The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-06

better living on the farm and to better
business on the farm the farmers
themselves have given scant attention.
Last spring while visiting the cap
ital of Hungary. Budapest, ! was i'm.
mensely impressed by the Museum Of
Country Life containing an extraordi-
nary series Of studies In agriculture. In
stock raising. in forestry. in mining.
The exhibits were OF the utmost prac-
IDEAL importance and were also intense
ly interesting and instructive.
! greatly wish we had such a mu-
scum In Washington. and some Of your
farmer congressman ought to get full
and detailed report Of this Budapest
museum to be printed for distribution
in public document
human Efficiency.
As a people we have not yet learned
to economic. One OF the virtues we
Americans most need is thrift. 1t is
mere truism to say that luxury and
extravaganza are not good for a ma
ton. So far as they affect character.
the loss they cause may DO beyond
computation. But in the material
sense there Is a loss greater than Is
caused by both extravaganza and lux
ury put together.
I mean the needless. useless and ex-
cessive loss to our people from prema-
ture death and avoidable diseases.
fering and the wretchedness which
they cause. the material loss each year
has been calculated at nearly twice
what 1t costs to run the federal gov.
eminent.
In addition to the state and city
health officers and organizations. there
II urgently needed federal bureau Of
health, to act. SO far as the national
government properly may. to relieve
our people from this dreadful burden.
The National Conservation Commits
sion.
One Of the most important meetings
IN our recent history was that Of the
governors in the White House in May,
1908, to consider the conservation
question. by the advice Of the gov
errors the meeting was followed by
the appointment OF national cOnser.
walton commission. The meeting of
the governors directed the attention of
the country to conservation as nothing
else could have done. while the work
Of the commission gave the movement
definiteness and supplied 1t with
practical program. But at the moment
when the commission was ready to be-
gin the campaign for putting its pro-
gram into effect an amendment to the
sundry civil service bill was introduced
by a congressman from Minnesota
with the purpose Of putting a stop to
the work SO admirably begun. Con
gress passed the amendment.
1t deserves the confidence and sup.
port of every citizen interested in the
wise development and preservation OF
our natural resources and In prevent
ing them from passing into the hands
Of uncontrolled monopolies. 1t joins
with the national conservation con
gress in holding this meeting. ! nm
here by the joint invitation of both
State and Federal Control.
But. while we OF the United States
ere anxious a. I believe we are abba
20 be of assistance to others. there are
problems at our own which we must
not overlook. One OF the most i'm
pOrtant conservation questions Of the
moment relates to the control Of wa
ter power monopoly In the public in
terest.
There Ia apparent to the judicioMs
observer a distinct tendency on the
part of our opponents to cloud the Is
sue by raising the question of state as
against federal jurisdiction. We ar,
ready to meet that issue II II is forced
upon US. But there Is no hope for the
plain people In such conflicts of juris
diction.
The essential question Is not one o!
hair splitting legal technicalities. 1t t.
simply this: Who can best regulate
the special interests for the publ,
good?
Most Of the predatory corporations
are interstate or have interstate aftili
atoms; therefore they are largely on,
Of reach Of effective state control and
fall OF necessity within the federal ju
risdiction. One of the prime objects
OF those among them that are grasp
ing and greedy is to avoid any effec
tive control either by state OF nation
and they advocate at this time state
control simply because they believe Il,
to be the least effective.
In the great fight Of the people to
drive the special interests from the
domination OF our government the ma
ton is stronger and its jurisdiction Is
more effective than that Of any state
The most effective weapon against
these great corporations. most Of
which are financed and owned on the
Atlantic coast. will be federal laws
and the federal executive.
That IS why l SO strongly oppose
the demand to turn these matters over
to the states. 1t Is fundamentally a
demand against the interest Of the
plain people. Of the people of small
means. against the interest Of our chill
dren and our children's children. and
1t is primarily In the interest Of the
great corporations, which desire to es-
cape all government control.
The Conservation Fight.
One Of the difficulties In putting into
practice the conservation idea Is thai
the field to which 1t applies Is CON
Stanflv Vrouiuv In tha p,,hl{c vv,t~a