The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-12-05

we're n om sseessory works. These re-
suits were achieved in the rainy sea-
| son with rainfall in August OF 1889
Inches and in September of lI.65 inches.
Finally, in October. the record was
again eclipssd. the total excavation be-
Ing 1.S6S,729 cubic yards; a truly ex-
| traordinary record. especially in view
of the heavy rainfall. which was III
| inches. In fact. experience during the
last two rainy seasons demonstrates
| that the rains are less serious OBJ
stacle tn progress than mas hitherto
been supposed.
Work on the locks and dams at
| Gatun. which began actively in March
| last. has advanced so far that il is
| thought that masonry work on the
locks can be begun within Is months.
Last winter bids were requested and
received for doing the work of canal
construction by contract. None of them
| was found to be satisfactory and all
were rejected. II is the unanimous
| opinion Ot the present commission that
| the work can be done better more
chcaply, and more quickly by the govr
| crnmcnt than by private contractors.
| Fully 80 per cent. OF the entire plant
needed for construction has been pur-
| chased or contracted for: machine
| shops have been erected and equipped
for making all needed repairs to the
| plant: many thousands of employees
have been secured; an effective organi-
| Zation has been perfected; a recruiting
| system is in operation which Is capable
| of furnishing more labor than can be
used advanta Ecously; employees are
| well sheltered and well fed; salaries
paid are satisfactory and the work is
al.
| II is producing results far in advance
l OF the most sanSuine anticipations.
| Under these favorable conditions.
change in the method of prosecuting
| the work would be unwise and unjusti-
fable. for it would inevitably disorgan-
ize existing conditions. check progress
and increase the cost and lengthen the
time of completing the canal.
President Recommends
Postal Savings Banks.
II commend to the favorable consid-
Grafton of the congress a 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 the
past few weeks it 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 "a 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 are now 49,
215 rural routes, serving nearly 10000
600 people who do not have the ad-
, vantages of the inhabitants Of cities in
obtaining their supplies. These recon-
mendatiOns have been drawn up to
: benefit the farmer and the country
storekeeper; otherwise 1 should not
/ favor them, for l believe that it 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.
l THE fourth-class postmasters' con-
vention has passed very strong reso.
luton in favor of placing the fourth
class postmasters under the civil-serv-
t ice law. The administration has al.
| ready put into effect the policy of re.
l fuslng to remove any fourth class post
3 | maSterS save for reasons connected
: with the good of the service; and it /!
Y endeavoring so far as possible to re
D move them from the domain of partisan
= politics. 1t would be a most desirable
h thing to put the fourth-class postmas
s ters in the classified service"
o He renews his recommendations o
d last year in regard to Alaska; calls at
: tention to the admission of Oklahomi
= as state; urges the Importance of pro
t viding shipping relief for Hawaii; ask
s for citizenship for Porto Ricans, ant
= promises submission of Secretary
t Tafts report on Philippines when tina
= official returns.
He asks for the creation of a bureau
of mines; recommends the providing O.
funds for preserving The Hermitage
: the home of Andrew Jackson; and the
erection of naval monument a.
Vicksburg.
: Corporation Contributions
= to COmPaign Expenses.
= Under our form of government votins
: is not merely right but a duty, and
l moreover, a fundamental and necessary
I duty If man is to be a good citizen
q 1t is well to provide that corporations
e shall not contribute to presidential ol
{ national campaigns, and Furthermore tC
l 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
I difficult of enforcement; the danger beins
lest they be obeyed only by the honest
> and disobeyed by the INSCRIPTIONS, SC
I as to act only as a penalty upon homes
men. Moreover, no such law would ham
I per an unscrupulous man of unlimited
! means from buying his own way into of
. flee. There is very radical measure
which would, believe, work a substan
: tial improvement in our system of con
q Quoting a campaign, although 1 am wei
! aware that it will take some time fol
a people to so familiarize themselves will
. such a proposal as to be willing to con
: slider its adoption. The need for collect
ing large campaign funds would vanish +
. congress provided an appropriation TO,
| the proper and legitimate expenses O.
each of the great national parties, an ap
preparation ample enough to meet thu
: necessity for thorough organization anC
+, machinery, which requires large eX
| penuUuTe OF money. linen the Stlpula
. ton should be made that no party re
. !, ceiving campaign funds from the treasur,
. . should accept more than fixed amour
! from any individual subscriber or donor
and the necessary publicity for receipts
> and expenditures could without difficult,
! be provided"
a Wants Improvement ia the
$ Ocean Mail Service.
G II call your especial attention to the un
o satisfactory condition of our foreign mai
5 service, which, because of the lack O
e American steamship lines. is now Iargel,
r done through foreign lines, and which
particularly so far as South aud Centra
e America are concerned. is done in u man
= ncr which constitutes a serious barrie
C to the extensions of our commerce.
: THE time has come, in my judgment
!; to set to work seriously to make ou
! ocean mail service correspond NOR
closely with our recent commercial an
ol.NKNt,