The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1909-12-17
MESSAGE READ
TO CONGRESS
Needed Legislation Outlined by
President Taft.
WORKINGS or TARIFF ACT
Maximum and Minimum ciause Dis
eussed-Practability Of Postal Saw
lnes Banks Considered 70 Be
Beyond Question.


washington The message Of the
president to congress may be SUM
marized as follows
The relations Of the United States
10 All foreign governments, with the
exception Of the unfortunate embroil-
ment with Nicaragua. are declared
satisfactory. That our friendly rela.
tions with Mexico have been cement.
ed by the recent meeting 81 the pres.
ldents of the two republics Is evil
denocd by the following passage in
the message.
Ny meeting with President Diaz and
tts sreatlpg exchanged on both Ameri-
rau and MeRicaH soil served, I hope, 70
signaIize the close and cordial relations
VIII ID so well bind together this republic
and the great republic Immediately 70 the
south, between which there Il 80 vast a
network Of uinterial interests.
A system providing for the pension
Ing OF civil servants is favored
The message makes mention that
criminal prosecutions against IN.
worthy government officers In con-
nectlou with sugar trust custom house
tiAhHB dEb EbiHA IuEWdEus
The message says
! regret 10 refer 10 the fact OF the dis
covery 81 extensive frauds IN tho collec-
ton of the customs revenue at New York
city In which number Of the subor-
dinate employees In the Weighing and
other departments were directly con-
cerned and IN which the benof1ciaries
were the American Sugar Refining Com
pany and others. The frauds consisted
In the payment OF duty on underweights
Of sugar. The government has recovered
from the American Sugar Refining Com
pany al that Il Is shown to have been de-
frauded OF. The sum was received IN full
OF the amount due, which might have
been, recovered by civil suit against the
beneficiary Of the fraud, but there was
an express reservation In the contract OF
settlement BY which the settlement should
not interfere with. or prevent the Grim
inRi prosecution OF everyone who was
found to be subject to the same
Criminal prosecutions are now proceed
inR against a number OF the government
officers, The treasury department and the
department OF Justice are exerting every
effort 10 discover all the wfongdoers In
eluding the officers and employees OF the
companies who may have been prlvy to
the fraud. II would seem TO me that an
investigation OF the frauds by congress al
ury department and the department OF
Justice, an proposed, might by giving Inn
munity and otherwise prove an embar-
rassment In securing conviction OF the
guilty parties.
On the question Of the tariff the
president treasures the country as to
possibility OF tariff war over the max.
imum and minimum clause In the
bill, He asks the people to have con.
fldence that the chief executive will
tactfully carry out the provisions OF
the measure.
Quoting the plank of the platform
on which the Republican candidate
was elected, the message declares the
intention of the administration to up.
hold every principle of law, but con.
dennis the issuance of hasty injunc.
tions.
Deficit In the postofflce department,
the president declares. is due to the
understanding of second-class mail
matter, he being OF the opinion that
such matter does not pay its due
share toward expenses.
The president continues:
The deficit every year in the post
ofhce department Is largely caused by
the low rate OF postage OF / cent a
pound charged on second class mail
matter which includes not only news
papers but magazines and misceilan-
eous periodicals. The actual loss
growing out of the transmission of
this second-class mall matter at / cent
pound amounts 10 about sea 900 900
year, The average cost of the trans
portation of this matter is more than
cents a pound
II appears that the average distance
over which newspapers are delivered
to their customers Is 29l miles while
the average haul of magazines is 1049,
ana OF miscellaneous periodicals 1l2sI
miles Thus, the average haul OF the
magazine is three and one-half times
ana that of the miscellaneous period.
zeal nearly four times the haul OF the
datly newspaper, yet all of them pay
the same postage rate of cent
pound, The statistics of 1897 show
that second-class mail matter consti-
tuted 1891 per cent OF the weight OF
All the mail. and yielded only 5,l9 per
cent Of the revenue.
The tigures given are startling. and
show the payment by the government
OF an enormous subsidy to the news,
papers, magazines ana periodicals, and
congress may well consider whether
radical steps should not be taken to
reduce the dehcit in the post offlce de-
partment caused by this discrepancy
between the actual cost of transport,.
tlou and the compensation exactad
therefor.
great saving might be made.
to much more than half ~
the loss. by imposing upon magazines
and periodicals higher rate OF post
age, They are mitch heavier than
newspapers, and contain a much higher
proportion Of advertising to reading
matter and the average distance 81
their transportation Is three and half |
times as great
The immediate Institution OF postal |
savings banks Is recommended.
An earnest recommendation is made |
'or the passage of a ship subsidy bin.
With the urging Of legislation look, !
ng TO the conservation Of our national |
resources, the message concludes:
Il WrEeatty recommend 20 eonwres. |
hat law be passed requiring that can. |
tdates Ia elections OF members OF the \
house Of representatives apu comnIttces |
n eharge Of their candidacy and cam |
liign Mo IN L proper office Of tho Tinted /
states government statement 81 the 4
,ontrteettons resolved and Of the expan- /
htures incurred Ia the campaign for su,h /
'lactious AMI that similar legislation he 1
enacted IN respect 70 all other ,,Iseti,ns |
NAieh are sppstitutiaaally within the con. !
e0i % congress-
Rat Skin Leather.