Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-12-10


be permitted to stand in the way of
the preservation of the forests, and it
is criminal to permit individuals to
purchase a little gain for themselves
the destruction of forests
when this destruction is fatal to the
welIbefng of the whole country in the
future.
Inland Waterways.
Action should be begun forthwith,
during the present session of the con-
gress, for the improvement of our in
land Waterways which will re-
suit in giving us not only nayigable
but navigated rivers. We have spent
hundreds of millions of dollars upon
these waterways, yet the traffic on
nearly all of them is steadily declin-
ing. This condition is the direct result
of the absence of any comprehensive
and far-seeing plan of waterway i'm
provement. The plan which promises
the best and quickest results is that
of a permanent commission authorized
to coordinate the work of all the gov
eminent departments relating to water
ways, and to frame and supervise the
execution of a comprehensive plan.
The time for playing with our water
ways is past. The country demands
results.
The president urges that all our ma
tional parks adjacent to national for
ests be placed completely under the
control Of the forest service of the
agricultural department, instead of
leaving them as they now are, under
the interior department and pOliCed by
the army. Congress should provide
for superintendent with adequate
corps of first-class civilian rangers.
The president urges postal savings
banks and a parcels post. Better aid
to the national educational department
other diseases is applauded; and the
president recommends that legislation
be enacted placing under the jurisdic-
ton of the department of commerce
and labor the government printing of
fee. At present this office is under
the combined control supervision and
administrative direction of the preSi-
dent and of the joint committee on
printing of the two houses of congress.
1t has 4,069 employees and spends from
$5,O00000 to 100000 a year. The
president advocates the immediate adj
mission of New Mexico and Arizona as
states and calls the attention Of con-
gress to the Importance of the prob.
lem of the fisheries in the interstate
waters. The fisheries Of the Missis-
sippi, the Ohio and the Potomac are
in a bad way. For this there is no
remedy except for the United States to
control and 1egislate for the interstate
fisheries as part of the business of in
terstate commerce. The federal stat
ute regulating interstate traffic in game
should be extended to include fish.
Foreign Affairs.
We have behaved, and are behaving,
towards other nations, as in private
life an honorable man would behave
towards his fellows.
Panama Canal.
The work on the Panama canal is
being done with a speed, efficiency and
entire devotion to duty, which make it
a model of all work of the kind. No
task of such magnitude has ever before
been undertaken by any nation and no
task of the kind has ever been better
performed.
recommendation is made for the
extension of the ocean mail act of 1891
so that satisfactory American ocean
mail lines to South America, Asia, the
Philippines and Australasia may be
established.
Hawaii.
We have begun to improve Pearl
harbor in Hawaii, for a naval base and
to provide the necessary military forti
fcations for the protection of the is
lands, but the president can not too
emphasize the need of appro-
priations for these purposes of such
d0 dIHOuHI dS Will WlJulu LLlc SuOI Ieol
possible time make those islands prac-
tica.ly impregnable. 1t Is useless to
develop the industrial conditions of
the islands and establish there bases
of supply for our naval and merchant
fleets unless we insure, as far as hui
man ingenuity can, their safety from
foreign seizure. One thing to be re.
membered with all our Notifications
is that it is almost useless to make
them impregnable from the sea if they
are left open to land attack.
The Philippines.
The Filipino people, through their |
are making real steps in the |
direction of self-government. The |
president hopes and believes that |
these steps mark the beginning of a |
course which will continue till the Fill |
ipinos become fit to decide for them
selves whether they desire to be an
nation. But no one can |
prophesy the exact date when ii will |
be wise to consider independence as a |
fixed and definite policy. 1t would be