people of the west It cannot
safely, and should not in any case, be
imposed upon them against their will
But neither can we accept the views of
those whose only interest in the forest is
temporary; who are anxious to reap what
they have not sown and then move away
| leaving desolation behind them. On the
contrary, 1t is everywhere and always
the interest of the permanent settler and
the permanent business man. the man
with a stake in the country, which must
be considered and which must decide.
I have repeatedly called attention to
the confusion which exists in govern
ment forest matters because the work is
scattered among three independent or
CARNATIONS The United States is the
only one Of the great nations in which
the forest work of the government is not
concentrated under one department. in
| consonance with the plainest dictates of
good administration and common sense
The present arrangement is bad from
every point of view. Merely to mention
it is to prove that it should be terminal
ed at once. AS l have repeatedly recon-
mended, all the forest work of the gov
eminent should be concentrated in the
| department of agriculture, where the
larger part of that work is already done,
where practically all of the trained for
esters of the government are employed,
where chiefly in Washington there is
comprehensive first-hand knowledge of
the problems of the reserves acquired
on the ground, where all problems relat-
ing to growth from the soil are already
gathered, and where all the sciences
auxiliary to forestry are at hand for
prompt and effective cooperation.
Pensions.
The veterans of the civil war have a
claim upon the nation such as no other
body of our citizens possess. The pen
sion bureau has never in its history been
managed in a more satisfactory manner
than is now the case.
The Postal Service.
In the post office department the service
has increased in efficiency, and conditions
as to revenue and expenditure continue sat
isfactory. The increase Of revenue during
the year was 50, 1858, 181.10, or So per cent,
the total receipts amounting to $143, 382,-
624.34. The expenditures were $152 1862, 116 TO-
an increase of about nine per cent. over the
previous year, being thus $8,979, SO in ex-
cess of the current revenue. Included in
these expenditures was total appropria-
ton &C $12, $50, 637 35 for the continuation and
extension Of the rural free delivery service,
which was an increase of 81, 902, 237 .35 over
the amount expended for this purpose in
the preceding fiscal year. Large as this
expenditure has been, the benefcent results
attained in extending the free distribution
of malls to the residents of rural districts
have justified the wisdom of the outlay.
Statistics brought down to the list of Octo-
Der, 1904 show that on that date there were
N,138 rural routes established serving ap-
proximately 900 of people in rural dis
trictS remote from post offices, and that
there were pending at that time 1859 petit
lions for the establishment of new rural
routes. UnquestionabIy some part of the
general increase in receipts is due to the
increased postal facilities which the rural
service has afforded. The revenues have
also been aided greatly by amendments in
the classification of mail matter, and the
curtailment of abuses OF the second-class
mailing privilege. The average increase in
the volume of mail matter for the period
beginning with 1902 and ending June, 1905
| Chat portion for 1905 being estimated), is
40.47 per cent, as compared with 546 per
| cent. for the period Immediately preced-
| ing, and 1892 for the four-year period i'm
mediately preceding that.
National Quarantine Law.
It is desirable to enact proper national
quarantine law. It is most undesirable
| that a state should on its own initiative
| enforce quarantine regulations which are
| in effect a restriction upon interstate and
international commerce. The question
| should properly be assumed by the govern
| ment alone. The surgeon general Of the
national public health and marine hospital
service has repeatedly and convincingly
set forth the need for such legislation.
Currency.
The attention of the congress should be
especially given to the currency question,
and that the standing committees on the
| matter in the two houses charged with the
| duty, take up the matter Of our currency
| and see whether it is not possible to secure
| an agreement in the business world for
| lettering the system; the committees
| should consider the question of the retire
| ment of the greenbacks and the problem
of securing in our currency such elasticity
as is consistent with safety. Every silver
| dollar should be made by law redeemable
in gold at the option of the holder.
Merchant Marine.
1 especially commend to your immediate
attention the encouragement of our mer-
| chant marine by apprc pirate legislation
Tariff.
On the tariff I shall communicate with
you later.
Immigration and Naturalization.
There is no danger OF having too many
| immigrants of the right kind 1t makes no
difference from what country they come
If they are sound in body and in mind, and
above all if they are of good character SC
| that we can rest assured that their chill
dren and grandchildren will be worthy fell
| low citizens of our children and grand
| children then we should welcome them
with cordial hospitality.
| But the citizenship of this country should
| not be debased It is vital that we should
| keep high the standard Of welI-being
! among our wage workers, and therefore
we should not admit masses of men whose
| standards of living and whose personal Gus
| toms and habits are such that they tend to
| lower the level of the American wage work
| err; and above all, we should not admit any
| man of an unworthy type, any man con-
| corning whom we can say that he will him
| 1SA troy ~