The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-12-08

executive bodies, under the control OF
the president; and each such execu-
tive body should be under the immedi
ate supervision of cabinet minister.
Statehood.
| Il advocate the immediate admis-
sion of New Mexico and Arizona as
states. This should be done at the
present session of the congress. The
people of the two territories have made
it evident by their votes that they
will not come in as one state. The
only alternative is to admit them as
without delay.
Interstate Fisheries.
I call the attention of the congress
to the Importance of the problem of
! fisheries in the interstate waters. On
! the great lakes we are now, under the
very wise treaty of April 18th of this
year, endeavoring to come to an in
ternatlonal agreement for the preser-
walton and satisfactory use Of the fish
cries of these waters which can not
otherwise be achieved. Lake Erie, for
example, has the richest fresh water
fisheries in the world; but it is now
controlled by the statutes Of two ma
lions, four states, and one province,
and in this province by different or
dinances in different counties All
these political divisions work at cross
purposes, and in no case can they
achieve protection to the fisheries. on
the one hand and justice to the loca-
lities and individuals on the other. The
case is similar in Puget Sound.
Washington and Oregon.
| But the problem is quite as press
ing in the interstate waters Of the
United States. The salmon fisheries
of the Columbia river are now but a
fraction of what they were 25 years
ago, and what they would be now if
the United States government had TAX
en- complete charge of them by inter-
vening between Oregon and Washing
ton. During these % years the fisher
men of each state have naturally tried
| to take all they could get, and the two
legislatures have never been able to
agree on joint action of any kind
adequate in degree for the protection
of the fisheries. At the moment the
fishing on the Oregon side is practi-
cally closed, while there is no limit on
the Washington side of any kind and
no one can tell what the courts will de-
decide as to the very statutes under
which this action and nonaction re-
suit. Meanwhile very few salmon reach
the spawning grounds. and probably
four years hence the fisheries will
amount to nothing; and this comes
from a struggle between the associa-
ted, or gill-net, fishermen on the one
hand, and the owners of the fishing
the Mississippi, the Ohio, and the Po-
tomac are also in a bad way. For this
there is no remedy except for the
United States to control and legislate
for the interstate fisheries as part of
the business of interstate commerce.
In this case the machinery Of scien-
tific investigation and for control a.
ready exists in the United States Bur.
eau of Fisheries. In this as, in similar
problems the obvious and simple rule
should be followed of having those
matters which no particular state can
manage taken in hand by the United
States; problems, which in the seesaw
Of conflicting state legislatures are alb
solutely unsolvable, are easy enough
for the congress to control.
Foreign Affairs.
This nations foreign policy is based
on the theory that right must be done
between nations precisely as between
individuals and in our actions for the
last 10 years we have in this matter
proven our faith by our deeds We
have behaved, and are behaving, to-
an honorable man would behave to-
wards his fellows.
Panama Canal.
1.-THE work on the Panama canal is
being done with speed, efficiency and
entire devotion to duty, which make it
a model for all work of the kind. No
task of such magnitude has ever be-
fore been undertaken by any nation;
and no task of the kind has ever been
better performed. The men on the
Isthmus. from Colonel Goethals and
his fellow commissioners through the
entire list of employees who are faith
fully doing their duty, have won their
right to the ungrudging respect and
gratitude of the American people.
Ship Subsidies.
q again recommend the extension
of the OCEAN mail act of 1891 SO thar
satisfactory American ocean mail
lines to South America, Asia, the
Philippines, and Australasia may be
established. The creation Of such
steamship lines should be the natural
corollary of the voyage of the battle
fleet. 1t should precede the opening of
the Panama canal. Even under favor
able conditions several xearS ST