The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-07
THE PREsIDENrs MESSAGE.

| An economical administration OF
| governmental affairs is the keynote of
the first annual message of President
| Taft.
Because the president has decided to
make important matters before the
public subjects of special messages to
| congress today's message is disappoint-
| ing to that extent. He reserves a num-
Der of big questions for special treat
ment.
There is bat the merest mention in
it of several of the most important of
the public questions which are de-
handing speedy solutions These in
clude the matters pertaining to the
antitrust laws, the interstate COM
MERGE laws and the laws relative to
the conservation Of the great natural
resources of the nation which have
been despoiled in the past and will be
6espoiled in the immediate future I'M
less congress soon passes remedia! leg
islatdon.
Associated with these questions are
what have been tern,ed the famous
Roosevelt policies and the natural
expectation was that Mr.. Taft would
take the first opportunity to deliver
his opinions on them inasmuch as Mr..
Roosevelt announced that he consid-
cred Mr.. Taft better able than himself
to work out the details of putting these
policies in effect in an adequate and
just fashion. But, although President
Taft had little or nothing to say about
them in his message of today, he has
not forgotten them and he promises
congress to handle them individually
in special messages of the future. That
will no doubt be quite satisfactory, but
the country was expecting a discus
sion of them in the present message
and their omission makes the doc
ument disappointing.
Even with these things eliminated,
though, the message falls far short of
being undressing. The president
demonstrates that he has ideas of his
own on lettering the governmental ad-
n,inistratdon and he is not afraid to adj
vocate matters which he knows will be
received without very much acclaim in
congressional and other quarters.
For instance, he calls the postal rate
of one cent a pound for second class
mail matter IAN enormous subsidy to
the newspapers, magazines and period
icals'' and he thinks that congress
should increase this rate especially on
magazines and periodicals. Presum-
ably Golfers Weekly will view this
suggestion as an attempt on the part
of President Taft and the members of
his cabinet to get square with it for its
attacks directly on Mr.. Ballinger, the
secretary of the interior. and thereby
indirectly on the Taft administration.
Nor will this suggestion set consistent
ly with the newspapers which are so
frantically opposed to governmental
subsidizing of American shipbuilding
They will sit up nights figuring out
arguments to insist that the loss to the
government out Of handling the second
class mail matter which Mr.. Taft places
at $63, 000, 900 a year cannot be construed
as a subsidy" to the newspapers and
the magazines as Mr.. Taft says it is.
This suggestion of the presidents for
increasino the rate on second class mail
is made for thu purpose of cutting out
the annual postal deficit. He might
also have suggested that aid in bring
ing about such a condition of affairs
could be secured through curtailmen'
of the ranking privilege which is in
dulged in SO extensively by members of
congress and governmental depart
ments. 1t is well known fact thai
this privilege is scandalously abused.
And while it may be all right for gov
eminent officials and government de-
partments to send their mail free, the
expense of handling this mail should be
charged to those departments and reg
ular appropriations made to meet it.
There is no reason why this bill
should be foisted indirectly on the peo-
pie by asking them to make the
postoffice department self-sustaining
through increased postal rates. Pos
sibly the second class postal rate should
be increased in some instances and for
the more bulky publications but there
could be a pairing down of the postal
deficit in other ways
Another plan of the presidents
which will not set we'll with everybody
calls for the establishment of a system |
Oh civil pensions for the support of
governmental employees who have out !
lived their usefulness. In advocating |
Ibis plan President Taft says he is |
aware that there is a strong feeling |
m congress against it and he thinks |
that the same feeling may exist
throughout the country. But he points |
out that the great industrial organiza- |
tons of the country, including many |
CT the big railway systems. have reach |
{ d the conclusion that a system of |
pensions for old employees, and the |
substitution therefor of younger and |
nore energetic servants, promotes |
both economy and efficiency of admin |
:stration. He rightly thinks that SINH |
lar plans will work out just as well |
with the government. He believes the |
clerkship service must be thoroughly |
reorganized # it is to become more |
effective and economical and he does |
not believe this can be done without |
the establishment of civil pensions.
Indeed, an economical administra- |
ION of government affairs is the key
note of the entire message. President |