Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-12-05

public opinion would probably hav,
brought about prompt adjustment.
1T Is Idle to hold tina without goo,
l laws evils such as child labor, as tn,
over-worSing OF women. as the fail
ure to protect employees from loss o.
life or limb. can be effectively reached
n more than the evils Of rebates ant
stock-watering can be reached withou
good avs. To fail to stop these prac'
tices by legislation means to forc'
honest men into them. because other
wise the dishonest who surely VII
take advantage OF them Will have
everything their W way. II the state'
will correct these evils. well and good
but the nation must stand ready to aiC
them.
When the department of agriculture
was founded there was much sneering a.
to Its usefulness. No department of th'
government. however. has more EN-,
phatically indicated Its usefulness, ant
none save the post Office department
comes so continually and intimately Into
touch with the people. The two citizens
whose welfare Is In the aggregate mosl
vital TO the welfare OF the nation. ant
therefore to the welfare Of all other ciu'
zens. are the w~age-worker who does
manual labor and the tller OF the soil
the farmer. There are, of course. kind'
Of labor where the work must be purely
mental. and there are other kinds oil
labor where, under existing conditions
very little demand indeed 10 made upor
The mind. though l am glad 10 say that
the proportion of men engaged In TINS
kind OF work is diminishing. But In any
community with the solid, healthy quail
ties which make up a really great nation
the bulk of the people should do work
which calls for the exercise OF both body
and mind. Progress can not permanently
exist in the abandonment of physical
labor. but in the development OF physical
labor. so that II shall represent more and
more the work OF the trained mind In the
trained body. Our school system IL
gravely defective in so far as It 1t puts Q
premium upon mere literary training and
tends therefore to train the boy away
from the farm and the workshop. Moth
ing In more needed han the best type OF
Industrial school. the school for me
chanical Industries In the city. the school
for practically teaching agriculture In the
country. The calling Of the skilled tiiier
OF the soil. the calling OF the skilled me
chanic, should alike be recognised as
professions. just as emphatically as the
callings OF lawyer, doctor. merchant, or
clerk. The schools should recognize this
fact and Il should be equally recognized
in popular opinion. The young man WIN
has the farsightedness and courage to
! ItftkllEt IL dHu kfN pNtl AhN aNN" sH
IT makes a difference whether what he
earns is called salary or wages. inc VINO
refuses to enter the crowded field OF the
so-Called professions, and takes TO con
structive industry Instead. is reasonably
sure of an ample reward In earnings, In
health. In opportunity to marry early
and to establish a home with a fall
amount OF freedom from worry. II
should be one of our prime objects TO put
both the farmer and the mechanic on g
higher plane of efficiency and reward, SC
as to increase their effectiveness In tins
economic world. and therefore the dig
nifty. the remuneration. and the power o,
their positions in the social world.
Inland Waterway Systems
should He Developed.
1.-THE conservation Of our national re
sources and their proper use constitute
the fundamental problem which under
lies almos every other problem of oui
national life. We must maintain fol
our civilization the adequate materia
basis without which that civilization
cannot exist. We must show foresight
we must look ahead. As a nation We
not only enjoy a wonderful measure o.
present prosperity but IL this prosper
ity is used Alright IL Is an earnest o
future success such as no other natiof
will have. The reward of foresight 70
this nation is great and easily foretold
But there must be the look ahead
there must be a realization Of the fac
that to waste. to destroy, our natura
to skin and exhaust the lam
instead of using II so as to increase IL
usefulness. will result in UNDERMINING
in the days of our children the yer!
prosperity which we ought by right 4
hand down to them ampliied and devel
oped. For the last few years. through
| ua,.nra1 onanniaa tina ynyaFnnanf hal
been en~deavoring to get our people 4
look ahead n to substitute a planne'
and orderly development OF our re
sources in place of a haphazard striv
ing for immediate proft. Our grea
river systems Mould be developed a
national water highways: the Missis
sippi. with its tributaries. standing frs
in Importance. and the Columbia sec
ond, although there are many others o
Importance on the Pacific and Atlanti
and the gulf slopes. The national gov
eminent should undertake this work
and ! hope a beginning will be mad
in the present congress; and the great
est Of all our rivers. the Mississippi
should receive especial attention. Fror
the Great Lakes to the mouth of tn
Mississippi there should be a deep wa
terway. with deep waterways leadin
from IL to the east and the west. Sue
a waterway would practically mea
the extension OF our coast line into tn
very heart of our country. II would b
Of incRlculable beneft to our people. !
begun at onoe IL can be carried throug
in time appreciably to relieve the con
gestion of our great frei~ght-carryin
lines of railroads. The work should b
systematically and continuously carrie
forward in accordance with some well
conceived plan. The main stream
should be improved to the highes
point of efficiency before the improve
ment Of the branches Is attempted; an
the work should be kept free froi
every faint OF recklessness or jobbery.
Attention is called to the work OF II
rigation and reels nation of govern
ment lands. In the same connection h
I asks for a revision of the public Ian
laws along the ines proposed by III
! public n commission Believes tn
! government should increase its eror,
! to conserve our forests and should II
e crease by purchase the existing fore
preserves. on the subject OF the naturl
I resources of the nation he says:
In the eastern United States Il
mineral fuels have already passed I'M
= the hands of large private owners. ar
= those OF the west are rapidly followin
II Is obvious that these fuels should
J conserved and not wasted, and II wou
he well to protect the people again
NAgN@N $50 ~ ~
as that can still be done. What h,
!" been accomplished In the great {
fields OF the indian Territory by Il
o action of the administration offers
n striking example OF the good resul
Of such a policy. in my judgment I
II government should nave the right
J. keep the fee OF the coal. oil and x
fields in its own possession and to lea
y the rights to develop them und
70 proper regulations; or else. II the co
u gress will not adopt this method. I
'r coal deposits should be sold under III
y itations, to conserve them as pub
Is utilities. the right to mine coal bel
II separated from the title to the sc
9, The regulations should permit CT
le lands to be worked In SUFFICIENT qua
!, tlty by the several corporations. T
~ present limitations have been absu
=. excessive. and serve no useful purpo
" and often render II necessary Il
e there should be either fraud or e
abandonment OF the work of gettl
" out the coal"
praurena of the Work