Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1908-12-10

| dinate the work of all the government
| departments relating to waterways, and
| to frame and supervise the execution OF
a comprehensive plan. Under such a
commission the actual work of conStruc-
| ton might be entrusted to the reclama-
| ton service: or to the military engineers
| acting with a sufficient number of civili-
| ans to continue the work in time of war;
| or it might be divided between the rec
| lamation service and the corps of en-
| gineers. Funds should be provided from
| current revenues If it 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 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
| II seriously hampers the government in
the detection of crime and the securing
or 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 it 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. l do not believe that it is
In the public interest to protect criminals
IN any branch of the public service, and
exactly as we have agar. and again dur
ing the past seven years prosecuted and
convicted such criminals who We're in
the executive branch of the government.
so in my belief we should be given ample
means to prosecute them if found in the
Legislative branch. But if this is not
considered desirable a special exception
could be made in the law prohibiting the
use of the secret service force in inves-
ugatins members of the congress.
Postal Savings Banks.
I again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit
ing savings with the security of the
government behind them. The object
is to encourage thrift and economy in
the wage-earner and person of mod
crate means. 1t is believed that in the
aggregate vast sums of money would be
brought into circulation through the in
strumentality of the postal savings
banks.
Parcel Post.
In my last annual message I COM
mended the acknowledgements
recommendation for an extension of the
parcel post on the rural routes. The
establishment OF a local parcel post on
rural routes would be to the mutual
benefit of the farmer and the country
storekeepcr. and it is desirable that the
routes. serving more than 100000
people, should be utilized to the fullest
practicable extent.
Education.
With the limited means hitherto pro-
Vided, the bureau of e ducatiOn has
rendered efficient service. but the con-
gress has neglected to adequately SUD-
ply the bureau with means to meet the
educational growth of the country
[ earnestly recommend that this un-
fortunate state of affairs as regards
the national educational office be RENE
died by adequate appropriations. This
recommendation is urged by the repre-
sentativos of our common schools and
great state universities and the leading
educators, who all unite in requesting
favorable consideration and action by
the congress upon this subject.
The president points out the neces-
sity of better organization of the vari-
Gus bureaus responsible for the public
health, and urges the placing of all
soldiers homes under the jurisdiction
of the war department.
Statehood
On the question of statehood the
president says:
I advocate the immediate admission of
New Mexico and Arizona as states This
should be done at the present session of
the congress. The people of the two ter
ritOries have made it evident by their |
votes that they will not come in as one |
state. The only alternative is to admit |
them as two. and / trust that this will he |
done without DELAY |
Interstate Fisheries.
[ call the attention of the congress to |
the Importance of the problem of the |
fisheries in the interstate waters. On the |
Great Lakes now, under the very |
wise treaty of April II of this year en- |
deavOring to come to an international |
agreement for the preservation and sat |
isfactory use of the fisheries of these wa |
tiers 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 |
nations. four states, and one province |
and this province by two different ordi- |
nances in different counties. All these |
political divisions work at cross pur-
poses, and in no case can they achieve
protection to the fisheries. on the one
hand, and justice to the localities and in
dividuals on the other.
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 ten years have in this matter
proven our faith by our deeds We
have behaved. and are behaving. to-
wards other nations. in private life
an honorable man would behave to-
wards his fellows.
Latn-American Republics.
The commercial and material prog
rcSS of the 20 Latin-American republics |
is worthy of the careful attention of |
the congress. The International Bureau
of the American Republics is doing a
useful work in making these nations |
and their resources better known to |
us, and in acquainting them not only
with US as q people and with our pur- |
poses towards them. but with what we |
have to exchange for their goods. |
Panama Canal