Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-12-10

Parks. control Of the forest
service of the agri-
cultural department, instead of leaving
them as they now are, under the in
terror department and policed by the
army.
The establishment of a local parcel
post on rural routes would be to the
mutual benefit of the
Parcel Post. farmer and the
country storekeeper,
and it is desirable that the routes,
serving more than 100000 people
should be utilized to the fullest prac-
ticable extent. The postmaster gen.
eral estimates that the revenue derived
from the opration of such system on
all the rural routes would amount to
many million dollars.
The president urges that the request
of the director of the census in connec-
ton with the decen-
Census. NAL work SO soon to
be begun, be COM
piled with and that the appointment to
the census force be placed under the
civil service law, waving geographical
requirements.
1t is highly advisable that there
should be intelligent action on the part
of the nation on the
Public Health. question of pre-
serving the health of
the country, says the president, and he
urgently recommends the passage OF
a, bin which will authorize red1s-
tribution Of the bureaus which shall
best accomplish this end.
The president recommends that leg
islation be enacted placing under the
jurisdiction of the
Government department of COM
PRINTING Office. merce and labor the
government printing
office. At present this office is under
the combined control of the president
and the joint committee of the two
houses OF congress.
All soldiers homes should be placed
under the complete
Soldiers control of the war
Homes. department.
The immediate admission Of New
Mexico and Arizona as states is ad-
vocated by the president. This should
be done, he says, at
Statehood. the present session of
congress. The people
of the two territories have made it evil
dent by their votes that they will not
come in as one state. The only al
tentative is to admit them as two and
this should be done without delay.
The commercial and material prog
ress Of the twenty Latin-American re-
publics is worthy Of the careful at
tentiOn of congress.
Latin American No other section Of
Republics. the world has shown
q greater proportion
ate development of it's foreign trade
during the last ten years and none
other has more special claims on
the interest of the United States.
It offers today probably larger
opportunities for the legitimate ex-
pansion Of our commerce than any
other group of countries.
The work on the Panama canal is
being done with speed, efficiency and
entire devotion to duty, which make it
q model for all work
Panama Canal. of the kind. No
task Of such mag
nitude has ever before been undertaken
by any nation; and no task Of the
kind has ever been better performed.
The Importance Of those islands is
apparent, says the president, and the
need Of improving their condition is
urgent. The nation
Hawaii. al government must
provide the neces-
sary harbor improvements on each ISL
and, so that the agricultural products
can be carried to the markets Of the
world. The coastwise shipping laws
should be amended to meet the special
needs Of the islands, and the alien
contract labor law should be so nodi-
fed in its application to Hawaii as to
enable American and European labor
to be brought thither.
The Filipino people, through their
officials, are making real steps in the
direction of elf-gOVernment. Under
the present system
The Philippines. of just laws and
sympathetic admin
istration, we have every reason to be-
lieve that they are gradually acquiring
the character which lies at the basis
of self gOVernment. The president
trusts that within a generation the
time will arrive when the Philippines
can decide for themselves whether 1t
is we'll for them to become indie
pendent, or to continue under the pro-
lection Of a strong and disinterested
power, able to guarantee to the islands
order at home and protection from
foreign invasion.
The president again recommends that
American citizenship
Porto Rico. be conferred upon
the people of Porto
Rico.
In Cuba our occupancy will cease in
about two months time; the Cubans
have in an orderly manner elected their
own governmental
Cuba. authorities, and the
islands will be turned
over to them. Our occupation on this
occasion has lasted a little over two
years, and Cuba has thriVen and pros
pered under it.
AS regards the army the president
calls attention to the fact that while
our junior officers and enlisted men
stand very high, the
The Army. present system of
promotion by senior
ity results in bringing into the higher
grades many men Of mediocre capacity,
who have but a short time to serve.
The scope Of retiring boards should be
extended so that they could consider
general unfitness to command for any
cause, in order to secure q far more
rigid enforcement than at present in
the elimination of officers for mental,
physical or temperamental disabilities.
But this plan is recommended only If
congress does not see fit to provide
what in the presidents judgment is
far better; that is, for selection in
promotion, and for elimination for age.
Officers who fail to attain a certain
rank by a certain age should be re-
tired.
Now that the organized militia, the
national guard, has been incorporated
with the army as q
National Guard. part Of the national
forces, 1t behooves
the government to do every reasonable
thing in it's power to perfect its eff
cheney. It should be assisted in it's in
struction and aided more literally than
heretofore. There should be legisla-
ton to provide complete plan for Or
ganiZing the great body Of volunteers
behind the regular army and national
guard when war has come.
The president approves the recon-
mendations Of the general board for
the increase of the
The Navy. navy, calling especial
attention to the need
of additional destroyers and GOLFERS,