The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-12-08

building, and to furnish cheap coal noj
only to Alaska but to the whole Pactht
coast. The passage of law pcrmittinl
the leasing Of government coal lands n
y Alaska afEer public competition. and the
appointment Of commission for the gov
ernnent OF the territory, with enabling
powers to meet tho local needs, will load
TO an Improvement In Alaska and the de.
velopment Of her resources that ID likely
to surprise the country.
Pensions.
The uniform policy OF tho government
In the matter of granting pensions to those
gallant and devoted men who fought to
save the life OF the nation in the perilous
days OF the great civil war. has always
been OF the most liberal character. Those
men are now rapidly passing away. The
pest obtainable official statistics show that
they are dying at the rate Of something
over 800 month, and, In view OF their
advancing years, this rate must inevitably
In proportion. rapidly increase. To the
battle to save the nation in the hour OF
Its d.rest need. we owe debt which has
not been and should not be computed In a
Degrudging or parsimonious spirit but
whiie we should be actuated by this spirit
to the soldier himself, care should be ex-
ercised not to so to absurd lengths, or dis
tribute the bounty Of the government to
classes Of persons who may, at this late
day, from mere mercenary motive, seek
to obtain some legal relation with an old
= veteran now tottcring on the brink OF the
grave. The true spirit of the pension laws
Is to be found in the noble sentiments ex-
z pressed by Mr.. Lincoln in his last in
augural address, wherein, In speaking of
! the nations duty to its soldiers when the
care for him who shall have borne the
battle. and for his widow and orphans.
| Forest Service.
| I have already referred to the forests
of the United States and their extent.
and have urged. as l do again. the re-
tae 81 tine I, upon fae
withdrawal for tbs I purpose V is now for
bidden IN. secretary of Agriculture
astrous fires that occurred during the
last summer In the national forests. A
drought more intense than any recorded
in the history. Of the west had intro
duced condition into the forests which
made fires almost inevitable. and loco.
motive sparks, negligent campers and
IN some cases incendiaries furnished the
| needed immediate cause. At one time
the fires were SO extended that they
coverd range Of hundred miles, and
timber of the value of s25OOO.OOO was de-
stroyed. Sventy-six persons In the en-
ploy of the forest service were killed and
that there is no provision m the law BY
which the expenses for their hospital
treatment or Of their interment could be
eontriSutsd sooS ana the rems in 0 Of
the necessary expenses was made up by
private contribution. chiefly from the
e force OF the forest service and its Of
| islat.on be adopted to Gamble the secre-
tary of agriculture to meet the moral
obligations of the government in this
The Census Bureau.
The taking of the census has proceeded
with promptness and efficiency. The
secretary believes. ana concur that 1t
VIII be more thor9ugh and accurate than
taken. but 1t Is not perfect. The motive
that prompts men with a false civic
| pride TO induce the padding of census
returns in order to increase the popula-
ton Of particular city has been strong
enough to lead to fraud In respect to a
few cities in this country, and l have
with all the vigor possible against those
who are responsible for these frauds.
They have been discovered and they
the census. but it is Of the highest Inn
portance that official inquiry of this
sort should not be embarrassed by fraud
ulent conspiracies in some private or
I invite the attention to the very Sc
rious injury caused to all those who are
phorous matches The diseases Incident
to this are. frightful. and. as matches
can. be made from other materials en-
eenS aa shs
and ought to be discouraged by the Inn
position Of a heavy federal tax. rec
ommend theadoption of this method Of
stamping out very serious abuse
Eight. Law.
Since 1858 1t has been the declared pur-
pose Of this government to favor the
movement for an e.ght-hour day by a
provision of law that none of the en-
ployes employed by or on behalf Of the
government should work longer than
laration of this view was not accom-
panied with any pena clause and with
no provision for its enforcement. and,
though President Grant. by a proclama-
ton twice attempted to give it his sane
ton and to require the officers of the
government to carry II out, the purpose
mately defeated by decision of the SUI
preme court holding that the statute as
drawn was merely direction of the
government to its agents and is not in
validate a contract made In behalf of
the government which provided in the
contract for labor for day Of longer
hours than eight Thereafter. in 1892,
which provides that the services and
employment Of all laborers and mechan-
les who, are now or may hereafter be
ted States, by the District OF Columbia,
or by any contractor or sub-contractor
on any Of the public works of the United
iumbia is hereby restricted to eight hours
in any one calendar day, and II shall be
unlawful, etc, etc.
This law has been construed to limit
the application of the requirement to
those who are directly employed by the
government or to those who are en-
Dloyed upon public works situate upon
land owned by the United States. This
construction prevented It's application TO
government battleships and other vessels
built I'm private shipyards and TO heavy
guns and armor plate contracted for and
n''de at private establishments.
The proposed act provides that no labor
err or mechanic doing any part Of the work
contemplated by a contract with the Unit
or any suh-contractor shall he required
or permitted to work more than eight
hours day In any one calendar day.
It seems to me from the past history
that government has heen committed to a
rolicy of encouraging the limitation Of the
days work to eight hours in all works OF
construction initiated bv itself, and Il
seems to me illogical to maintain differ
ence between government work done on
government soil and government work
done in a private establishment. when the
work IL of such large dimensions and in
wolves the expenditure OF much labor for
a considerable period, so that the private
manufacturer may adjust himself and his
establishment to the special terms OF en-
ployment that he must make with his
workmen for this particular Job. To re-
Quire, however, that every small contract
OF manufacture entered into by the gov
eminent should be carried out by the con-
tractor with men working at eight hours
would be to impose an iptolerable burden