Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-05

practicable, the burden of furnishing and maintaining circulation adequate to supply the needs of our diversified
 industries and of our domestic and for eign commerce, and the issue of this
 should be so regulated that a suffi-
 cient supply should be always avail l able for the business interests of the country"
 1 Every consideration of prudence de mands the addition of the element of elasticity to our currency system The evil does not consist ill an inadequate { volume of money, but in the rigidity ! of this volume, which does not respond as it should to the varying needs of l communities and of seasons. Imitation must be avoided, but some provision should be made that will insure larger volume of money during the fall i and winter months than in the less ac- tive seasons of the year, so that the currency will contract against specula- i tion and will expand for the needs of i legitimate business. At present the treasury department is at irregularly ! recurring intervals obliged in the inter- est of the business world-that is, in the interests of the American public to try to avert financial crises by pro
 siding remedy which should be pro- vided by congressional action.
 Business Methods In Departments. At various times Ilhave instituted in- vestigations into the organization and conduct of the business of the execu- tive departments. While none of these inquiries have yet progressed far enough to warrant final conclusions, | they have already confirmed and em- phasized the general, impression that the organization of the departments is often faulty in principle and wasteful in results, while many of their business methods are antiquated and inefficient. There is every reason, why our execu- tive governmental machinery should be at least as well planned, economical and efficient as the best machinery of the great business organizations, which at present is not the case. To make it so is task of complex detail and es- sentially executive in its nature. Prob ably no legislative body, no matter how wise and able, could undertake it with reasonable prospect of success. I recommend that the congress consider { this subject with view to provide by Legislation for the transfer, distribu- tion, consolidation and assignment of duties and executive organizations or parts of organizations and for the changes in business methods within or between the several departments that will best promote the economy, eff. ciency and high character of the gov ernment work.
 Federal Elections.
 In my last annual message I said:
 "The power of the government to protect the integrity of the elections of it's own officials is inherent and has been recognized and affirmed by re- peated declarations of the supreme court. There is no enemy of free gov ernment more dangerous and none so insidious as the corruption of the cleo torate. No one defends or excuses cor ruption, and it would seem to follow that none would oppose vigorous meas ures to eradicate 1t. I recommend the enactment of law directed against bribery and corruption in federal cleo tions. The details of such law may be safely left to the wise discretion of the congress, but it should go as far as under the constitution it is possible to go, and should include severe penal ties against him who gives or receives a bribe intended to influence his act or opinion as an elector, and provisions for the publication not only of the ex- penditures for nominations and cleo tions of all candidates, but also of all contributions received and expendi- lures made by political committees"
 I desire to repeat this recommends ton. In political campaigns in coun- try as large and populous as ours it is inevitable that there should be much expense of an entirely legitimate kind. This, of course, means that many con tributions, and some of them of large size, must be made, and, as a matter of fact, in any big political contest such contributions are always made to both sides. It is entirely proper both to give and receive them unless there Is an improper motive connected with either gift or reception. If they are ex- tad .f ise, express or implied. direct or indi- rect, in the way of favor or immunity. then the giving or receiving becomes not only improper, but criminal. It will undoubtedly be difficult as mat ter of practical detail to shape an act which shall guard with reasonable cer- tainty against such misconduct. but if it is possible to secure by law the full and verified publication in detail of all the sums contributed to and expended by the candidates or committees of any political parties the result cannot but be wholesome. All contributions by corporations to any political committee or for any political purpose should be forbidden by law. directors should not be permitted to use stockholders mon ey for such purposes. aRd, moreover. prohibition of this kind would be. as far as 1t went. an effective method of stopping the evils aimed at in corrupt practices acts. Not only should both the national and the several state leg islatures forbid any officer of a cor poration from using the money of the corporation in or about any election. but