The Holly chieftain., 1909-12-10
Needed Legislation Outlined by
President Taft.
WORKINGS OF TARIFF ACT
Maximum and Minimum Clause Dis
cussed-PractabiIity of Postal Saw
inss Banks Considered to Be
Beyond Question.


to 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 of the pres
idents of the two republics is evil
denced by the following passage in
the message:
My meeting with President Diaz and
the greeting exchanged on both Ameri-
can and Mexican soil served. I hope, to
sisnalize the close and cordial relations
which so well bind together this republic
and the great republic Immediately to the
south. between which there is so vast a
network of material interests.
A system providing for the pension
ing of civil servants is favored.
The message makes mention that
criminal prosecutions against I'M
worthy government officers in con
nection with sugar trust custom house
frauds are going forward.
The message says:
regret to refer to the fact of the dis
covery OF extensive frauds in the Colec-
ton of the customs revenue at New York
city, in which a number OF the subor-
dinate employees in the Weighing and
other departments were directly con-
cerned and in which the benefciaries
were the American Sugar Refining Com
pany and others. The frauds consisted
in the payment of duty on uuderwelghts
of sugar. The government has recovered
from the American Sugar Refining Com
pany all that it 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
fnal prosecution of everyone who was
found to be subject to the same.
On the question of the tariff the
president reassures the country as to
possibility Of tariff war over the MAJ
1mum and minimum clause in th1
bill. He asks the people to have cor
fidence 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
demns the issuance of hasty injunc.
tions.
Deficit in the postoffce department.
the president declares, is due to the
undercharging of second-class mai
matter, he being of the opinion that
such matter does not pay it's due
share toward expenses.
The president continues:
The deficit every year in the post
office department is largely caused by
pound charged on second-ciass mail
matter, which includes not only news
papers but magazines and miscellan-
eous periodicals. The actual loss
growing out of the transml ssion OF
this second class mail matter at / cent
pound amounts to about S6S, 900 900
year The average cost of the trans
portation of this matter is more than
cents a pound.
1t appears that the average distance
over which newspapers are delivered
to their customers is 291 miles while
the average haul of ma agazines is 1.O49.
and of miscellaneous periodicals 1,i2S
miles. Thus, the average haul of the
magazine is three and one-half times
and that of the miscellaneous period
ical nearly four times the haul of the
daily newspaper yet all of them pay
the same postage rate of / cent a
pound. The statistics of 1907 show
that secOnd-class mail matter consti-
tuleu bo.Jl per cent OF the weight or
all the mall. and yielded only 5.I9 per
cent Of the revenue.
The figures given are startling. and
show the payment by the government
of an enormous subsidy to the news
papers. magazines and periodicals. and
congress may well consider whether
radical steps should not be taken to
reduce the defcit'in the post-Of1ce de
partment caused by this discrepancy
between the actual cost OF transporta-
ton and the compensation exacted
therefor.
A great saving might be made,
amounting to much more than half OF
the loss, by imposing upon ma gazlnes
and periodicals higher rate of post
age.
The immediate Institution of postal
savings banks is recommended.
An earnest recommendation is made
for the passage of a ship subsidy bill
With the urging OF legislation look.
Ing to the conservation OF our national
resources, the message concludes:
'I urgently recommend to congress
that a law be passed requiring ttat can
didates In elections OF members of the
house of representatives and committees
in charge OF their candidacy and cam
paiEn file In p proper office of the United
States government a statement OF the
contributions received and of the expen-
ditures Incurred in the campaign for such
elections and that similar legislation be
enacted in respect to all other elections
which are cOnstltutionally within the con-
troll of congress-"