Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-12-17

| This condition is the direct result OF
!he absence of any comprehensive ano
ment, Obviously We cannot continue
thus to eXpend the revenues of the
government without return. 1t is poor
business to snend money for inland
navigation unless we get It,
Inquiry into the condition of the Mis-
sissippf and it's principal tributaries re-
veals very many instances of the utter
waste caused by the methods which
have hitherto obtained for the so-called
Improvement" of navigation. A strik-
ing instance is supplied by. the. i'm
| provement" of the Ohio, which, begun
in 1924 was continued under a single
! plan for half century. In 1875 a new
| plan was adopted and followed for a
quarter of a century. In 1902 still a
| different plan was adopted, and has
| since been pursued at rate which only
! promises a navigable river in from 70
| to 100 years.
Such shortsighted. vascillating and fu-
| tile methods are accompanied by de-
| creasing water borne commerce and IN
| ereasing traffic congestion on land, by
| inCrea floods and by the waste OF
public money. The remedy lies in aban-
doning the methods which have so sig
| nally failed and adopting new ones IN
keeping with the needs and demands OF
| our people.
urge that all our national parks ad.
| jacent to national forests be placed
| completely under the control of the for
est service of the agricultural depart
ment, instead of leaving them as they
now are. under the interior department
and poiced by the army. The congress
should provide for superintendents with
adequate corps of firSt-class civilian
| scouts or rangers, and, further, place
the road construction under the super
| intendent, instead of leaving it with the
war department. Such change IN
park management would result in econ
omy and avoid the difficulties of ad-
| mi Str1tiOn which now arise from
having the respons billy of care and
protection divided between different de-
partmentS.
had occasion in my message of May
| t. 1906, to urge the passage of some
| law putting alcohol used in the arts
industries, and manufactures; upon the
free list; that is: to provide for the tn,
is to be denatured for those purposes
| The law of June Z, 1906. and its amend
ment of March 2, 1907, accomplishing
what was desired in that respect, and
the use of denatured alcohol, as intend
ed, is making fair degree of progress
and is entitled to further encourage
ment and support from congress.
The pure food legislation has already
work ID a benefit difficult to overestl-
mate.
1t has been my purpose from the be-
ginning of my administration to take
the Indian service completely out OF
the atmosphere of political activity, and
there has been steady progress toward
that end The last remaining strong-
hold of politics in that service was
best days and was gradually falling to
pieces from natural or purely eNoIu-
tionary causes, but, like all such sur
vivals, was decaying slowly in its later
stages.
| again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks for depositing
savings with the security of the gov
ernment behind them. The object is
.aCr1l nj nd
the wage-earner and person of moderate
means. In IA states the deposits in
savings banks as reported to the comp
troller of currency amounts to $500
245,402, or 9S4 per cent of the entire
deposits. while in the remaining 81
states there We're only s70,30S, 543, or 6
per cent, showing conclusiVely that
there are many localities in the United
States where sufficient opportunity is
not given to the people to deposit their
savings. The result is that money is
kept in hiding and unemployed. 1t IS
believed that in the aggregate vast sums
of money would be brought into circu-
lation through the instrumentality of
the postal savings banks
In my last annual message COM
mended the postmaster generals recon-
mendation for an extension of the par
eel post on the rural routes. The es-
tablshment of the local parcel post on
rural routes would be to the mutual
benefit of the farmer and the country
storekeeper, and 1t is desirable that the
routes serving more than 100000
people should be utilized to the fullest
practicable extent An amendment was
proposed in the senate last session, at
the suggestion of the postmaster gen
eral, providing that, for the purpose of
ascertaining the practicability of es-
system on the rural routes throughout
the United States, the postmaster gen
eral be authorized and directed to eX-
pertinent and report to the congress the
Il Of aynnrinpOt hy establish
ing a special local parcel post system
on rural routes in not to exceed tour
counties in the United States for pack
a ges of fourth class matter originating
on a rural route or at the distributing
pOstOffice for delivery by rural car
rers. 1t would seem only proper that
such an experiment should be tried IN
order to demonstrate the practCablIlty
of the proposition, especially as the
postmaster general estimates that the
revenue derived from the operation or
such system on all the rural routes
would amount to many million dollars.
The share that the national govern
ment should take in the broad work OF
education has not received the attention
and the care it rightly deserves. The
immediate responsibility for the sup
port and improvement of our educa-
tiOnal systems and institutions rests
and should always rest with the people
of the several states acting through
their state and local governments, but
the nation has an opportunity in educa-
tiOnal work which must not be lost, and
a duty which should no longer be neg
lected.
| strongly urge that the request of
the director of the census in connection
with the decennial work so soon to he
begun, be complied with and that the
appointments to the census force be
placed under the civil service law, WaiV-
ing the geographical requirements as
requested by the director of the census.
The supervisors and enumerators should
not be appointed under the civil service
law, for the reasons given by the di-
rector. | commend to the congress the
careful consideration of the admirable
report of the director of the census, and
| trust that his recommendations will
be adopted and immediate action there
on taken.
1t is highly advisable that there
should be Intelligent action on the part
of the nation on the question of pre-
serving the health of the country.
San Francisco of 'dsease-bearing ro-
dents our country has thus far escaped
the bubonic plague. This is but one Of
ne many achievements of Americyn
health officers, and it shows what ctp
be accomplished with a better organiz3
tion than at present exists ~
The dangers to public health from
sources, such as the menace to the
physical, mental and moral development
of children from child labor. should be
met and overcome. There are numerous
diseases which are now known to be
preventable which are, nevertheless,
not prevented The recent international
congress on tuberculosis has made US
painfully aware of the inadequacy Of
American public health Legislation. ]
therefore urgently recommend the pas