The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-12-09

~ Y 0VVCKAIucuI, mU9L OCCUPY TWO Oh
more years, has been to show much room
Tor Improvement and opportunity for sub
stantial reductions In the cost and In
osssssa Of Str the iHyve 81 sanan,si e u devise vss
OF each employe. There is great room
only BY the reoresniaation Of Bureaus
and departments and in the avoidance of
duplication. but also in the treatment Of
the individual employee.
Favors Civil Pensions.
More than this, every reform directed
toward the Improvement in the average
efficiency Of government employees must
depend on the ability Of the executive to
s shose WSo s are ins sns soys from nny s eaxss'
n as the degree of efficiency in all the
departments 10 much lessened by the re-
lived their energy and usefulness, It is
indispensable to any proper system of
economy hat provision be made so that
be easy and Inevitable. Il Is ' impos snSt,
to make such provision unless there is
adopted q plan Of civil pensions.
tio mS.' and M ms many Srso o. Iaau we'll c SasSn,tsi
railways Of this country, are coming to
the conclusion that a system Of pensions
therefor Of Younger "a and more enersetic
servants. promotes both economy and ef-
ficiency Of administration
ing in both houses Of congress. and pos
sibly in this country. against the estab-
lishment Of civil pensions, n hat this
Burden Sas nat of miiitasr rpp pens Go1 o1 which ses Il hes hss
always been the policy Of our government
to assume; but I am strongly convinced
difficulties presented By the s%uperann nue
alton OF civil servants can be found than
that Of a system of civil pensions.
Frauds in the Collection Of Customs.
1 regret to refer to the fact Of the
discovery OF extensive frauds In the col
York City. in which a number of the
subordinate employees in the weighing and
other departments were directly con-
were the American Sugar Refining COM
pany and others. The fraud consisted
In the payment of duty on underweights
from the American Sugar refining com
pany all that It is shown to have been
defrauded of. The sum was received in
been recovered by civil suit against the
beneficiary Of the fraud, but there was
an express reservation In the contract of
ssoaId not by which CHI, the nc ns sestlem tht
criminal prosecution of everyone who
was found to be subject to the same.
Ing against a number Of the government
officers. The treasury department and
the department of justice are exerting
every effort to discover all the wrong
plyes Of the companies who may have
been privy to the fraud. 1t would. seem
to me that an investigation Of the frauds
Dy congress at present., pending the prob
ing by the treasury department and the
department o. justice, as proposed, might
by giving immunity and otherwise prove
an embarrassment In securing conviction
or the guilty parties. .
Two features OF the new tariff act call
f cIaus special naw refefe enc BY Virtue snS Of M the
imum" clause, 1t is the duty of the ex-
e%cutive to consider the laws and prac-
tees OF other countries with reference to
the importation Into those countries OF
the products and merchandise Of the
United States, and IL the executive finds
such laws and practices not to be unduly
discriminatory against the United States,
the minimum duties provided in the bill
are to go into force. Unless the pres
ident makes such a. finding, then the
is. an increase of 25 per cent ad valorem
over the minimum duties, are to be In
force. Fear has been expressed that this
executive is likely to lead to a tariff war.
1 beg to express the hope n belief that
no such result need be anticipated.
by the terms ''unduly discriminatory Is
wide. In. order that the maximum duty
shall be charged against the imports from
find on the part of that country not only
discrimination in its laws or the practice
under them against the trade Of the
tons found shall be undue; that is,
without good and fair reason. I conceive
hat this power was reposed In the pres
i anties with mish the ne sSpe 5 seat ap 5na ma in an1
case, but that the power to apply them
would enable the president and the state
a fions tn Secure snr tSe elim nflendi,y fr nssot the
laws and the practice under them Of any
foreign country OF that which is unduly
discriminatory. No one is seeking a tariff
OF retaliation shall be aroused.
Use of Tariff Board.
The new tariff law enables me to APP
point q tariff board to assist me in con-
nection with the department of state In
the tn administration Of the minimum and d
assist officers Of the government in the
administration of the entire law. An ex-
animation of the law and an understand
should be considered In discharging the
functions imposed upon the executive
show that / have the power to direct the
glossary and encyclopedia of the terms
used and articles embraced in the tariff
law. and to- secure information as to the
cost OF production of such goods in this
country n the cost Of their production
In foreign countries. l have therefore APP
pointed a tariff board consisting Of three
form all the duties above described. This
work will perhaps take w or three
years, and / ask congress a continuing
annual appropriation equal to that al
ready made for Its prosecution. I believe
that the work of this board will be of
prime utility and Importance whenever
congress shall deem 1t wise again to
secured by the tariff board are of such
a character as to- show generally that the
rates of duties imposed by the present
tariff law are excessive under the princi-
pies of protection as described In the
platform OF the successful party at the
late election, I shall not hesitate to in
vite the attention of congress to this fact
and to the necessity for action predicated
thereon. Nothing, however, halts bust
ness and interferes with the course of
J prosperity so much as the threatened re-
vision of the tariff, and until the facts
are at hand, after careful and deliberate
investigation, upon which such revision
can properly be undertaken, 1t seems to
me unwise to attempt 1t. The amount of
mis.nformation, that creeps into argu-
rates is such as TO require the kind of
Investigation that / have directed the
tariff board to make, an investigation I'M
dertaken by 1t wholly without respect to
the effect which the facts may have In
calling for a readjustment Of the rates of
duty.
War Department.
In the interest Of immediate economy
and because of the prospect of a deficit,
/ have required a reduction In the esti-
mates of the war department for the
coming fiscal year., which brings the total
: estimates down to an amount $45. 000, 900
, less than the corresponding estimates for
last year. This could only he accom-