The San Francisco call., 1908-12-09

less extent by the executive heads
of various departments for 20 years.
10 these practices we owe the
securing of the evidence which en-
abled US to drive great lotteries out
of business and secure a quarter Of a
million of dollars in fines from their
promoters. These practices have en-
abled us to discover some of the most
outrageous frauds in connection with
the Inert of government land and gov
eminent timber by great corporations
and by individuals. These practices
have enabled us TO get some of the
evidence indispensable in order to Sc
cure the conviction of the wealthiest
and most formidable criminals with
Whom the government has to deal, both
those operating in violation of the anti
trust law and others. The amendment
In question was of benefit TO no one
excepting to these criminals. and it
seriously hampers the government in
the detection of crime and the securing
departments outside of the treasury
but 1t tends to hamper the secretary
of the treasury himself in the effort
TO utilize the employees of his depart
ment so as TO best meet the require
ments of the public service. 1t forbids
him from preventing frauds upon the
customs service, from investigating
Irregularities in branch mints and
assay offices, and has seriously Grip
pied him.
1t prevents the promotion of en-
ployes In the secret service. and this
further discourageS good effort In its
present form the restriction operates
only to the advantage of the criminal,
of the wrong doer. The chief argument
congressman did not themselves wish
to be investigated by secret service
men. Very little of such investigation
has beendone in the past; but it is true
that the work of the secret service
agents was partly responsible for the
indictment and conviction of senator
and congressman for land frauds in
oregon. do not believe that 1t is In
the public interest TO protect criminals
in any branch of the public service.
and exactly as we have again and
again during the past seven years pros
ecuted and convicted such criminals
who were in the executive branch of
the government, so in my belief we
should be given ample means to pros
ecute them If found in the Legislative
branch. But If this is not considered
desirable special exception could be
made in the law prohibiting the use of
the secret service force in investigating
members of congress- 1t would be far
better to do this than to do what
actually was done, and strive to pre-
vent or at least to hamper effective
action against criminals by the exec
utive branch of the government.
l again renew my recommendation
for postal savings banks, for deposit
-... ing savings with
Savings Banks hind them The
Upon Gongress object is to en-
economy in the wage Garner and
person of moderate means. In IA
states the deposits in savings banks
as reported to the. comptroller of
402, or sS.4 per cent of the entire
deposits, while in the remaining 80
ststes there are only SoSpSg3ss4s or
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
circulation through the instrumentality
| of the postal savings banks. While
there are only 1913 savings banks re-
porting to the comptroller there are
more than 1000 postoffices, 10000 of
which are money order offices. Postal
savings banks are now in operation in
practically all the great civilized coun-
tries with the exception of the United
States.
In my last annual message I COM
mended the postmaster generals rec
ommendation for an extension of the
parcel post on the rural routes. The es-
| tablishment of a local parcel post on
rural routes would be to the mutual
benefit of the farmer and the country
store keeper. and it is desirable that
the routes serving more than 15, 900 900
people should be utilized to the fullest
| practicable extent. An amendment was
! proposed in the senate at the last ses-
sion at the suggestion of the postmas-
ter general providing that, for the
purpose of ascertaining the practicable
| ity of establishing special local par
| eel post system on the rural routes
throughout the United States, the post
master general be authorized and di-
rected to experiment and report to the
congress the result of such experiment
by establishing a special local parcel
/ oil
not to exceed four counties in the
United States for packages of fourth
| class matter originating on a rural
route or at the distributing postoffice
| for delivery by rural carriers. 1t would
seem only proper that such an expert
| ment should be tried in order to DEM
onstrate the practicaDilfty OF the propo
sition especially as the postmaster
general estimates that the revenue de-
rived from the operation of such a sys-
! tenn on all the rural routes amounts to
many million dollars
The share that the national govern
ment should take in the broad work of
education has not
S. ------------,' received the atten-
lGovernments tion and care it
Part In Ednca- rightly deserves.
tional Work The Immediate re-
= sponsibflity for
the support and Improvement of our
| educational systems and institutions
rests and should always rest with the
people of the several states acting
through their state and local govern
ments, but the nation has an oppor-
tunity In educational work which must
not be lost and a duty which should no
longer be neglected.
The national bureau of education was
established more than 40 years ago. Its
purpose Is to collect and diffuse such
| information "aS shall aid the people
OF the United States in the establish
ment and maintenance of efficient
school systems and otherwise promote
the cause of education throughout the
country This purpose in no way con-