Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-02-19

lily. In line with THIS splendid I'M
dertaking is the further duty, equally
imperative, to enter upon systematic
Improvement, upon a large and com
prehensive plan, just to all portions of
the country, of the waterways, har-
bors and Great Lakes, whose natural
adaptability to the increasing traffic
of the land is one of the greatest gifts
of a benign providence.
GIN accordance with this plank,
measures for the conservation of the
public domain, for the reclassifca-
ton of lands according to their great
est utility, and the vesting of power in
the executive to dispose of coal, phos-
phate, oil and mineral lands, and of
water power sites in such way as to
prevent their monopoly and union of
ownership in syndicate or combination,
have been already introduced, and will
doubtless, in form approved by con-
gress, be made into law.
''The subject has attracted the
widest interest, and it's Importance is
becoming more and more impressed
upon the American people.
1.-THE river and harbor bill, which
has just been reported by the river
and harbor committee of the house, has
been framed with view to complying
with the plank of the platform which
have above quoted. 1t has taken
the plan for the improvement of the
Ohio from Pittsburg to Cairo as a
project to be carried out in a certain
number of years, and it has treated
similar projects for Improvement of
the Missouri from Kansas City to ST.
Louis; for the improvement of the Mis-
sissippi from st. Paul to St. Louis
and of the same river from st. Louis
to Cairo, and, by continuing contracts
and regular appropriations, these pro-
pleted. This is change from the pre-
vious plans, and is the result of an
extended popular agitation in favor of
such a system.
Roosevelt Aroused the Country.
"Mr. Roosevelt aroused the country
and the people to the danger we were
in of having all our politics and all our
places of government authority con-
trolled by corporate interests and to
serve the greed of selfish but powerful
men. During his two terms of office,
by what almost may be compared TO
a religious crusade, he aroused the
people to the point of protecting
themselves and the public interests
against the aggressions of corporate
greed, and has left public opinion in a
condition to bring about the reforms
needed to clinch his policies and to
make them permanent in the form of
enacted law.
"But as an inevitable aftermath of
such agitation, we find a condition of
hysteria on the part of certain in
dividuals, and on the part of others a
condition of hypocrisy manifesting it.
self in the blind denunciation Of all
wealth and in the impeachment of the
motives of men of the highest charac-
ter, and by demagogic appeals to the
imagination of people greatly
aroused upon the subject of party and
honesty in the administration of gov
eminent.
"The tendency is to resent attach
ment to party or party organization
and to an assertion of individual opin.
ion and purpose, at the expense of
party discipline. The movement is to-
ward factionalism and small groups
rather than toward large party or
ganization, and the leaders of the
party organization are subjected to the
severest attacks and to the question
ing of their motives without any ade
quate evidence to justify it.
81 am far from saying the repub
lican party is perfect. No party which
has achieved such power as it has
achieved for the last II years could
be expected to maintain either in its
rank and file or in its management only
men of the purest and highest mo
tives, and am the last one to advo
cate any halt in the prosecution and
condemnation of republicans, however
prominent and powerful, whose con
duct requires criminal or other prose
cution and condemnation.
cit should be well understood that
with the republican party in its pres
ent condition, with the various di
visions subjected to the cross fire OF
tits own newspapers and its own fac
tions, any halt or failure on the par
of those in authority to punish and
condemn corruption or corrupt meth
DDS will properly be visited upon the
party itself, however many good mer
| it contains.
"We shall be called upon to respond
to the charge in the next campaign
that the tariff, for which we are re
sponsible, has raised prices. If thu
people listen to reasonable arguments
it would be easy to demonstrate tina
high prices proceed from an entirel,
different cause, and that the presen
tariff, being largely revision down
ward, except with respect to silks an(
liquors, which are Injuries, can no
BE charged with having increased an,
prices.
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