The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-12-07
i'reside itrrainn,.-n n ds
Postal savings Hanks.

president recommends
Postal savings Hanks.
4 CONNIE nj to the favorable cousid-
Grafton Of the congress a postal saw
lnGs bank system. as recommended by
the postmaster general. The primary
object is to encourage among our pco-
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 dePnsttins
their money in savings banks viewed,
however. from the experience OF the
past few weeks, II is evident that the
advantages Of such an institution are
stili more far-rcachiug. Iimid drpos-
ttors have Withdrawn their savings for
the time being from national banks; in
dlNiduals have boarded their cash and
the workinEmeu their earnings. all
of which money has been withdrawn
and kept in hiding or in the safe de
posit box to the detrtmeut 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 b, uetit of capital and labor.
4 further commend to the congress
the consideration OF the postmaster
generals recommendation for an eN-
tension Of tn" parcel post. especially on
the rural routes. There are now IS
10 rural routes, serving nearly 5000
900 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. ! should not
favor them for | believe that IL 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-
ton Il
luton in favor of placing the fourth
class postmasters under the civil-scrv-
ice law. The administration has al
ready put into effect the policy OF re
fusing to remove any fourt+-class post
masters save for reasons connected
with the good of the service. and it is
endeavorinE so far poss bile to re
move them from the domain of partisan
politics. 1t would be a most desirable
thing to put the fourth class postmas-
terS in the classified service"
He rencws his recommendations OF
last year in regard to Alaska. calls at
tention to the admission of oklahoma
as "A state, urges the Importance of pro-
Niding shipping relief for Hawaii. asks
for citizenship for Porto Ricans. and
promises submission of Secretary
Tafts report ON Philippines when that
official returns,
IL asks for the creation of n bureau
of mines, recommends the providing of
lIIltlS ibf PRESERVING / no ftern!lt St.
the home of Andrew Jackson. and the
erection of naval monument at
Nicl<sburg.
tOrtoratuHn Contributions
to CompniEn Expenses.
Under our form of government voting
is not merely right but a duty. and
moreover, IA fundamental and necessary
duty II man is to be good citizen.
1t is we'll to provide that corporations
shall not contribute to presidential
national campaigns, and furthermore to
provide for the publication of both con-
t1butions and expenditures. There is
however. always danger in laws of this
kind. which from their very nature are
dif1cult of enforcement. the danger being
lest they be oheyed only by the honest
and disohey"d by the unsCrupulous. so
as to act only 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 very radical measure
which would. I believe. work substan-
lial Improvement in our system of con-
Quoting "A campaign. although [ am well
aware that 1t VIII take some time for
people to so familarze themselves with
such proposal as to be willing to con
slider its adoption The need for collect
Ing large campaign funds would vanish II
congress provided an appropriation for
the proper and legitimate expenses of
each of the great national parties. an ap-
preparation ample enough to meet the
necessity for thorough organization and
machinery, which requires n large ex-
penditure of money. Then the stipula-
ton should be made that no party
ceiNing campaign funds from the treasury
should accept more than fixed amount
from any Individual subscriber or donor.
and the necessary publicity for receipts
and expenditures could without difiic
be provided
Wants Improvement In the
Ocean Mail Service.
Il call your especial attention to the un-
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 as 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. beginning was
made by the ocean mail act of March B.
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 a greater
extent than seemed probably even a
dozen years ago we may look to
American future on the worthy OF
the tradition of our past. AS the first
step in that direction, and the step most
feasible at the present time. l recommend
the extension of the ocean mail act of
1891. That act has stood for some years
free from succ essful criticism of its prin-
ciple and purpose. 1t was based on theo-
res 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 It is the duty OF
a first-class power so far as practicable
to carry its ocean mails under its own
flag, that the fast ocean steamships and