Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-11-12
TAFT OUTLINES
MESSAGE TEXT
TELLS WHAT HE WILL
RECOMMEND TO CONGRESS, IN
SPEECH AT RICHMOND.
PLEADS FOR CONSERVATION.
Wants Public Lands and Minerals Guard
ed from Corporation Greed in
Their Development.
ANTITRUST LAW NEEDS CHANGE

WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. IL
parently none the worse for his $4,000
mile Swing around the circle
This morning he delivered the princi-
pal address at the opening session of the
Laymen's Missionary movement. He
leaves this afternoon for MiddletoWn,
Conn.,. and Hartford, Conn, but will
be back by noon Saturday and on Mon
day expects to plunge into work.
Eight cabinet members were awaiting
Mr.. Taft. The ninth member, Secretary
Meyer, had accompanied him from Rich
mond, where Mr. Taft made the last
speech of the tour. Mr.. Taft did not
waste time in joining Mrs. Taft, who
has been III ill-health.
The President is in the pink of cond-
ton. 1t is generally reported among
his intimates, however, that he has
gained several pounds and that he is
planning a vigorous campaign al golf to
reduce his girth.
In the final speech of his 1900 mile
trip, in Richmond Va, President Taft
thus prefaced preliminary statement Of
annual message to Congress will con
| tain:
Pleads for Conservation.
In the nrSt place, there is the cOnSery:-
ton of our resources and the reclamation of
arid lands We have reached a time now
where a great many people in the west are
counting on an immediate supply of water
for the land upon which they have settled.
which is not forthcoming because the money
applied to the reclamation fund does not
come in as quickly as expected, or at least
quickly enough to meet the exigency of the
occasion, and am strongly in favor of an
| tlc1pat1ng that fund.- which is a fund raised
solely by the sale of public lands, by the
issuing of bonds, the payment of which
shall be charged to the same source of rave.
nue..
Would Guard Minerals.
Then we nave a great deal of valuable
coal land owned by the government We
| have great many water power sites, the
power of which will furnish an immense
amount of power for use by electrical ap.
planes Then there are millions of acres
OF phosphate to be used in the fertilization
OF the soil, Under existing laws those
lands are Likely to be parted with merely
under a homestead settlement. They are OF
such peculiar value that it seems wiser that
the government should reserve some con
troll over the water power sites and the coal
lands and the phosphates so that they NAV
not come into the hands of one controlling
corporation but may be retained by the
government, with the power to restrict the
prices at which the coal or at least ut
which the power, is sold to prevent the alb
sorpt1on into one command OF all the power
on the continent.
hands for enforcement, and the arrange
! ment of the departments of the government
IN such way as to make it more effective
if possible.
Urges Commerce Court
Then there is the interstate commerce
law, which certainly needs amendment in
order to give the interstate commerce fl j.
bunal more power to prevent the delays
which are now incident to appeals to tne
courts. In my judgment the best way is to
create a special court and have court
that is charged with the knowledge and
practice IN regard to railroads, so that the
matter can be promptly disposed of.
Ihen l am strongly in favor of a postal
savings bank. | know that in that propo-
S1tlon L come up against a great many con
servative bankers and also a great many
who view with doubt the wisdom of extend
ing paternalism in the government Where
it happens that the government is so stu
ated that it can do thing better and more
economically than individuals can do it.
ana and can supply a want for means of
thrift | am in favor of it's doing it.
Inc monetary reform is under cOnSidera-
non by commission. l am hopeful that
the commission may present the conditions
that exist here and the conditions as they
exist Ill Europe, and in this way point out
to US some steps that may be taken to re-
form what is certainly today nothing but a
patchwork.
Would End Laws Delays.
Then there is another subject that is YER
near to my heart. / have been a Judge and
that is subject l know something about
We must improve our legal procedure so as
to make it both in criminal and civil cases
more simple, more rapid and less expensive
and mean to recommend to Congress the
appointment of a commission to take that
subject up with respect to the federal pro-
cedure, and then if by the federal pro,
cedure we achieve Il result that commends
Itself it will form a model for the states
Mr.. Taft said he believed the time had
come for the organization of a federal
health bureau and the concentration in
1t OF all the instruments for the preserya-
ton of health and for the investigation
or diseases that are now included in
the national government, and such others
as may be properly placed there