The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-12-11

| disaster to the small home-makers, the
settlers of limited means.
Thanks to our own recklessness
| in the use of our splendid forests,
we have already crossed the verge of
| timber famine in this country, and no
measures that we now take can, at least
| for many years, undo the mischief that
| has already been DONE But we can pre-
vent further mischief being done; and 1t
would be in the highest degree reprehen-
sible to let any consideration of tenn
| porary convenience or temporary cost
| interfere with such action, especially as
regards the national forests which the
nation can now, at this very moment.
control.
The lesson of deforestation in China
| is lesson which mankind should have
| learned many times already from what
| has occurred in other places. Denuda-
| ton leaves naked soil; then outlying
| cuts down to the bare rock; and mean
while the rock-waste buries the bottom
lands. When the soil is gone, men
must go: and the process does not take
| long.
Plea for Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith, dur
ing the present session Of the congress,
for the improvement of our inland water
ways-action which will result in giving
us not only navigable but navigated
| rivers.
Until the work of river improvement is
| undertaken in a modern way it can not
| this modern nation. The plan
which promises the best and quick
| est results is that of per-
manent commission authorized to co-or-
| dinate the work of all the government
| departments relating to waterways, and
% frny~ -
comprehensive plan. Under such q
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 an 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
| it seriously hampers the government in
| the detection of crime and the securing
| of 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 congressman for land frauds
| in Oregon. I 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 dur
| ing the past seven years prosecuted and
| convicted such criminals who were 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-
| tigating 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
| "a ia hal "a n
| 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 postmaster generals
| 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 sup
| 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 reme-
| died by adequate appropriations. This
| recommendation is urged by the repre-
| sentatives 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 be
| done without delay.
Interstate Fisheries.
I call the attention Of the congress to
the Importance of the problem of the
fisheries in the interstate waters. On the
Great Lakes we are 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 II
is now controlled by the statutes of two