The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-12-13

busy man spends his time in libraries
and there is large list OF depositor-
les for governmental publications.
If a more general distribution was in
augurated there would be better un.
derstanding of the operation of the
various branches Of the federal gov
eminent.
The only free distribution Of publ
cations which amounts to anything is
the list Of volunteers who cooperate
with the different departments in gath
ering information. But this very sys-
TEN Of having several distributing Of
fees has caused considerable confus-
ion so much red tape being unwound
that 1t Is discouraging to try to unrav-
ell 1t. Another Objectionable feature
has been that every member of con-
gress Is entitled to a certain number
Of volumes Of everything printed for
the government and man represent
Ing district In the heart of New York
city would have as many copies of a
treatise on reclamation of the arid
west and the year book of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture as a representa-
tive from western farming commune
ty.
II there Is demand for certain
books the members of congress swap
quotas Of some publications, but this
is cumbersome system at best. The
people of the country should know
everything that is going on at Wash
ington, and If sufficient copies were
printed and sold at cost to supply the
demand and information generally dis
seminated as to Heir contents, prices,
and where to obtain them the 'holler"
about extravagant expenditures would
cease. The public printing is turned
out cheap enough, when department
spends thousands of dollars gathering
data and then prints a couple of thou
sand copies it is ridiculous to talk Of
cutting down the number of volumes
still further to reduce expenses. The
initial cost of printing is the heaviest
as every publisher knows, but the gov
ernment's action has been like bus
mess man who is overstocked and
discharges his force instead of seek
ing other markets! If the new public
printer has his way, the people of the
country will have chance to pur-
chase government publications very
cheap and thereby enable them to
thoroughly comprehend the work of
the different branches of the federal
government.
The Japanese question has been
twisted and turned at the Capitol the
past week to suit the views held by
every body. There is apparently no
cause for alarm, every question of
similar nature stirring up the alarm
lists long in advance of its solution.
There is no question in the minds of
man that adults should be excluded
from the schools and the general opin-
ion is that the people of California
and the west can handle the matter
to the satisfaction of everyone. The
japanese minister is not perturbed
over the matter. However, this mat
ter will tend to convince certain lead
ers that they are not cit" in every
thing pertaining to the country, and
those leaders are not far from the
west either. We have no car in this
country and never will have, although
some matters have been handled as
If autocratic power were vested in
one man.
Our friend Secretary Hitchcock OF
the Interior Department is getting
busy with the land frauds of the west,
and 1T is about time. Apparently we