The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-12-17

disaster to the small home-makers' the
settlers Of limited means. .-..,
Thanks 10 our own re, 1870
H. tbe use Of our splendid forests
,,.s bsve already crossed the verge OF
,t,,ber famine in this country. ana no
,,easures that we now take can at IeaSt
Tor many years. undo the mlschiei lha'
bss already been done. But We can pre-
vent further mischief being done anu -
would be iu the highest degree repIeheh-
afhle TO let any confederation OF tein
porsrv convenience or temporary co9l
| i,t,rfere with such action, especially as
,cysrds the national forests which the
| nation can now. at this very moment
| control T., cA,,a
The lesson OF dcforestation In emma
! is a Lesson which mankind should nave
| learned many times already from "hdt
! has occurred in other places. Denuda-
! lion leaves naked soil, then gullylhs
| c,,ta down TO the bare rock; and mean
! yybile the rock waste burtes the Dottom-
| lands. when the soil is gone, men
| must go; and the process does not take
long
Plea for Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith, dur
| ing the present session OF the congress-
| for the improvement OF our inland water
| ways-actiou which VIII result IN giving
US not only navigable but haVlsateo
| rivers.
Until the work Of river Improvement Is
| undertaken in a modern way 1t can not
| have results that will meet the needs OF
| this modern nation. The plan
which promises the best and quick
| est RESULTS is that of per-
manent commission authorized to co-or-
| dinate the work Of all the government
aNaNn
TO frame and supervise the execution OF
a comprehensive plan. Under such
| commission the actual work of construc-
| tlon might be entrusted to the reclama-
ton service; or to the military engineers
| acting with a sufficient number OF ciVill-
ans to continue the work In time OF war
or IL might be divided between the rec
lamation service and the corps OF en-
gineers. Funds should be provided from
current revenues IL 1t is deemed wise
otherwise from the sale of bonds. The
essential thing is that the work should
go forward under the best possible plan
and with the least possible delay. The
time for playing with our waterways Is
past The country demands results.
The president urges that national
parks adjacent to national forests be
placed under the control OF the forest
service of the agricultural depart
ment; he also points out the benefits
derived from pure food legislation.
The message continues:
Needs of the Secret Service.
Last year an amendment was incor-
porated in the measure providing for the
secret service. which provided that there
should be no detail from the secret serv-
ice and no transfer therefrom. The
amendment In question was of benefit to
no one excepting to criminals. and
| IL seriously hampers the government in
the detection of crime and the securing
of Justice The chief argument In
favor of the provision was that
the congressman did not them
selves wish to be investigated by the
secret service men. Very little of such
investigation has been done in the past
but 1t is true that the work of the secret
service agents was partly responsible for
the indictment and conviction of a sen
ator and a congressman for land frauds
in Oregon. | do not believe that it is
in the public interest to protect criminals
in any branch of the public service, anc
exactly as we have again and again dur
ing the past seven years prosecuted ant
convicted such criminals who were II
the executive branch of the government
so In my belief we should be given ample
means to prosecute them II found in the
|
considered desirable a special exception
could be made in the law prohibiting tbs
use of the secret service force in inves
tigating members of the congress.
Postal Savings Banks.
l again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit
ing savings with the security of tn
government behind them. The objec
is to encourage thrift and economy il
, the wage-earner and person of mod
crate means 1t is believed that in tn
/, aggregate vast sums of money would b
/, brought into circulation through the in
, strumentality of the postal saving
banks.
Parcel Post.
! In my last annual message 1 com
mended the postmaster general
recommendation for an extension of tn
I | parcel post on the rural routes Tn
4 establishment OF local parcel post o.
= | rural routes would be to the mutua
benefit of the farmer and the countr
D storekeepcr. and it is desirable that tn
q routes, serving more than 5000. 90
e people, should be utilized to the fulles
= practicable extent
Education.
with the limited means hitherto pro
vded. the bureau of ducation In
rendered efficient service but the con
greSS has neglected to adequately sur
I ply the bureau with means to meet tn
educational growth Of the countr,
| earnestly recommend that this ur
fortunate state of affairs as rega I'd
the national educational Office be RENE
died by adequate appropriations. Thi
{ recommendation is urged by the reprt
sentatives of our common schools an
: great state universities and the leadin
educators. who all unite in requestin
favorable consideration and action b
the congress upon this subject
|, The president points out the nece
- slty Of better organization of the var
+ GUS bureaus responsible for the publ
!. health, and urges the placing of a
; soldiers homes under the jurisdictio
J. of the war department
< Statehood.
n On the question OF statehood Ii
Il president says:
a I advocate the immediate admission
II New Mexico and Arizona rs states. TIL
II should be done at the present session
r the congress, The people OF the two te
e ritortes have made It evident by the
votes that they viii not come in as OF
state. The only alternative is TO adm
a them as two, and trust that this will
I" done without DELAY.
A. Interstate Fisheries.
l. call the attention OF the congress
~ the Importance Of the problem Of n
= fisheries IN the Interstate waters. on ii
10 Great Lakes We are now. under the We
e. wise treaty OF April II OF this year. g
In deavoring TO come to an information
10 | agreement for the preservation and 80