The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-12-12

President Recol hmends
Postal Savings Banks.
Il commend to the favorable consid-
Grafton of the congress postal saw
ings bank system. as recommended by
the postmaster general. The primary
object Is to encourage among our peo-
pie economy and thrift and by the use
of postal savings banks to give them
an opportunity to husband their. re-
| sources. particularly those who have
not the facilities at hand for depositing
their money in savings banks Viewed.
however. from the experience of tho
past few weeks. 1t is evident that the
advantages of such an institution are
still more far-reaching. Timid depos-
itors have Withdrawn their savings for
the time being from national banks: in
dividuals have boarded their cash and
the workingmen their earnings: all
of which money has been withdrawn
and Kept In hiding or in the safe de-
posit box to the detriment of pros
perity. Through the agency of the pos
tai savings banks such money would be
restored to the channels of trade. to
the mutual benefit of capital and labor.
Il further commend to the congress
the consideration of the postmaster
generals recommendation for an ex-
tension of the parcel post. especially on
the rural routes. There now 49,
216 rural routes. serving nearly 10000.
600 people who do not have the ad-
vantage VI tHe Oh cities III
| obtaining their supplies. These recon-
mendations have been drawn up to
benefit the farmer and the country
storekeeper: otherwise. should not
favor them, for l believe that 1t is good
policy for our government to do every
thing possible to aid the small town
and the country district. 1t is desirable
| that the country merchant should not
| be crushed out.
The fourth class postmasters con-
vention has passed very strong reso-
luton in favor of placing the fourth
| class postmasters under the civil-serv-
| ice law. The administration has al
| ready put into effect the policy of re-
fusinE to remove any fourth class post
| masters save for reasons connected
| with the good of the service: and it is
| endeavoring SO far as possible to re-
move them from the domain of partisan
politics. 1t would be a most desirable
| thing to put the fourth class postmas-
| tiers in the classified service"
He renews his recommendations of
| last year in regard to Alaska; calls at
tention to the admission of Oklahoma
as state; urges the Importance of pro-
viding shipping relief for Hawaii; asks
| for citizenship for Porto Ricans, and
promises submission of Secretary
Taft's report on Philippines when that
official returns.
He asks for the creation of a bureau
OF mines: recommends the providing of
| funds for preserving The Hermitage.
| the home of Andrew Jackson; and the
| erection of naval ma"ument at
| Vicksburg.
| Corporation Contribution
| to Compnixn Expenses.
Under our form of gover~-nent voting
| Is not merely right but duty. and
| moreover. a fundamental and necessary
| duty II man Is to be good citizen
| II is well to provide that corporations
| shall not contribute to presidential
| national campaigns. and Furthermore to
| provide for the publication of both con-
| tributions and expenditures. There is
| however. always danger in laws of this
| kind. which from their very nature are
| difficult of enforcement: the danger being
| lest they be obeyed only by the honest,
and disobeyed by the INSCRIPTIONS, so
| as to act only II penalty upon honest
| men. Moreover. no such law would ham
| per an INSCRIPTIONS man of unlimited
| means from buying his own way into Of
| flee. There is IL very radical measure
which would. 1 believe. work n substan-
| tial Improvement in our system of con-
| Quoting campaign, although | am well
| aware that it will take some time for
people to familiarize themselves with
| such proposal as to be willing to con-
| slider its adoption. The need for collect
| ing large campaign funds would vanish IL
| congress provided an appropriation for
| the proper and legitimate expenses of
each of the great national parties. an APP
preparation ample enough to meet the
| necessity for thorough organization and
| machinery, which requires large
| penditure of money. Then the stipula-
| ton should be made that no party re-
| ceving campaign funds from the treasury
| should accept more than a fixed amount
| from any individual subscriber or donor;
| and the necessary publicity for receipts
| and expenditures could without difficulty
| be provided"
Wants Improvement in the
Ocean MnIl Service.
II call your especial attention to the I'M
| satisfactory condition of our foreign mail
| service. which, because of the lack OF
| American steamship lines. is now largely
| done through foreign lines. and which,
| particularly so far South and Central
! America are concerned, is done in a man
ner which constitutes serious barrier
to the extensions of our commerce.
THE time has come, in my judgment,
to set to work seriously to make our
ocean mail service correspond more
| closely with our recent commercial and
| political development A beginning was
made by the ocean mail act OF March j.
1891 but even at that time the act was
known to be inadequate in various par
ticulars. Since that time events have
moved rapidly in our history. We have
acquired Hawaii, the Philippines and
lesser islands in the Pacific. We are
steadily prosecuting the great work of
uniting at the Isthmus the waters of the
Atlantic and the Pacific. To greater
extent than seemed probably even n
dozen years ago we may look to an
American future the sea worthy of
the tradition of our past. AS the first
step in that direction, and the step most
feasible at the present time. recommend
the extension OF the ocean mail act of
1891. That act has stood for some years
free from successful criticism OF its prn-
ciple and purpose. 1t based on theo-
rics of the obligations of great mari
time nation, undisputed in our own land
and followed by other nations since the
beginning OF steam navigation. Briefly
those theories are, that 1t is the duty of
a nrst-class power far practicable
to carry Its ocean mails under its own
flag; that the fast ocean steamships and
their crews. required for such mail serv-