The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-12-09

Renee OIL I0dUhluu- a pHg SASielh -
eSisbelieved in vaccination would no,
be the right man 10 handle an epidem
ic Of smallpox, nor should We leave
a doctor skeptical about the trans
mission ol yellow Fever by the Stego
myia mosquito in charge of santa
ton at Havana or Panama. So WIFI
the Improvement of our rivers; it Is
no longer wise or safe to leave this
great work I'm the hands Of men who
fail TO grasp the essential relations
between navigation and general de
Eelopment and to assimilate and use
the central facts about our streams.
Until the work of river improve
rnent is undertaken in a modern way
1t can not have results that will meet
the needs of this modern nation
These needs should he met without
further dilly-dallying or delay. Inc
plan which promises the best and
auickest results is that of a perma-
nent commission authorized to co-or-
dinate the work of all the Govern
ment departments relating to water
WAYS, and to frame and supervise
the execution of a comprehensive
plan. Under such a commission the
actual work of construction might be
entrusted TO the reclamation serVlce'
or to the military engineers acting
with a sufficient number OF civilians
10 continue the work in time of war;
or it might be divided between the
reclamation service and the corps OF
engineers. 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. We should have
a new type of work and new organ
Ization for planning and directing IL.
The time for playing with our water
ways is past. The country demands
results.
urge that all our National parks
adjacent to National forests be placed
completely under the control of the
forest service of the Agricultural De-
partment, instead of leaving them as
they now are under the Intrior De-
partment and policed by the army.
The Congress should provide for SUI
perintendents with adequate corps OF
first-class civilian scouts, or rangers,
and further. place the road construc-
ton under the superintendent instead
OF leaving it with the War Depart
nent Such a change in park man.
agement would result in economy and
avoid the difficulties Of administra-
ton which now arise from having the
responsibility of care and protection
divided between different depart
ments. The need for this course is
peculiarly great in the Yllowstone
Park. This, like Yosemite, is great
wonderland, and should be kept as a
national playground. In both all wild
things should be protected. and the
scenery kept wholly unmarried.
/ am happy to say that have
been able to set aside in various
parts of the country small, we'll
chosen tracts of ground to serve as
sanctuaries and nurseries for wild
creatures.
DENATURED ALCOHOL.
I had occasion in my message of
May 4, 1906. to urge the passage of
some law putting alcohol, used in
the arts, industries, and manufactures,
upon the free list; that is, to provide
for the withdrawal free of tax of al
cohol which is to be denatured for
those purposes. The law of June z,
1906, and its amendment of March 2,
1907. accomplished what was desired
IN that respect, and the use of dena-
tured alcohol, as intended, is making
fair degree of progress and is en-
titled to further encouragement and
support from the Congress.
PURE FOOD.
The pure food legislation has al
ready worked a benefit difficult to
oyerestimate.
II has been my purpose from the
beginning of my administration to
take the Indian Service completely
out of the atmosphere of political &C
tiyity, 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 falling TO pieces from nat
ural or purely evolutionary causes,
but, like all such survivals. was de-
caying 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 con- |
structive work on behalf of the In |
dams, preparatory to their induction |
into the full measure of responsible |
citizenship. On November 1 only |
eighteen agencies were left on the |
roster with two exceptions, where |
some legal questions seemed to stand |
temporarily in the way. these have |
been changed to superintendencies
and their heads brought into the clas-
sified civil service.
SECRET SERVICE.
Last year an amendment was in
in the measure providing |
for the Secret Service, which provid-
ed that there should be no detail from
the Secret Service and no transfer
1t is not too much 10 say
that this amendment has been of |