Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-12-08

century. In 1902 still different
plan was adopted and has since been
pursued at a rate which only prom
iaes navigable river In from twenty
to one hundred years longer.
Such short-sighted, vacillating and
futile methods are accompanied by
decreasing water-borne commerce
and increasing traffic congestion on
land, by increasing floods. and by
the waste OF public money. The
remedy lies In abandoning the meth
ods which have so signally failed and
| adopting new ones In keeping with
the needs and demands OF our people.
Until the work of river improve
ment is undertaken In a modern way
IL cannot have results that will meet
the needs OF this modern nation.
These needs should be met without
further dilly-dallying or delay. The
plan which promises the best and
quickest results is that OF a perma-
nent commission authorized to CO.
ordinate the work OF all the govern
ment departments relating to water
ways. and to frame and supervise the
execution OF comprehensive plan.
National Parks.
II ufkt our lUlkH
adjacent to national forests be plaeed
completely under the control OF the
forest service OF the agricultural de-
partment, instead of leaving them as
they now are, under the interior dc.
partment and policed by the army.
| am happy To say that have boeni
able to set aside in various parts Of
the country small. well-choseR tracts
of ground to serve as sanctuaries and
nurseries for wild creatures.
Denatured Alcohol.
had occasion In my mesaagx or
May 4, 1905, TO urge the passage OF
some law putting alcohol. used In
the arts, industries. and manufac-
! lures, upon the free list. that Ia. to
provide for the withdrawal free OF
tax OF alcohol which is to be de-.
natured for those purposes. The,
law of June Z, 1906, and its emend-
ment OF March 2. 1907. accomplished
what was desired In that respect, and
the use OF Nenatured alcohol. as in
tended. Ia making fair degree OF
progress and is entitled TO further
encouragement and support from
the congress.
Pure Food.
The pure food legislator has al
ready worsed a benefit difficult tol
Over-estlmg
Indian service.
4 II has been my purpose from cfnn
beginning OF my administration %
take the Indian service comDihtelyi
out OF the atmosphere of poliulcaI ac-
l tlyity. and there has been steady
progress toward that end. The last
remaining stronghold OF polltica In
that service was the agency systom.
which had seen It's best days aud was
gradually falling To pieces from nat
ural or purely evolutionary causes,
bnt. like all such survivais. was do
caying slowly IN lts later stages It
seems clear that ita extinction had
better be made final now, 10 that.
the ground can he cleared for larger
constructive work on behalf OF Tie,
Indians. preparatory To their inhicr-
ton into the fun measure OF respont.
sible citizenship. on November 4
only eighteen agencies were left on
the rostor: with two excepkions,
where some legal duesttons seemed
TO temporarily In the way, these have
been changed to superintende ndenciea,
and their heads brought Into the
Il tlhhbiiltu clNll bcfNlce.
Secret Service.
| Last year an amendment wan fir-
corporated IN the measure providing
for the secret service. which nEoxidl-
ed that there should be no detaln
from the secret service and 90 zans.
for thercfrom, IL IN not too muph
to say that this amendment haA been
of benefit only. and could be OF bono-
/ Ilf only la "a "a .l. .
deliberately introduced for the pur-
pose OF diminishing the effectiveness
~ war against crime n could not
have b0en better devised To this end.
IL forbade tke practices that had
been followed To greater or less,
extent by the executive heads OF va
rioua departments for twenty years.
To theao practices we owe the secuH--
Ing OF the evidence which enabled an.
10 drive great lotteries out OF hlei-
ness aud secure a quarter OF nil..
lion OF dollars In fines from their.
promoters These practices have en-
abled US 10 discover some of the most
Outrageous frauds In connection with
the theft OF government land aud
government timber by great corpora
tiOnB aud by individuals. These
practices have enabled us Ia Eet some
n the evidence Indispensable IA 0Fdssr
20 secure the conviction OF the ucaf-
thiest and most formidable criminals
with whom the government has to
deal. both those operating In viola
ton of the antitrust Law and others.
The amendment Ia question was Of
benefit 10 no one excepting 70 these
terminals, and Il seriously hampers
the government IN the detection OF
crime and the securing OF Justice.
aiOreOyer. Il not only affects depart
ments outside OF the treasury but
Il tends To hamper the secretary or
the treasury himself In the effort 10
utilize the employees OF bis depart
ment 30 as 20 best meet the require
ments OF the public service II for