The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-03-04
A GLANCE BACK.

With the retirement Of President
Roosevelt from office, a synopsis of the
most important accomplishments of the
administration during the past seven
years may be pertinent, and we present
them here without giving any post of
honor to any one achievement:
The navy of the United States has
been more than doubled; it has now
done what no other similar fleet of like
size eyer did-viz., circumnavigated the
globe; and it is also in far more efficient
battle trim than when it started out a
year ago.
No feat of quite such far-reaching
Importance has been to the credit of
this country in recent years as the
Panama Canal.
The peace of Portsmouth was sub
stantial achievement, as was also the
part played by the United States in the
Algeciras Conference.
The settlement Of the anthracite
strike was matter of very real mo-
ment to the American people from the
standpoint not only of industrial but of
social reform and progress.
The forest reserve of the country
have been trebled or quadrupled the
forest service has been reOrganized and
placed under the Department Of Agri-
culture; and there have been created a
number of reservations for preserving
the wild things of nature-the birds
and beasts as well as the trees.
In the matter of legislation, the ma
tional irrigation act, which is resulting
in the development of the semi-arid
states of the great plains and the
Rockies is an achievement second only
N Importance to the creation of the
homestead act itself.
The administration of the civil gov
eminent in the Philippine Islands has
beenI put upon satisfactory basis.
Because of American interference in
Cuba the island is now in a thriving
and prosperous condition, and is on the
road to stable and orderly independence.
The treaty with Santo Domingo has
put the affairs of the island on better
basis than they have ever been before.
The position of the United States in
reference to the Latin-American Re-
pubhcs is definitely better than it has
ever been before; as is also the case
with Japan.
A law has been passed improving the
administration Of the Army and OF the
national guard. The law establishing
the department of Commerce and La
Dor with the Bureau of Corporations
enabled this country to take the first
really efficient step toward exercising
proper national supervision ana control
over the great corporations.
The consular service of the United
States has been completely reorganized,
a law hastbeen enacted giving vitality
to the Interstate Commerce Commission
and for the first time providing some
kindgof efficient control by the national
government oyer the great railroads.
A law has been passed providing for
federal meat inspection and inspection
of the packing houses, also pure food
bill, both OF them of the utmost import
ance in the sanitary standpoint.
In the matters of social and industrial
reform law has been enacted creating
a Juvenile Court for the District of
Columbia; another providing for the in
vestigation of the condition of women
and child workers of the United States;
an employers liability law for corpora
tons engaged in interstate commerce,
for the government itself and for the
District of Columbia, where child labor
has also been regulated by law.
The Alaskas. boundary dispute has
been settled. The Pacific cable has
been laid. The establishment of the
Army and Navy maneuvers has much
increased the efficiency of the Army
and doubled the efficiency of the Navy.
A movement hassbeen started for the
development of the Inland Waterways
as a part of the great movement for
the conservation of the natural re-
sources of the country. A movement
is under way for the betterment of the
conditions:of country life. Big corpora
tons and labor unions have been impair
italy brought before the courts and the
most powerful wrongdoers in the land