The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-12-08

tai. sufficient to complete the railroads
only to Alaska but to the whole Pacific
coast. The passage OF a law permitting
the leasing Of government coal lands in
Alaska after public competition, n the
appointment OF a commission for the gov
m of the territory, with enabling
powers to meet the local needs, will lead
70 an improvement In Alaska and the de-
Io@SurnriSe the country.
Pensions.
The uniform policy of the government
IN the matter of granting pensions to those
gallant n devoted men who fought to
save the life OF the nation in the perilous
lays of the great civil war, has always
been of the most liberal character. Those
men are now rapidly passing away. The
best obtainable official statistics show that
they are dying at the rate of something
oyer 5000 a month, and. in view of their
advancing years, this rate must inevitably,
IN proportion, rapidly increase. To the
man who risked everything on the field of
battle to save the nation in the hour of
it's direst need, we owe a debt which has
not been and should not be computed in a
or pa~rsinlonious spirit. But
while we should be actuated by this spirit
to the soldier himself, care should be ex-
ercised not to go to absurd lengths, or dis
tribute the bounty OF the government to
classes of persons who may, at this late
day. from a mere mercenary motive, seek
to obtain some legal relation with an old
veteran now tottering on the brink of the
grave. The true spirit of the pension laws
pressed by Mr.. Lincoln in his last in
augural address, wherein, in speaking of
the nations duty to it's soldiers when the
struggle should be over, he said we should
care for him who shall AVE borne the
battle, and for his widow and orphans.
Forest Service.
1 have already referred to tho forests
of the United States and their extent,
and have urged, as l do again, the re-
moYal of the limitation upon the power
of the executive to reserve other tracts
OF land in six western states in which
withdrawal for this purpose is now, for
hidden The secretary of agriculture
gives a very full description of the dis
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 a 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 We're so extended that they
coverd u range Of a q miles. and
timber of the value of $685. 600, 600 was de-
stroyed. Sventy-six persons in the en-
ploy OF the forest service were killed and
many more. injured, and 1 regret to say
which the expenses for their hospital
treatment or of their interment could be
met out of public funds. The Red Cross
contributed $1,000, and the remainder of
the necessary expenses was made up by
private contribution, chiefly from the
force of the forest service and it's Of
hcials. l recommend that suitable leg.
~islat.on be adopted to Gamble the secre-
tary Of agriculture to meet the moral
respect.
The Census Bureau.
The taking of the census has proceeded
with p~romptness and efficiency. The
secretary believes, and 1 concur, that it
will be more thorough and accurate than
any CELSIUS which Observation-Disclosures
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 a particular city has been strong
enough to lead to fraud in respect to q
few cities in this country, and L have
directed the attorney general to proceed
with all the vigor possible against those
who are responsible for these frauds.
They have been discovered and they
will not interfere with the accuracy Of
the census, but it is of the highest i'm
p~ortance that official inquiry of this
ulent c~onspiracies in some private or
local interest.
I invite the attention to the very Sc
rious injury caused to all those who are
engaged in the manufacture of phos-
phorous matches. The diseases incident
to his are. frightful. and, as matches
tirely innocuous. I believe that the in
furious manufacture could be discouraged
and ought to be discouraged by the i'm
position of a heavy federal tax. I rec
ommend theadoption of this method Of
stamping out a very serious abuse.
Eisht-Hour Law.
Since 1858 it has been the declared pur-
pose of this government to favor the
movement for an eight-hour day by a
provision of law that none Of the en-
government should work longer than
eight hours IN every "a. The first dec
l%aration Of this view was not accom-
no provision for It's enforcement, and,
though President Grant, by a proclama-
ton twice attempted to give it his sane
government to carry 1t out, the purpose
of the trainers Of the law was ulti-
mately defeated by a decision of the SUI
preme court holding that the statute as
drawn was merely a 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 a day of longer
hours than eight. Thereafter, in 1892,
the present eight-hour law was passed,
employment of all laborers and mechan-
les who are now or may hereafter be
employed by the government of the Uni
ted States, by the District of Columbia.
or by any contractor or sub-contractor
on any of the public works of the United
States and of the said District of CO.
lumbia is hereby restricted to eight hours
in any one calendar day, and it shall be
unlawful, etc, etc.
This law has been construed TO limit
the application of the requirement to
those whc are directly employed by the
government or to those who are en-
ployed upon public works situate unon
land owned by the United States. This
construction prevented its application to
government battlesliips and other vessels
built in private shipyards and to heavy
guns and armor plate contracted for and
made at private establishments.
The proposed act provides that no labor
er or mechanic doing any part of the work
contemplated by a contract with the Unit
ed States in the employ of the contractor
or any ub-contractor shall be required
or permitted to work more than eight
hours a day in any one calendar day.
1t seems to me from the past history
that government has been committed to g
policy of encouraging the limitation of the
days work to eight hours in ali works OF
construction initiated by itself, and il
seems to me illogical to maintain a differ.
ence between government work done or
government soil and government WORK
done in q private establishment. when the
work is 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
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