The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-12-03

Z anu increase the cost ana Aen- N4lGn the
time Of completing the canal.
President Recommends
Postal Savings Banks.
7 commend to the favorable consid-
Grafton OF the congress postal saw
lngs 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 10 give them
an opportunity 10 husband their re
sources. particularly those who have /
not the facilities at hand for depositing 1
their money in savings banks Viewed. 4
however, from the experience or the /
past few weeks ii is evident that the 1
advantages OF such an Institution are /
sun more far-reaching Timld depos- /
ltors have withdrawn their savings for /
the time being from national banks in /
dlViduals have boarded eheir cash and I
the workingmen their earnings; all .
i OF which money has been Withdrawn /
ana Kept in hiding or in the safe de- /
post box to the detTiment OF pros
perlty. Through the agency OF the pos
tai savings banks such moGey would be /
restored TO the channels of trade, 10 I
the mutual benefit Of capital and labor. /
i further commend TO the congress (
the consideration of the postmaster f
generals recommendation for an eX-
tension Of the parcel post especially on /
the rural routes. There are now IS
Zl5 rural routes serving nearly $4,000 /
goo people who do not have the adj
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. I 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. II is desirable
that the country merchant should not
I be crushed out
The fourth class postmasters' con-
vention has passed a 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-
! fusing to remove any fourth-class post
I masters save for reasons connected
/ with the good of the service: and 1t is
! endeavoring so far as possible to re-
move them from the domain of partisan
politics. 1t would be most desirable
thing to put the fourth class postmas-
ters in the classified service"
he renews his recomm endations of
last year in regard to Alaska; calls at
tention to the admission OF Oklahoma
/ state; urges the Importance of pro-
viding shipping relief for Hawaii; asks
for citizenship for Porto Ricans. and
promises submission of Secretary
Tafts report On Philippines when that
! official returns
a
of mines; recommends the providing of
funds for preserving The Hermitage.
the home of Andrew Jackson. and the
erection of naval monument at
Vicksburg.
Corporation Contributions
to COmFnign Expenses.
Under our form of government voting
is not merely a right but a duty. and.
moreover, a fundamental and necessary
duty If a man is to be a good citizen
1t Is well to provide that corporations
shall not contribute to presidential or
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 a penalty upon honest
men. Moreover, no such law would ham
per an unscrupulous man of unlimited
means from buying his own way into of
flee. There is a very radical measure
which would, believe, work a substan-
tial Improvement in our system of con
Quoting campaign, although l am well
aware that it Will take some time for
people to so familiarize themselves with
such a 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 a large ex-
penditure of money. Then the stipula-
ton should be made that no party re-
ceiving 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 I'm the
Ocean Mail Service.
II cali 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 South and Central
/ America are concerned is done in q 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 3.
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 =
dozen years aSo we may look to an
, American future on 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. I recommend
) the extension of the ocean mail act OF
1891. That act has stood for some years
free from successful criticism OF its prin-
ciple and purpose. It was based on theo-
ries Of the obligations of a 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 frst-class power so far as practicable
, TO carry its ocean mails under its own
nag that the fast ocean steamships and
+l,air creu-s ran1irad for s11ch rnaiI 60.