The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1908-06-18
votes of Republicans from the Middle

votes of Republicans from the Middle
West
Concerning the country's natural re-
sources more information is needed.
This lack is perhaps most mark
ed concerning our natural resource
in water, as shown by the increased
demands upon our waterways both
by navigation and by electric power
generated from water. Last au-
tumn, therefore, some time before
Congress convened, the President APP
pointed an Inland Waterways Com
mission. He hoped that Congress
would perpetrate this Commission
But Congressman showed themselves
hostile. They suspected that the
Commissions plan would ultimately
involve the expenditure of hundreds
of millions of dollars. The other
day the President said to the Gov
ernors at the White House Confer
ence, THE Inland Waterways Com
mission ought to be perpetuated but
| if Congress does not see fit to do
SO | shall do it myself" The next
day the House appropriated the need
ed 100000. The Senate, however,
refused even that small sum. Nor
was Congress sufficiently alive to
actual necessities to Great it's own
commission.
A natural resource which ought to
be coupled with water in any dis
cussion or legislation is wood The
conservation of forests has come
to be a necessity, not only to supply
us with timber but to act as a
storage for water Although the
n Xii fr NTo
tional forests on the watersheds in
the White Mountains and Appalach-
ian regions, the House declined to
pass it, creating instead a commits
sion to inquire further into the mat
ter, although the Secretary of Agri-
culture had last autumn made com
prehensiye report. This delay of
another year in settling a question
which has now occupied Congress for
too many years will delight some
private interests, especially those in
the White Mountains. with their daily
cut of three hundred acres of tim
Der. Five years of this policy will
bring an end to timber on those
slopes. Another generation may
rec the end of all our timber. The
total loss in unwise Underwriting
to New England and the Southern
states by a years delay in passing
this bill may reach two hundred
million dollars
A third great natural resource is
found in our mines. and here Con-
gress made a good record 1t took
first step in the matter of investi-
eating mining methods so as both
to promote economy in them and to
prevent disaster to human life Much
of the appropriation of S150,000 made
for the purpose will be used by the
United States Geographical Survey
for the purpose of establishing an
experimental station of mines, to be
located probably at Pittsburgh Elk
periments will there be made which |
are expected to clear up the mystery
of mine explosions, four instances of |
which within a year have cost more
than thousand lives. Mr., John |
Mitchell, the labor leader, at the re-
cent White House Conference justly !
pointed out that such legislation has
direct bearing not more on the |
preservation of one of our greatest
natural resources human life.
In dealing with foreign affairs
Congress exhibited a desire for econ
omy that would have been much |
more suitable if it had been directed |
toward some matters nearer home |
It failed, for example, to pass any |
OF the measures providing for the
requirement Of diplomatic and con-
sular residences in foreign cities. |
It did cary out, however, the far
sighted policy of John Hay and Elihu
Root, by providing for the remission
of part of the indemnity due to Amer
lea from China because of the dam
age suffered by us in the Boxer afro
cities of 1900.
The Senate ratified no less than
thirty-seven treaties during the ses-
sion OF these, eleven were arbi-
tration treaties, with Great Britain,
Japan, France, italy, Spain. Switzer-
land, Mexico. Portugal, Netherlands,
Sweden, and Denmark. Astounding
as it may seem, Berlin wireless
treaty, requiring ships and stations
equipped with wireless apparatus of |
different systems to receive one an
others messages, was not ratified |
although warmly urged by all the
departments of the Government, in
terested in its workings. OF the
other treaties approved, eleven re-
suited from the Hague Peace Confer
ence of last summer, Naturaliza-
ton treaties have been concluded |
with Portugal Peru and Salvador;
while the territory available as asy-
lum for fugitives from Justice has
been further restricted through ex-
tradition treaties with Spain Port
ugal, and Uruguay. Finally a CEN
fury and a quarter of dispute con-
corning certain Canadian questions
may have been brought to satsfac-
tory adjustment by the agreement
concerning the boundary and the
AS whole the Senate
at this session has placed its APPROX
al on more treaties than were rati-
fled during the entire twenty years
preceeding.-The Outlook.
A Gray Congress.