Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-09

' PAOAAAoio NV ptSN aAAu luAIh-
est results is that of a permanent
commission authorized to coordinate the
work of all the government departments re-
iating to waterways, and to frame and
supervise the execution of a comprehen-
siVe plan. Under such a commission the
actual work of construction might be en-
trusted to the reclamation service; or to
the military engineers acting with a suf-
ficient number of civilians to continue the
work in time of war; or it might be divided
between the reclamation service and the
corps of engineers. Funds should be pro-
vided from current revenues II II 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.
We should have a new type of work and a
new organization for planning and direct
ing 1t. The time for playing with our
waterways is past. The country demands
results.
/ urge that all our national parks ad-
jacent to national forests be placed COM
pletely under the control Of the forest SER
vice of the Agricultural department, instead
or leaving them, as they now are, under the
Interior department and policed by the
army.
AIcOhOI HHd Pure Food.
1 had occasion in my message of May 4,
1906 to urge the passage of some law put
ting alcohol, used in the arts, industries
and manufactures, upon the free list; that
is. to provide for the withdrawal free OF
tax of alcohol which is to be denatured for
those purposes. The law Of June Z, 1907,
and it's amendment of March 2, 1907, .ac-
complished what was desired in that re-
! spect, and the use of denatured alcohol, as
Intended, is making a fair degree Of prog
ress and is entitled to further encourage
ment and support from the congress.
The pure food legislation has already
worked a benefit difficult to overestimate,
1t has been my purpose from the begin
ming of my administration to take the In
dian service completely out of the atmos-
phere OF political activity, and there has
been steady progress toward that end. The
last remaining stronghold Of politics in that
service was the agency system, which had
seen its best days and was gradually fall
ing to pieces from natural or purely evo-
l%utionary causes. but, like all such sur
vivals, was decaying slowly in its later
stages. 1t seems clear that it's extinction
had better be made final now, so that the
ground can be cleared for larger construc-
tive work on behalf of the Indians, pre-
paratory to their induction into the full
measure OF responsible citizenship. on
November l only eighteen agencies were
left on the roster; with two, exceptions,
where SONG legal questions seemed to stand
temporarily in the way. these have been
changed to superintendenoies, and their
heads brought into the classified civil
service.
Postal Savings Banks.
I again renew my recommendation foI
postal savings banks. for depositing saw
ings with the security Of the government
behind them. The object is to encourage
thrift and economy in the wage-earner and
person Of moderate means. In fourteen
states the deposits in savings banks e
reported TO the comptroller Of the cur
rency amount to 1880, 25, 4O2. or ss.4 per
cent of the entire deposits, While in the
remaining thirty-two states there are only
$40, $3.50. or 16 per cent. showing con
clusively that there are many localities I'm
the United States where sufficient oppor.
tunity is not given to the people to de-
post their savings. The result is that
money is kept In hiding and unemploved
II is believed that in the aggregate vas,
sums of money would be brought into cir
oulation through the instrumentalitv NJ
the postal savings banks. While there are
only LASS savings banks reporting 10 the
comptroller, there are more than elOOO
postoffices, 10000 Of which are money order
offices. Postal savings banks are now in
operation in practically all the great civil
lied countries. with the exception of the
United States.
Parcels Post.
In my last annual message 1 recon-
mended Che postmaster generals RECON-
mendation for an extension OF the parcel
post on the rural routes. The establish
ment OF a local parcel post on rural routes
would be 10 the mutual benefit OF the
farmer and The country storekeeper. ana
II is desirable that the routes, serving more
than 100000 people, should be utilized
TO the fullest practicable extent.
General Edncati
The share that the national government
should lake in the broad work OF eduea-
ton has not received the attention ana th.