Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-01-26
ag4aM@n0a
r@S$SfPzz
~~~~~~~~

SohSlSSo t"S
ports Of the Isthmian Canal Commits
sion will be received with qualification
throughout the country. 1t will do
much to allay recently circulated sto-
ries as to the way in which the great
work of canal construction is being
conducted. These stories, while fire.
quently vague in details, have been
sufficiently numerous to create an I'M
preston. There have been rumors or
~eXtravagant waste in salaries ana the
letting of contracts. Progress toward
the actual construction of the canal
has been represented as slow and char
acterized by inefficient management.
That the President finds it possible to
deny these various charges sweeping
ly and unreservedly is highly reasur-
ring AS to the charges of incom-
potency or extravaganza, he says he
has examined every one of them and
found that in every instance they were
without foundation in any shape or
form" On the contrary, he declares,
the work on the isthmus sis being adj
mirably lone and great progress has
been made during the last nine
months" The mechanical equipment
necessary for the c~anal-diggfng opera
tons is being rapidly installed. h
work of sanitation Is progressing well
and an effective organization OF the
administrative forces has been made.
On the whole the President feels justt-
fed in saying that the canal Will pc
dug in shorter time and at lower Z
pense than had been anticipated. This
highly optimistic report gives cause for
increased confidence IN the men IN
charge Of the enterprise and in their
methods, though 1t would be q mistake
to accept it as a reason for relaxing
vigilance. The essential thing, now
that a good start has been made, 10
that there be no remission OF the
watchfulness which has kept the work
up to a high standard.
A series Of Sc bills was turned out az
the bureau of engraving and printing
few days ago. Why these exception
ally unique bank and treasury notes
We're printed is not known, though
about 800 of them were run of before
it was discovered that such q devia-
ton from the regular denomination OF
the ''long green" would cause much
CONSERVATION. At the bureau, wnen
the error was discovered, it was ex-
planned that an uninitiated employee
presumably one Of the helpers, misla!a
a stack of partly printed 81 bills on =
similarly treated stack of the 3 de-
nomination. When the s. printers got
- r,1,1y <I,nrv a. 20 caih ni6ln1 mr. thNa
stack Of partly printed 81 bills and run
them through the S. dies. When they
came u for inspection 1t was discov-
cred that they were 80 bills, tho
IS stamp being on one side and the II
stamp ON the other SIDE" They were
expended in the fire-box Of one Of the
big furnaces, but It required nm am
davit from Director Meredith, the f0re-
man Of the dieroOm, and the superin-
tendent OF the paper room, to explain
what disposition was made OF $1O0
worth Of 81 bills.
Sentiment may find special interest
in the current report OF the Postmaster
General, for we are celebrating the
two hundredth anniversary Of the
birth Of Franklin, who was Deputy
Postmaster General Of the British colo-
MES in America. At the time OF
Franklin's death, 1890, there were sew
enty-ive postofices in this country.
To-day there are sixty-eight thousand
Then the receipts were less than forty
thousand dollars. Last year they were
a hundred and fifty million. The num-
Der Of people employed by tho post.
Office department is nearly three huns
dred thousand-equal to the working
population of a great city-and the
number Of employees and OF all agents
and means for distributing mail
mounts faster in proportion than the
receipts. The Postmaster General
touches on many suggested improve
ments, such as the reduction of GER
tain rates Of postage, the parcels post
and postal savings repositories, but he
recommends that attention be paid NOT
SO much to possible additions to the
service as to the improvement Of the
kinds of service already established.
-:-S
The annual report Of Commissioners
Of Corporations James II. Garfield em-
phasizes the ADMINISTRATORS position.
namely, that the great interstate cor
porations have gone beyond the posi-
bility of proper control by State au-
thorities, and say that Congress
should so legislate as to afford an op-
p~ortunity to present to the Supreme
Court the question whether INSURANCE.
is Interstate commerce. He tells OF
extensive Inquiries that have been
made into the beef, oil and steel In
dustries, and promises q special re-
port loon on oil.
-:-:
The isthmian canal commission met
at Washington and requested Chief
Engineer Stevens to furnish a work
ing plan for the excavation and dis.
posal Of materials for a canal on an 50
foot level above low tide. This indi-
Gated that the commission had decided
in favor of a lock canal, with three
locks on each side OF the divide. Il
a also decided to experiment with
I,o..r. frnr, tho north nf Spafn.